Apps

Official Google app revamps voice search interface and Google Now cards

In addition to refreshing the layout for Communities and Collections on Google+, the search monster today also rolled out an update to its iOS search app.

Available at no charge in the App Store, the native Google search experience on your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad now includes an overhauled voice search interface with a nicely animated logo.

More important than that, the layout of your Google Now cards has been reworked and updated to better organize and surface content for you.

Tapity puts Grades and Languages apps for sale, shares revenue stats

The latest developer success story comes from Tapity, an Apple Design Award winner and the brains behind education app Grades and Languages, its popular offline translation app.

They've now put both Grades and Languages for sale in order to focus exclusively on Hours, a gorgeous time-tracking software that I reviewed in the summer of 2014. What's really interesting about this is how forthcoming Tapity's been about stats for these apps.

You might find it interesting to learn what kind of revenue Grades and Languages have been pulling thus far and what potential bidders can look forward to after buying Grades and Langauges.

Tumblr for iOS update turns your photo bursts and videos into animated GIFs

Yahoo-owned blogging service Tumblr is pushing an update to its iPhone, iPod touch and iPad application in the App Store today, and it brings with it a headline new feature: a tool which helps turn your photo bursts and videos into animated GIFs that can be easily shared on the service, as first reported by The Verge.

This removes much of the friction that comes with having to do the conversion yourself. The update is being rolled out as we speak so you might not see it just yet.

Is Apple boosting rankings of its own apps on App Store’s Top Free charts?

A sneaking suspicion that Apple could be taking advantage of the App Store's charts to promote its own apps at the expense of others has received a prominent, though inconclusive, confirmation in today's TechCrunch report.

The publication noticed that multiple Apple apps such as Pages, Keynote and Numbers are being listed on the App Store's Top Free charts on some iOS 9.1 devices in higher positions than they would normally rank.

These same apps are ranked differently in the App Store within desktop iTunes and on other iOS devices. So, what's going on here?

Waze gains 3D Touch shortcuts on iPhone 6s

Google-owned social-mapping and traffic service Waze today pushed an update to its iPhone application in the App Store, adding handy shortcuts available upon pressing its Home screen icon on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

Waze's 3D Touch shortcuts provide access to popular features like address search, location sharing and turn-by-turn navigation based on your work and home address on file.

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.

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.

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.

FiftyThree’s Paper comes to iPad Pro, gains 3D Touch sensitive inks on iPhone 6s

Following Apple's confirmation this morning that it will begin accepting online orders for the iPad Pro this coming Wednesday, developer FiftyThree has now updated its Paper drawing app with support for Apple's upcoming device and full compatibility with the Apple Pencil.

In addition, today's Paper update brings out pressure-sensitive inks on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus smartphones via 3D Touch and the ability to reorder Spaces from the Space Settings dialog.

Facebook for iPhone gains new Share sheet design

About ten days ago, at its biggest event called FbStart San Francisco, the social networking giant unveiled an update on its Share sheet available in iOS and through third-party apps for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

The all-new design is way more functional than before. Like before, Facebook's Share sheet lets you share images, article links, status updates and other content in apps that support iOS's multi-purpose Share sheet.

Unlike before, however, you now have a clearer preview of the content you're sharing on Facebook and can control who can see your post. There are also new ways to tag friends or add feelings to a post, much like in Facebook's mobile app.