Apps

Google to expand Chrome’s malware protections on Mac

Google's Chrome and other browsers rely on a feature called Safe Browsing to display a warning message before you visit a dangerous site or download a harmful app. Google is now expanding the scope of Safe Browsing in Chrome for macOS to strengthen protections against malware and other unwanted software such as extensions that silently modify Chrome's settings. The expanded Safe Browsing features in Chrome for macOS will go in effect on March 31, Google has said.

Coming soon to Allo for iOS: animated emoji, revamped GIF picker, and one-tap Google Assistant

Allo, Google's cross-platform messaging app for iPhone, Android and the web which made its debut at Google I/O in March 2016, will soon receive three major enhancements. The first integrates Assistant, Google's conversational AI helper, deeper so you can access it with a single tap.

Aside from improved Assistant access, Allo will let you browse GIFs to add to your messages easier than before with a redesigned picker, plus use animated emojis in chats.

Keep in mind that these new features will be rolling out on Android starting today, and will come to iOS soon (don't worry, we'll keep you posted).

Customize and add new functions to Control Center with Onizuka

Although Control Center is useful on any stock iPhone or iPad right out of the box, Apple doesn’t give you a whole lot of options for customizing it with the toggles and aesthetics you want to have. Fortunately, that’s where having a jailbreak can come in handy.

With a new jailbreak tweak called Onizuka by maximehip, you can customize your Control Center layout through the help of various options that can give it a different aesthetic or change its functional usefulness.

Facebook launches Video app for Apple TV

After previously announcing its ambitions to launch a video-focused app for the small screen, Facebook has officially released an application for Apple TV on Tuesday night.

After logging in via the Facebook app on your iPhone or via a dedicated web page, users are presented with a carousel of videos shared by some of the people and pages they follow, as well as some of the top live videos being currently watched.

Mozilla acquires popular read-later service Pocket

Mozilla, the non-profit organization behind the Firefox browser, has acquired the read-later service Pocket for an undisclosed sum. The deal files as Mozilla's first acquisition and was confirmed by both Mozilla and Pocket.

I've been a longtime Pocket user because their elegantly designed cross-platform apps let me easily save stripped down versions of articles from online publications for reading later, even without an Internet connection.

Pocket will continue on as a wholly-owned, independent subsidiary of Mozilla. Pocket has native apps on App Store and Mac App Store, plus a browser extension.

All YouTube links now open in mobile app instead of browser

Google's mobile YouTube app takes advantage of iOS's deep linking capability to automatically launch itself when a user taps a video URL in their browser. That useful feature doesn't always work as intended, however, prompting Google to push an update to YouTube for iPhone and iPad to rectify this. If clicking a YouTube link in Safari or Chrome doesn't launch the app and iOS doesn't display the “Open this page in YouTube?” pop-up, be sure to update your copy of YouTube for iOS to version 12.07.

This tweak lets you use a 3D Touch gesture to clear app icons badges

Anyone looking for a quicker way of dismissing unwanted notification badges from their app icons without having to open the app in question might want to turn their attention to a new free jailbreak tweak release called ClearBadges3DTouch10 by HiDaN.

As the self-explanatory name implies, this tweak is intended to give you a way to remove notification badges from your apps with a 3D Touch gesture.

Google Maps gains 3D Touch place previews

Last week, I whined about Google dragging its feet when it comes to implementing support for important iOS features, like 3D Touch, in apps such as Gmail. Other iPhone and iPad apps from Google have been more aggressive in adopting 3D Touch features, including Maps. In the latest update, Google Maps was bumped to version 4.28 and now allows users who have an iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus to press places on the map to get quicker access to popular actions.

Nest10 lets you have folders within folders in iOS 10

There are those who like to stay organized, and then there are those who take organization to an extreme level that most people would recognize as some kind of OCD.

Anyone who considers themselves as a part of the latter group and goes to extreme lengths to stay organized might be able to benefit from a jailbreak tweak called Nest10 by Tony Kraft, which enables you to have nested folders (folder inside of folders) on your iOS 10 device.

App Center displays your recently used apps in Control Center

If you’ve ever wanted to make access to your favorite apps even easier, and improve the efficiency of multitasking between apps, then you’re going to love a new jailbreak tweak called App Center by Evan Swick and Conath.

This tweak integrates up to nine of your recently used apps into different pages in Control Center, allowing you to quickly swipe between them and interact with them within windowed views.