Apps

File sharing hits Google’s Allo app

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 22, 2017

Google held a media event today in São Paulo, Brazil, revealing that its messaging app Allo, which debuted last September, has gained a pair of new features: file sharing in group chats and support for the app's Smart Smiley feature in Portuguese. Noting a lot of users have requested the ability to share documents in group chats, Google said that Android users everywhere can now share documents with friends on Allo, including files like PDF documents, ZIP archives, MP3 tracks and more.

Google didn't say when file sharing might hit Allo for iOS, but it shouldn't be too long.

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Audio calling coming soon to Google’s Duo app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 8, 2017

At an event in São Paulo, Brazil today, Google announced that its one-on-one video calling app, Duo, will be soon gaining audio-only calling on iOS and Android. The feature is already available starting today to customers in Brazil and will be rolling out to users around the world in the coming days. With the update, Duo for iPhone now supports both video and audio calling and effectively becomes a viable alternative to Apple's FaceTime.

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Google’s Snapseed app picks up new Double Exposure filter + Pose & Expand tools

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 22, 2017

Google just pushed a new version of Snapseed for iPhone and iPad to App Store. Snapseed version 2.17 includes a new Face Pose tool, the app's second tool that focuses on working with portraits and selfies. There's also a new Double Exposure filter for blending two photos using analog film techniques and digital image processing. You can grab the latest version of Snapseed for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch at no charge from App Store.

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Camera+ updated with RAW saving improvements, 3D Touch Peek and Pop & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Camera+, my favorite iPhone photography app, was updated this morning on App Store with new features putting more RAW power at your fingertips while adding support for Peek and Pop gestures in the app on 3D Touch-enabled devices like the iPhone 6s/7 series. Building on the previous update which enabled RAW shooting and editing, the new Camera+ version 9.1 includes new RAW options for saving and exporting images at the best possible quality.

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Starbucks will soon let you gift coffee via iMessage

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 22, 2017

During a shareholder meeting held this morning, Starbucks revealed its mobile app will soon gain the ability to send gifts in Apple's Messages app with Apple Pay. According to the official press release, a forthcoming update will also bring an Outlook add-in integration that will permit users who'd like to gift beverages through Microsoft Outlook to do just that. Additionally, the coffeehouse chain recently started rolling out its AI-powered digital barista.

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djay Pro for Mac gains deep Pioneer DJ integration, Touch Bar improvements & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 13, 2018

Algoriddim's Apple Design Award-winning djay Pro for macOS was updated on Mac App Store today with Pioneer DJ integration and other improvements. The app is now officially certified by Pioneer DJ to be used with their high end gear, including CDJ-2000NXS2/Tour setups via plug and play. “To our knowledge, djay Pro is the first third-party app to support Pioneer DJ’s Pro DJ Link technology, which means users connect up to four CDJs with their Pioneer mixer and control djay Pro through a single USB cable (mixer to Mac),” Algoriddim's Michael Simmons told me in an email message.

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WhatsApp brings back text-only status, adds new features in latest update

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 22, 2017

A few weeks ago, WhatsApp rolled out auto-vanishing slideshows with photos, videos, emoji characters, drawings and more. Called Status, it supplanted WhatsApp's text-only feature that's been part of the app since its inception. Turns out many users are hating the change, turning to social media to express their disdain with WhatsApp's relentless cloning of Snapchat. WhatsApp developers responded by promising to bring back text-only statuses.

Today, WhatsApp for iPhone was updated with the addition of text-only statuses, called About, whilst gaining a few new features.

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Google Maps gains real time location and trip sharing features

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 22, 2017

Google today announced that you can now let your friends and family know where you are and when you'll get there, right from Google Maps for iOS and Android. The answer to “where are you?” is only a tap away—with this useful new feature, people you share with can track your real-time location on iPhone, iPad, mobile web and desktop. Additionally, you can share your trip progress from navigation with others.

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How to teach your iPhone or iPad to recognize people’s faces in the Photos app

Steffen Reich ∙ Updated March 16, 2018

Organizing one’s photos by date or occasion is by far the most common methodology in photography, and of course why wouldn’t it be? The simple fact of the matter is that a chronological structure of photos satisfies most search requests because you pretty much know immediately where to look for a certain snapshot. With that said, more unconventional efforts such as accumulating every single photo taken by the beach or all shots of your family ever snapped, quickly render the chronologic album structure rigid and dated.

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Swift Playgrounds gains editing tweaks, 5 new languages, MapKit support & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 21, 2017

Apple announced today that Swift Playgrounds, its free iPad app aimed at teaching kids and students the basics of coding in Swift, has gained some new features. Aside from being available in five additional languages—Simplified Chinese, Japanese, French, German and Latin American Spanish—the new version sports editing improvements and supports the MapKit and Swift 3.1 code in your playgrounds.

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Apple’s Clips app lets you create expressive videos with voice-activated Live Titles & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 21, 2017

Alongside announcing a new low-cost 9.7-inch iPad model with a brighter Retina display and the A9 chip, the iPhone 7/Plus (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition series in a vibrant red finish and new Spring-themed Apple Watch bands, Apple today also announced a brand new iOS app designed to allow users to create expressive videos on their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The app is coming soon to App Store so watch this space for further updates.

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