Google today has released a major update to its Wallet app on iOS, completely redesigning and repurposing it. Similar to an update released to the Android version of the app earlier this year, the update gives the app a focus on sending money between users, rather than paying for goods from merchants.
Apple’s support for building Safari ad blockers in iOS 9 was sure to be controversial as they negatively and directly impact writers/publications like us here at 9to5Mac and others that rely on advertising for revenue. And while a few ad blockers climbed the App Store’s top paid chart this week, the highest ranked Safari content blocker has been pulled after being sold for just 48 hours. Developer Marco Arment announced today that he decided to pull his ad blocker app Peace from sale, citing that it “just doesn’t feel good” to [profit from] the negative impact to “many who don’t deserve the hit.”
Expand
Expanding
Close
With the launch of YouTube Gaming earlier this year, Google’s Twitch competitor that lets users live stream and watch gameplay videos on YouTube, users can now live stream and browse gameplay videos on YouTube from dedicated apps. Google first enabled live streaming the desktop, and today announced plans for Android, but an update to the popular AirServer app is taking advantage of the lack of iOS streaming support by enabling users to live stream directly to YouTube from their iOS devices.
Google does have a YouTube Gaming app or iOS, but it currently only acts as a community-style app for letting users access live streams and recorded gameplay videos from their iPhone or iPad. AirServer, however, tells us it collaborated with YouTube to enable streaming from iOS apps using its mirroring technology:
Expand
Expanding
Close
We’ve already rounded up several apps this week that have been updated with iOS 9 support and that rollout continues tonight to a pair of popular apps. This evening, both Pocket and Hulu for iOS have been updated with support for the latest version of Apple’s operating system. Pocket has been updated to version 6.0.1, while Hulu has been updated to 4.6.1.
Twitter has updated its app with support for iOS 9 features, following the release of iOS 9 earlier today. The update adds multitasking support on iPad, so you can now browse Safari (or do anything really) whilst having Twitter docked in a side column.
More importantly, Twitter adds quick reply to mention notifications. This means you can reply from the tweet without having to enter the app, just like how quick replies with the iOS Messages app. This is a big boon for productivity. Activate quick replies by pulling down on the notification banner to reveal a text box. Type your reply in the message box and press Send — that’s it.
Sure, technically Apple’s first Android app was the now discontinued Beats Music which it picked up through acquisition last year and it’s developing Apple Music for Google’s platform, but it’s very fitting that Apple’s first in-house app is called Switch to iOS from Android. Apple first announced the new Android app this year alongside iOS 9 at its developer conference, and today with iOS 9’s official launch the Move to iOS app is officially available on the Google Play Store. Here’s how it works:
Expand
Expanding
Close
Pinterest just announced an updated iOS app that introduces a number of new features just in time for Apple’s release of iOS 9 today. The app gets support for iOS 9 features, starting with the ability to search for Pins, Pinners, and boards you’ve viewed from within iOS’s new Spotlight search:
As you view Pins, Pinners and boards, you’ll be able to search for them later right from your iPhone or iPad’s search screen. If you’re planning a Halloween costume and know you’ve seen good ideas on Pinterest, search “costume” and we’ll show you search results right on your phone. The more Pins you view on Pinterest, the more you can search for them from your phone.
In addition, the updated app makes use of the iPhone 6s 3D Touch feature by allowing quick access to the most used features with a press and hold of the Pinterest app icon from the home screen:
If you have a new iPhone with 3D Touch, you can press and hold the Pinterest app icon from your iPhone’s home screen to quickly search for Pins, create a board or see what’s popular on Pinterest… Once you’re in the app, you can press any Pin to get a bigger preview and quickly Pin, like or send. Press the board name to get a preview of the board it came from.
And lastly, the new app supports “universal links,” which means you’ll now be taken directly to the app when clicking a Pinterest link from anywhere on your iPhone, instead of being redirected from Safari first.
The updated Pinterest app is available on the App Store now.
