App Store

Castro updated to support non-iTunes subscriptions

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated March 16, 2018

We loved the new Castro podcasting app in our recent review, but our main beef with the app was with the lack of non-iTunes subscription support. In previous versions of Castro, there was no way to manually add feed URLs from podcasts that aren't listed in iTunes. This meant that shows like Let's Talk Jailbreak, which are not on iTunes, couldn't be played via Castro.

The good news is that Supertop, the developers behind Castro, didn't let this glaring omission go on for too long. The team has just pushed Castro version 1.0.2 to the App Store, and with it comes the ability to subscribe to podcasts directly from URLs. The update includes quite a few more additions to the app as well; check inside for the full change log.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars returns to the App Store with Retina display support

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

As you may or may not have known, Rockstar pulled Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars from the App Store back in September. They said the removal was due to an incompatibility with iOS 7, and that they would investigate a fix for it.

Well the game made its triumphant return to the App Store this weekend, with fix and all. Now, the popular Grand Theft Auto title is fully compatible with the latest version of iOS, and Rockstar even added in support for Retina displays...

Apple launches ‘Best of 2013’ iTunes page for top apps, games and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

As it has done every December since 2009, Apple has published an iTunes page today highlighting the top performing downloads in its various digital storefronts. The page covers everything from apps to games, to books and movies.

Apple named Duolingo, a free app that teaches you how to speak in different languages, its iPhone App of the Year and the popular 'Ridiculous Fishing - A Tale of Redemption' its iPhone Game of the Year. More top picks after the fold...

App updates not showing up in iTunes? I’m in the same boat!

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 16, 2013

I've noticed this morning that app updates stopped showing up in desktop iTunes on Mac and Windows. It's interesting that the App Store on my iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices still notifies me of available updates like before. For instance, tapping the Updates tab in the App Store storefront app on iDevices shows all of the available updates.

Not so much in desktop iTunes, unfortunately.

Individual app updates are still available by visiting an app's page in iTunes and hitting the Update button, they just won't show up in the Updates tab section section. Twitter says a growing number of users are now experiencing this hiccup, with early reports of the issue dating as far back as a week ago...

Review: Castro

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 13, 2018

There's no shortage of podcasting apps on the App Store. The growing popularity of podcasting directly correlates to the large amount of podcasting apps we see surfacing. Already, we have apps like Apple's official Podcasts app, Instacast, Downcast, Pocket Casts, and that's just naming a few. Even Podcasting networks like Mule Radio Syndicate—home of popular podcasts like John Gruber's The Talk Show, and 5by5, the fruitage of podcasting pioneer, Dan Benjamin—have created their own dedicated podcasting apps.

So when a new app enters this arena it better be good. No, scratch that; it better be outstanding. That's the only way that newcomers will be able to gain traction in this ever-growing and uber-competitive market.

It helps to start with a catchy name. Castro—the creation of Supertop's Padraig Kennedy and Oisin Prendville—starts out on the right foot in this regard. Its name is the type of play on words that makes itself instantly recognizable, even amongst the podcasting app mainstays listed above. But Castro is more than just a good name; it's a good app, too.

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...

Fantastical 2 updated with support for TextExpander 2.3 and Waze maps

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

My favorite calendar app for iOS—Fantastical 2—has been updated with a few new features that you should know about. First up is support for the latest version of TextExpander. As we told you about in an earlier post, TextExpander was forced to change its approach to sharing snippets. As a result, any app that features TextExpander support must be updated to retain snippet functionality.

The second feature to be found in Fantastical 2's latest update is support for Waze. If you have the GPS and navigation app installed on your iPhone, you can now upon location links using Waze instead of Apple Maps or Google Maps. These, and other changes make the cut in Flexibits' latest update to Fantastical. Check past the break for the full change log.

There are now 1 million apps available in the US App Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

During its October iPad event, Apple announced that it had crossed the 1 million app milestone in its worldwide App Store. This meant that, not counting duplicates, it had over 1 million apps available around the globe at that time.

This week, Apple passed the same milestone here in its US App Store. According to data from app discovery firm Appsfire, there are now more than 1 million live apps in the App Store. 1,006,557 to be exact at the time of this writing...

App Store search now corrects for small typos and misspelled queries

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 26, 2013

Apple is tweaking the App Store's search algorithm pretty much all the time so people have an easier time finding a needle in a haystack.

Three months ago, Apple deployed an improved algorithm for iTunes and App Store rankings, boosting the relevancy of search results up a notch.

And back in the summer, the iPhone maker gave the App Store storefront on iPads a new lefthand bar for easy alphabetical sorting of your Purchased items.

It's now come to light that Apple's team has once again made the App Store search better by automatically correcting for your mistakes and other misspellings. That's right, you no longer have to type in the exact app name when searching as the App Store will now list apps with fairly similar names...

Apple now hosts video trailers on App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 12, 2017

Following a nice demo at last year's iPhone 5 keynote, NaturalMotion studios today finally released its long-expected Clumsy Ninja, a free download for both the iPhone and iPad.

This Tamagotchi-like game invites you train your ninja, teach him new tricks and moves, customize him with suits and headbands and what not. Apple was quick to feature the game as Editor's Choice and what's really interesting is that the description includes a video trailer, a first for the App Store.

It's unclear whether that's a one-off convenience or if Apple is actually ushering in a new ear of better marketing for app developers. Either way, we're not complaining...

Apple informs developers of iTunes Connect shutdown December 21-27

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

It's that time of year again. The holidays are just a few weeks away, which means that cold weather, major Black Friday sales, and of course the annual iTunes Connect shutdown are all rapidly approaching.

In fact, Apple sent out an email to developers today, notifying them of the upcoming iTunes Connect closing. The tool, which devs use to submit and manage their apps, will be offline from December 21-27...

New Remote app icon surfaces in App Store’s ‘Designed for iOS 7’ section

Cody Lee ∙ October 31, 2013

Last week we reported that a redesigned Remote app icon had been spotted in iTunes, suggesting that the app would be getting its long-awaited iOS 7 makeover sometime soon. But we have yet to see that happen.

That doesn't mean we aren't close though. Today, more evidence of an impending update surfaced by way of a similarly-new Remote icon appearing in the Columbian App Store's 'Designed for iOS 7' section...