Apps

Google’s dedicated search app gains ability to preview Now cards with 3D Touch

Google today issue a small update to its dedicated search app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Bumped to version 20.3, the free of charge app has gained the ability to preview Google Now cards with 3D Touch on the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Just press a card within the app to peek at its contents, then swipe up to access additional options or press harder to open the card in fullscreen mode.

Google Maps for iOS gains food delivery support, plus codes & more

Google Maps for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch yesterday received an interesting update in the App Store. The new version brings out a few enhancements such as integration with popular food delivery services, support for plus codes—identifiers for locations that don’t have their own street address—and other perks. These new features require Google Maps 4.24 for iOS or later, which can be downloaded free of charge from the App Store.

Instagram is testing live video broadcasts in its Stories feature

According to Russian news outlet Tjournal.ru a few days ago, the popular photo-sharing service Instagram is testing live video functionality in its recently-launched Stories feature which permits users to create slideshows from their photos that automatically disappear after 24 hours.

Facebook added live video to its mobile app in August 2015. Facebook Messenger gained the ability to share live video with contacts while chatting in September 2016.

How to quickly create fun GIFs in iMessage using the Tumblr app

The other day I made a rare visit to my iMessage App Store. Amongst a multitude of others, Tumblr, an App that never fully struck a chord with me, had add an iMessage app to my ‘Manage’ tab, silently begging for me to take it for a spin. I sighed and flicked the switch on, not knowing what to expect from the extension - and have not looked back since.

Notion, Owlie, ZIG, and other apps to check out this weekend

Looking to pass some time this weekend? iDB has you covered. The latest edition of our Apps of the Week roundup features some great apps and games for you to check out, including an intelligent email client, an app for polling your friends and family, and a pop culture news aggregator. And of course we've got two great new games you won't want to miss.

Latest Chrome for iOS update comes with a hidden game

Google yesterday pushed a small update to its Chrome browser in the App Store, bumping the app's version number to 54.0.2840.66. In addition to the usual stability improvements and bug fixes, the latest version of Google's mobile browser for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch packs in a charming side-scrolling mini game that you can play when without an Internet connection.

A watershed moment in App Store’s history: China displaces U.S. as #1 app market by revenue

Some quite interesting data points in a new report from app marketing firm App Annie suggest that China has now overtaken the United States as Apple's top market for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch apps, with a fifteen percent higher App Store revenue than the U.S. in the September quarter.

Chinese users spent more than five times the amount they spent just two years prior in the App Store.

Apple’s free app of the week: Night Sky 4

Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with the app Night Sky 4. This means that for the next 7 days, you can get the popular astronomy app for both iPhone and iPad for free—saving you a solid buck.

Night Sky 4 is pitched as the most advanced and beautiful stargazing app ever created. With it you can identify stars, planets, constellations and satellites above simply by holding your iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch to the sky.

Data Saver mode is reportedly coming to Facebook Messenger in a few weeks

I use Facebook Messenger literally every single day to message my friends and family and have always hated how the mobile app discriminately downloads media content regardless of whether I open the message or not.

Sometimes my friends would attach really long videos or high-resolution shots to their messages, prompting me to completely disable cellular access for Messenger on my iPhone, but then I don't receive their texts on the go.

Wouldn't it be better if Messenger handled data-hungry attachments more intelligently when the user is connected to a cellular network? As per a report by The Next Web a few days ago, a new data saver option is indeed coming to Messenger in a few weeks.

WhatsApp update enables drawing on photos and videos, new camera features & more

WhatsApp's latest update, which surfaced this morning on the App Store, brings the ability to draw on photos and videos and adorn your media with text or emoji. You can also express yourself by sticking huge emojis on top of photos and videos. Users automatically see the new editing tools when capturing a new photo or video or sharing one that's already on their phone. Coming soon: support for Retina flash for the selfie camera, zooming during video capture and a shortcut for quickly switching between cameras.