App Store

2,108 'App Store' stories December 2010 - March 2014

iOS 8: Apple works to further push iCloud as the future of the file system

Mark Gurman Mar 13 2014 - 6:00 am PT

When Apple introduced both iOS and iCloud, its goal was to eliminate the classic file system found in Mac OS X and make synchronization so seamless between devices that it “just works.” Nearly three years after iCloud’s introduction, Apple is still moving closer to this goal. The company is working on a pair of new iCloud applications for iOS as well as improved tools for developers to build iCloud-infused applications, according to sources with knowledge of these initiatives…

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Paper by FiftyThree app gets complete redesign for iOS 7 w/ new features

Jordan Kahn Mar 12 2014 - 11:59 am PT

5 Comments

Paper by FiftyThree, the popular iPad app for creating illustrations, is today finally getting its iOS 7 overhaul with version 1.6 introducing a complete redesign of the app. The company tells us the newly updated Paper app hitting the App Store today is “a blend of metaphor and flat aesthetics that required the team to update every visual asset in the app.”

While the app maintains much of the look and feel of the previous version, you will notice that everything has been given a fresh coat of paint. That includes “faster menus, simplified icons, lighter colors, journal covers that pop, custom typefaces, and overall improved readability.”

There are also new features including a new and improved zoom tool as well as improvements to the dot size for the Draw and Erase tools. Here’s a run down on the new features from FiftyThree:
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Verbs IM client for iOS updated with overhauled design, iCloud message sync, and a lot more

Mike Beasley Mar 11 2014 - 2:34 pm PT

1 Comment

Verbs, the popular instant messaging app for iPhone and iPad, was updated today at long last with a revamped design for iOS 7 and a whole host of new features and fixes, including the removal of an in-app purchase to enable extra features.

One of the bigger notable features in version 3.0 is the ability to keep your conversations in sync across all of your devices via iCloud. This works a lot like iMessage’s syncing function, where every message you get will automatically show up on all devices whether Verbs is currently running on that specific device or not. Previously any devices that didn’t have the app running would miss any messages that were downloaded on other devices.

Other changes include the addition of Dropbox for file sharing (alongside the old CloudApp and Droplr options), Pocket and Safari Reading List options for saving links, tappable URLs in chat bubbles, per-contact muting, the ability to manage your contact lists, in-app notifications for messages that come in while you’re in the settings view or another thread, and notifications when certain contacts come online.

Speaking of notifications, the former “Verbs Pro” in-app purchase has been removed, and all of its features are now included standard in the app. These include push notifications and longer connection times after the app closes.

You can grab the completely overhauled Verbs 3.0 from the iOS App Store for $2.99 today. The complete change log is below:

What’s New in Version 3.0.0

• Designed for iOS 7
• Completely rewritten server side code
• Supports Jabber protocol
• Added OAuth support for GTalk
• Real time syncing of chat messages across devices
• New Conversations view
• Use Dropbox to share files in chat
• Sync Chat, File Sharing and Read Later accounts over iCloud
• Pocket (Read later) support
• Safari’s Reading Lists support
• Sent bubble color changes when messages are delivered
• Notify when a buddy comes online
• Ability to mute buddies
• New Notification sounds
• HTML hyperlinks are supported in messages
• Use shapes to indicate Buddy Status
• Ability to create Lists (Groups)
• In-app notifications
• Lotta bug fixes!

IMPORTANT NOTES:
• Before upgrading, please back up your existing conversations using the “Email conversation” feature. Because of the new sync features, your existing (2.x) accounts and conversations would not be available after upgrade.
• We’re removing Facebook chat support for the time being
• Also, we’re deprecating Verbs Pro and the basic app itself will include all the pro features.

SXSW Festival using iBeacons for interactive sessions, speedy badge pickup through iOS app

Jordan Kahn Mar 6 2014 - 12:02 pm PT

2 Comments

On top of the many uses for iBeacons we’ve seen in retail environments, event organizers are another group that have started taking advantage of Apple’s new Bluetooth tech recently. The MLB is deploying them in stadiums to send notifications to baseball fans, CES hosted an iBeacon scavenger hunt this year, and today we’ve found out the upcoming SXSW festival where Apple is hosting its latest iTunes Festival will also be using the technology.