With both iOS 9 and watchOS 2 set to be released tomorrow, Apple has already started releasing third-party app updates that take advantage of the new features in each software update. watchOS 2 for Apple Watch introduces native apps that run faster and have access to sensors, and iOS 9 introduces new split-screen multitasking and deeper Spotlight-integrated search capabilities. There are some of the watchOS 2 and iOS 9 apps we’re already starting to see hit the App Store:
Expand
Expanding
Close
Snapchat is out with its latest update bringing new features and tricks to the photo messaging app. The release notes are short: Before you take a selfie, press and hold on your face for a surprise! That’s referencing the new selfie Lenses trick, which lets you apply some pretty wild effects to your face before sharing with friends. To use Lenses, just tap and hold on your selfie before taking a Snap. A facial outline appears as well as seven effects including that dramatically change up your selfie.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Ahead of the release of iOS 9 set for tomorrow, Apple has started updating its iOS apps beginning with improvements and fixes for its iWork suite of iOS apps.
All three apps— Pages, Numbers, and Keynote—get an update today with “stability improvements and bug fixes,” many of which are likely related to the iOS 9 update arriving tomorrow.
iOS 9 will officially arrive Wednesday, September 16th, for the iPhone 4s and later, iPod touch 5th generation and later, iPad 2 and later and iPad mini and later. The release follows Apple’s new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus going up for pre-order earlier this month and comes ahead of an official retail launch for the device on September 25th. Following the first weekend of pre-oreders, Apple said this week that it’s on pace to beat its previous opening-weekend record of 10 million units.
We’d expect that other Apple apps will get a similar treatment too alongside the release of iOS 9 tomorrow.
![Speck_DFI_Ad_CS-Stacked-Cube_728x90_v1[2]](https://9to5mac.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2015/09/speck_dfi_ad_cs-clear_rev_728x90_v1.jpg)
Apple opened the door to new extensibility features on iOS with extensions and Notification Center widgets in iOS 8, but mixing app launchers with the swipe down Today view was quickly disallowed by the App Store as we saw around this time last year. That policy has since changed and we’ve seen developers able to build better widgets like Workflow’s recent update.
Launch Center Pro has been working on its own Today widget, which puts actions like opening the Instagram camera or messaging a specific contact a swipe down away from anywhere directly in Notification Center.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Bank of America has updated its mobile banking app to allow sign-in using Touch ID, and has added Apple Watch support for balances, recent transactions and alerts.
The new fingerprint and Touch ID sign-in capabilities provide eligible Android, iPhone and iPad customers with a secure and convenient way to log into the mobile banking app using their fingerprint. This feature allows access to the most common functionality of the app without the additional need for a passcode.
The mobile banking app is now compatible with Apple Watch, allowing users to view account balances and recent transactions for their linked checking, savings, credit card and investment accounts, as well as receive real-time alerts and notifications on their wrist …
Hot on the heels of Plex announcing its plans to build an app for the new Apple TV, the developers behind the popular media playback software VLC have announced that they too are planning to support the new Apple TV. While details on the app are sparse at this point, the VLC team announced in a blog post that they have started work on VLCKit for tvOS.
Google has this morning pushed an update to AdSense for iOS, bringing many features that other apps in the Mountain View company’s catalog received months ago. While it may not be the most popular app outside of publishing and creative circles, the AdSense app has today been updated with support for Native iPhone 6 and 6 Plus resolution, Material Design, and more.
Rounding out the update is support for Hindi and Malay, a new icon for the Home Screen, more metrics, and a today center widget. The last of these, in case you aren’t aware, is a new widget for the Today section of Notification Center. On it, you’ll find four metrics for quick access: Today so far, Page views, Clicks, and Page RPM. It also tells you when the widget was last updated.
While Google’s apps for iOS have always been known for being well-polished (and sometimes just generally better than their Android counterparts), they usually come at a much slower pace. AdSense 3.0 for Android with many of the same new features was released on Android four weeks ago, and you can read more about that update over at 9to5Google.
Here’s the full change log:
What’s New in Version 3.0
This time we’re bringing you:
– Support for Hindi and Malay;
– Native iPhone 6 and 6+ resolution;
– A today center widget;
– Our lovely new AdSense logo;
– More metrics!
– A little something we like to call Material Design.
Head over to the App Store to grab the latest version for free.
Makers of the popular Camera+ app, a $3 third-party photography app for iPhone with around 14 million users, today launched its first free version in an attempt to attract even more users to the platform.
