Apps

Viber launches Public Accounts for brands, overhauls media menus in iPhone app

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 9, 2016

Popular messaging app Viber today launched a new account format, called Public Accounts, which allows businesses and brands to interact with users. More than a thousand Public Accounts from such brands as BBC, Mashable, The Washington Post, The Weather Channel and more were available at launch, with many more to follow in the coming days and weeks. Subscribing to Public Accounts allows users to get updates from brands they love and post messages that other followers will see.

Join Microsoft’s Skype Insider initiative to beta-test upcoming features

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 9, 2016

Microsoft is launching a new Skype Insider initiative which invites users to download pre-release builds and test upcoming features before they're rolled out to everyone.

Microsoft already has similar programs available for Windows and the Xbox and now Skype users can sign up online at the Skype Insiders registration form. If you decide to participate in the program, you will be permitted to install pre-release builds of Skype alongside your current version of the app.

Dedicated Apple Support app soft-launches in the Netherlands

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 9, 2016

A year ago, screenshots and information leaked concerning Apple's dedicated iPhone app designed to consolidate users' support, repair and troubleshooting needs in the palm of their hand. Last evening, a brand new Apple Support app launched on the App Store in The Netherlands ahead of its presumed staggered rollout around the world.

With it, owners of iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices can explore their support options, schedule repair appointments, manage AppleCare services and more.

Snapchat update enables new gestures for sharing Snaps and using Lenses

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 8, 2016

Snapchat today issued a small update to its iPhone application, which can be downloaded for free from the App Store. The app's version number has been bumped to 9.43.0.0 as the latest update enables two new gestures for easier sharing of content and navigating your Stories and the Discover tab. As a bonus, Snapchat fans now have an easier way to use Lenses.

The Trail is a beautiful jaunt in the palm of your hand

Steffen Reich ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

In gaming circles, the mentioning of Peter Molyneux’s name alone will cue plenty of associations. The Brit gained industry fame at the helm of projects such as Black & White or Fable, inextricably linking his name to figments of fantastical worlds, deep characters and far-reaching decisions on virtue and morality. In 2012, Molyneux founded 22Cans and branched out to mobile gaming. So far, remarkably little has come off it on iPhone.

In view of the latest product out of 22Cans' think tank, the rules might however just have changed. Their latest adventure goes by the name The Trail and revolves around the ostensibly quiet premise of wandering nature. Contrary to some notions inherent to hiking though, it is remarkably entertaining, oddly social and distinctly Molyneux. Oh, and it is a visual treat for your eyes.

Find out if the game with the curious premise is cut out for you in our review.

Apple clamps down on fake shopping apps, invites users to report problematic apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 7, 2016

Fake apps that pretend to be from well-known brands have been an incredibly annoying issue for almost as long as the App Store has existed. Like clockwork, apps that spoof big brands manage to make their way into the App Store ahead of a pre-holiday surge and this year's no different.

As The New York Times reports, rogue app factories in China have been busy churning out counterfeit shopping apps by the hundreds, with one particular developer being responsible for an avalanche of fake apps for brands like Puma, Nike, Canada Goose, Celine and others.

Beware these apps as they're scams designed to fool you into providing your passwords and credit card data. Thankfully, Apple is clamping down on the latest round of fake apps as the Great App Store Purge continues unabated.

Bear, Workfrom, 60dB and other apps to check out this weekend

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 6, 2018

It's been a long week so let's just get right to it with our latest round of Apps of the Week selections. We have the hot new note-taking/writing app Bear, a new app for finding cool places to work from, and an app for listening to personalized, short-form news and entertainment audio clips from ex-Netflix employees. And as usual, we have two cool new games for you to check out.

Review: PDF Viewer does not stand out from the pack, but delivers on its promise

Steffen Reich ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

When iOS 8 and its slew of extensibility features arrived, facilitating a much simpler experience importing or exporting your files, third-party productivity apps finally became well-rounded products and viable alternatives to Apple’s in-house range. Since then, more file storage and document editor apps than ever inhabit the depths of the App Store and chances are you have settled on your day-to-day favorite for the handling of PDFs a while back.

Enter PDF Viewer, a new and free app available for iPhone and iPad, which sets out to make you question your previous app choices. As the name suggests, PDF Viewer aims to deliver you an all-encompassing assistant for PDF file management including document edits, file dissection and the creation of new files from scratch. PDF Viewer gets a lot right at the first go but will also have to slowly grow its offering in depth and breadth. Find out if its an application fitting your life style below.

Surenix releases Power 2, an iPhone battery life companion app for Apple Watch

Anthony Bouchard ∙ November 3, 2016

Thientam Bach, better known by a large amount of the jailbreak community as Surenix for his design work on high-end themes and jailbreak tweaks, released his first app in the App Store last year called Power.

It was essentially an information-based app that showed data about your iPhone's battery level on your Apple Watch at a glance. But because so much has changed in iOS 10 and watchOS 3, Bach has released Power 2 in the App Store on Thursday with new features and support for the latest operating systems.

Apple’s free app of the week: Lost in Harmony

Cody Lee ∙ November 3, 2016

Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with the hit free runner Lost in Harmony. This means that for the next 7 days, you'll be able to pickup the popular game for both iPhone and iPad for free—a solid savings of $4.

For those unfamiliar with the title, Lost in Harmony is a cross between a rhythm game and free-runner. It features beautiful visuals, a mesmerizing soundtrack, and easy, addictive gameplay that gets more challenging as you progress.

Password manager LastPass makes multi-device sync a free option for all users

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 3, 2016

LastPass, a free of charge password manager for the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and the web, announced yesterday that all customers can now synchronize passwords across multiple devices at no additional charge.

Previously, the app required buying a $1 per month subscription to take advantage of multi-device sync. If you manage your passwords and logins in LastPass, this should be music to your ears as most people use multiple devices.

Social Speaker, 8Stem, Clown Spotting and other apps to check out this weekend

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

It's been a long week here at iDB, what with Apple's big Mac event and all. So we're ready to kick back and relax this weekend with some new apps and games. The latest edition of our Apps of the Week roundup includes an app that enables Siri to read you tweets, and an image editor that adds clowns to your photos. And as always, we've selected a few new games for you to check out!