Apple has sent an email to app developers notifying them that over the next 36 hours several countries will see App Store prices change. Four markets will see price increases: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, and Turkey. Developers will also now be able to choose from two new pricing tiers in some countries.
Google has updated its mapping app for iOS with a redesigned transit view that includes real-time information about your arrival time that previously debuted on Android. The new app also provides additional choices for alternate routes.
The update also gives you new options for sharing your maps with other users, specifically noting that Facebook and its separate Messenger app are both supported now. A gird view of photos has been added for locations, too.
You can download the free Google Maps app on the App Store for free.
What’s New in Version 4.8.0
• Redesigned and improved Transit directions improve the experience in cities, giving you more route choice and real-time arrival information where available
• Additional app options for sharing a place (including Facebook and Facebook Messenger)
• Introduced an Image Gallery for a quick visual understanding of a place through a grid view
• Bug fixes
iBooks Author 2.3 also includes new ePub templates to make multi-touch textbook creation easier. You can download the free update now from the Mac App Store.
What’s New in Version 2.3
• iBooks for iPhone now supports books made with iBooks Author
• Create Multi-Touch books using new ePub templates
With the release of iOS 8.4 today, many users found themselves faced with the decision to upgrade now or wait until a jailbreak is available so they can continue using their tweaks. That choice just got a lot easier, as the Taig development team has announced that the exploits used in their 8.3 jailbreak are all still available in the new update.
Apple’s Beats 1 internet radio service has just gone live following the release of the iOS 8.4 software update earlier today. Host Zane Lowe introduced the station, saying, “We spent the last three months trying to build this radio station. Now we can build no more.”
The first song to play on the service was City by Spring King. Lowe said the song had been used for a variety of purposes at the station, including sound checks and demos to get other artists on board with Beats 1.
Beats 1 is part of Apple Music, the new on-demand streaming service first debuted at WWDC last month. Users running the latest iOS software can listen to the free Beats 1 stream, which will feature a variety of shows from hosts like Dr. Dre and Drake.
With the launch of Apple Music just around the corner, music lovers currently subscribed to competing services like Spotify and Rdio may be looking to jump ship and give Apple’s offering a try. Apple first confirmed in a Beats Music FAQ that there will be a Beats Music update that allows users to import their libraries to the newer service, but users with music collections elsewhere seem to be out of luck without any official migration tool.
Thankfully, there’s an unofficial route to import all of your playlists from multiple services to Apple Music, but you’ll need to act before the 30th if you don’t already have a Beats Music account as Apple could turn off new subscriptions (and trials) at any moment.
Along with today’s announcement that Zane Lowe’s first Beats 1 interview will be with Eminem, a New York Times profile on the DJ revealed the titles and hosts for other shows on Apple’s upcoming music streaming service.
As you might expect, Apple’s own Dr. Dre will be hosting a show of his own called “The Pharmacy.” Rapper Drake, who appeared on stage at the Apple Music announcement, will also have a show on the streaming radio service.
A new iOS 9 feature added in beta 1 was only discovered when users attempted to update to beta 2 earlier today. This new feature will allow the operating system to intelligently delete applications if you don’t have enough free space to perform a software update. Once the update is complete, the apps will automatically be reinstalled and your data will remain intact.
The first update for Tweetbot 2 on OS X has been released, bringing promised support for Twitter’s new “quote tweet” feature along with a bevy of bug fixes, including one for a particularly nasty bug that could crash the app while creating a new mention, and another related to uploading a profile photo.
The app also speeds up the process of changing accounts and introduces support for longer direct messages, which will be available as soon as Twitter flips the switch on that feature in the near future.
You can grab Tweetbot 2.0.1 from the Mac App Store for free if you bought an previous version of the app. For new users it’s available at the reduced price of $12.99.
[Update: After no betas hit yesterday, BGR says iOS 8.4 GM build 12H141 will hit today.]
A new report from BGR claims that Apple will release the second beta of iOS 9 today along with the GM build of iOS 8.4. The report says it’s possible Apple could bump back the new iOS 9 seed another week. Though two week intervals have basically been the standard for most betas, there have been exceptions in the past.
This isn’t the first time BGR has tried to predict iOS beta schedules, though some previous attempts have proven incorrect, so this one, while it seems likely based on the fact that we’re now two weeks out from WWDC, should probably be taken with a grain of salt.
Following Taylor Swift’s public criticism of Apple’s decision not to pay artists and labels for plays during Apple Music’s three-month free trial period, Eddy Cue took to Twitter to announce a swift policy change. The executive assured Swift that music producers will now be paid for every play on the Apple Music service, including those that are part of a user’s free trial.
