App Store

App fatigue is real

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 9, 2016

I'm positive that this stat does not apply to me, but most smartphone users in the United States downloaded zero apps in a typical month, as per comScore's August 2014 mobile app report.

This is something that indie devs have had to live with for more than two years now and it remains to be seen if Apple's new App Store subscription terms will help solve this worrying problem.

Last month's research from Nomura, which relies on data from app tracker SensorTower, painted a gloomy picture for big name developers, too, as the top 15 app publishers saw downloads drop an average of 20 percent in the United States.

So, is the app boom really over or is this just a temporary blip?

App Store’s Featured section will soon stop showing apps you already have installed

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 8, 2016

Beyond Search Ads and a bunch of new options for In-App Subscriptions, Apple is making a few subtler changes to how the App Store's storefront apps function in the hope of improving app discovery.

As per SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller, who also manages App Stores and Apple's relations with developers, the store's Featured tab will soon filter any apps you already have installed on your device, so that you're only looking at new apps.

Phil Schiller: “We’re never going to get rid of app review process”

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 8, 2016

As we told you this morning, Apple announced big changes are coming to the App Store this fall in the form of some well thought out improvements to In-App Subscriptions and all-new paid ads for apps in App Store search results.

Yesterday, SVP Phil Schiller sat down for an interview with The Loop's Jim Dalrymple to discuss other changes aimed at making app discovery better. The app review process, however, won't be going away anytime soon.

Apple details search ads and subscription enhancements coming to App Store this fall

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 21, 2016

Apple today announced a pair of major changes that will be coming to the App Store this fall, which it said were designed to help grow developer app’s business and engage with new and existing customers.

Both the rumored search ads and various subscription enhancements will soon be available across any app category, games included.

How to access your Mac remotely from your iPhone or iPad with Screens VNC

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated October 10, 2023

There is a ton of VNC software options out there, but Screens by Edovia has by far been my favorite for a number of years because it looks and feels like software Apple could have created themselves.

In this tutorial, I'll show you how you can use the Screens app from your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, in combination with Edovia's free Screens Connect software for Mac, to access your Mac remotely.

App Stores and other iCloud services are currently down for some people

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 2, 2016

If you needed another proof that Apple is not very good at online services, here's one: the App Store, the Mac App Store and various other online services are currently down, according to a notice on Apple's System Status webpage.

Other iCloud services were affected at the time of this writing and have been inaccessible to an unknown portion of Apple's user base, including the Apple TV, iTunes in the Cloud and Volume Purchase Program.

UPDATE: The outage is more widespread than originally thought, with iCloud Drive, iCloud Backup, Mail Drop, iWork for iCloud, Photos, iCloud Web Apps and iCloud Storage Upgrades all having been affected as well.

MacID for iOS and Mac updated with a slew of new features and fixes

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated June 25, 2018

The popular app for iPhone and iPad that lets you unlock your Mac with your Touch ID sensor over a low-energy Bluetooth connection has received an important update on Tuesday that adds a number of new features to the app and fixes a number of previously-known issues.

The update is free for everyone who owns MacID already for both the iOS and OS X apps, and make the new features and stability available across both platforms immediately following installation.

tvOS App Store charts now automatically hide any installed apps on your Apple TV

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 31, 2016

Apple seems to be making some changes to the tvOS App Store on the new Apple TV, with reports coming in that the store's various charts now automatically hide any apps a user has installed on their device. This behavior is now consistent in the Top Paid, Top Free and Top Grossing charts.

As a result, no longer will everyone see the same entires as the “Top” apps have now effectively become the “Top apps that you haven’t installed yet,” as first discovered by Apple developer Equinux.

Bookmark apps and iTunes content and install them later with Lookmark for iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 9, 2017

Lookmark for iPhone by developer Claes Jacobsson received a major update yesterday, prompting me to take another look at this interesting piece of software.

With Lookmark, you can bookmark apps and other iTunes content very easily from Safari, other apps and your desktop, and install/download them later when the time is right. Yesterday's update added a Share sheet extension which can save apps mentioned on any webpage.

Facebook not loading on your iPhone? Try this

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated June 22, 2020

I am a Facebook user, as I am sure many of you are too. With that being said, you may or may not be familiar with loading problems that can occur while using the social network via the free iOS app. In this troubleshooting tutorial, we'll talk about some ways you can try to fix problems where the Facebook or Facebook Messenger app refuse to load.

Can’t remove your payment info from your Apple ID? Here’s why

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Not everyone wants to have their credit card or debit card linked to their Apple ID. Some people are afraid of having their financial information tied to online merchants and digital content stores because of the unfortunate reality of identity theft and unauthorized purchases.

With that in mind, what should you do if you don't want a credit card that you've already linked to your Apple ID to be there, but the 'None' payment method option isn't showing for you?

We'll talk about that in this post and explain why the option isn't available to you.

How to use your iPhone as a keyboard for your Mac or PC

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated July 5, 2022

Mobile Mouse Remote is a great app that turns your iOS device into a powerful utilitarian accessory for your Mac or PC. So far, we've shown you how the app can be used as a mouse or trackpad for your computer and how you can use the app as a remote control for your computer, but it also has a lot of keyboard functionality built into it to make your device into a software-based keyboard for your computer.

In this tutorial, we'll show you how you can use Mobile Mouse Remote to type or perform keyboard commands on your Mac or PC directly from your iPhone or iPad.