Dubbed simply “Camera+ Free,” the app’s creator gave us the rundown on the free experience, noting that it offers the same experience as the paid app minus some of the more advanced features like manual shooting controls and the app’s “The Lab” editing suite. Instead, the free app offers up focus, exposure and macro shooting settings, scene modes including clarity, and 3 free filter packs. Beyond that, users will be able to add-on some of the more advanced features to the free version using in-app purchases, allowing them to essentially unlock the full experience of the paid app.
We want to get the app out to as many people as possible. We currently have 14 million users, but we’d love to see more people using and falling in love with our app. We think by offering people a free version, more people who typically don’t pay for apps will give it a try. If they like it then they may buy some in-apps or just spread the word about our app. – Camera+ cofounder Lisa Bettany
The free version of the Camera+ app is available on the App Store now.
From 9to5Toys.com:
Today, the Pokémon Company has announced that it is partnering with Nintendo and Alphabet-owned Niantic to produce a new upcoming mobile game called Pokémon Go. This title will be available on both iOS and Android devices for free. The main focus of the game is collecting, training and battling Pokémon characters against other users based on their GPS location.
However, this new adventure will be supplemented by an optional wearable. Imagine a Pokémon smart watch of sorts.
This new wearable is called Pokémon Go Plus. It connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and flashes its built-in LED light to notify you of nearby players as well as virtual Pokémon you can catch. For example, say you’re on your morning commute on the subway. Pokémon Go Plus will ping your wrist to let you know that a virtual Charizard is closely located. After capturing, you’ll be able to train and battle with that new character.
The wearable isn’t required to play the game but it is an unique add-on that bring another level to the experience. Be sure to check out the video above for a visual representation of how game play works. Pokémon Go will be released on iOS and Android in 2016 as a free download with in-app purchases. Pricing has yet to be released for the Pokémon Go Plus Wearable. The entire press conference and announcement has been uploaded to YouTube for viewing, as well.
Source: The Pokémon Company
When word surfaced this week that Periscope has been secretly working on an Apple TV app, it was pointed out that Twitter’s live broadcasting service only supports portrait video capture while TV sets of course are landscape. It appears Periscope already had plans in motion to change that, though, as the latest version of the app released today adds support for streaming in landscape orientation.
Aside from setting the stage for the future app on the new Apple TV announced yesterday (Periscope hasn’t demoed the app, but it’s icon appears in an Apple TV human interface guidelines graphic and was seen on stage), the update creates a better viewing experience for Periscope users. It handles displaying video much better now regardless of how the broadcaster is holding their phone. Landscape streaming doesn’t require viewers to hold their phone in that way, either, and it’s a much better fit for web viewing as well.
Periscope also points out new accessibility enhancements for visually impaired users which has been a popular request. Check out the latest release notes below:
Expand
Expanding
Close
Twitter’s official app has almost always lagged behind the iPhone version when it comes to design and features, but today the company has announced a major update that changes that. Twitter for iOS today has been updated to bring the same iPhone-style interface to the iPad, as well as many of the features that were previously iPhone-only.
Disney today announced it’s expanding the number of devices that can access its Disney Movies Anywhere service for viewing digital copies of Disney movies online and through various apps. Among the new additions, the company is making its movies available through the Amazon Video apps for users in the US.
In addition to the Amazon Video apps, which is available for various smart TVs, set top boxes, and mobile devices including iPhone and iPad, the Disney Movie Anywhere content is now accessible through the new Disney Movie Anywhere apps on Xbox 360 and Amazon Fire devices. To access the content through Amazon Video, you’ll first have to authenticate your Amazon account in your Disney Movies Anywhere account settings.
While the Disney Anywhere content is already available through iTunes on the Apple TV, Disney is planning to bring a dedicated app to competing platforms, Roku and Android TV on September 15th. No word on Apple TV, but with Apple planning the introduction a new model tomorrow, it’s possible the device could get the same treatment in the near future.
The Amazon Video app is available for iPhone and iPad on the App Store. For a limited time, Disney is giving away a free copy of Pixar’s Monsters, Inc movie to those that connect a new iTunes, Amazon Video, VUDU, Microsoft Movies & TV or Google Play
In celebration of its 20th birthday, eBay has launched a brand new mobile app with a new focus on selling and a more attractive and intuitive user interface. eBay describes the app as having a “more browsable design” with much easier access to features like top deals, promotions and events. What’s more, the seller dashboard has been refreshed to offer a more personalized look at how well you’re doing and give you relevant tools, tips and guides on how to improve.
