Apps

Periscope update brings camera and sharing improvements & more

Periscope, Twitter's live video-streaming app, has been refreshed in the App Store this morning with a few new features related to in-app camera, sharing and more. For starters, you'll notice improved tap-to-focus while broadcasting live video, plus you can now follow a broadcaster from the viewers list with one tap. There are also improvements to Persicope's VIP Program and more.

Google Photos for iOS gains new features that suggest rotations, resurface images & more

Google yesterday announced a pretty interesting update to its free of charge Photos application for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch which brings out four features driven by artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm.

The new version will be rolling out today in the App Store, making it easier to fix some of the pesky sideways photos in your library by suggesting rotations, resurface your forgotten photos for you and more.

Snapchat launches Story Playlist, no longer automatically loads the next Story

Snapchat is removing the Auto Advance feature to give users control of their Story viewing experience once again. It was about goddam time, if I might add. Shortly after Auto Advance debuted in March of this year, folks began complaining that Auto Advance made it impossible to individually choose Stories to watch. The updated app has now replaced Auto Advance with an all-new feature they're calling Story Playlist.

Dropbox for iOS gains iMessage app, PDF signing, iOS 10 widget, PiP video & more

Cloud storage startup Dropbox today announced a major update to its mobile application for the iPhone and iPad, bringing new iOS 10-focused features that will make you more productive. Dropbox 18.2 for iOS packs in a brand new iMessage app for sharing Dropbox files through Apple's Messages app.

You can now sign legal PDF documents with your finger, and see newly updated Dropbox files on your Lock screen via a new Today widget, and much more.

8 great iPhone and iPad games to get you in the Halloween spirit

It’s October, and that means Halloween is just around the corner!

Keeping everyone in the spooky spirit of Halloween, we’ve got a list of fun and thrilling games you can download from the App Store and play on your iPhone or iPad to prepare yourself for the onslaught of zombies and monsters that are sure to be ringing your doorbell this year.

Google Maps gains redesigned iOS 10 widgets for “Nearby Transit” and “Travel Times”

Google yesterday bumped its mapping application for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to version 4.23, adding a few new features including revamped widgets for “Nearby Transit” and “Travel Times” that now adhere to iOS 10's new design style for widgets.

In Google Maps 4.23 for iOS, you can now upload photos along with your reviews of places and see descriptions of places including features, atmosphere and amenities.

Apple’s free app of the week: Impossible Road

Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with the game Impossible Road. This means that for the next 7 days, you can pick up the popular arcade racer for both iPhone and iPad for free—a solid savings of $3.

In Impossible Road, you must guide your vessel down the roller coaster-like track at high speeds, scoring through each gate you make it through. Navigate hair-pin turns, jumps and banked curves in a quest for the perfect line.

How to enable and use Secret Conversations in Facebook Messenger

iPhone screen showing Facebook Messenger app with an encrypted secret conversation

With secret conversations in Messenger, Facebook offers support for end-to-end encryption, giving you peace of mind knowing that a third party cannot decipher any sensitive messages with friends and family. These encrypted chats rely on a device key that ensures only you and the recipient can see the message.

You can verify the device key to confirm that the messages are end-to-end encrypted, set a timer to have secret messages disappear from the conversation, and so forth.

In this article, we show you how to set up and use end-to-end encrypted secret conversations in Facebook Messenger.

Dropbox Paper app now available in the EU

Paper, a new productivity app from cloud storage experts over at Dropbox, launched in public beta in the United States a month ago. After a slight delay, Paper is now available to customers in the European Union. With the free Paper app (not to be confused with Facebook's experimental Paper app), you can collaborate on projects, get updates, make edits and respond to feedback right from your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

Yahoo releases Newsroom for iOS app with curated stories, personalized feeds & more

It's business as usual for the struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo which today released a brand new free of charge iPhone and iPad application, called Newsroom. The app provides curated stories and news content relevant to you and sports built-in social sharing features, personalized feeds and more. The 96.9-megabyte download requires an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch with iOS 9 or later and is available at no charge from the App Store.