In this brief tutorial, you'll learn how to quickly share your Activity Rings, workouts, or awards as standalone images from your iPhone or Apple Watch.
How to share images of your Activity Rings, workouts, or awards
Apps
Want podcasts on your Apple Watch? There’s finally an app for that
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.
Store and watch the latest news stories offline with Hyper News
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.
Aura, Filmborn, songpong, and other apps to check out this weekend
Happy weekend everyone! We are back with another edition of our Apps of the Week roundup. This week's list features some great selections including a new meditation app, a unique photo editor, and a new app for recording songs with friends. Plus, we have two great new games for you to check out.
Chrome 56 adds support for FLAC codec, “Not Secure” HTTP warning, web Bluetooth & more
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.
Snapchat launches universal search for improved navigation
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.
US appeals court rules Apple can be sued for monopolizing app market
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.
Apple increases max tvOS app size from 200mb to 4GB
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.
TV provider Cable ONE & ESPN/WatchESPN apps gain support for Single Sign-On feature
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.
Google launches Toontastic 3D, a playful storytelling app for kids
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.
Pokémon Go is dead, long live Pokémon Go!
There is no debate that a large contingent on the internet has been holding out for less Pokémon Go news in 2017, but it is equally clear that this sentiment will not be echoed by the people at Niantic. No matter the side of the fence you are on, the fact that Pokemon Go is hands down one of the most successful apps in the history of the App Store (breaking first-week download and revenue records) is a big deal, and the augmented reality laced game will continue to rake in millions of users and dollars in the year ahead. It’s not all rosy though, as the daily player count is continuously pointing south and engagement data crumbling.
As much as this is Niantic’s battle to fight, Apple too has a vested interest in the preservation of Pokemon Go’s winning streak and will want to benefit financially from the game throughout the current fiscal year. The question both business entities therefore are going to have to find answers to is what’s next for Pokémon Go strategically, and what is Apple’s role in facilitating Niantic’s continued success with the app? Not so much content wise but rather in terms of product strategy, I have sized up a few moves that Niantic, The Pokémon Company and Apple could have up their sleeves over the next 12 months.
Airmail 1.5 for iOS gains Workflow integration, custom actions & more
Airmail, the cross-platform email client by developer Bloop, has received a refresh on the App Store sporting a few noteworthy enhancements. Airmail 1.5 for iOS, a $4.99 download from the App Store, features integrations with the Bear Notes app and the popular iOS automation app Workflow. Other changes in Airmail 1.5 include new custom actions and Gmail authentication, the ability to select your default inbox, a new OpenURL action and minor fixes.