App Store

Apple Clamping Down On In-App Purchases

Alex Heath ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

Apple is making the move to have more control over App Store apps that utilize "in-app" purchases. The Sony Reader app was recently declined from App Store approval due to Apple's new stance on in-app transactions.

Until now, developers were able to sell content with in-app purchases through their own payment infrastructure. Apple has now made the stance that all in-app purchases must go through the Apple payment system, which in turn would give Apple a 30% cut off the top of sales.

This marks a shift from Apple's previous claim to want a more collaborative relationship with content producers who want to manage in-app purchases through their own backend...

How to Pay With Your iPhone at Starbucks

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Did you know Starbucks has its own app with the ability to process payments through any iDevice at Starbucks locations throughout the U.S? The "Starbucks Card Mobile" app allows for the purchase of Starbucks goods through a prepaid "My Starbucks Rewards" card - straight on the iPhone.

The My Starbucks Rewards card operates like a prepaid gift card. Instead of paying with cash or a credit card, customers can reload and use the same Starbucks gift card to receive special discounts and perks.

If you have a Starbucks card, you can now use the Mobile Card app to make purchases at Starbucks locations. Here's how it works...

Infographic Confirms That iPhone Users Prefer Regular Apps Over Web Apps

Alex Heath ∙ January 28, 2011

Well, that's a big shocker. Apparently iPhone users care more about native apps than web apps.

The guys over at Appsfire, a cool app discovery service, made an infographic report demonstrating how most users like regular apps over web apps. Appsfire analyzed 1,000 of its user's devices to determine some insight into the web v.s. native app debate.

Web applications are becoming more and more advanced everyday, but they still can't replicate certain functionalities of native iOS apps. The infographic from Appsfire is pretty self-explanatory. Let's check it out...

Apple Posts a Roundup of iPhone Apps From TV Ads

Alex Heath ∙ Updated February 18, 2018

We all love Apple's broadcast commercials. They're elegant, pretty, and a great way to show off what makes the iPhone special.

There have been many iPhone ads from Apple over the years. These ads show off some of the best apps in the App Store. Have you ever seen an app in an iPhone commercial and wished you knew its name so you could download it yourself?

Apple has posted a roundup of popular apps from iPhone TV ads on iTunes...

The App Store Gets An Official Twitter Account

Alex Heath ∙ Updated August 24, 2016

Who says Apple doesn't like Twitter? The hilarious @CEOSteveJobs Twitter account was recently approached by Twitter (on Apple's behalf ) and asked to make clear that the account was parody and not reflective of Apple Inc. While Apple had a bad impression of Twitter in that case, the company still understands the value in the "tweet."

Apple has a few official Twitter accounts in existence. The @AppStore is the newest addition. The App Store welcomed itself into the Twittersphere with the tweet, "Welcome to App Store on Twitter! Follow us to discover new apps, get exclusive offers, and share with friends. #appstore"

Apple will use @AppStore for featured apps, promotions, and hopefully some interesting App Store facts and statistics...

Woman Hangs Up on $10,000 iTunes Gift Card Phone Call

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

When Orpington, England resident Gail Davis tapped "install" to download Paper Glider, she got a free game. Unbeknownst to her, the install also yielded her a $10,000 iTunes gift card; the result of being the 10 billionth app downloaded in the history of the App Store.

I guess you could say that Davis had impeccable timing. Unfortunately her timing skills didn't carry over to an extremely timely phone call; one from Eddy Cue, Apple’s VP of iTunes.

You see, Davis mistakenly perceived the phone call to be nothing more than a prank, so she hung up the phone...

Verbs for iPhone – There’s Finally An IM App That Apple Would Be Proud Of

Alex Heath ∙ Updated February 16, 2018

There's a new iPhone IM client on the block. Verbs, by #include tech software, is a simple and beautiful IM app that looks like it was designed by Apple itself.

There are a ton of IM apps on the App Store (IM+, BeejiveIM, fring, AIM and Yahoo! Messenger to name a few). I've used many, and honestly, most of them look pretty awful. I was so excited when I saw the Verbs design mockups several months ago, and the app recently received an update in the App Store that makes it definitely worth reviewing.

While I'm not someone who constantly relies on instant messaging to communicate, I do see the benefit of having a solid IM app on the iPhone for occasionally hopping on Google Talk. The good thing is that Verbs has more to offer than just good looks...

Isaac Newton’s Gravity Will Bring Even the Smartest Gamers Back to Earth

Guest Author ∙ Updated February 16, 2018

Isaac Newton's Gravity [iTunes Link] was created by Namco and is an intuitive physics puzzler in which you will need to successfully guide a ball across a board to hit a switch.

Each level will give you different shaped pieces such as cubes or blocks to place on a map. You will select each piece by simply tapping on it and then rotating it in any direction.

Next, drag, drop and place it on the map. Once all of the pieces are set, hit the play button and your ball will roll out and hopefully reach it's destination...

Apple’s App Store Hits 10 Billion Downloads

Jeff Benjamin ∙ January 22, 2011

Well, it's official. The Apple App Store has hit yet another milestone in record time, with over 10 billion downloads to its name. That's truly an amazing feat for a merchandising method that didn't exist just a few years ago.

As we reminded you in a previous article leading up to this event, the App Store hit the 1 Billionth download a little less than 2 years ago. It's crazy to think that since April 2009, the App Store has served up over 9 billion downloads, but it has...

Apple Reveals the Top iPhone Apps of All Times

Sébastien Page ∙ January 19, 2011

Ever wondered what the most downloaded free application was? What about the most downloaded pad app? Well, if these questions ever kept you up at night, now rejoice because Apple is sharing this information with us.

As the company is counting down to the 10,000,000,000th app sold, Apple created a new page on iTunes that shows the top app downloads of all times. Spoiler: Facebook is #1...

Microsoft Releases OneNote, a New App for the iPhone

Alex Heath ∙ Updated February 16, 2018

Microsoft already has a few apps in Apple's App Store, such as, Bing and Windows Live Messenger. However, no Microsoft Office programs have made their way to the iOS platform - that is, until now. (Don't get your hopes up, there's still no Word app for iPhone.)

Microsoft has released its note-syncing app in the App Store, which will work with its Windows desktop counterpart. This move by Microsoft is an obvious attempt at further reaching out to the mobile worker and student. OneNote is packaged in the Mac bundle of the Microsoft Office suite, but Windows users will be happy to know they can now take their Office notes with them thanks to the beauty of cloud-sync technology...

Create Wallpapers and Contact Photos for Your iPhone With ‘Ensoul’ for Mac

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

I love pretty iPhone wallpapers. The Mac App Store recently launched, and I've been looking for an app that will easily allow me to create iPhone-size wallpapers out of the hundreds of desktop wallpapers and hi-res photos I already have on my Mac. After a little searching, I found Ensoul by MacPaw software.

Ensoul is the perfect desktop companion for creating iPhone wallpaper and contact photos on the Mac. The app is incredibly well designed and focused. And, for a wallpaper addict, there's enough under the hood to make it worth the $9.99 price tag.

With Ensoul, you can easily crop and create iPhone-sized wallpapers out of your already existing wallpapers and photos on your Mac. But that's not all, Ensoul has more to offer than just wallpaper resizing...