Apps

Google adds offline support, accessibility improvements to Play Movies & TV for iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Google has just updated its Play Movies & TV client for the iPhone and iPad with offline support, accessibility improvements and bug fixes, the Internet giant announced in a Google+ post Monday morning.

“With Google Play’s updated iOS Play Movies & TV app, you can download movies and TV shows then take them with you wherever you go, no Internet connection required,” reads the post.

Released this January, the free application (which now sits at version 1.2) continues to lack the ability to purchase movies and television shows on Google Play due to Apple's rules for iOS development.

WhatsApp updated with a slew of new features

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 8, 2014

Facebook-owned WhatsApp this morning received a substantial update, bringing out a slew of new features to the popular messaging and soon-to-be VoIP platform.

Available as a free download for the iPhone, the new WhatsApp version 2.11.9 now makes it a lot easier to capture and send photos with a new fast camera access button in the interface.

Moreover, the refreshed software lets you archive chats and groups, add captions to media and share iPhone 5s-only Slow-Mo videos at 120 frames per second while introducing new location-sharing features, wallpapers, notification tones, media auto-download preferences in settings and more.

Spotify promises 30 minutes of uninterrupted music if you sit through 13-30 second video ad breaks

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Spotify, the popular music-streaming service with 40 million strong user base, on Monday announced a new way to stream music for free.

Leveraging its video ads for mobile and desktop that have been in limited testing since mid-June and are now rolling out, free Spotify streamers who opt-in to view short 15-30 second videos on their device will receive 30 minutes' worth of uninterrupted, ad-free music. Spotify, which hails from Sweden, opened its mobile service to non-paying users in December.

Twitter testing upcoming Buy button

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 28, 2018

Twitter, the popular micro-blogging service, on Monday said it started testing a new Buy button with a small percentage of its users in the United States.

The company said the feature, which allows users to buy products directly from the tweet, is part of a broader effort to make shopping from mobile devices “convenient and easy, hopefully even fun”.

Launch partners include Fancy, Gumroad, Musictoday, Stripe and many more. Users will get access to offers and merchandise “they can’t get anywhere else,” with the ability to buy stuff directly in Twitter's mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Some apps on 5.5-inch iPhone 6 could switch to iPad layout in landscape

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

In a series of tweets, iOS developer Steve Troughton-Smith shared his findings surrounding Apple's iOS Simulator running stock apps at the screen size of the purported 5.5-inch iPhone 6, with dimensions of 736 points x 414 points (1472 x 828 at 2x or 2208 x 1242 at 3x). When viewed in landscape, certain default iOS 8 apps, including Calendar, Contacts, and Game Center, display contents in a divided mode very similar to the layout an iPad uses while in landscape.

These findings indicate that the larger, 5.5-inch iPhone 6 could have a stronger focus on productivity than its smaller 4.7- and 4-inch counterparts. Despite apps functioning normally while in portrait mode, this addition of dividing the landscape app view to display two separate menus would introduce a strong motivation for purchasing the 5.5-inch device over its more manageable companion.

The best password manager apps for iPhone and iPad

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

In light of recent hacking antics that have come to light regarding Apple’s iCloud service, we are all much more aware of how important it is to secure our personal data. One of the best way to ensure that your iCloud account is protected is to enable two-step verification, but this alone might not always be enough to prevent hackers from gaining access to some of your data.

Of course, a strong password manager helps ensure that you aren’t using those dreaded simple passwords for dozens of different accounts, which makes it even easier for a predator to gain access to even more of your private data. Today, we’ve got a list of what we think are the best password manager apps for iPhone and iPad.

New report says iWatch will feature third-party app support

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

9to5Mac's Mark Gurman is out with a new scoop this evening regarding Apple's incoming wearable. Citing sources familiar with the project, the well-connected blogger reports that the so-called iWatch will feature support for third-party applications.

In fact, Gurman says that the device will come equipped with an App Store, and apparently a handful of developers have already received a pre-release of the SDK (developer tools). This group includes major social networks, and service companies.

Apple Store app offering ‘iMaschine’ free for a limited time

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 1, 2018

Folks looking to kill some downtime this weekend should head on over to the Apple Store app. Apple is always offering up free iOS content in its digital storefront, and its latest benefaction is the popular beat-making app 'iMaschine.'

iMaschine promises to put "professional groove production in the palm of your hand." It features 16 pads with over 400 samples, a melody keyboard, and a voice recorder for vocals. You can even sample sounds directly from iTunes.

Skew: a new photo app that lets you fix crooked lines and poorly aimed shots

Lory Gil ∙ September 6, 2014

I will be the first to admit that I am terrible at noticing lines and angles when I snap pictures. I even use the stock Camera app’s grid feature, but I don’t think about the Golden Ratio when trying to get a picture of my cat doing something funny.

Skew is a photo editing app that lets you fix those minor mistakes after the fact. Not only can you straighten angled lines by rotating the image, but you can also “skew” the photo so that objects in the picture are straight.

Apps of the week: Mikey Boots, Duke Dashington, Battle Riders, and more

Lory Gil ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

We are only a few days away from the launch of what most of us assume to be the next model of iPhone. With all of the speculation about screen size, it’s a wonder anyone is making new content for iOS at all right now. If you want to occupy your time while anxiously awaiting what Apple will reveal this Tuesday, we've got a list of apps and games to keep you busy.

IGN names ‘Hitman Go’ its Free Game of the Month

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 1, 2018

Heads up gamers, IGN has named Square Enix's ‘Hitman Go′ its Free Game of the Month for September. We named the game one of our ‘Apps of the Week’ for the iPhone and iPad back in April, and it normally retails for $4.99.

For those unfamiliar with the title, Hitman Go is a turn-based strategy game based on the hit console franchise. Players must navigate fixed spaces on a beautiful diorama-style grid to avoid enemies and complete their missions.

Apple-owned TestFlight surfaces in App Store as native app ahead of iOS 8 launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

TestFlight, a service allowing developers to beta test mobile apps on the fly, is now available as a native iPhone and iPad application in the App Store.

Apple snapped up Burstly, the company behind TestFlight, back in February to help its registered developers distribute their iPhone and iPad apps to beta testers before pushing them to the App Store for release.

TestFlight is available free of charge and requires iOS 8.0 or later.