Apps

Learn about the latest news for iOS, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV apps

5,934 'Apps' stories April 2010 - May 2013

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Apps for iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS power our modern world. 9to5Mac will update you on the latest news, review, and updates for all types of apps. “There’s an App for that”.

The term came became part of our vocabulary when Steve Jobs announced The App Store as part of the iPhone 2.0 software update in 2008.

Over the years, the term has become as common as kleenex for describing applications on all of our devices. Apple’s platforms have apps for just about anything from finance, banking, sports, social media, podcasting, music, and more. We have a guide for helping you discover the best ones as well. Apps are now on everything from our TV, to our smartphones, on our laptops, and all the way down to our wrists.

As new ones are released or existing ones have major updates, the team here at 9to5Mac will bring you the latest news and reviews. If you want to follow along with video footage, be sure to follow 9to5Mac on YouTube. Scroll down below our latest updates on all things relating to applications on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.

Dark Sky update delivers expanded hyperlocal forecasts, open source weather tips, UK support

Zac Hall May 28 2013 - 8:58 am PT

Dark Sky for iOS received a nice update today introducing new features including support for our friends in the UK as well as the ability to submit your own personal weather report. The update adds simple weather condition descriptions in addition to the hyperlocal and insanely accurate precipitation forecasts, which takes it from a niche precipitation app to a more go-to weather app.

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Video player app Infuse receives update, AirPlay and web interface coming soon

Michael Steeber May 27 2013 - 4:19 pm PT

Last month, we reviewed the Infuse video player app by FireCore, the creators of aTV Flash. Today, the popular app received an update that addresses performance issues, metadata support, and more. FireCore also notes that AirPlay and HDMI support will be arriving soon in a 1.3 update.

The following changes and improvements have been implemented in version 1.2.4:

• Pause or resume videos using headphone controls
• Updated movie search for recent TMDb API change
• Improved support for embedded metadata
• Re-enabled access to synced music videos
• Minor visual improvements to cover art on iPad
• Minor performance improvements

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Colorful drawing app hides a secret: a hidden tethering mode (Update: removed from App Store)

May 27 2013 - 2:06 pm PT

Update: Surprise! The app has been removed from the App Store.

Yet another iOS app developer has managed to sneak an app to unlock iPhone Internet Tethering into the App Store.

This time, the app is not a flashlight, but a colorful drawing app called “Little Artist Canvas“.

The tethering setup process is similar (and just as tedious as past solutions), but as AppAdvice notes, the $0.99 app could be worth it for those who want to circumvent paying official Internet Tethering carrier fees.

Speeds depend on your actual iPhone’s carrier data connection.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8MifBZoVJY?rel=0]Setup process (video) – Written info below

Results may vary, but we have independently verified with one iPhone that the app’s hidden tethering feature works. Apple will likely remove this app as soon as possible.

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9to5Toys Memorial Day Deals: $85 Fitbit Flex, $90 WD 1.5TB USB 3.0 HD, $80 Logitech UE Bluetooth speaker, more

May 24 2013 - 3:34 pm PT

From 9to5Toys.com:

A large majority of the deals we cover each day come from a variety of ‘Daily Deal’ websites or are so popular that they don’t even last 24 hours. We know you can’t be at your computer every second, so we’re going to roundup the best deals each day to make sure you have a fair shot at the deals you want.

Be sure to follow Follow 9to5Toys so you never miss a deal... Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook

Today’s Featured deals:

ZAGG announces huge Memorial Day sale: 20% – 50% off site wide including invisibleSHIELD, iPad keyboards & more
Fitbit Flex fitness-tracking bracelet w/ iOS integration $75 + $10 Shipping (Reg. $100)
Western Digital 1.5TB My Passport USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive $90 Shipped (Reg. $130)
Logitech UE Mini Boombox Bluetooth speaker, “9to5Mac’s best portable Speaker you can buy” $80 Shipped (Save 20%)
SlickWraps 35% sitewide sale on all personalized mobile device protective skins

App Deals:

EA Games Memorial Day iOS App Sale: Over 55 games for Free or $.99
Gameloft iOS games: Amazing Spider-Man, The Dark Knight Rises $.99 (Reg. $7 ea)
Free and reduced Apps/Games: $20 BioShock Ultimate Rapture Ed. (Xbox 360 / PS3), COD Black Ops $25 (Mac), more
iPhone & iPad game, Angry Birds Space, Free for the first time ever (Reg. $.99-$2)

Other great deals we love that may not see tomorrow:

