iPod Touch

Google Photos gains 3D Touch shortcuts and storage optimization feature

Google today issued a minor refresh to its native Photos app on the App Store, introducing 3D Touch shortcuts for the Home screen and a much-needed new feature designed to optimize storage space on your device. Bumped to version 1.13, Google Photos for iPhone and iPad produces a 3D Touch menu upon pressing its Home screen icon, giving you access to the following shortcuts: I'm Feeling Lucky, Free Up Space and Make Shared Album.

In addition to these 3D Touch shortcuts and the new storage-optimization feature, this edition of the app packs in unspecified performance improvements.

iOS 9.3.4 released with an “important security fix” that patches Pangu jailbreak

Apple on Thursday unexpectedly released iOS 9.3.4, a minor update to the mobile operating system powering the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Release notes accompanying the small download mention that iOS 9.3.4 provides “an important security update” and is recommended for all iOS 9 users. The update can be applied over-the-air on iOS 9 devices in Settings → General → Software Update and has been confirmed to patch the Pangu jailbreak.

Square Enix releases free-to-play Mobius Final Fantasy on App Store

Developer Square Enix yesterday announced availability of Mobius Final Fantasy, its new free-to-play role-playing game set in the Final Fantasy universe and created by producer Yoshinori Kitase and writer Kazushige Kojima, who are both known for their work on the Final Fantasy VII and the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Remake.

The iPhone, iPad and iPod touch game is available on a free-to-play basis with optional In-App Purchases and can be played with just one hand as it was “custom-tailored for mobile platforms”.

Google’s iOS keyboard gains dark theme, GIF suggestions & expanded language support

Following its debut on the App Store nearly three months ago, Google's gesture-driven predictive keyboard for the iPhone and iPad—called Gboard—today received its first feature-focused update. Gboard 1.1 for iOS, a free download, includes a darker keyboard theme, smart GIF suggestions and increased global availability with language support for English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal) and Spanish (Spain).

Telegram for iOS gains personal storage, group previews and trending/archived stickers

Telegram, a secure instant messaging service that supports rich media attachments and optional end-to-end encryption, today refreshed its mobile app on the App Store with a few new features. Telegram for iOS, now bumped to version 3.11, offers some interesting new sticker packs and lets you archive those you no longer use.

You can now preview groups before joining them and store your messages and media in the new storage chat.

Telegram is available free on the App Store and Mac App Store.

Dropbox Paper enters public beta, iPhone and iPad app now available

As of today, Dropbox Paper, a collaborative document editor akin to Google Docs and Apple's iWork for iCloud suite (only better!) is in public beta after spending about a year in private beta, the cloud storage startup announced.

In addition, the mobile Paper app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch launched today, too, so you can immediately download it at no charge from the App Store.

Snapseed update adds Text filter, image resizing when exporting and sharing & more

Since buying Snapseed from Nik Software in September 2012, Google has been somewhat neglecting this once popular mobile image editor, issuing maintenance updates that were light on new features. Today, the search firm announced that Snapseed, at long last, is getting some interesting new capabilities via an update on iOS and Android. The Text filter is now available and you can configure the app to resize photos when sharing/exporting.

UI adjustments and bug fixes are included in Snapseed 2.8 as well.

Snapchat rolls out city-specific stickers that mock local trends and highlight landmarks

Snapchat for iPhone, an ephemeral image messaging app, yesterday announced a new feature called Geostickers. Basically special stickers available in some of the biggest cities around the world, they can be applied to images and moved around before sending them. You can also stick these city-specific stickers on your Snaps.

Geostickers are available now in Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Washington DC, Honolulu, London, Sydney, São Paulo, Paris and Riyadh.

Astropad graphics tablet app for iPhone and iPad is now a lot faster and uses less battery

Astropad is a very cool app from former Apple engineers designed to let you draw into Mac apps by connecting your iPad or iPhone to the computer via USB or Wi-Fi. You can then draw into most Mac apps directly on your iOS device's screen, using your finger as a replacement for a professional graphics tablet. In fact, it's too good that people are replacing their Wacom tablets with Astropad and an iPad.

I've been using Astropad quite extensively and it works like magic, really.

There's very little discernible lag, courtesy of the proprietary Liquid engine providing nearly three times more fluid responsiveness than Apple’s AirPlay. That's why I'm happy to report that in its most recent version 2.0 update, Astropad is now even faster and more fluid than before and a lot less taxing on the battery.

Twitter for iOS adds iPad keyboard shortcuts

Yesterday, Twitter's mobile application for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch added a few useful keyboard shortcuts for iPad owners, said Twitter app developer Amro Mousa. If you have an iPad connected to a third-party Bluetooth keyboard or Apple's Smart Keyboard, Twitter for iOS now lets you use various keyboard shortcuts to quickly access some of the most frequently used options without needing to tap on-screen controls.

iOS 10 Public Beta 3 is now available

Just 24 hours following the fourth developer-only betas of iOS 10, macOS Sierra, tvOS 10 and watchOS 3, Apple on Tuesday morning has made the latest beta of iOS 10 available to public beta testers who are singed on the Apple Beta Software Program. If your device is registered for public betas, runs a prior iOS 10 beta and has a proper configuration profile installed, iOS 10 Public Beta 3 should appear in Settings → General → Software Update.

iOS 10 Public Beta 3 and developer-only iOS 10 beta 4 contain the same features.