Apps

Mac App Store authentication glitches forcing users to reinstall apps

As first spotted by Tweetbot developer Paul Haddad, some Mac owners are being forced to download and reinstall apps on their computer following what appears to be a security glitch in the Mac App Store.

The affected users are seeing a message saying that their app has been damaged and cannot be opened, with the prompt advising folks to download the app again from the Mac App Store.

Here's what you can do about it.

Foursquare revamps iPad interface, adds Peek and Pop gestures on iPhone 6s

Foursquare's main iOS app was refreshed earlier today with some new 3D Touch goodies and a redesigned interface on the iPad. Foursquare for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad was part of the initial wave of third-party applications that enabled support for handy Home screen shortcuts via 3D Touch on the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

Today's update added 3D Touch-based Peek and Pop gestures, meaning you can now preview content within the app and pop right into it, without lifting a finger off the screen.

Microsoft refreshes Office apps for iPad Pro, with an important caveat

Windows giant Microsoft today released compatibility updates for its mobile Office app in the App Store—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and OneDrive—aimed at lucky iPad Pro owners.

Featuring full support for iOS 9's new Slide Over and Split View multitasking modes, these apps now take full advantage of the iPad Pro's massive 2,732-by-2,048 pixel resolution 12.9-canvas that in landscape mode basically runs two full-sized apps concurrently.

Facebook releases Notify for iPhone for news, sports, weather and other alerts

Facebook on Wednesday announced it's releasing a brand new mobile application, Notify for iPhone. Conceived as a mobile notifications app for news, sports, weather and more, Notify was designed to deliver push notifications “that matter from sources you love, right on your lock screen, all in one place.”

Notifications are grouped into “stations” which cover varied categories, from sports and celebrities to news, movies, music, shopping and more. Notify is an English-only iPhone app available for free in the App Store.

Periscope gains skipping ahead in replays, Trending section, 3D Touch shortcuts and more

Twitter-owned live-broadcasting app, Periscope, was updated in the App Store last evening with half a dozen new features and refinements aimed at improving the usefulness of video replays whilst improving content discovery with new tools such as an-all new Trending section to help you find content from popular broadcasters.

Pericope also has a tvOS app for the new Apple TV and recently refreshed the iPhone version with muting, Handoff support, instant replays, finding location-enabled broadcasts, verified badges, Follower Only mode, Global section and more.

Mavenfall uses 3D Touch for deeper gameplay

With battle card games like Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon TCG dominating the market, it seems impossible for new titles to make a splash with card gamers. Mavenfall stands out from the pack with a few special features that are unique in the card game world, at least for now. Taking advantage of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus 3D Touch, Mavenfall lets players go deeper into the battle.

Dropbox adds Recents view to web interface, bringing frequently accessed files in one place

Managing multiple projects in your Dropbox can be a pain when you need to quickly find that presentation you've been working on recently. While Dropbox's iPhone and iPad app has had a dedicated Recents tab since May of this year, it wasn't available through the web UI at dropbox.com.

Starting today, a Recents webpage is now available on dropbox.com so you can find what you need faster. Sadly, the Recents feature isn't cross-platform as of yet because Dropbox for Android lacks it, but the company assures us it's coming to that platform, too, “over the next few months”.

Apple now lets developers invite 2,000 people to beta test apps via TestFlight

Apple today announced on its portal for developers that it is doubling the previous limitation of up to 1,000 beta users in TestFlight to 2,000 external testers who can beta test an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or Apple TV app.

In addition, the company is extending beta periods on a per-app basis to sixty days, a twofold increase over the previous beta expiration limit of 30 days.

Apple announces Tech Talks tour for Apple TV developers

Following the posting of a new tvOS beta, Apple on Tuesday announced that it is taking to the road next month to help developers take full advantage of the new Apple TV. Beginning December 7, the company plans to hold TV Tech Talks in 10 cites around the globe.

During these events, developers will get in-depth technical information on building and designing for tvOS, learn refined coding techniques, and obtain valuable instruction from experts. Seating is limited, so those interested will have to register for a chance to attend.

All of iOS 9.1’s new emoji are now available on SwiftKey for iPhone and iPad

All those burritos, tacos, middle fingers and other emoji characters enabled by the iOS 9.1 software update are now available on SwiftKey's keyboard for your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

The latest update to SwiftKey's free of charge keyboard in the App Store essentially adds all of the new iOS 9.1 emoji, including the unicorn, many new facial expressions and gestures (yes, the middle finger, too) and a man in a business suit levitating.

Full offline maps with navigation and more coming soon to Google Maps for iOS

Although Google Maps for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad in its current incarnation supports saving a limited area as an offline map (just type 'OK Maps' into the search field), the full offline functionality used to be an Android exclusive, but that's about to change soon.

According to Google today, full offline maps in Google Maps are coming soon to the iOS edition of the software.

1Password updated with Teams support, new All Vaults view and more

AgileBits on Monday issued an update for its 1Password app, bringing the mobile client to version 6.1. The team is calling this the "Unity Edition," and it brings about support for 1Password for Teams, a new All Vaults view, and various other smaller improvements.

With 1Password for Teams, everyone gets the simple, convenient security of 1Password, and you get the tools you need to control and manage access to your important info. This includes features like end-t0-end encrypted sharing, anti-phishing defense and more.