Twitter announced on Tuesday it has begun rolling out new photo filters for its Twitter for iPhone app, in a continued effort to draw attention away from Facebook-owned Instagram.
Twitter adds new filters for photos taken on Twitter for iPhone
iOS
Apple threatens removal of another Notification Center widget from App Store, this time Drafts
Apple is about to force the removal of yet another Notification Center widget from the App Store, this time saying the Today view is for information presentation only and not buttons.
The Drafts 4 app, which contains the widget in question, once enabled users of the app to create new documents by simply pressing a button in Notification Center to launch the text editor app. Not anymore, says Tim Cook and Co.
Mozilla planning to develop Firefox for iOS to ‘be where our users are’
Mozilla has long stayed away from bringing its Firefox web browser to iOS, however it's looking to change its plans to "be where our users are".
The company's release manager, Lukas Bakk, took to Twitter on Tuesday announcing the company will develop Firefox for iOS. He didn't provide word on when it may be released, or if it's even in development yet, but it's definitely comforting words for the Firefox fans out there - which includes our own Sebastien Page.
Report: Yahoo and Microsoft fighting to supplant Google search on iPhone
According to a report Tuesday by The Information, a technology website started by The Wall Street Journal writer Jessica Lessin, both Microsoft and Google are “fighting” to boot Google search from the iPhone and other Apple devices.
If true, the move wouldn't be unheard of: Apple teams up with alternate search providers in markets like China.
Apple earns a small commission from search ad revenue each time a user performs a Google search from Safari's address bar on the Mac, iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.
With that deal expiring sometime in 2015, Microsoft and Yahoo are now hoping the Cupertino firm won't renew it and will instead make their respective service the default search choice on iOS.
Tapping iOS 8 Extensions to offload Apple Watch app processing to iPhone is a smart move
In conceiving a feasible solution to running third-party apps in the extremely constrained power environment of the Apple Watch, Apple has come up with a rather peculiar yet familiar idea.
Initially, any third-party app processing will be offloaded to an iPhone in your pocket until the Cupertino firm begins accepting fully native Watch apps late next year.
Such an approach leaves only the app's storyboards and user interface resources running directly on the Watch, with everything else happening on an iPhone.
The only exception that proves the rule are Apple's stock apps which get executed on the Watch itself. In addition to acting as a viewport for third-party apps running on na iPhone, the Watch also manages Notifications and Glances and performs other lightweight housekeeping operations that don't tax the battery much.
To accomplish this feat, Apple is leveraging App Extensions in iOS 8 to run third-party Watch apps in a split mode.
FT: Apple to bundle Beats Music with iOS next year
As Apple continues to migrate Beats Music to iTunes servers ahead of a major service overhaul, The Financial Times newspaper is reporting that the iPhone maker is looking to bundle the subscription music service into its iOS mobile operating system “early next year”.
If true, Spotify will have plenty to worry about because Beats Music would become instantly available on hundreds of millions of iPhones and iPads without requiring a download.
Viber updated with iOS 8 Share extension, Interactive Notifications and other improvements
Although it's been losing ground to rival WhatsApp, which recently passed 600 million registered users, Viber very much remains the second-most popular instant messaging and VoIP solution on mobile.
Following WhatsApp's most recent half-baked update which brought out support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus screen but no iOS 8-specific features, Viber on Monday refreshed its iOS app for headline iOS 8 features.
You now have Interactive Notifications for easy interactions with Viber alerts and a brand new Share extension making it easy to send content from other apps directly to Viber.
Also new in this update: the unavoidable bug fixes, stability fixes and performance improvements, plus some design changes and other nice-to-haves to provide a more intuitive experience.
Viber is available free of charge in the App Store.
Fleksy keyboard clocks in a new typing speed record
Fleksy keyboard, among the first soft-keyboards for iOS 8, broke the Guinness World Record for fastest texting six months ago and now they've done it again.
As announced Tuesday, following September's release of its iOS 8 keyboard Fleksy has now made the iPhone 6 Plus the fastest phone for typing by clocking in a new typing speed record on the device.
Brazilian teenager Marcel Fernandes Filho, who is seventeen years old, used Fleksy’s iOS keyboard to break his previous record of 18.19 seconds with a new time of 17.00 seconds.
Fleksy Keyboard is a 99-cent download from the App Store.
Chinese authorities shut down WireLurker site, suspects arrested
Chinese authorities arrested three individuals last Friday that are believed to have developed the "WireLurker" malware, according to a police post on Sina Weibo. The authorities were tipped off by Chinese security company Qihoo 360 technology. Additionally, the post says that authorities have also identified and shut down the website that was hosting and distributing the malware.
iOS 8.1.1 is out with bug fixes and performance improvements for iPad 2 and iPhone 4s
Apple on Monday started rolling out the latest iOS 8.1.1 software update for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. If you're jailbroken, stay away from this update as it plugs the Pangu8 jailbreak.
iOS 8.1.1 build 12B435 contains a whole bunch of bug fixes and general performance enhancements aimed at improving the mobile operating system's stability. You can apply the update over the air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
Spotify users can now control the tunes when in an Uber
Spotify has announced in a (now pulled) blog post that users can choose the music they hear when riding in an Uber, making the taxi-like service a bit more personalized. Now when you book a car with the ridesharing service, Spotify will be the soundtrack to your Uber ride and you'll no longer have to sit through the driver's taste in music.
Apple issues statement on Masque Attack, says it’s not aware of any affected users
Apple tonight broke its silence regarding Masque Attack, a recently discovered vulnerability in iOS. In a statement to iMore, the company says it encourages customers to only download apps from trusted sources and that it's not currently aware of any users affected by the exploit.
Research security FireEye announced its discovery of Masque Attack on Monday. The malware installs itself through a phishing link disguised as a new app or game, and then masquerades as a legitimate app. Once installed, it can access login credentials, credit card info and more.