App Store Apps

Facebook rolling out free VoiP calling in Messenger to everyone

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 3, 2014

Ever since launching its totally redesigned Messenger app last November, the social networking giant Facebook's been dragging its feet in terms of enabling VoIP calling for everyone.

For users in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, this useful feature has been part of the old Messenger app for quite some time now.

Today, Facebook issued a minor update to Messenger for iOS that seemingly enables free voice calling over Wi-Fi and low-cost calls over cellular for everyone.

The update is available in the App Store so grab it now and check out free calling in Facebook Messenger...

Unique physics-based platformer Monument Valley just hit iOS and it’s insanely great

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

Right upon seeing a trailer for Monument Valley, I was drawn to this surreal physics-based iOS game of platforms and perspectives with a twist, to such a great degree that I immediately bought it without thinking.

Created by Ustwo, the same minds who brought us Blip Blup and Whale Trail, the game is an insta-purchase and easily one of the most visual striking titles to grace Apple's mobile platform since its inception.

Now available for the iPhone and iPad in exchange for four bucks, Monument Valley challenges you to manipulate impossible architecture and guide the silent princess Ida through a stunningly beautiful world.

I've included gorgeous screenshots, videos and additional tidbits below the fold...

Pebble iOS app is back on the App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 3, 2017

Smartwatch maker Pebble recently issued an update to its companion iOS app, but was quickly forced to pull the software over a fatal flaw that broke the Bluetooth connection between the smartwatch and the iPhone, rendering your Pebble non-functional.

As developers fixed the issue, the Pebble app has just been re-released on the App Store.

Available now free of charge, Pebble version 2.1.1 fixes issue with the previous version while introducing new watchfaces and a couple new features.

Jump past the fold to learn more...

‘Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance’ hits the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 28, 2018

Wow, it has been an absolute monster day for iOS game releases. First there was 'Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft,’ which hit App Stores in select countries, then FTL for iPad came out, and now we have 'Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance.'

Games Workshop's Storm of Vengeance is a lane strategy game for PC and mobile devices set in the dark, gothic universe of Warhammer 40K. Players can play as both Dark Angels and Orks, tasked with either defending their planet, or destroying it...

‘Faster Than Light’ for iPad now available in the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Last week we told you that the popular PC/Mac title Faster Than Light would be making its way to the iPad soon, and today, the game landed in the App Store. You can now play the roguelike-like real-time strategy game on your Apple-branded tablet.

Even if this doesn't look like your cup of tea, FTL is worth checking out. Early reviews of the game have been glowing, with some awarding it 5 out of 5 stars, and others calling it a potential Game of the Year candidate. Keep reading for a full overview...

‘Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff’ landing on iOS April 10

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

It looks like the highly anticipated Family Guy project from Fox and TinyCo is set to be released next week. At a launch event in Los Angeles last night, the two firms announced that 'Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff' will be landing on iOS on April 10.

First revealed in December of last year, the game will be set in the infamous town of Quahog and feature elements of resource management, with multiple story lines. It looks similar to Fox's other hit TV series-turned-game: The Simpsons Tapped Out...

‘Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft’ for iPad launches in select countries

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Back in March, Blizzard launched its digital card trading game 'Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft' on the Mac, and as promised, it has brought the game to iOS. The title soft-launched for iPad last night, and is now available in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand App Stores.

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, for those unfamiliar with it, is a strategy card game set in the 'Warcraft' universe. Players compete in 1-on-1 battles—either against the computer or other users via Battle.net—in an effort to grow the size and power of their card collections...

DEAD Room – The Dark One review: welcome to your worst nightmare

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

My first discovery of the fabled “Slender Man” happened a few years ago. A friend showed me YouTube videos of found footage starring a tall, thin figure with a featureless face. In the videos, the electronics of the camera would fail every time Slender Man would appear on screen. Although I knew it was make believe, it still creeped me out.

Dead Room – The Dark One is a play on the fictitious figure. Only this mysterious entity looks and moves differently. The gameplay is similar to other Slender Man survival titles, but seems to have no ending, except a bad one…

Shapematic turns your iPhone into a 3D scanner

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmb5BcBZhdM

Shapematic is a new app that just launched in the App Store, and that aims to turn your iPhone into a 3D scanner. Simply snap a few pictures under different angles of the object you want to scan, and let the app work its software magic. The result will be a three-dimensional reconstruction of the object. The app also includes a feature that lets you edit your 3D photos to remove little flaws that might have showed up in the process.

The 3D models created are printing ready, and you can request a 3D print directly from the application to get the three-dimensional model shipped to you.

Download Shapematic in the App Store for $0.99.

TextExpander updated for iOS 7, adds a bunch of snippet management features

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

If you're going to do serious typing on your iPhone and iPad, why not save yourself precious time by having short abbreviations automatically expanded into long snippets (i.e. have 'idb' auto-expand to 'iDownloadBlog')?

Although iOS 7 lets you create shortcuts in Settings > General > Keyboard that'll automatically expand into words and phrases as you type, the basic implementation of the feature leaves a lot to be desired.

Enter Smile Software's TextExpander, a tool that gets this job done better than any other software. Available for iOS since last summer, the app contains advanced features like clipboard integration, macros and fill-in snippets. And thanks to the official SDK, third-party apps can implement TextExpander functionality to use your commonly-used strings of text.

On Wednesday, Smile updated the iOS snippet expansion utility with iOS 7-friendly design and a host of group and snippet management improvements. The app is now available in the App Store free of charge for existing customers and I've included additional tidbits right after the break...

ProCamera 7 gains TIFF and high-res Instagram support, printing, Vimeo sharing and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 2, 2014

ProCamera by German developer Cocologics GmbH has been featured on our 10 Best Photography Apps of 2013 list, you rated it one of the Best Apps of 2013 and it's been consistently featured throughout our ongoing iPhone photography series.

Small wonder, given ProCamera combines photo and video recording, advanced editing and sharing into a single app laden with rich controls, more than 76 pro-grade filters and effects, a dedicated Lightbox (like in Camera+), full-res photo preview and lots more.

Cocologics has pushed a major new ProCamera 7 update this morning, adding numerous nice-to-haves while implementing some nice new features like high-resolution Instagram uploads, support for the lossless TIFF file format, in-app printing, an improved Lightbox and Night mode, Vimeo sharing, Open-in functionality and lots more.

The new ProCamera 7 version 5.3 is now live in the App Store and available free to existing users. We have a few promo codes to spare so read on for the full reveal...

Fantastical 2 for iPad: the best calendar app is now available on iPad

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated March 16, 2018

I'd probably be wasting my time if I spent more than a few words introducing Fantastical, an app that most of us here at iDB use on a daily basis, and which we recently ranked as one of the best calendar apps for iPhone. And it's not just us!

Up until today, you could only use Fantastical on your Mac or your iPhone, but things are changing as Flexibits just released Fantastical 2 for iPad, now available in the App Store...