Apps

Netflix picks up 3D Touch Home screen shortcuts, cellular video quality presets and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 5, 2016

Netflix today updated its iPhone, iPod touch and iPad application on the App Store with support for Quick Actions on the Home screen with 3D Touch.

This lets iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus owners press the Netflix icon on their Home screen to quickly search, continue watching and access the Trending Now or My List sections from the shortcuts menu.

Other enhancements in this edition of Netflix for iOS include VoiceOver navigation improvements and new controls to manage streaming data usage on cellular networks.

Google Photos gains revamped search with emoji support, customizable movies and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 5, 2016

After introducing smarter albums with text, maps and locations back in March, the search giant Google today issued a refresh to its mobile Photos application on the App Store. Now available as a free download for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, Google Photos version 1.10 packs in a redesigned search experience with support for emoji search (it really works) and Spotlight integration, better movies with the ability to add your own music to them and other perks.

On the web, Google Photos has gained a handy overlay with keyboard shortcuts and new features when uploading images to the service.

Twitter finally brings Moments, Polls, and integrated GIF search to Mac app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

Twitter introduced both polls in tweets and a Moments feature for discovering trending stories back in October 2015. Additionally, Twitter for iOS has had the GIF search feature since February 2016.

Even though Moments, Polls, and integrated GIF search have been available on the web at twitter.com and via Twitter's mobile application for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, it wasn't until today that these features finally rolled out to Twitter's Mac app.

Overhauled Apple Music to integrate lyrics, offer a new Browse section and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 4, 2016

9to5Mac's Mark Gurman has added some color to Bloomberg's report this morning which described an upcoming overhaul of Apple Music in broad strokes. According to Gurman's sources, the new-look Apple Music section within the stock Music app will be part of the overall iOS 10 refresh and include, among other things, lyrics integration.

The end-to-end overhaul includes ditching the colorful look in favor of a simpler, black and white design which emphasizes text. For example, the appearance of the albums view will no longer change based on the color of a particular album’s art.

A more intuitive Apple Music to launch at WWDC next month

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 4, 2016

Since its debut, Apple Music has received its fair share of criticism as fans complained about various issues, from the confusing, complicated user interface to a number of design inconsistencies. Thankfully, your prayers haven't gone unnoticed by the powers that be at 1 Infinite Loop, California.

As reported by Bloomberg, Apple is set to show off at WWDC next month a “more intuitive” version of Apple Music that should be easier to use.

How to login with Comcast Xfinity on unsupported Apple TV apps

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated March 29, 2019

I've been catching up with AMC's The Walking Dead on my iPad because AMC didn't offer a dedicated Apple TV app until last week. As soon as the Apple TV app was made available, I tried logging in using the same Comcast Xfinity credentials I used on the iPad app, but to my surprise, Xfinity was not an option.

How could Xfinity be an option on the AMC app for iPad but not for Apple TV? Does it have anything to do with rights and what devices can be used to watch certain shows? Honestly, I have no idea, but as I complained about this issue on the latest episode of Let's Talk iOS, a listener was quick to email me with a simple workaround.

Deal: get 93% off the new MacPhun photo creativity bundle

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 3, 2016

After delighting iPhone photography fans with free high-quality filters for Photos for Mac, California-based developer MacPhun is back with a very tempting offer in the form of a photo creativity bundle “unlike any other”. They're calling it the Creative Kit XXL and let me tell you something—“XXL” is used there for a very good reason.

Not only do you get six premium photo-editing applications for your Mac in this bundle, but a ton of other goodies.

Some of the bonus content ad benefits you get with Creative Kit XXL: 40+ guides from leading photographers, 1200+ creative presets, six additional Mac apps for watermarking and resizing images and deep partner discounts.

And all of these perks can be yours in exchange for just $129, a cool 93 percent discount over the combined $2,000+ price for the included apps, tools and materials. Yup, that's a massive savings of $1,871.

Drawing with pressure and other 3D Touch tips and tricks for Notes

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 1, 2016

With 3D Touch shortcuts and gestures available for iOS's stock Notes application, you can elevate your productivity and accomplish certain tasks faster and with fewer taps than without 3D Touch.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus owners can take advantage of their device's pressure-sensitive screen to quickly start a new note from the Home screen, preview a specific note’s content, sketch using pressure-sensitive drawing tools, quickly delete, share and copy notes and more.

Imbued with the information in this tutorial, you'll take full advantage of 3D Touch interactions that are available to you in Notes so that you can be more productive.

Phenomenon: an intuitive tweak that combines the App Switcher with Control Center

Anthony Bouchard ∙ April 30, 2016

In terms of utilitarian thinking, the current App Switcher and Control Center interfaces in iOS 9 do their jobs just fine.

It's those with creative minds that continue to look past the individual interfaces and find new ways to combine them together into all-in-one interfaces that continue to power App Switcher replacement jailbreak tweaks in Cydia.

Yet another new Cydia release to do such a thing is a jailbreak tweak called Phenomenon, which we'll be showing you in this review.

Talkshow, Stuttr, Swish and other apps to check out this weekend

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

It's been kind of a crazy week. Apple reported not-so-impressive numbers during its Q2 earnings call on Tuesday afternoon, and that dominated the headlines for the past 4 days. So for those looking to unwind this weekend, we've put together a list of great apps and games for you to check out.

Tip: find tons of messages you didn’t know existed inside Messenger’s secret folder

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 18, 2020

What if I told you that you most likely have tons of messages you didn't even know existed, stowed away in a little-known folder on Facebook?

While messages from your Facebook friends and Messenger contacts are delivered straight to your inbox, the system filters out those it deems spam and tucks them away into a hidden vault.

Some of those filtered messages could be from a distant family member trying to re-connect with you. Others might be vitally important. If you suspect Facebook is hiding messages you should've been aware of, this tutorial will teach you how to access a treasure trove of messages that you never knew you had.

Apple updates iMovie for Mac with various visual and speed improvements

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple on Thursday pushed out a solid update for iMovie for Mac, bringing the popular video-editing software to version 10.1.2. The release brings about several improvements, including faster project creation, easier clip selection and more.

The focus of the update seems to be visual cues and speed. Apple added a New Project button in the Projects Browser and Larger project thumbnails on the visual side, and the ability to begin editing a project with a single click on the speed side.