Logitech UE Boombox Bluetooth speaker: $180 Shipped ($70 off)
Logitech Solar Keyboard Folio for iPad $68 Shipped ($62 off)
VIZIO 42″ Ultra-Thin LED Smart WiFi HDTV w/ 120Hz, 1080p, Netflix, Hulu, more (Refurb.) $360 Shipped
Brother Wireless Color All-In-One Printer w/ Apple AirPrint / Google Cloud Print $60 Shipped (40% Savings)
ViewSonic 23-Inch 1080p LED Monitor w/ HDMI: $150 shipped ($40 off)
iMac $150 off most current generation configurations, now starting at $1,150 shipped
Sony MDR-V6 Monitor Series Headphones with CCAW Voice Coil $54 Shipped (Reg. $110)
Pioneer in-dash car receiver w/ remote and Apple iPhone / iPod connectivity $50 Shipped (45% savings)
iDock Mini Charging Dock for 30-Pin Devices $5 + $3 Shipping
Mac Game Sale 87% off: 6 games for $20 including Batman Arkham Asylum ($130 off)

FDA begins cracking down on medical diagnosis apps starting with ‘uChek’ iPhone urinalysis app

Jordan Kahn May 24 2013 - 9:29 am PT

uchek-urine-analysis

Bloomberg reports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is launching a first of its kind inquiry into medical diagnosis apps starting with the ‘uChek’ urine analysis app from Biosense Technologies. The free app, which is currently still on the App Store, requires users to purchase a kit containing urine test strips that can be visually analyzed with the iPhone’s camera. The problem, according to a letter sent to Biosense from the FDA, is the fact that the test strips have only been cleared for “direct visual reading” and not automated analysis from an application:

Please note that though the types of urinalysis dipsticks you reference for use with your application are cleared, they are only cleared when interpreted by direct visual reading. Since your app allows a mobile phone to analyze the dipsticks, the phone and device as a whole functions as an automated strip reader. When these dipsticks are read by an automated strip reader, the dipsticks require new clearance as part of the test system. Therefore, any company intending to promote their device for use in analyzing, reading, and/or interpreting these dipsticks need to obtain clearance for the entire urinalysis test system (i.e., the strip reader and the test strips, as used together).

While Biosense plans to work with the FDA to resolve the issue, Bloomberg notes that this is only the start of a broader crack down on apps that claim to diagnose medical conditions:
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Instagram reportedly mass-deleting seemingly-random accounts for ‘violation of terms’ (Updated 2x: accounts being restored, Instagram blames glitch)

Mike Beasley May 23 2013 - 6:48 pm PT

[tweet https://twitter.com/FabulousButEvil/status/337737589702418432 align=”center”]

UPDATE: Some users are reporting that their accounts have been restored following the deletion earlier this evening. We’re still waiting on an official response from Instagram.

UPDATE 2: Instagram has responded with the following comment.

A small percentage of users could not access their accounts for a few
hours as a result of a temporary glitch. We have restored access for these
users, and no pictures or data were lost.

It seems many Instagram were caught off-guard today when the free photo-sharing app suddenly deleted a significant number of accounts, citing “terms of service violations” as the reason despite many affected users having no such content on their profiles.

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9to5Toys Last Call: App Sales Galore, $80 Logitech UE Bluetooth Speaker, 35% off SlickWraps, more

May 23 2013 - 3:08 pm PT

From 9to5Toys.com:

A large majority of the deals we cover each day come from a variety of ‘Daily Deal’ websites that feature a couple exceptional deals for just 24 hours. We know you can’t be at your computer every second of the day, so we’re going to roundup the best daily deals to make sure you have a fair shot at the deals you want.

Be sure to follow Follow 9to5Toys so you never miss a deal... Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook

Today’s Featured deals:

Apple iPad mini 64GB WiFi for $450 w/ free in-store pickup or $5 shipping
Logitech UE Mini Boombox Bluetooth speaker, “9to5Mac’s best portable Speaker you can buy” $80 Shipped (Save 20%)
Free and reduced Apps/Games: Fruit Ninja for Android Free, Avengers Initiative $2, BioShock Infinite $40, more
EA Games Memorial Day iOS App Sale: Over 55 games for Free or $.99
iPhone & iPad game, Angry Birds Space, Free for the first time ever (Reg. $.99-$2)

Other great deals we love that may not see tomorrow:

