iPod Touch

Facebook Messenger testing iOS 10 Messages-like chat interface redesign

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 7, 2017

Facebook is testing a redesign of the chat interface in Messenger for iPhone, which in some aspects resembles Apple's overhauled iOS 10 Messages app. The enhanced chat UI is currently being tested with a small subset of Messenger's user base, but there's no telling when, or if it might launch for everyone. I spotted Messenger's upcoming chat UI refresh on a friend's device. At the time of this writing, the Messenger app on App Store had version 103.0.

Apple seeds second beta of iOS 10.3, watchOS 3.2 & tvOS 10.2

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 28, 2025

Apple on Monday seeded to its registered developers second betas of what would become iOS 10.3, watchOS 3.2 and tvOS 10.2 software updates. iOS 10.3 beta 2 (build 14E5239e), watchOS 3.2 beta 2 (build 14V5214d) and tvOS 10.2 beta 2 (build 14W5231d) can now be deployed on devices with a prior beta and an appropriate configuration profile.

The latest betas arrived two weeks after iOS 10.3 launched for developer testing and a week following the first beta of watchOS 3.2. tvOS 10.2 beta 1 arrived on January 24.

As Facebook turns 13 tomorrow, Discover People starts rolling out in mobile app

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 3, 2017

This Saturday, February 4, Facebook turns 13, a day the company calls Friends Day. In launching products to celebrate friendship and encouraging people to take time to connect with their friends, Facebook recently began adding personalized Friends Day videos at the top of users' News Feed. Additionally, Facebook is now rolling out a new Discover People section in its mobile app for iOS and Android.

As first noted by TechCrunch, Discover People basically encourages Facebook users to add any missing pieces of information to their profile, browse a list of upcoming events to see who else may also be going, check out people in their city they're not yet friends with or browse people who share the same employer.

Lawsuit says Apple broke FaceTime on iOS 6 to force iOS 7 upgrades & save money on data fees

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 3, 2017

A new class action lawsuit alleges that Apple intentionally broke FaceTime on iOS 6 in order to push users towards iOS 7. The move rendered older hardware like iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s inoperable with the FaceTime service. AppleInsider reports that Apple wanted to save money on a pricey data services deal with the content delivery network Akamai.

In Snapchat, you can now create Snapcodes that launch websites

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2017

Snapchat's mobile application was updated on App Store this morning with a new feature that allows business accounts and individual users to create a Snapcode for any website. When you friends snap your QR code, they'll see an option to open the website inside Snapchat for iPhone. Snapcodes require Snapchat 10.1 for iOS, a free download from App Store. Oh, and Snapchat's parent company just filed for an IPO with the SEC, as per The Wall Street Journal.

Snapseed now gives you precise control over brightness levels and colors

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2017

Earlier this week, Google's free image-editing app Snapseed was refreshed with a new tool for adjusting brightness and color levels precisely. A pair of under-the-hood tweaks is included, too. Snapseed is part of my iPhone photography toolkit and while I'm fond of its simplicity, I wish I could say the same for the app's imprecise slider-based controls.

With Snapseed 2.15 for iPhone and iPad, adding drama to your photos has become a lot easier than before.

That's because the new curve-based editing gives you precise control over things like contrast, brightness and color intensity in a given image.

Outlook for iOS picks up third-party integrations with Evernote, Trello, Giphy & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2017

Two years ago, Microsoft launched Outlook for iPhone and iPad to critical acclaim. Celebrating the milestone, the Windows maker announced it's bringing third-party integrations to your inbox with add-ins in Outlook for iOS.

Not unlike Airmail or Readdle's Sparrow, Outlook brings some of your favorite apps straight to your inbox so you can turn any email into a Trello card, save conversations in Evernote, translate messages in seconds and more.

YouTube app adds Chromecast playback controls to Lock screen, Control Center & Apple Watch

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2017

Google's official YouTube for iPhone and iPad app has picked up a trio of compelling new features in its most recent update on App Store. Bumped to version 12.03, the free of charge software adds handy Chromecast controls to Control Center and your iOS device's Lock screen, and to your wrist via Apple Watch. The playback controls only appear when you're streaming videos from Chromecast devices, smart TVs, game consoles or any other living room devices that run the YouTube app.

Watch live video and experience weather in real time with Yahoo’s updated Weather app

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2017

Apple hasn't been using Yahoo for weather data in its stock app since iOS 8, but I still keep Yahoo Weather on my iPhone. That's because to me, Yahoo Weather is the most beautifully designed and most comprehensive piece of weather software I've used on mobile thus far. Today, the failed Internet pioneer has pushed a nice little update to Yahoo Weather for iPhone and iPad, which now provides real time weather data along with live video of current weather conditions for select cities.

Apple, IBM and United Airlines join forces on apps to improve your flying experience

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2017

Apple, IBM and United Airlines said Thursday they've teamed up on a next-generation of apps for United's employees that will make their work easier while improving your flying experience. These apps will assist the carrier's front-line employees in handling peak customer demands better while enabling more effective maintenance for over 50,000 iOS and Apple Watch devices already deployed.

As part of IBM and Apple’s global partnership to redefine the way work gets done, these MobileFirst apps include real-time analytics and data insight. For instance, United's flight attendants will be able to see at any time which customers are connecting in order to assist them in finding their gates upon arrival, for example.

Google launches Chrome 56 for iOS with QR code scanning and overhauled tab switcher on iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2017

Google today updated Chrome for iPhone and iPad on App Store with a pair of new features. The first allows you to scan a QR code or barcode by selecting a new Scan QR Code option in the shortcuts menu after pressing the app's Home screen icon with 3D Touch on iPhone 6s/7 series. On older devices without 3D Touch, search for “QR” in iOS's Spotlight feature to reveal a shortcut to the browser's new barcode-scanning function.

Fantastical gains iOS 10 rich notifications, iMessage stickers, iPhone 7 haptics & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 1, 2017

Developer Flexibits today issued a major new update to its popular calendar and reminders app, Fantastical 2.8 for iPhone and iPad. Beginning with this version, the app no longer works on older iOS editions and now requires iOS 10 or later, developers have said Wednesday.

On iPhone 7/Plus, Fantastical now supports enhanced haptic feedback. They've also added a convenient sticker pack for iMessage that you can enable or disable manually in the Messages app.