It’s been two full work weeks since Apple released the first betas of iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan, and I’ve been using the software since day one. With a ton of new features from a revamped Notes app to a completely new Search system and new multitasking tools, both operating systems promise to make your life much, much easier.
But how much of an impact on your daily life can these new features have? I’ve compiled some thoughts after using them to help you get an idea.
Before we jump into anything, I want to point out that the purpose of this article isn’t to focus on the bugs or problems that (obviously) plague beta software, but rather to examine the usefulness of the features added in the most recent updates. For that reason, there won’t be much discussion of stability or other potential issues unless they directly relate to how the features work, and the impact they’ve had on my day-to-day usage.
With the release of OS X El Capitan later this year, Apple will bring a setting that has been part of iOS for some time over to the Mac. The setting allows users to determine whether they want to enter their password every time they download a paid app or in-app purchase, or if they would rather only have to enter it once for a given 15-minute window.
A second setting will also allow users to permanently save their password for free downloads, ensuring that you never have to login to download another free app. Of course, both of these settings can be configured to require your password every time.
Apple announced OS X El Capitan earlier today alongside iOS 9.
Apple introduced iOS 9 during its WWDC keynote today, and we’ve got a hands-on look at all of the new stuff you can expect to see when it comes out later this year.
A new iCloud Drive setting in iOS 9 enables a hidden app that lets you manage your entire file library. You can find the setting at Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive > Show on Home Screen. After activating it you’ll find a new icon on your home screen for the iCloud Drive application.
If you’ve ever been confused by the shift key on iOS (which color means it’s turned on?!) we’ve got some good news: Apple has finally made it easy to tell whether you’re about to type a capital or lowercase letter. Check out the video below to see the new shift key in action.
Apple has ended its separate iOS and Mac developer programs that required software makers to buy two different memberships in order to publish across the company’s various platforms and replaecd them with a single combined Apple Developer Program.
The $99 program will allow developers to have access to the SDKs for (and prerelease builds) of OS X, iOS 9, and watchOS 2. Apps can be distributed in App Stores across all platforms through this new program. A support page detailing the transition process for existing members has been created but is currently unavailable.
Apple has announced that CarPlay in iOS 9 will allow users to wirelessly connect to their vehicles. The change will require compatible cars, which won’t be on the market until much later. The update will also allow auto manufacturers to create apps that let users control features of the car, such as the air conditioning, without leaving the CarPlay UI.
Apple has announced a new “Slide Over” feature in iOS 9 that will allow users to run two iPad apps side-by-side. The feature was first reported by 9to5Mac as being in development for iOS 8, but was ultimately cut because it wasn’t ready. Earlier the same feature was introduced for full-screen apps on the new OS X El Capitan.
Apple announced today that a new version of its Notes application will be coming with iOS 9. The update will allow users to add photos and checklists to their notes, along with text formating features for creating headers and and other common formats.
Users can also add hand-drawn sketches, and import images and links through a sharing extension.
The main list view will also allow users to view image thumbnails for their images, allowing them to quickly find what they’re looking for.
Apple has announced a new version of Siri with many new features in iOS 9. Siri can now show recent photos, create reminders about web pages and other in-app content, detect when you get in your car, and features a new UI inspired by the Apple Watch.
The new system can also automatically look up unknown numbers through your email to figure out who is calling, and show information on the lock screen that fits into your daily routine. It can also automatically show your Now Playing screen on the lock screen when you plug in your headphones.
Apple has just announced a new feature as part of the El Capitan software update that will allow Mac users to use multiple applications simultaneously using a split view. The new feature will let users run two Mac apps side-by-side and share content between them. Users can create new split views by dragging apps onto each other in the Mission Control view.
As first predicted by 9to5Mac, Apple today announced a revamped version of ts Spotlight search software that will be included in OS X 10.11, called “El Capitan.” The new search system allows users to resize and move the Spotlight window, which presents new types of content.
Sports scores and other Siri data will be suppoted, and natural language search allows users to track down mail messages and documents easily. The search upgrades are also available in apps like Mail and Finder.
The App Store has been around since iOS 2.0 (back when iOS was still called iPhone OS), and has undergone a variety of changes since it was launched. Aside from countless new features that have been added over time, the store has also seen several redesigns.
With iOS 9 set to be announced on Monday, let’s take a look at some ways Apple could simplify the App Store interface while making it more consistent with other apps and adding some much needed functionality tweaks.