SlickWraps 35% sitewide sale on all personalized mobile device protective skins
Sony MDR-XB400 Black On-Ear Headphones: $37 shipped (Reg. $60)
Free Online Photoshop Training w/ over 80 video lessons
ViewSonic 24″ 1080p LED Monitor (refurb) $130 Shipped, AOC 27″ Widescreen 1080p $200 Shipped
Philips Dual-Docking 30-Pin iPod/iPhone/iPad Alarm Clock Speaker Dock – $80 (Reg. $150)
SkyDock XM Satellite in-vehicle radio receiver for iPhone and iPod Touch: $30 shipped
Toshiba 50″ 1080P 60Hz LED HDTV (refurb): $450+$5 shipping
Nikon Coolpix P310 or S6200 16 Megapixel Digital Cameras: $150/$100 shipped ($180/$120 off)
Lightning to 30-pin/MicroUSB Adapter 3 pack: $10 shipped

gMusic app unofficially brings Google’s new “All Access” subscription music service to iOS

Jordan Kahn May 23 2013 - 2:31 pm PT

gMusic-All-Access-iOS When Google unveiled its brand new $9.99/month “All Access” Google Play music streaming service earlier this month at its I/O keynote, we quickly learned that the service would not be coming to iOS initially. Google didn’t get into why, but today developers of the popular gMusic iOS app has unofficially brought support for the service to iPhone and iPad.

The app previously acted as client for songs stored in your Google Music library, but with an update to version 6.0 today the All Access subscription service is now officially available to iOS users. The changelog on iTunes also lists the ability to “Create/play Radio Stations” and “Search, listen, and add music to your library from inside the app.”

As for why Google didn’t make it’s own All Access app for iOS, we’ve heard from sources close to the situation that Google wants to submit an app but is currently in a holding pattern with Apple regarding what they will accept.

gMusic: Google Music Player is available on the App Store now for $1.99. The updated app will require users to have a Google Play All Access subscription to access the new features.
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1Password 4 for Mac beta signups are now open

Mike Beasley May 23 2013 - 1:51 pm PT

[tweet https://twitter.com/1Password/status/337670364379373568 align=”center”]

1Password has just announced the private beta for the overhauled version of their Mac client. Users interested in testing the new update can sign up through the 1Password beta page.

1Password 4 for iOS (see our review) launched in December of last year. The new features from that update will finally make their way to the Mac in the upcoming version 4.0 release.

Verizon Cloud service now available on iOS devices

Jordan Kahn May 23 2013 - 12:59 pm PT

After announcing that it would be rolling out a new Verizon Cloud service to iOS and Android users back in April, the carrier provided an update today informing us that the service is now available to iOS devices and additional Android users. The app, available for free on the App Store here, will allow users to securely back up and access their content in the cloud.

Verizon Cloud is now available for iOS devices and additional Android devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the DROID DNA by HTC… Whether customers are looking to save text messages, call logs, contacts, music, multimedia or other files, Verizon Cloud allows for up to 125 GB of storage.

The service will also allow for users to transfer some content from the cloud to multiple devices, including the ability to sync photos and videos, stream music, and access documents. You’ll also be able to backup your computer via a desktop app for Verizon Cloud.
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Microsoft lies and cheats to portray advantage in tablet ads

Jordan Kahn May 23 2013 - 12:46 pm PT

Screen Shot 2013-05-23 at 3.26.30 PM

iPad-vs-Windows-tablet-Microsoft-ad-comparison Optical illusions? The iPad screen on the left is actually bigger

Earlier today Microsoft unleashed its second ad in what appears to be a new campaign focusing on directly comparing iPad to Windows 8 tablets side-by-side– not unlike Apple’s own very successful ‘Get a Mac’ campaign. However, it appears that some of Microsoft’s claims are turning out to be quite inaccurate.

To go along with the two videos posted to its YouTube channel and currently running on TV, curi.us (Via DaringFireball) points us to a comparison Microsoft has posted on its website pitting iPad against the ASUS VivoTab Smart Windows tablet. In the ad, Microsoft claims that the Windows tablet “has a bigger touchscreen,” but Elliot Temple from curi.us breaks down why it just isn’t true:

The iPad screen is 7.76 by 5.82 inches. The ASUS screen is 8.8 by 4.95 inches. ASUS is larger in one direction but smaller in the other direction, and has 3.55% less area than the iPad, not 36% more as Microsoft depicts.

How can the screen with a larger diagonal measurement be smaller? Because it’s a different shape. Long and thin gets you a bigger diagonal but a smaller screen, for the same diagonal inches.

While Microsoft might not have all its facts straight on display size, it using the fact it still hasn’t delivered an Office app for iOS as major part of its new campaign…
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Rhapsody releases completely redesigned iPhone app with new UI, full-screen player, much more

Jordan Kahn May 23 2013 - 9:03 am PT

Rhapsody is rolling out an all new iPhone app today following some big updates to competitive music services earlier this week including Pandora and Rdio. Rhapsody is calling this app update “a completely new experience” for iOS and broke down on its blog a ton of changes its made to the UI on top of adding new features like customizable organization for your library and downloads, improved album and artist pages, and a new full-screen player.

