Apple

Apple begins notifying WWDC 2016 scholarship winners

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 21, 2016

Apple on Monday began notifying recipients of this year's WWDC scholarship winners. A number of developers have taken to Twitter to announce they've received word from the company that they've been awarded a scholarship, and are invited to the conference.

Applicants were required to submit an app demonstrating "creative use of Apple technologies," as well as an essay about their coding process. In all, 350 scholarships will be given out to students and STEM members, and 125 to developers with financial limitations.

How to use Snapchat’s new one-handed zoom

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 19, 2019

We don't hang out on Snapchat on a regular basis, but I myself use the app from time to time to check out new features. Earlier today, my boss Sébastien shared an amazing collection of handy Snapchat tips and trick, created by fifteen-year-old Victoria Samson.

Some of the tricks she demonstrates are quite brilliant, but her video how-tos don't cover Snapchat's latest feature addition—the ability to zoom while recording a video in one-handed mode using a simple gesture. That's precisely what this quick tutorial will discuss: using Snapchat's handy one-handed zoom mode during video capture.

Apple airs new iPhone 6s ad, ‘Thank You Speech,’ highlighting tetherless Siri mode

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 9, 2016

Apple on Monday aired a new television commercial for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, titled 'Thank You Speech' and starring “How I Met Your Mother” star Patrick Neil Harris (he had a cameo on Apple's recent 'Onions' ad).

The 30-second clip shows off a tetherless Siri feature that users can optionally enable on their iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus in order to converse with the personal digital assistant using the 'Hey Siri' keyword even when their device is not connected to power.

Tip: stop YouTube’s annoying video autoplay ‘Up Next’ feature within iOS app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 26, 2023

My colleague Anthony recently vented his frustration with YouTube's default handling of the 'Up Next' feature on the web. Autoplay in YouTube is one of the banes of my existence, too, but as Anthony states in his write-up, YouTube for iOS lacks a switch to disable auto-play videos.

Not anymore, though: the latest version of Google's native YouTube client for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad includes an easily overlooked switch that lets you stop an endless stream of recommended videos from being spoon-fed down your throat with a single tap.

If you watch a lot of YouTube through your iPhone's cellular connection, you're wholeheartedly recommended to disable 'Up Next' on the iOS app, here's how.

Facer brings Instagram feeds, flash style cards and more to your Apple Watch face

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 9, 2016

About a month ago, Facer, a smartwatch customization platform, landed on the Apple Watch via a free of charge App Store app. Unlike most other apps for customizing watch faces, Facer puts your style and individuality on full display with thousands of custom watch faces and the ability to design your own with an online creator tool.

The app can pull watch face images from a variety of sources, including your Instagram feed, and it even has neat flash card style faces for learning things like languages, constellations, Solar System's planet names, the elements of the periodic table and so forth.

Spotify will be launching a dozen original shows this summer and fall

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

According to Bloomberg, the popular Swedish music startup Spotify will be introducing as many as twelve new original video shows on its platform later this summer and fall as it works to diversify its offering and keep customers coming back for more.

Starring the likes of actor Tim Robbins and Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons, the new shows will be available to both free and paid Spotify users in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden, with individual episodes ranging from a few minutes to fifteen minutes.

Sacramento, California gains transit directions on Apple Maps

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 9, 2016

Having recently rolled out support for transit directions for Sydney Trains in Australia's New South Wales and for buses, subways, commuter rails and other transportation options in Seattle, Portland, Oregon and Montreal, the second-largest city in Canada, the Transit feature is now available to Apple Maps customers who live in Sacramento, California. To use transit directions on Apple Maps, simply enter navigation mode and then tap the Transit button, if available.

OneDrive implements 3D Touch previews for files and folders

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 9, 2016

Microsoft issued an update to OneDrive, its free of charge mobile cloud-storage client, adding some new features.

In addition to a fresh coat of paint and a revamped app icon, OneDrive for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad was bumped in the App Store yesterday to version 7.1 with support for Peek and Pop in-app gestures for previewing content with 3D Touch on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

In the refreshed app, you can now peek at any folder or file by pressing it lightly, or pop right into it by pressing a little deeper.

Google+ gains search autocomplete, Reply button on posts and more in latest update

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 9, 2016

Google+, the search giant's social thing, introduced a few new features in its mobile application for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, which can be downloaded at no charge from the App Store. Google+ 5.5 for iOS now includes search autocomplete, allowing you to search faster with suggestions appearing as you type.

The new Reply button on each comment lets you respond to posts with fewer taps and you can now create and delete circles from within the app's People tab.

Another technical drawing suggests iPhone 7 has same width and height as iPhone 6s

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

Reliable French leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer via his blog NowhereElse.fr and Twitter handle @OnLeaks published this morning another claimed technical drawing of Apple's forthcoming iPhone 7 which suggests that the device will be as tall and wide as the current-generation iPhone 6s, measuring in at exactly 67.1 mm wide and 138.3 mm tall.

The leaked drawing does not specify the depth of the iPhone 7, but previous rumors did point to an iPod touch-thin phone so it's too early to tell if existing cases will fit the iPhone 7 or if these will need reengineering for a thinner form factor.

Top 3D Touch shortcuts and gestures available for the App Store and iTunes Store apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 8, 2016

The App Store and iTunes Store storefronts are 3D Touch-enabled on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, with each supporting some pretty smartly chosen Home screen shortcuts that'll save you a few taps once you get the hang of them.

On the other hand, previewing your apps and media via force-pressing isn't as developed as in other stock apps, such as Messages and Maps. But don't you worry—iDownloadBlog comes to the rescue!

This quick tutorial clearly demonstrates where on the App Store and iTunes Store common 3D Touch shortcuts and Peek and Pop gestures do and don't work.

Apple meets with top podcast producers to hear their complaints

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 7, 2016

Unhappy that Apple's been neglecting iTunes podcasts for years now, top producers were invited to meet with Apple executives at the company's Cupertino headquarters and voice their grievances, The New York Times reports.

It's true that the iTunes podcasting hub's remained virtually unchanged since its 2005 debut so it shouldn't surprise Apple if producers think that this might have something to do with the fact that podcasts bring the Cupertino firm nothing in direct revenue.

While Apple essentially gave life to the podcasting industry, and it still dominates that sector, company officials made no promises to these producers. Small wonder some of them are now concerned that Apple may no longer care about podcasting.