App Store Apps

How to send group text messages on iPhone

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 8, 2023

We all know how to send an SMS or iMessage to a group of friends: open up the Messages application and type in the name of the contacts you want to include in this group message. This is fine if you want to send a text message to just a handful of contacts, but what if you want to send a message to 25 contacts, for example? Adding each of them to the group chat could be a time-consuming process.

As always, the App Store can provide a solution to this problem. We will show you how to text message a group of contacts on your iPhone in a quick and efficient manner. To do so, we'll be using our application called Contact Groups, an app we developed ourselves. There are other applications that can streamline your group messaging, but we'll be using Contact Groups as it is a free alternative that works really well for what we want to accomplish.

Google updates Wallet app with new Orders feature

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 12, 2014

Google last month introduced some nice new features for its mobile Wallet app, namely the ability to scan your loyalty cards using the iPhone's iSight camera and receive notifications for offers from local merchants.

According to a post Wednesday on the Google Commerce Blog, the Internet giant is rolling out a new version of Wallet for iPhone which uses receipts from Gmail to track your online purchases.

The refreshed software is currently being rolled out to US-based customers so keep an eye on the App Store as the app goes live in the course of this week...

FiftyThree’s Paper updated with new iOS 7 design, improved zoom and more

Cody Lee ∙ March 12, 2014

FiftyThree announced a significant update for its popular Paper for iPad drawing app this afternoon, bringing the app to version 1.6.1. The update brings about an iOS 7-inspired redesign with new fonts, buttons and toggles, as well as a handful of other improvements.

Among those improvements are more powerful zoom and ink—when you zoom in on your artwork, your tools do too, giving you finer control over the smaller areas—and better dot control. Now, the dot size in your Draw and Erase tools is linked to how long you press...

Rovio says upcoming ‘Angry Birds Epic’ game is a turn-based RPG

Cody Lee ∙ March 12, 2014

Over the weekend, Rovio posted a teaser trailer for an unknown, upcoming Angry Birds title. The clip was short, and offered up few details about the game outside of showing a bird wearing knight's armor and announcing countries that would participate in the soft launch.

Well today, the studio revealed that the game is going to be called Angry Birds Epic and it's not going to be the typical bird-flinger. In fact, far from it. The new title will actually fall into the 'adventure role-playing' genre, with a turn-based combat system and extensive crafting...

Starbucks bringing shake-to-pay, digital tipping and iOS 7-friendly look to iPhone app

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 12, 2014

Starbucks, the global coffee company and coffeehouse chain, announced Wednesday that new features are coming to its free iPhone application next Wednesday, March 19.

For starters, coffee aficionados in the United States and Canada will be able to use the firm's free iPhone app to tip their baristas in $0.50, $1 and $2 denominations at more than 7,000 company-operated locations in the U.S. This has apparently been a much-requested feature.

And to make mobile payments even easier, the app will include a brand new (and pretty handy) 'Shake to Pay' feature which does exactly that - you can just shake your iPhone to quickly bring the barcode of your Starbucks Card to the front, saving you diving into Apple's Passbook app...

Massive Verbs IM update brings iOS 7 UI, Dropbox integration, iCloud sync and lots more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

Despite the undeniable usefulness of Apple's iMessage and the massive popularity of WhatsApp, many people still rely a variety of other messaging services, from the Facebook chat to Gtalk to AIM (who still uses AIM?) to Yahoo Messenger and a variety of emerging and lesser-known services with cryptic names.

Verbs by #include tech was released on the iPhone back in January 2011 and instantly won me over with its gorgeous interface that looks like it was designed by Apple itself.

It supports tons of instant messaging services, has a native iPad UI, delivers notifications for incoming messages and lots more. In todays Verbs 3.0 update, now available in the App Store free to existing users, the app is now iOS 7-ready and improved in ways more than one.

For starters, it now uses iCloud to sync your chat archives across devices in real-time - something Apple's iMessage still can't do. Verbs 3.0 integrates with Dropbox for sharing files and photos in chat, supports the Jabber protocol (useful for Hipchat and other Jabber-compliant IM services), while introducing a slew of new notification options.

