App Updates

Pebble iOS app is back on the App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 3, 2017

Smartwatch maker Pebble recently issued an update to its companion iOS app, but was quickly forced to pull the software over a fatal flaw that broke the Bluetooth connection between the smartwatch and the iPhone, rendering your Pebble non-functional.

As developers fixed the issue, the Pebble app has just been re-released on the App Store.

Available now free of charge, Pebble version 2.1.1 fixes issue with the previous version while introducing new watchfaces and a couple new features.

Jump past the fold to learn more...

TextExpander updated for iOS 7, adds a bunch of snippet management features

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

If you're going to do serious typing on your iPhone and iPad, why not save yourself precious time by having short abbreviations automatically expanded into long snippets (i.e. have 'idb' auto-expand to 'iDownloadBlog')?

Although iOS 7 lets you create shortcuts in Settings > General > Keyboard that'll automatically expand into words and phrases as you type, the basic implementation of the feature leaves a lot to be desired.

Enter Smile Software's TextExpander, a tool that gets this job done better than any other software. Available for iOS since last summer, the app contains advanced features like clipboard integration, macros and fill-in snippets. And thanks to the official SDK, third-party apps can implement TextExpander functionality to use your commonly-used strings of text.

On Wednesday, Smile updated the iOS snippet expansion utility with iOS 7-friendly design and a host of group and snippet management improvements. The app is now available in the App Store free of charge for existing customers and I've included additional tidbits right after the break...

ProCamera 7 gains TIFF and high-res Instagram support, printing, Vimeo sharing and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 2, 2014

ProCamera by German developer Cocologics GmbH has been featured on our 10 Best Photography Apps of 2013 list, you rated it one of the Best Apps of 2013 and it's been consistently featured throughout our ongoing iPhone photography series.

Small wonder, given ProCamera combines photo and video recording, advanced editing and sharing into a single app laden with rich controls, more than 76 pro-grade filters and effects, a dedicated Lightbox (like in Camera+), full-res photo preview and lots more.

Cocologics has pushed a major new ProCamera 7 update this morning, adding numerous nice-to-haves while implementing some nice new features like high-resolution Instagram uploads, support for the lossless TIFF file format, in-app printing, an improved Lightbox and Night mode, Vimeo sharing, Open-in functionality and lots more.

The new ProCamera 7 version 5.3 is now live in the App Store and available free to existing users. We have a few promo codes to spare so read on for the full reveal...

Day One update brings new publishing feature to iPad

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 18, 2018

Great news for all of you Day One users out there. The popular journaling app has updated its iOS client to version 1.14 this morning with iPad publishing, new photo features, and a slew of bug fixes and other improvements.

As you may recall, last month developers Bloom Built added the ability to publish journal entries to the web on the iPhone, essentially turning the app into a personal blogging platform. And now it's available on the iPad as well...

Spotify updated with major redesign and other improvements

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Good news for Spotify users this morning: the streaming music service has delivered a much needed redesign to its web, iPhone and desktop clients. The new look brings the apps more in line with competitors like Rdio, and establishes a single identity across all platforms.

The redesign comes to the iPhone (it doesn't look like it's on the iPad yet) by way of the version 1.0 update. It's much darker than before, and features trendy effects like blur and rounded iconography. Spotify has also made a handful of performance and stability improvements....

Apple releases Safari 7.0.3 update for Mavericks

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 1, 2014

Apple has released a plethora updates on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the company has revamped its web-based iWork for iCloud suite and then followed up by half a dozen matching updates to Pages, Keynote and Numbers for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices and Mac computers.

Available now through your Mac's Software Update mechanism, the new Safari 7.0.3 update brings a bunch of bug fixes and a few noteworthy security-related enhancements like the strengthened Safari sandboxing, improved credit card autofill compatibility with websites and more...

Apple updates iWork for iOS and Mac with read-only sharing mode and other new features

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 1, 2014

Hot on the heels of refreshing iWork for iCloud earlier today with updated design, Retina graphics support, the ability to share view-only documents, the option to open documents directly from iCloud Mail and other enhancements, related updates to the iWork suite of applications for iOS and OS X have now surfaced on the App Store and Mac App Store.

Pages, Numbers and Keynote for iOS and OS X have picked up a dozen new features each, including sharing view-only documents for cross-platform compatibility across the web, iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Mac. Your download links and accompanying release notes are right after the break...

iWork for iCloud apps updated with Retina support and other improvements

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Hot on the heels of Microsoft's Office for iPad release, Apple has updated its iWork for iCloud apps with a number of improvements. The web versions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote have each received new features, and it looks the changes will soon be hitting the Mac and iOS apps as well.

As a group, all three apps have been updated with Retina display support, as well as the ability to share view-only documents and the option to open documents directly from iCloud Mail. Individually, each app has received updated designs for their respective editors and other enhancements...

BBM updated with stickers, large file transfers and image sharing in multi-person chats

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 1, 2014

The Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry is launching a new version of its BBM instant messaging software for iOS, Android and BlackBerry.

As previously reported, this BBM edition enables popular stickers and includes a couple feature additions, such as the ability to share images with multiple parties in multi-person chats and send larger files to others.

Various sticker packs can be purchased from the new BBM Shop, with some stickers like the legacy BBM emoticons offered free of charge. It's interesting that BlackBerry partnered with brands on themed sticker packs like CosCat, Gilbert’s Tales, Bubble Bot and many more.

The new BBM 2.1 will be launching in the App Store later today...

Rdio update makes album headers prettier, brings out Chromecast support

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

Google's Chromecast is picking up some noteworthy support from third-party software makers. The latest example: the popular Internet radio service Rdio has just pushed a new update today bringing support for Google's inexpensive $35 HDMI dongle.

The new Rdio version 2.5.8 also includes various user interface improvements, minor bug fixes and prettified album headers.

The update is now live in the App Store...

Stitcher Radio for Podcasts 6 is out with complete redesign

Cody Lee ∙ Updated July 1, 2014

For folks who like to listen to podcasts on the go, there are a number of app choices out there. We've covered several of them over the years, including Apple's native Podcast app, Instacast and Castro, and today we're adding another one to the list: Stitcher Radio for Podcasts.

Now, the Stitcher Radio app obviously isn't new, but it might as well be after this weekend's 6.0 update. The client has been virtually rebuilt from the ground up with a new front page, simplified navigation and redesigned player controls. Keep reading for the full change log...

Shazam revamps content pages, introduces scrollable lyrics, enhanced Rdio support and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 28, 2014

Friday, music discovery engine Shazam has refreshed its iOS apps with some fine new features, starting with a brand new track page design and a new look and feel for video, album, track reviews, artist bios and other pages.

"Many" (but not all) song lyrics will now scroll in time with the music, a handy feature if you're singing along a song trying to remember the lyrics.

Shazam last December added the ability to listen for songs and television shows in the background, tagging them automatically.

Background listening can negatively impact your battery so you'll be delighted to learn that the new Shazam 7.5 apps are more power friendly "so you don’t need to worry about your battery life while it’s running."

Both the free, ad-supported Shazam and the paid Shazam Encore have been updated with these changes...