Focused on creating more vibrancy in our marketplace, we’ve elevated selling within eBay 4.0, and have designed a more personalized experience based on a seller’s level and activity. The new app offers more information to help first-time and new sellers be successful, and a new dashboard for more regular sellers with at-a-glance activity updates. We are passionate about creating a great experience for our buyers and enabling the continued success for our sellers.
eBay 4.0 offers a new Activity feed giving consumers personalized updates on the objects and goods that are important to them. Alongside that is the new Shop tab, with a bespoke feed of items tailored for each individual user. eBay 4.0 is available to download from the App Store.
[vimeo 138589685 w=500 h=281]
Popular music streaming service Rdio is today announcing an expansion of its support for connected speaker systems and smart TVs, including Google’s new Google Cast for Audio platform introduced earlier this year.
In addition to supporting speakers that integrate Google’s Cast for audio platform, the music service is now available on Harman/Kardon, Denon, and the DTS Play-Fi Whole-Home Wireless ecosystem featuring leading brands such as Definitive Technology, Phorus, Polk Audio and Wren. The company also noted that it’s now available on Samsung smart TVs and arriving soon on smart TVs from LG and Hisense.
Previously Rdio was only available on Sonos speakers and setup boxes like the Apple TV and Google Chromecast.
Rdio is available free with ads or as an ad-free service for $9.99/month unlimited or on certain devices for $3.99/month with a limited number of on demand songs per day.
Firefox today has released the first public preview version of its browser for iOS. Unfortunately, the company is first making the preview version of the browser available to users in New Zealand only. Firefox notes, however, that it will expand the preview to a few more countries as time progresses, before ultimately launching the browser to the public.
Firefox says that it is primarily using the first preview to collect feedback from users to help it improve the features and stability of the browser before a widespread launch. One notable feature that the company is collecting data on is Intelligent Search. This feature, built into Firefox, provides suggested search results and the choice of search providers, as seen in the middle screenshot above. Another notable feature of the app is support for Firefox Accounts, which allows you to keep all of your browser history, passwords, and tabs synced between your various devices. Finally, the app also supports Visual Tabs, which makes it easy to keep track of the tabs you have open at any given point.
If you’re interested in being notified when Firefox for iOS launches in your country, you can sign up here. It’s unclear how long it will be until Firefox for iOS expands to more countries for testing, but the company says it will launch on the App Store by the end of this year.
Airbnb, the popular service that allows you to instantly book homes, apartments, and more on the go, has today been updated with support for Apple Watch. The update, which bumps the app to version 15.35, adds support for Apple’s wearable and makes it even easier and quicker for both hosts and guests to handle reservations.
[tweet https://twitter.com/airbnb/status/639468592002543616 align=’center’]
With Airbnb on Apple Watch, hosts can quickly be notified of new booking requests and be presented with the traveler’s name, photo, requested dates, and personal message directly on the Watch itself. The hosts can then decide whether or not to accept the reservation on the spot. Hosts and travelers both can also initiate and reply to messages. Hosts have the ability to create and save replies, allowing them to keep their response rate high.
Introducing Airbnb for Apple Watch! The new app features Airbnb messaging, which hosts and travelers can use to communicate with each other instantaneously. Hosts can receive a new booking request complete with the traveler’s name and photo, requested dates, and personal message, and decide whether to accept or decline on the spot. Hosts can also initiate and respond to messages, as well as create and save quick, pre-recorded responses to help maintain a healthy response rate.
The update is available on the App Store now for free.
A new update to Google Drive for iOS brings a couple notable, highly-requested features to the app. Included in the update, users will now be able to select multiple files at once in order to perform an action like saving for offline, adding a star to important files, or rearranging and organizing. The new feature is something that has long been requested by users and makes managing and sharing multiple files at once much easier than in the past.
In addition, the update includes the ability to share, rename or view file details much quicker with new quick share buttons when tapping on a file.
And lastly, Google says the updated app will include the usual performance improvements.
The updated Google Drive app for iOS is available on the App Store now.