Apps

Facebook killing photo sync in mobile apps, you’ll have to use Moments instead

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 14, 2015

According to TechCrunch on Monday, Facebook is in the process of removing photo syncing capability in its mobile applications and is asking users to download a dedicated Moments app to retain that functionality.

Photo sync, an opt-in feature in the mobile Facebook app, uploaded photos from the user's Camera roll to a private photo album on Facebook, where they could later be edited, shared or deleted.

Moments, a private-photo sharing app, debuted this summer for iOS and Android and then rolled out to everyone nearly four months ago.

New snoozing and attachment options go live in Readdle’s Spark email app

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 14, 2015

Just a few days after adding support for Microsoft Exchange accounts for work-related emails, Readdle's popular Spark email app for the iPhone received another major update in the App Store last evening.

Bumped to version 1.4, Spark now includes several new snoozing options and new ways to attach images and files. With customizable snooze times and related notifications, staying on top of your emails is now easier than before.

You also get a dedicated button for attaching images to an email message, the ability to chose image size to keep attachment size under control and switch between attaching actual files or sending links to files on your Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive.

BBC iPlayer now available on Apple TV 4

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 6, 2017

BBC iPlayer, the on-demand application for watching live television channels and exclusive content from BBC, is now available on the 4th generation Apple TV.

“Christmas is a popular time for viewers to come to BBC iPlayer, as they unwrap new devices and browse and discover the BBC’s fantastic Christmas programs,” said iPlayer chief Dan Taylor-Watt.

“With the launch of iPlayer on new Apple TV, I’m delighted we've been able to give people another way of accessing the full breadth and range of BBC programs.”

Infuse for Apple TV gets its first update

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 4, 2018

Infuse 4 for tvOS, the Apple TV edition of the powerful media player for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, was updated last evening in the App Store following its debut on the fourth-generation Apple TV earlier this month.

For starters, the app now claims up to ten times faster metadata fetching (depending on the video type), which should drastically reduce the waiting time when Infuse initially scans a newly added network disk.

Google Maps for iOS updated with business hours and gas prices

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

Google today updated its native Maps application for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, adding two nice-to-have features: gas prices in the United States and Canada and business hours for millions of points of interest around the world. Now when searching for gas stations in the US and Canada, the application will display up-to-date gas prices so you can better decide between the nearest gas stations and those that potentially offer the lowest prices of gas.

TextFaces review: add Unicode faces to your keyboard

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

In early November, we told you about a fun little jailbreak tweak that makes it possible for you to add Unicode faces to your keyboard so you don't have to be like everyone else with those silly yellow smiley faces.

The tweak's developer, Neo Ighodaro told us that, thanks to our coverage of Unicode Faces, he figured that it would be a good idea to turn it into an official App Store app rebranded as TextFaces. We took it for a test spin on a non-jailbroken device and have a review of TextFaces for you today.

Remote, Pixbrite, Call Recorder, and more apps to check out this weekend

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 17, 2024

Since the release of Apple TV 4, I've struggled with some important features that were glaringly absent from the set-top box. This week, however, Apple made it easier to control ATV4 with support for the Remote app for iPhone and Apple Watch. Plus, now that the App Store is noting when an app is available on Apple TV, it is even easier to find new content.

If you are looking for new content, whether for Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, we've got a list of apps and games we think are worth spotlighting.

Google’s search app gains 3D Touch support, Split View multitasking on iPad & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 11, 2015

The search monster Google on Friday issued an update to its mobile search application in the App Store, adding support for 3D Touch gestures on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus and iOS 9's new multitasking modes on select iPads, while improving search results for places and local businesses.

With 3D Touch, hard-pressing on the Google app's icon on the Home screen brings up quick shortcuts for Search, Voice Search and Image Search features.

Six 3D Touch shortcuts in iBooks for iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 2, 2017

Owners of the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus can now use Peek and Pop gestures in iBooks to speed up common tasks such as checking out their notes and bookmarks, previewing pages in search results and more.

This tutorial takes you on a quick tour of 3D Touch gestures in iBooks, including six ways applying pressure helps you interact with your fav reads.

iTunes 12.3.2 with Apple Music browsing improvements now available

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 11, 2015

A few days following the release of the iOS 9.2 software update for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad with Apple Music improvements and other changes, Apple today posted a matching iTunes update for Macs running OS X El Capitan.

iTunes 12.3.2 makes it easier to browse classical songs on Apple Music with support for works, composers and performers.

Poison Maps makes great use of 3D Touch gestures

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 11, 2015

Poison Maps, a cool map app in the App Store based on the OpenStreetMap database, takes a novel approach to 3D Touch gestures versus most other 3D Touch-enabled apps, which makes it uniquely useful for navigating.

On non-iPhone 6s devices, the app takes advantage of the patent-pending Context Pan gesture letting you pan large distances by using a single touch of a finger instead of the usual two-fingered pinch-zoom gesture.

On devices without 3D Touch, however, context zooming and context panning is implemented using a long touch to control how far the map zooms out, rather then using the force of the press, as shown in a video demonstration further below.

Google Play Movies & TV gains HD and cellular streaming, AirPlay support, revamped UI & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 11, 2015

Just in time for the holiday season, Google has issued a major update to its official video streaming application in the App Store, Google Play Movies & TV, with several much-needed features and a fresh new design. For starters, you can now stream movies and TV shows rented or purchased on the Play store over your carrier's cellular data network. Moreover, the app has gained the ability to stream video in high-definition.

And if you own a third-generation Apple TV or higher, you can stream your Google Play entertainment right to the big screen with official support for Apple's AirPlay wireless media streaming technology.