App Store Apps

Instagram 5.0 launches in App Store with Instagram Direct support

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 12, 2013

And just like clockwork, Instagram's newly-updated mobile app is now live in the App Store with support for Instagram Direct, a new feature announced just an hour ago at the company's Share a Moment media event in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. This capability that some mistakenly refer to as a private messaging feature introduces much-needed granularity to sharing by allowing users to send a photo or video not only to a group of their Instagram followers, but also to those not following them on the service...

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga hits the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ December 12, 2013

Warner Bros.' LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga is now available in the App Store. The game is based on the Star Wars-themed toy line by the Lego Group, and was first released on consoles back on November 6, 2007.

For those who haven't played the title, it's a mashup of Lego Star Wars: The Video Game and its sequel Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, and it includes content, characters and storylines from all 6 Star Wars films...

Google Maps now lets you see flight, hotel and restaurant reservations from Gmail

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 11, 2013

It's been some time since we've seen a meaningful update to Google Maps for iPhone and iPad, especially given Google Maps is probably the Internet giant's most popular product, after Search.

As if reading our mind, just an hour ago the firm has quietly pushed a minor update into the App Store. The new Google Maps version 2.5 comes with a few bug fixes and brings with it a cool new feature which lets you see your reservations from Gmail on the map.

Say you made a flight, hotel or restaurant reservation. Upon receiving the confirmation email in Gmail, Google can now take this information (they are already doing this for Google Now cards, by the way), extract the address and show you precise locations for these items within the Google Maps iOS app.

It's a minor, albeit welcome, enhancement that will up competition a notch for Apple’s own iOS Maps app. I love how little things like this make Google Maps more integrated with other Google apps. We've seen Google do this frequently and my guess is they'll continue to leverage their premium iOS apps to build a platform on top of iOS, so to speak...

Facebook app gets auto-play feature for News Feed videos, and there’s not much you can do about it

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Facebook updated its iOS client this afternoon, bringing the app to version 6.8. The update is a small one, but it does include one significant—and likely controversial—change: video clips will now play automatically in your News Feed.

Now, Facebook has been testing this feature since September, and I've had it for a while. And although the videos aren't extremely annoying, I was hoping they'd make one change before the public launch: give us a way to turn them off...

Nike+ Move gains better Leaderboards and more accurate Where You Moved screen

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

I frequently use Nike's fitness app, Move for iPhone, which made its App Store debut in early-November. Apple highlighted Nike+ Move during the September double-iPhone event as a use case scenario on how health and fitness apps can benefit by taking advantage of the new M7 motion coprocessor found inside the iPhone 5s. Not only does Nike+ Move tracks your movement even when it's inactive - with little to no impact on your battery life - it really gets you moving on a daily basis.

Beautiful and light iOS design, nicely animated interface, easy to grasp features and inviting concept together made me fall in love with the software from day one. A fresh update which just surfaced on the App Store is now introducing a more comprehensive Leaderboards and a more accurate Where You Moved screen...

Apple experimenting with custom landing page for Angry Birds Go! in the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Last month, Apple began testing the app trailer waters by hosting a video clip on the App Store for the new game Clumsy Ninja. The embedded clip had no voiceover or custom App Store branding, and it's the only one we've seen like this in the Store to date.

Now, it looks like Apple is running another experiment involving app and media discovery. We noticed this afternoon that it has given the new game Angry Birds Go! a custom landing page in the App Store with links to its related soundtrack and other apps...

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas now available in the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Rockstar's wildly popular Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is now available in the App Store. The game, which first launched on the PlayStation 2 all the way back in 2004, is now available on both the iPhone and iPad.

Rockstar says that this is their biggest mobile port ever. The game features over 70-hours of gameplay, enhanced visuals, and—for the first time ever—support for Apple's new Made-for-iOS controller technology in iOS 7...

Pinterest revamps iPad interface

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 11, 2013

Just in time for the holidays, Pinterest has given its free iPhone and iPad app a revamped tablet interface which includes brand new iPad navigation via dedicated buttons alongside the bottom, the ability to show your most recent boards for faster pinning, new ways to discover boards, hidden boards and more.

"The iPad app has a fresh new look, just in time for the holidays," Pinterest wrote in iTunes release notes. "Also, you can send your favorite boards to your friends for gift giving inspiration".

The full details are included right below...

Valve gives its Steam iOS app iOS 7 makeover, offline chat and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 11, 2013

Valve has refreshed its Steam Mobile client for the iPhone and iPad with a new user interface design which fits the overall iOS 7 aesthetics much better compared to the previous version.

Additionally, this version of Steam Mobile has added a few new features and enhancements such as the offline chat mode, improved push notifications and icon badging, a brand new streamlined interface for responding to friend invites and a couple other tidbits.

The application allows Steam fans to stay in touch with the Steam community wherever they go. In addition to the Steam chat, the app relays the latest gaming news from the Steam network as well as notable game sales and includes the ability to browse community groups and user profiles...

Beat – Music player is a great looking gesture-based app

Lory Gil ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Apple’s recently updated music player still doesn’t impress some people. It looks cleaner and has a simpler user interface, but it doesn’t have that “Wow factor.”

Beat – Music player is a third party music listening app that makes your iTunes library look great. Plus, the customizable gesture based controls make full use of the touch screen technology. Hop inside for a quick look at it...

Castro: a beautiful new podcast client for iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

If you've been having trouble finding a podcast client that fits you, you may want to check out Castro. Castro is a beautiful new podcast app for your iPhone that backs up its good looks with powerful features.

I should tell you up front that the app is for iOS 7 users only. You could tell it was designed specifically for the OS, as it's rife with transparent backgrounds, flat UI elements, and a smart, gesture-based interface...