The full breakdown is right after the break...

Speedtest.net app, now with iPad UI and landscape mode

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 27, 2017

Speedtest.net, a free broadband connection analysis service founded by Ookla in 2006, has a nice mobile app for various platforms.

This nifty little piece of software lets anyone easily measure the speed of their Internet connection, be it cellular or Wi-Fi. Released back in January 2009, the app used to run natively on the iPhone and iPod touch only, but not anymore.

Thanks to the latest version 3.2 update, Speedtest.net now runs natively on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad and has support for landscape mode on the Apple tablet. This version of Speedtest.net, available free of charge in the App Store, also comes with a few minor tweaks, listed below the fold...

Users are now warned of 15-minute in-app purchase window in iOS 7.1

Cody Lee ∙ March 12, 2014

Apple released iOS 7.1 earlier this week, and among its many other changes is a new warning message for users regarding the 15-minute in-app purchase window. The window allows you to buy IAPs on an iOS device for 15 minutes after a password is entered without authorization.

The move is likely part of Apple's efforts to make good on its settlement with the FTC regarding a lawsuit over IAPs. The company told the commission that it would issue refunds to those affected, and modify its in-app billing system to make the whole process more clear for users...

Fantastical gains WhatsApp and 1Password integration, new alert sound and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

Fantastical by Flexibits is arguably the most advanced calendar and to-do application on the iPhone - my daily productivity is now dependent on it running on my iOS devices and Macs.

If you're not familiar with the app, it features natural language processing so you can just type in something like 'lunch with Dad in two weeks at Mom's place at 1pm' and it'll automatically create a reminder or an event for you. And yes, it integrates with your iOS Calendar and Reminders database.

Fantastical is even better on the Mac and developers should be praised for keeping their user base loyal by expanding on the feature set with regular refinements and new capabilities. In today's update, now live in the App Store, Fantastical brings out a whole bunch of tweaks and improvements along with a few new features.

Notable highlights include an option to send text messages in WhatsApp, support for opening links in 1Password and the Mercury web browser, a new custom sound they've made for event and reminder notifications and lots more.

The full changelog is right below the fold...

Day One journaling app becomes a publishing platform: you can now post diary entries online

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

Two days ago, Day One journaling app for iOS and OS X by Bloom Built has celebrated its third anniversary.

Having been a user since Day One's inception, I couldn't be happier with its clean and elegant design, rich Markdwon support and carefully balanced set of features letting me keep my personal memories, photos and life's best moments neatly organized in one place.

To this date, virtually not a day has gone by without me firing up Day One on my iPhone to capture my thoughts and feelings or simply snap up a memorable moment in time and spice it up with a punchy caption.

I also love Day One's inline photos, how it integrates location data from Foursquare, pulls weather information for entries and keeps my diary synchronized between iOS and Mac devices through iCloud. These are just some of the factors that prompted Apple to name Day One its 2012 Mac App of the Year and 2011 #1 Best App in the Mac App Store.

And now, Bloom Built has updated the iOS edition with Publish, a major new capability that turns your private entries into attractive web pages, available to anyone or just the people with whom you've shared the URL of the entry - the choice is yours.

Jump past the fold for the full breakdown...

Will Flappy Bird ever return to the App Store? The developer says it might

Cody Lee ∙ March 11, 2014

It would appear that the Flappy Bird saga is still far from over. The game's creator Dong Nguyen, who pulled the title from iOS and Android at the height of its popularity, says that he is considering returning the game to app stores.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Nguyen talks about a wide range of things, including why he pulled Flappy Bird in the first place, and how it has affected his life. He also says that he has been contemplating bringing the game back...

Snip & Chu is a handheld electronic game for the next generation

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

In the 1980s, handheld electronic games were all the rage. They ranged from clamshell style devices that were later used for Nintendo’s DS, to mini games that you could play on a watch. They featured an LCD screen with pre-set custom designs and a visual output similar to digital watch displays.

Snip & Chu harkens back to the old days with an iPad version of the handheld electronic games that we envied as kids and hoped to see in our Christmas stocking every year…