Eventbase, the company that has been building the official SXSW festival app for a few years now reached out to let us know it will be deploying some iBeacons around the event this year to improve the experience. Specifically, it will be using the technology to “help attendees in Austin pick up their badge faster and get more involved in the sessions they attend.” One feature in the app will allow for real-time audience interaction during sessions:
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The making of Writing Aid — behind the scenes of app development

Benjamin Mayo Mar 3 2014 - 11:34 am PT

7 Comments

I released Writing Aid to the App Store today. Due to the glaring conflicts of interest in reviewing my own app for 9to5Mac or even having my colleagues review it, I thought instead I’d give some insight into the creative and development process behind the app. If you are looking for a more traditional review, please check out these writeups over at MacStories, Beautiful Pixels and iMore.

As a finished product, Writing Aid is best described as a dictionary app that also works in reverse. However, it didn’t start that way. For a while, I have been annoyed by the offerings on the store. Most apps are bogged down with gimmicky extras like ‘Word of the Day’ and such and many have been abandoned by their owners (which means they aren’t updated for iOS 7 either). When I’m writing, I don’t want distractions. I want to be able to type a word in a box and get a definition.

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Google Hangouts for iOS updated with iOS 7 design, iPad optimization, more

Chance Miller Feb 27 2014 - 3:29 pm PT

1 Comment

After a wave of updates for its Android apps yesterday, Google has just announced an update to its Hangouts for iOS app. The update brings the app version number 2.0.0 and is the first update for the app since all the way back in November.

The update adds a plethora of features and design tweaks, most notably of which is an iOS 7 optimized interface. There are aren’t a ton of changes, but everything definitely has the iOS 7 look and feel to it.Menus and buttons are now totally “flat” and much cleaner overall. The iPad app has also gotten some major tweaks, including picture-in-picture video calling. The app also now supports the ability to send video messages up to 10 seconds long, ala Snapchat.

The full changelog is below:

Fully-optimized for the iPad, including picture-in-picture video calling
Animated stickers that help you share exactly how you’re feeling
Record and send video messages up to 10 seconds long
Send a map of your current location

The update is live on the App Store now.

NBA Game Time iOS apps updated with classic games & historical videos

Jordan Kahn Feb 26 2014 - 4:22 pm PT

0 Comments

The NBA Game Time apps for iPhone and iPad were updated today with a new Class Games section that brings a collection of “carefully selected classic games and historical videos from past seasons.”

The new Classic Games section starts out with a selection of videos and more will be added in future updates during the 2014 season.

The new videos, like much of the app’s content, is available for free to Sprint users or those with a NBA Game Time Plus subscription or League Pass through their cable provider.

The update is available for the NBA Game Time 2013-2014 iPhone app as well as the NBA Game Time for iPad app.

What’s New in Version 5.2.3

Classic Games – Addition of carefully selected classic games and historical videos from past seasons. New videos will be added periodically throughout the season. These are available free for users who have purchased League Pass.

Additional bug fixes and enhancements.

Security researchers highlight iOS flaw that enables hidden logging of touch events and other actions

Benjamin Mayo Feb 25 2014 - 1:59 am PT

5 Comments

Researchers at security firm FireEye are highlighting an exploit involving iOS’s multitasking architecture to enable a nefarious (or exploited) app to record user touch events, Home Button presses and other events even whilst the app is backgrounded. It has always been theoretically possible for apps to record touch events whilst foregrounded, as the app needs access to the touch input to respond to user events. However, FireEye are demonstrating that this is possible even when the iOS app is not frontmost.

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Apple acquires beta testing platform TestFlight through Burstly purchase

Zac Hall Feb 21 2014 - 11:06 am PT

5 Comments

Apple has acquired Burstly, the company behind the popular beta testing platform Test Flight, TechCrunch reported (now confirmed by Recode). TestFlight recently pulled its SDK as well as Android support prompting speculation that big changes were on the horizon. Some speculated that an Apple acquisition could behind it all and would make sense considering the fragmented beta testing experience for app developers. While neither company has commented publicly confirming the acquisition, we were pointed to hints of the acquisition just before TechCrunch reported the rumor as likely and later updated its reporting to note that the acquisition had already occurred…
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Camera+ iPhone app adds 16×9 widescreen shooting mode, improved filters & editing

Jordan Kahn Feb 20 2014 - 12:26 pm PT

3 Comments

The popular Camera+ iPhone app from developers tap tap tap was updated today with a number of new features and improvements. On top of a “a bunch of refinements to The Lab” and photo editing, the app gains a new BOOST feature for setting filters to 200% intensity and widescreen 16×9 shooting mode. The update to version 5.1 also includes a number of bug fixes.

