iPad

From the latest news to the most comprehensive tutorials, learn how to get the most out of your iPad with our step-by-step guides and expert tips.

The EFF files petition with Copyright Office to keep jailbreaking legal

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (or EFF) is once again fighting to keep the practice of jailbreaking legal. The non-profit digital rights group announced this week that it has filed a petition with the Librarian of Congress and the Copyright Office to extend and expand the exemption that allows you to jailbreak your phone, without violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Because the software on mobile phones and tablets is copyrighted, the act of jailbreaking (and rooting on Android devices) is technically forbidden by the DMCA. But Congress created a procedure to allow for exemptions on activities where users make fair use of copyrighted works, reviewed every three years. The last exemption for jailbreaking was awarded in 2012, so it's set to expire soon.

IGN names ‘Ridge Racer Slipstream’ its Free Game of the Month

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Heads up gamers, IGN has named BANDAI NAMCO's 'Ridge Racer Slipstream' its Free Game of the Month for November. So for those who missed it when it was Apple's App of the Week earlier this year, you now have the chance to grab the popular game for free.

Normally priced at $2.99, Ridge Racer Slipstream recreates the ultimate arcade racing franchise on your iPhone and iPad with console-quality graphics and high octane gameplay. It includes 12 customizable cars, over 100 competitions and a lengthy career mode.

Fleksy Keyboard can now use iOS typing shortcuts

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 3, 2017

Despite not being an avid user of third-party keyboards in iOS 8, I'm always eager to try out any new soft-keyboard that hits the App Store.

Fleksy's recent update caught my attention by making me realize that I didn't know everything there is about the scope and limitations of third-party keyboards under iOS 8.

For example, did you know soft-keyboards are allowed to use your typing shortcuts defined in Settings > General > Keyboard > Shortcuts? Fleksy's latest update has implemented just that and it works like a charm.

Fleksy Keyboard costs $0.99 in the App Store.

Facebook introduces new ways to customize your News Feed

Cody Lee ∙ November 7, 2014

As part of an ongoing mission to improve its News Feed experience, Facebook today announced that it has built and updated a few tools to help you customize the content you see everyday. These tools are located in the News Feed settings menu (More > Help & Settings, on mobile).

Of course customizing your News Feed is all about controlling who you see posts from. Starting today, you'll be able to quickly unfollow and re-follow people, Pages and Groups. Unfollowing of course means you're still friends with the user, but will no longer see their status updates.

Vevo’s iOS app gains Recently Watched, Google login, search improvements and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Vevo, a video hosting service operated by a joint venture of Universal Music Group, Google, Sony Music Entertainment and Abu Dhabi Media, on Friday refreshed its iPhone and iPad application with a few new features.

You can now log in to the app using a Google Account and keep track of what you've watched in a new "Recently Watched" section. You should see improvements in Vevo's search and visual tweaks on the browse page and artist pages.

Vero is available at no cost in the App Store.

Monument Valley confirmed to receive its first expansion next Thursday

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 7, 2014

Monument Valley by Ustwo, a surreal physics-based platformer and Winner of Apple Design Award 2014, is set to receive its first content expansion next week.

Titled “Forgotten Shores” and provided as a $1.99 In-App Purchase, it's going to add eight brand new levels to gameplay on top of the original ten levels. The update is scheduled to drop in the App Store next Thursday, November 13.

It will be “coming soon” to Google Play and Amazon Appstore. Monument Valley has seen 1.4 million downloads to date in the nearly seven months since its release. According to Wired, the new levels are inserted between the penultimate and final levels of the original in order to provide “a deeper dive into the emotional story of Ida and her amiable friend, the totem”.

Monument Valley is $3.99 in the App Store.

Apple updates iMovie for iOS with support for iCloud Photo Library

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Apple has posted updates for a number of its iOS apps today including Beats Music, iWork suite and more. Most of the releases are fairly insignificant, with only 'minor stability and performance improvements' listed in their change logs, but iMovie got some extra attention.

In addition to 'performance and stability improvements,' iMovie for iOS received support for iCloud Photo Library and the ability to share videos with iCloud Photo Sharing. Apple also says that it has resolved the issue that occurred when rotating a device in landscape mode.

Battlefield 4 tech demo shows off incredible power of Apple’s Metal graphics framework

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 6, 2014

Hands up who's sick and tired of hearing about “console-level graphics” every time an iPad game hits the App Store?

I know I am and it's high time developers stopped overusing the marketing buzzword in their blurbs, methinks. No tablet on the market has the oomph to take on consoles, plain and simple.

While the advent of Metal, Apple's new low-level graphics framework in iOS 8, clearly won't make iPad games any better than their console counterparts, it does provide more aesthetically pleasing experiences involving far more detailed objects, lush visual effects and richer environments.

Apple is highlighting Metal-powered games in a dedicated App Store section and today folks behind the Frostbite graphics engine are showing off a pair of great looking screenshots of the Battlefield 4 console game running on an iPad and powered by the Metal-drive Frostbite engine.

Slated keyboard for iOS 8 translates text in real time

Cody Lee ∙ November 6, 2014

The folks at Gist have added a new third party iOS 8 keyboard for your consideration, called Slated. Admittedly, this area is starting to become crowded, but unlike the other offerings that aim to add colors or new input methods to your keyboard, it has a more serious task.

Slated has the ability to translate what you type into more than 80 languages, in real time. Simply pick a language, start typing, and watch the evolving translation appear below the text entry field. It also translates backwards, so you can participate in complete conversations.

Google Drive gains Touch ID, iPhone 6/6 Plus support, Storage extension and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 6, 2014

After adding passcode protection to Google Drive for the iPhone and iPad half a year ago, Google on Thursday added more coolness to the software.

First and foremost, the app now includes full support for iOS 8 technologies and can finally lock itself behind Touch ID fingerprint authentication.

And should you happen to own one of the new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 or 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus devices, Google Drive will take full advantage of the increased resolutions to show more files and content.

They've also added a new option to save videos from Drive to your device and implemented a handy system-wide Storage extension allowing you to access your Drive in almost any iOS 8 app.

Google Drive is available at no cost in the App Store.

Google Maps with OpenTable reservations, Uber integration and Material Design now rolling out

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 6, 2014

Announced yesterday, a much-improved Google Maps for the iPhone and iPad featuring Material Design appearance, OpenTable reservations, Uber integration and more is now rolling out in App Stores worldwide.

Featuring engaging animations, shadows and depth — courtesy of Google's newly-found design language for desktop, mobile and the web — Google Maps 4.0 promises to be the funnest version of the app to date.

The search giant says the layers and buttons “come to life so you know just where to touch to get directions, recommendations and imagery.”

Download the app now, give it a whirl and tell us how you liked it in comments.

Google Maps 4.0 is free in the App Store.

Opera Mini 9 adds Video Boost, promises less buffering and data usage

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 30, 2023

Opera has released an update for its iOS web browser, Opera Mini, bringing the app to version 9.0. There isn't much of a change log, but there is a significant new video compression feature Opera is calling Video Boost.

Built on Skyfire's video optimization tech, Video Boost aims to lessen both buffering and data usage while streaming video content. It accomplishes this by quickly shrinking down video data before it lands on your device.