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.

Viber gains iCloud backup, support for sending money, animated GIFs and more

Messaging service Viber this morning pushed a new update to its App Store app, adding several new long overdue features. For starters, iPhone users can now back up and restore their chat history through iCloud, making keeping their conversations after an iOS restore possible.

The application now has a brand new native watchOS 2 app for your wrist with canned responses on your Apple Watch. Other new features in this edition of Viber include support for sending and receiving animated GIF images, sending money from within the app and low-rate Viber Out calling plans via a redesigned screen.

Get ready for WWDC 2016 with official Apple TV app

Just ahead of WWDC 2016, which kicks of with a keynote presentation on Monday, June 13, at 10am, Apple issues a timely refresh to its official WWDC app for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

The refreshed app has an all-new dark interface and now runs on the fourth-generation Apple TV so you can watch WWDC action from the comfort of your couch.

Instagram’s new algorithm that rearranges your feed is now live

In mid-March 2016, Facebook-owned Instagram said it would soon tweak its algorithm to surface posts you care about at the top of your feed. Since then, the company has been testing the improved algorithm with a very small subset of its 400 million monthly active users. Starting today, this feature is available to all Instagram users without needing to update the mobile app, the company reported.

Twitter implements half-baked support for 360-degree video

Micro-blogging startup Twitter has added basic support for 360-degree video after both YouTube and Facebook did the same months ago, said The Verge. However, videos shot with 360-degree cameras won't yet play inline inside Twitter's mobile app or website. Rather, users are taken to a separate website where they can click and drag to look around the videos.

Facebook is shutting down Notify, its little used real-time news app

Facebook is killing off Notify for iPhone, its mobile notifications app for news, sports, weather and more, a company spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch.

The app debuted on the App Store about six months ago, in November 2015. Notify was conceived as a real-time news app designed around push notifications “from sources you love, right on your lock screen, all in one place.”

Check out the top 40 user-created Badland levels

The original Badland game is still one of my favorite atmospheric puzzlers on any platform. Although it's two years old now, there's nothing quite like it on the App Store. That's because its creator, Helsinki, Finland-based Frogmind Games, has made a smart move of building a level editor into the game.

As a result, you get more levels to play than you could bargain for. But, with 2000+ levels created each week, small wonder people are having a hard time finding ones worthy their time. Frogmen has thought of that: in its latest “Eternal Day” update, the game brings out a curated selection of the best 40 levels out of 70,000+.

Apple’s free app of the week: Sago Mini Road Trip

Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with the game Sago Mini Road Trip. This means that for the next 7 days, you’ll be able to download the popular children's title on both iPhone and iPad for free, a solid savings of $3.

In Sago, kids play as Jinja the cat as they set out on a road trip. There are more than 10 vehicles and 6 destinations to choose from, and no rules or time pressures to worry about. So kids can relax, hit the road and explore at their own pace.

Apple releases updated version of iOS 9.3.2 for 9.7-inch iPad Pro

Nearly two weeks after pulling this version for bricking 9.7-inch iPad Pro devices, Apple has released iOS 9.3.2 today, presumably fixing the bricking issue once and for all. Carrying build number 13F72 this iOS 9.3.2 update is specifically for the 9.7-inch version of the iPad Pro. The update is now available both over the air, and as a separate download.

Many third-party Instagram apps no longer working

Do you use a third-party app to browse Instagram feeds and hashtags more efficiently on an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad?

If so, there's a high likelihood that your app has now ceased functioning due to Instagram's new and much stricter policy pertaining to the official API, which has gone into effect today, as first noted by MacRumors.

iOS continues bleeding share to Android as smartphone market slows considerably

Mary Meeker's 2016 Internet Trends Report is a treasure trove of surveys and predictions on the global trends concerning our industry. I found out this morning that half of the searches will be either through images or speech by 2020 and that Siri was handling more than one billion requests per week through speech as of June 2015.

I've now compiled the report's most interesting tidbits regarding Internet usage around the world, the iOS vs. Android battle and more.

Relax with Alto’s Adventure’s new Zen Mode

Alto's Adventure from developer Snowman, the popular endless snowboarding odyssey set in the tranquil wilderness, was updated this morning on the App Store with all-new Zen and Photo modes and other perks.

Zen Mode, a new way to enjoy the game, is a dedicated experience that helps you unwind “for all those times when catching llamas and chasing high scores isn’t high on the agenda”.