Camera+ for iPhone is available on the App Store now for $1.99.

Full release notes for the update below:

What’s New in Version 5.1

For Camera+ 5.1 we’ve made a bunch of refinements to The Lab, making the best photo editing on a mobile phone even better. We’ve made several usability tweaks to further streamline the whole experience. One slightly hidden, but handy addition is that you can now tap & hold an adjustment to reset it.

We’ve added a new setting so that you can choose whichever section you’d like to begin in when you edit your photos. This is nice if you always want to go straight to The Lab, for instance.

For those times when you want to go more intense with filters, we’ve added a new BOOST feature. You can now bump the intensity up to 200%.

You can take widescreen photos with the new 16×9 shooting mode. Bring out your inner Scorcese. Or Fellini.

Many of you were hitting a pipe too often while flapping, causing you to lose all your photos. That’s now fixed, thankfully.

And we’ve spent a good amount of time fixing bugs for this version. Many were esoteric and only occurred on particular hardware, but we did our very best to try and resolve all known issues for this release. If any of you experience any further issues, please report them to us.

Take 2: The API issue that was causing apps like Day One to not work properly with Camera+ is fixed now. For realsies this time. Thanks to the chaps at Day One for helping us to resolve this.

Waze app gets Calendar integration for navigating to upcoming events

Jordan Kahn Feb 20 2014 - 9:29 am PT

4 Comments

Waze, the navigation app maker that Google picked up last year, announced today that its updating its mobile apps with calendar integration. With the updated app, iOS and Android users will now see “events with location info will automatically appear” in the navigation list within Waze. That means any events in your calendar that have location info associated with them will be viewable from within Waze.

The company notes that only two upcoming events from your Calendar will be displayed in the navigation list. Users that want to disable the Calendar integration can do so from the iOS Settings app.

The updated app isn’t yet live on the App Store but should be rolling out any minute.

How app store scammers can make $10,000 a day from a $10 game template

Ben Lovejoy Feb 20 2014 - 4:23 am PT

10 Comments

TechCrunch has a fascinating insight into the world of App Store scammers, using the example of a game created from a $10 template that ended up making $10,000 a day.

The piece alleges that the developer of the paid version of Red Bouncing Balls Spikes used a network of around 20,000 fake Apple IDs to buy his own app in order to get it to the top of the charts, an up-front investment of $20k that would be repaid many times over …
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Google Translate updated w/ iOS 7 keyboard, additional handwriting language support including Arabic & Hebrew

Zac Hall Feb 18 2014 - 12:28 pm PT

2 Comments

Alas, we’re one step closer to an App Store not filled with iOS 6 keyboards. Google released Translate 2.1 today, bringing support for the iOS 7 keyboard released last September to the iPhone and iPad.

The update also expands support for its new handwriting input method to a number of additional languages including Arabic, Esperanto, Gujarati, Hebrew, Javanese, Maltese, Maori, Marathi, Persian, Punjabi, Telugu, and Zulu.

Google first introduced its handwriting input method last September. Google Translate 2.1 is available now on the App Store.
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Realmac asking Clear+ users to migrate to Clear, going free for 24 hours

Zac Hall Feb 18 2014 - 6:00 am PT

10 Comments

2/27 Update: It’s live.

3/6 Update: Last round.

tl;dr Use this, not this, and read on to find out how and why.

Last September, Realmac released a new version of its to-do list app Clear that included visual tweaks and iOS 7 feature support. This version of Clear also ran natively on the iPad for the first time and was a separate purchase from the App Store.

This lead to a great deal of feedback from customers displeased with having to buy a new version of Clear for an iOS 7 update on the iPhone (especially when iPad support for the biggest selling point, but not every iPhone customer has an iPad)…
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iTunes Connect update brings modernized look, sales breakdowns by category, region and more

Benjamin Mayo Feb 17 2014 - 3:26 pm PT

4 Comments

Sales data redacted.

Apple today updated the Sales and Trends section of iTunes Connect, giving developers more detailed information about the origin of their apps’ sales as well as a modernized visual style.

The new update answers many of the issues developers have raised in recent years about the opaqueness of the App Store sales process. For instance, developers can now separate out sales by territory, platform, of purchase and category. This means that developers can get a better idea of how customers are finding their apps in the store. In the example above, you can see that the app was mainly found through the ‘Games’ category, with exposure in the ‘Entertainment’ category accounting for only a small fraction of total sales.

