Apps

Apple’s new TV app doesn’t like ripped DVDs, here are some workarounds

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 17, 2017

Apple's new TV app on iOS 10.2 struggles to play videos that have been ripped from DVDs and other sources and loaded into iTunes for Mac. It’s unclear whether this is a simple bug, but that didn't stop people from flocking to Apple’s Support Communities forum to express their disdain for the app.

The TV app has replaced the old and mostly useless Videos app.

Thankfully, dedicated apps let you easily play non-iOS-friendly media on iPhone, like FireCore's versatile Infuse video player. Handbrake for Mac, which recently exited beta after 13 years, packs in a comprehensive set of tools for easy video conversion with handy presets for turning ripped DVDs into an iPhone-compatible format.

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Vine app officially becomes Vine Camera

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Vine for iPhone was updated today with a cool dark icon, a new name and same old features, making good on Twitter's promise to sunset the service and morph it into a dedicated mobile camera software.

Rechristened as Vine Camera and bearing version number 6.0, the app is focused on the tools that let you shoot and edit six-second videos shareable on Twitter, where they now loop. You can also add captions, save videos to your iPhone's Camera roll and more.

Vine Camera is available free of charge from App Store and requires iOS 9.0 or later.

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Want podcasts on your Apple Watch? There’s finally an app for that

Steffen Reich ∙ Updated May 7, 2018

The ability to store and play podcasts on Apple Watch is one of many features advocated for regarding future watchOS updates, but so far it has fallen on deaf ears at Apple. With the cries for podcasts on Watch slowly reaching fever pitch, developers have taken matters into their own hands and released a fully functional podcast app that enables the transfer of your favorite subscriptions from iPhone to Apple Watch.

The app goes by the name WatchPlayer and (while moody at times) gives a solid account of itself, effectively beating Apple to the punch in the podcast race. Find out below how the data transfer is realized, where it trumps Apple's stock apps and what areas of WatchPlayer could do with some attention.

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Store and watch the latest news stories offline with Hyper News

Steffen Reich ∙ Updated May 7, 2018

If you have ever travelled on a metro line you know what it’s like to whiz from one station to the next, always holding out for the next patch of reception somewhere between the constant outages afflicting your iPhone. Most times, the internet will cut out in the least opportune moments, like on your commute home when you slump in your seat and want to mindlessly gaze at moving images on your phone.

To weather the crisis of poor connection, Hyper News functions as a pocket of pre-downloaded news clips to fall back on whenever your data leaves you hanging.

In a spell of news apps being tested at iDB, Hyper News stands out for its utter simplicity and the concerted effort to occupy a unique space in the news realm. Here are the ins and outs to know about Hyper News.

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Chrome 56 adds support for FLAC codec, “Not Secure” HTTP warning, web Bluetooth & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 13, 2017

Chrome 56 for Mac and other platforms has entered Google's beta channel. When released to the general public, the browser will bring native support for the FLAC audio codec within the browser and other perks. This should come in handy because macOS does not support the FLAC file format out of the box so users often must use a third-party converter or video player to play these files. With Chrome 56, Mac users will be able to play FLAC-encoded audio files embedded in web pages or local files drag and dropped onto the browser window.

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Snapchat launches universal search for improved navigation

Cody Lee ∙ January 13, 2017

Snapchat on Thursday updated its mobile app with a new universal search bar. Speaking with TechCrunch, the company says the feature was designed for speed, so you can quickly locate what you're looking for and get back to snapping.

The new search bar is always accessible at the top of the app, and it allows you to find friends and groups and discover publishers and trending Stories. "Quick Chat" suggestions will allow you to jump straight to a specific message thread.

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US appeals court rules Apple can be sued for monopolizing app market

Cody Lee ∙ January 13, 2017

iPhone app purchasers may sue Apple over allegations that it has monopolized the mobile app market by not allowing users to purchase them outside the App Store, reports Reuters. The decision comes from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and it revives a long-standing lawsuit regarding Apple's iPhone app practices.

In 2012, a group of iPhone users filed to sue Apple, saying its App Store exclusivity was anticompetitive. Apple responded to the suit, saying that  users purchase apps from developers, and it merely rents out the space. A lower court sided with the Cupertino company, and threw the case out, but today's decision reverses the order.

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Apple increases max tvOS app size from 200mb to 4GB

Cody Lee ∙ January 12, 2017

Apple on Thursday posted a note to its developer portal, informing third-party app-makers that it has increased the maximum size for tvOS apps from 200MB to 4GB. It says the change will allow apps to provide a more "complete, rich user experience upon installation."

Previously, tvOS app downloads were capped at 200MB with the ability to download more resources after being installed. This resulted in faster installation times, but often caused users to have to wait for additional content to download before using the app or game.

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TV provider Cable ONE & ESPN/WatchESPN apps gain support for Single Sign-On feature

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2017

Apple today refreshed the official list of Single Sign-On providers on its website to reflect that TV provider Cable ONE now supports the feature. Based out of Phoenix, Arizona, Cable ONE serves approximately 750,000 customers in 19 U.S. states.

With Single Sign-On, users can save their pay-TV access credentials in the Settings app on their iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TV so compatible video-streaming apps can automatically unlock paid content. Just two days ago, ESPN and WatchESPN iOS apps gained support for the feature, as well as compatibility with Google's Chromecast.

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Google launches Toontastic 3D, a playful storytelling app for kids

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 12, 2017

Google today launched a new education-focused apps aimed at kids aged 6-8 years old, called Toontastic 3D. With this app, your youngsters can draw, animate and narrate their own cartoons. The concept and game mechanics are easy to grasp so your kids should feel right at home. They simply move their characters around onscreen to tell their story. The app records their voice and animations and stores content on their device as a video.

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