It's the weekend again, and you know what that means: it's time for another edition of our Apps of the Week post. For those who aren't familiar with the column, this is where we put together a small list of apps and games that we think are worth checking out, and we think we've really made some awesome selections this week.
The Guardian reported more than a month ago that Facebook would be rolling out end-to-end encryption for chats in Messenger. Friday, the social networking firm announced that it's begun testing the new feature, dubbed Secret Conversations.
An opt-in feature, the new option within the mobile Messenger app for iOS and Android was designed to better support conversations about sensitive topics with end-to-end encryption.
In April 2015, Apple reminded developers that as of June 2015 all apps and app updates submitted to the App Store must include 64-bit support. After more than a year, some apps are still stuck on 32 bits and lack support for 64-bit devices. iOS 10 takes a naming and shaming approach by including a brand new warning message that appears when you open a 32-bit app on a 64-bit iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with the app Loopimal by Yatatoy. This means that for the next 7 days, you'll be able to pick up the critically acclaimed children's title for both iPhone and iPad for free—a solid savings of $3.
Loopimal is essentially a building kit of handcrafted animations and sounds that teaches kids about music. The graphics are both sharp and charming, and the rhythmic/melodic content makes for endless possibilities of creations and compositions.
Coming straight from Microsoft Garage, which “turns fresh ideas into real projects”, Thinga.Me for iPhone allows you to capture, organize and share real-world objects. Currently available as an invite-only closed beta, the app uses object recognition algorithm to detect and separate various objects on your photos.
AT&T has launched a new version (5.0) of the myAT&T app for iPhone on Wednesday with added features that have been long overdue.
With improvements to usability, as well as ease of access, the re-branded myAT&T app is a new sight for sore eyes.
Snapchat today announced a major update to its free-of-charge mobile application on the App Store. The new version brings out a major new feature, Memories, a new way to save a personal collection of your favorite Snaps and Stories. Also, the app now lets you send Snaps and make new Stories from Memories, find other people's Moments with search and more. To open Memories, just swipe up from Snapchat's built-in camera.
Apple announced Tuesday that it will add an organ donor registration option to the stock Health app in iOS 10. People in the United States will be able to use a built-in option in the Health app when iOS 10 launches for public consumption this fall to register themselves as organ, eye and tissue donors.
CEO Tim Cook told the Associated Press that the feature should help ease a longstanding donor shortage, reminding the public that the problem hit home when Apple co-founder Steve Jobs endured an “excruciating” wait for a liver transplant in 2009.
A software replacement for the physical remote that came in the box with your fourth-generation Apple TV, Apple's entirely overhauled Remote application provides you with the full range of Siri Remote features complete with touch navigation, tilt-based control in games and voice input via Siri.
And in making tedious text entry on tvOS even easier than before, the new app lets you summon the keyboard right from the Lock screen of your iPhone by pressing a notification that automatically gets pushed every time you select a text field on the Apple TV.
This upcoming Monday is the 4th of July, which for many folks means a 3-day weekend. So if you find yourself with extra time to spare over the next few days, be sure to check out the latest edition of our weekly Apps of the Week post. This week we have apps that show you popular videos from around the web, offer a pleasant note-taking experience and more.
Before watchOS 3, Apple Watch owners had two options at their disposal when it came to waking the device and using apps. In watchOS 2 and earlier, you could adjust how long the Apple Watch display stayed awake when you tap to wake it (15 or 70 seconds) and what you wanted your device to be awoken to.
Prior watchOS versions defaulted to waking up to the current watch face but could optionally be told to return to where you were before the watch went to sleep. In watchOS 3, options for apps have been expanded.
You can now select how long third-party apps show on the Apple Watch screen when you raise your wrist with three additional options at your disposal.
Facebook has announced that it is shutting down its newsreader app Paper. The app itself is no longer available for download in the US App Store, and the company says it will cease functioning for existing users at the end of next month.
Introduced in January 2014, Paper received praise for its beautiful design, swipe-based navigation, and exclusion of the typical Facebook noise like ads and game invites. However, it failed to gain much traction among the 1 billion+ users.