Personalized organization: The music you curate lives in the My Music section, which now has improved organization into two key categories:

o Library: The central folder for your Rhapsody music when connected to the Internet. Music is sub-categorized by playlists, artists, albums, stations, queue and listening history

o Downloads: All the music you can’t live without can be downloaded for easy offline playback

· Upgraded Album and Artist pages: Read a review of an album, shuffle tracks from an artist, and much more

· Full-screen player: Showcase gorgeous artist and album imagery that takes advantage of iPhone’s full screen real estate

· Pop-up menus: Easily add tracks to “My Music,” download, add to a queue or favorite by tapping the + image

Smule ships free, collaborative, interactive ‘Guitar!’ game for iPhone

Mark Gurman May 23 2013 - 8:26 am PT

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLl8-eJfVME?rel=0]

Smule, one of the early high-profile developers for Apple’s App Store, has launched a new app to follow-up on its taste for music software. The company, today, launched a new free game called “Guitar!” The app sources music from its own with the company’s “Sing!” karaoke app, and this new guitar app works as a virtual guitar for the iPhone’s display. As you improve in your gaming skills, your awarded points will increase in the game.

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Information management app Evernote finally adds reminders

Ben Lovejoy May 23 2013 - 7:32 am PT

Evernote, the highly popular cross-platform information management app, has at last added what the company described as one of its most-requested features: reminders …
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iPad version of Mailbox email-management app now available

Ben Lovejoy May 23 2013 - 5:30 am PT

Image: The Next Web

Image: The Next Web

Update: The iPad version is now out on iTunes as a universal app.

The promised iPad version of the email management app Mailbox recently acquired by Dropbox is launching today, offering essentially the same user-interface as the iPhone original, with the addition of a reading pane to the right.
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Shazam for iPad introduces passive tagging, lyrics display, auto-play in Spotify & Rdio and more

Ben Lovejoy May 23 2013 - 5:15 am PT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKOowwejuAQ

A new iPad version of Shazam available today introduces a whole raft of new functions, ranging from passive tagging without user input to the ability to recognise a song and then play it in Spotify or Rdio.

With passive tagging, the app continually listens to any music in the background and automatically tags it, ideal for use in bars where you may idly wonder what a track is but not want to go to the trouble of manually checking. The feature also works in the background, displaying a notification while the iPad is running other apps. Shazam’s claim of one-second tagging appears somewhat optimistic, however: a random sampling of tracks I tested took the usual several seconds.

LyricPlay displays lyrics in sync with the background music (Encore version only), while you can now immediately open the currently-playing track in either Rdio (all versions) or Spotify (Encore version only).

Shazam for iPad also introduces the kind of networked feature which seems to be expected in apps these days even if we’re not quite sure why. You can see which music and TV shows people are currently tagging in your country, city of neighborhood – as well as use a map to see tagging charts for anywhere else in the world.

Clear for iPhone and Mac gains list sharing via email, multi task pasting, coming soon to iPad

Zac Hall May 22 2013 - 2:57 pm PT

Realmac Software is on the brink of launching its fun new camera app Analog Camera for iPhone, but it has one more major task to mark off its list before we all get our hands on it. With its latest update to Clear, that item can now be swiped right off the list.

Clear on the iPhone and Mac both were updated today receiving a frequently requested feature: list sharing over email.

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Readdle’s Scanner Pro updated with live border detection during scans

Mike Beasley May 22 2013 - 1:04 pm PT

Scanner Pro, which lets users scan documents, receipts, and more using their iPhone or iPad, recieved a big update to version 4.5 this week. The update enables live border detection, which allows the app to intelligently find the edges of whatever is being scanned while you photograph it.

In our testing, the border detection was very accurate, although it did have a bit of trouble when the paper and the background where different shades of the same color. The app does still allow you to manually edit the borders to fit the document perfectly, just in case there is a detection error, so any small problems are easy to correct.

The app itself is well-designed and features a solid storage solution for your documents. Multi-page scans are supported and you can save everything to a variety of cloud storage services, including iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, and more. You can even fax scanned items right from your iOS device.

Scanner Pro 4.5 is available now on the App Store. Existing users get the update for free, while new customers can get it for $6.99.

