Apps

Facebook updates Messenger with third-party app support

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2016

After announcing support for select third-party applications inside its Messenger service last week, Facebook on Monday issued a refresh to the mobile messaging app which officially enables third-party integration.

Now available free in the App Store, the update puts a new button in the chat interface of Facebook Messenger. Tapping it brings up a sheet where you can browse and download supported third-party apps that extend Messenger's functionality, like apps for sending and receiving animated GIFs and more.

You can now create logins directly in 1Password’s iOS extension and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 27, 2016

Developer AgileBits on Monday refreshed its freemium password-manager utility, 1Password for iOS, with a much smarter extension that allows you to create logins and other items without switching to the main app.

1Password 5.3 is also packed with a dozen other goodies, including enhanced Dynamic Type support, a fixe for the broken Zoom Mode on the iPhone 6 Plus, a new Large Type option, tags in bubbles, the ability to switch time zones and much more.

Tangent named Apple’s new Free App of the Week

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

Tangent, an innovative iOS app by Pixite which lets you add geometric shapes, patterns, textures, frame overlays and other effects to your photos, has been named Apple's new Free App of the Week in the ongoing App Store promotion which runs weekly.

Highlighted in the New & Noteworthy section in more than a hundred countries, Tangent was previously Editor's Choice in the App Store and was on the App Store Best of 2013 charts.

Regularly a $1.99 value, Tangent is now available at no cost until next Thursday. With this app you'll be well equipped to do some crazy edits to your photos so I'd grab Tangent immediately if I were you.

Apple reportedly doing away with antivirus apps in the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ March 19, 2015

Apple has decided to eliminate the category of anti-virus and anti-malware products from the App Store, according to security firm Intego. The company announced this week that Apple informed them of their decision after pulling their app 'VirusBarrier for iOS.'

"To be clear, this wasn’t an action directed specifically at Intego, we were one of several companies affected by Apple's decision," writes Intego's Jeff Erwin. Erwin adds that users will continue to get virus definition updates, but there will be no more updates to the app.

Swifty helps you learn to code in Swift directly from your iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

Want to learn to code in Apple's new programming language, Swift? There's now an app for that, too! Swifty for the iPhone and iPad may be the best introduction to programming you've ever used.

Created by develop Johannes Berger, not only is the iOS app a great insight into Apple's new programming language for third-party iOS and OS X development, but a comprehensive guide which will tech you Swift basics and coding with more than two-hundred interactive lectures.

OmniOutliner for iPad goes universal

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

OmniOutliner for iOS has gone universal and is now available on both the iPhone and iPad, The Omni Group announced today. Previously an iPad-only affair, Omni Outliner 2.3 now lets you work with your outlines on the iPhone and iPod touch as well.

Although developers wanted to bring the app to the Apple smartphone for years, getting a robust syncing solution in place and modernizing the iPad app took much longer than expected — hence the unfathomable delay.

Major Pixelmator for iPad update brings new watercolor painting mode, brushes and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 19, 2015

Pixelmator for iPad, the closes thing to a full-blown Photoshop tablet alternative, today received a massive update. Aptly codenamed Aquarelle, it's all about bringing watercolor painting features based on some pretty unique technology that can replicate real-life watercolor brushes.

In addition to a dozen artist-designed watercolor brushes and watercolor painting technology which allows creating real-life-looking watercolor paintings, Pixelmator 1.1 sports an optimized engine with up to two times faster painting performance, support for third-party styluses with enhanced pressure sensitivity features and much more.

Google Maps gains full-screen mode, transit line colors, voice search improvements and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 19, 2015

Google Maps last evening received another update which has brought out a couple noteworthy new features.

The application can now render maps in full-screen mode to maximize screen real estate and provide colored transit lines when retrieving transit directions. To access maps in full-screen mode, just tap an empty spot on the map.

Review: create iTunes affiliate links with Blink for iPhone and iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Whenever you click or tap on a link which leads to an iPhone/iPad/Mac app in the App Store/Mac App Store, or a movie, TV show episode or electronic book carried on iTunes, we earn a very small commission fee on each sale coming from that link.

Though not much, these things add up and anything that helps us run the site and keep the lights on for you guys is worth the effort from our standpoint.

For those not in the know, anyone can sign up to become an iTunes affiliate partner. Too bad Apple's web application for generating affiliate links is so tedious and a pain in the you-know-what.

Introducing Blink (or Better Affiliate Links) from Squibner, a nifty little iPhone and iPad application which eliminates the hassle of manually creating iTunes affiliate links with your own tokens and campaign tags.

Launcher is back on App Store as Apple’s stance on widget restrictions softens

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 18, 2015

Launcher, a tremendously useful iOS application by Greg Gardner for creating app, web and contact shortcuts available from a widget inside the Notification Center, is now back on the App Store following a six-month hiatus. The update is still propagating and it should hit all App Stores worldwide in the coming hours.

The original app was short-lived.

Following its App Store debut on September 17 of last year, the day iOS 8 was released, Apple removed Launcher just a week later citing a misuse of widget functionality.

Thankfully, the re-released app continues to offer the same features like its predecessor, indicating Apple may have softened its stance on launching other apps via the Today view of iOS 8's Notification Center.

Modern Combat 5 goes free, gains MFi controller support, new multiplayer, Support soldiers, more

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 18, 2015

In addition to going free for the first time (regularly a $4 value), a barrage of new features have been added to Modern Combat 5 in a brand new Spring update to Gameloft's excellent war shooter (an App Store Best of 2014).

Now available in the App Store, Modern Combat 5: Blackout version 1.2 finally supports 'Made for iPhone' game controllers, both form-fitting and extended variants.

There's a brand new multiplayer mode available called Zone Control in which you must capture and defend areas to boost your score. Other improvements include new weapons and character classes and additional character customization.

Opera brings video boost feature to Coast browser

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 29, 2018

Norwegian browser developer Opera Software has refreshed its free Coast browser for the iPhone and iPad with several new features, among them Opera Turbo compression technology which can boost streaming video performance by reducing the size of video data, resulting in fewer buffering breaks while saving your mobile data bills.