News

YouTube for iOS gains Dreamy filter, better search & interactive timestamp links in comments

Google today pushed a small update to the native YouTube application for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. YouTube 11.43 for iOS, a 105-megabyte download from the App Store, packs in three interesting improvements.

YouTube creators can now take advantage of a new Dreamy filter that can be tried out by uploading a video, then hit the filters icon. You also get tappable timestamps in YouTube comments and recent history/personalized recommendations in search.

ROME: Total War hits iPad as a premium $9.99 download without In-App Purchases

As promised, the iconic PC strategy game ROME: Total War today launched on the iPad as a $9.99 download from the App Store. Yes, you can now enjoy the grandeur, glory and brutality of Ancient Rome on your Apple tablet.

The game contains no IAPs and was ported to the iPad by Feral Interactive. Originally developed for PCs by The Creative Assembly and released in 2004 by Activision, it's one of the best reviewed strategy titles of all time.

Here comes Apple’s 2016 Holiday Gift Guide

Yup, it's that time of year again—with the holiday shopping season just around the corner, Apple's 2016 Holiday Gift Guide recommends various gift ideas ranging from the iPhone 7, iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and Apple Watch to the fourth-generation Apple TV, 12-inch MacBook and gift cards.

The guide doesn't stop there as Apple's recommendations include a bunch of first and third-party accessories for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac, as well as other popular items such as app-enabled toys, photography and music accessories and more.

Refurbished 9.7-inch iPad Pro now available in Apple’s online store

Two days after it started selling refurbished iPhones through its online store, Apple has now added the 9.7-inch iPad Pro to the Special Deals section at Apple.com. Refurbished 12.9-inch iPad Pros are available as well. Prices of refurbished 9.7-inch iPad Pros range from $509 for a 32GB Wi-Fi model, a saving of $90, to $789 for a 256GB Wi-Fi + Cellular version, a $140 savings.

“Hey Siri, send Sébastien $100 using PayPal”

PayPal's iPhone and iPad application was updated on the App Store this morning with support for iOS 10's SiriKit integration for mobile payments, allowing you to send and request money in 30 countries around the world using just your voice.

With a simple voice command like “Send $20 to Dad using PayPal” or “Request $20 from John with PayPal”, Siri connects with the PayPal service and pulls up a custom sheet with details of your transaction before you authorize it.

Apple posts iOS 10.1.1 with build number “14B150”

A little more than a week following the public release of iOS 10.1.1 with bug fixes for Health data, Apple on Wednesday published a slightly revised build of the software update.

The Cupertino company admittedly has a good reason for replacing the existing iOS 10.1.1 installer on its servers with another one that shows a slightly bumped up build number.

We'll update the article when we learn more.

The new build of iOS 10.1.1 arrived two days after iOS 10.2 beta 2 was seeded to developers and less than 24 hours after its accompanying public beta launched.

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

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.

iOS 10.2 brings Emergency SOS feature from the Apple Watch to your iPhone

The potentially life-saving Emergency SOS feature which debuted on the Apple Watch with the release of watchOS 3 this fall is coming soon to your iPhone via a forthcoming iOS 10.2 software update. As my colleague Cody pointed out, Emergency SOS is now available on an iPhone with iOS 10.2 beta 2. Here's a quick overview of Emergency SOS on the iPhone, how it's invoked and what happens when you use it.

WhatsApp for iPhone gains GIF search feature

Facebook-owned WhatsApp two days ago gained support for sending and receiving animated GIFs, as well as sending short videos or Live Photos as GIF attachments. Today the team issued a small update to WhatsApp's iPhone application in the App Store, bumping version number to 2.16.16 and adding another handy feature: a built-in option that lets you find animated GIFs to attach to your messages from within the app.

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

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

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.