Google rolling out voice search for Chrome on iPhone and iPad in coming days

Jordan Kahn May 22 2013 - 12:33 pm PT

Google announced today on its Chrome blog that a new update will soon be rolling out to its Chrome app for iPhone and iPad that will allow users to access voice search features previously limited to the Google Search app. Using the same omnibox currently included in the app, Google will soon allow users to tap a microphone icon to search using only their voice with a UI similar to the recently redesigned voice search on Mac.

Google said the updated Chrome app should be landing on the App Store in the coming days.

Google also noted that the updated iOS app would provide faster reloading of web pages and an option for third-party apps “to open links in Chrome and then return to the app with just one tap.”

Earlier today Google began rolling out revamped voice search functionality in the Chrome app for Mac users.

Twitter for Mac updated with Notification Center integration, performance improvements, more

Zac Hall May 22 2013 - 11:39 am PT

Screen Shot 2013-05-22 at 2.40.23 PM

Twitter for Mac is continuously receiving updates and today it received a highly requested feature: Notification Center integration. Users can configure the setting in the preference window within the app.

OS X already offered Twitter integration, but notifications deferred to the web rather than its native client. It was less than a month ago when the app received its first update in countless months, and today’s update demonstrates Twitter’s dedication to its continued development.

Twitter 2.2.1 is now available in the Mac App Store:

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Rdio iOS app updated with improved UI, “Find People” feature & record label search

Jordan Kahn May 22 2013 - 10:38 am PT

Rdio-01 Following a big update to the Pandora Radio app earlier today, the subscription based Rdio iPhone and iPad app has been updated today with UI improvements, a new “Find People” feature for finding artists and friends to follow, and the ability to search by record label to find artists and albums.

The updates to the app’s UI are most noticeable in a “new, cleaner look for sliding side navigation.” (as pictured to the right)

What’s New in Version 2.2

– Find People. New feature makes following friends and artists easier than ever.
– Labels. Search for a record label to find its top albums and artists.
– Various minor bug fixes and UI improvements, including new, cleaner look for sliding side navigation.

Pandora Radio rolls out Facebook publishing, improved interface, enhanced track menu, more

Zac Hall May 22 2013 - 7:09 am PT

Just as Apple appears to be readying its music streaming service and Google just announced its subscription music service, Pandora Radio has released a sturdy update to its iPhone app.

Users can now publish Now Playing activity to Facebook as it updates, similar to Spotify or Rdio, allowing friends to interact with the music you enjoy. Sharing individual tracks and stations to Facebook, Twitter, and email is built right in now as well.

Pandora 4.3 also includes a handful of UI improvements that greatly improve the native feel of the app, including the ability to tap the album art to reveal track information, but the new features and improvements are only available for iPhone for now.

Pandora 4.3 is available on the App Store now:
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Google begins rolling out revamped conversational Voice Search features in Chrome

Jordan Kahn May 22 2013 - 5:42 am PT

During its Google I/O keynote earlier this month, Google announced that it would be bringing conversational, Google-Now like voice search to the desktop. Using a UI similar to voice search and Google Now in its mobile apps, Google would soon allow Chrome users to search and drill down further into results using only their voice.

Today, Google appears to have finally started rolling out the feature for Chrome users on the stable and beta channels of Chrome.

After updating to the latest version 27.0.1453.93 of Chrome, users can navigate to Google.com, click the microphone icon, and choose to allow the new Google Voice search feature to begin listening. Google will only ask for permission to listen once and from then on users can simply speak in order to search. For certain search results such as questions Google will also provide audible results.

Not all of the functionality seems to be available as of yet. For example, when Google first showed off the feature users weren’t required to click at all. Google execs were activating the feature by simply saying “Ok, Google” and were able to continue searching with their voice, hands-free, from on the search results page. The feature as it’s currently implemented now requires users to click the mic icon in order to start a voice search.
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Logitech announces ‘UE BOOM’ Bluetooth speaker, first with 360-degree sound & 15-hour battery

Jordan Kahn May 21 2013 - 6:41 am PT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kwSzsCMLghc
Logitech-UE-BOOM-bluetooth-speaker

Logitech’s UE brand is often at the top of our list when it comes to the best bluetooth speakers around, so we’re excited that today the company introduced its latest product with the announcement of the ‘UE BOOM’. Logitech is calling this “the world’s first social music player,” and that’s due to the fact that it’s the first to offer 360-degree sound and a 15-hour rechargeable battery. That’s a nice step up from the 5-8 hours you’ll get with most Bluetooth speakers.

Logitech is also following a trend that many Bluetooth speaker manufacturers have been lately: With UE BOOM you’ll be able to wirelessly connect two UE BOOMs via a free companion app to allow for traditional right/left stereo sound and other sound settings. It’s also water and stain proof:
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