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Rovio announces new ‘Angry Birds Stella’ game coming this fall

Jordan Kahn Feb 13 2014 - 6:32 am PT

2 Comments

After a couple of teases that a new Angry Birds title was incoming, Rovio today announced that a new game called “Angry Birds Stella” is coming soon. The game features a female lead character unlike the majority of Rovio’s other games, but there aren’t many details about how else it might differ from other Angry Birds titles.

Angry Birds Stella will open a door to a part of the Angry Birds universe you’ve never seen before! There will be plenty of fun and adventure, but the bunch of passionate pals will also have to deal with some serious issues in order to protect their friendship and the environment they live in. Luckily, Stella and her friends are good at finding creative solutions!

No word on an official release date, but Rovio says the game will ship sometime in the fall.

Wall Street Journal corroborates new Apple TV incoming, but says content plans have been scaled back

Benjamin Mayo Feb 13 2014 - 1:01 am PT

13 Comments

The Wall Street Journal has published a report that largely corroborates what Bloomberg said earlier; a new Apple TV is under development with Apple currently in negotiation stages for content deals, with at least Time Warner Cable. However, the Wall Street Journal adds some new information about what these talks entail.

Initially, it appears that Apple wanted an independent Apple TV product to offer TV shows and films exclusively over the Internet. However, now it appears that Apple is scaling back some of its ambition due to resistance from content companies.

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Rdio iOS app gets playlist editing, user & critic reviews, more

Jordan Kahn Feb 11 2014 - 1:04 pm PT

2 Comments

Rdio, the popular subscription music service, is rolling out an update today to its iPhone and iPad app that brings a couple of welcomed new features including playlist editing for iPhone and iPod touch and reviews. As for the new playlist editing features, Rdio explained in its blog post:

Now, you can update your playlists from your iPhone or iPod touch — in addition to creating playlists and adding new tracks, you can now remove and rearrange tracks until you’ve made the best playlist ever (or it’s dethroned by your next playlist, of course). You can also customize the playlist artwork, change its visibility and collaboration settings, and more.

The new Rdio app also includes reviews for albums and playlists from both users and critics. Not only will you now be able to write your own album and playlist reviews from within the app, you’ll also be able to browse reviews from critics in addition to reviews written by other users.

Rdio notes in its blog post that it has “also made tweaks to the app’s design, user interface, and overall performance.”

The updated Rdio app for iPhone and iPad is available on the App Store for free.

iTunes as a standalone business would be ranked 130 in the Fortune 500

Ben Lovejoy Feb 11 2014 - 4:12 am PT

3 Comments

Asymco has calculated that if iTunes were a standalone business, it would be ranked 130 in the Fortune 500 list of top U.S. companies after its gross annual revenue grew 34 percent year-on-year to $23.5B. This would put it between Alcoa and Eli Lilly in the rankings, and is almost half of Google’s core search business – not bad for what was originally intended to be a break-even operation …

Growth was driven by increases in revenue from App sales reflecting continued growth in the installed base of iOS devices and the expansion in the number of third-party iOS Apps available. Net sales of digital content, including music, movies, TV shows and books, from the iTunes Store was relatively flat in the first quarter of 2014 compared to the first quarter of 2013.

Asymco also calculated the cost to Apple of making both the Mavericks update and iWork software free …
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Flappy Bird developer ‘It was just too addictive’, felt guilty for people wasting time

Benjamin Mayo Feb 11 2014 - 4:03 am PT

8 Comments

Getty Images

Dong Nguyen made waves at the weekend after announcing Flappy Bird would be removed from the App Store. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Nguyen explains his — unorthodox — reasoning.

“It was just too addictive,” Mr. Dong said. He says he didn’t intend for people to play the game for hours at a time, as many gamers appear to have done.

“That was the main negative. So I decided to take it down,” he said.

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New Apple TV hardware references already appearing in iOS 7 builds

Mark Gurman Feb 10 2014 - 10:31 am PT

23 Comments

We reported last fall that a revamped Apple TV set-top-box is in the works, and then we learned earlier this year that the new box would likely be introduced in the first half of 2014. Sources said at the time that the new model would be redesigned (at least on the inside) and would sport new content (perhaps a true App Store or gaming functionality). Since that time, sources indicated that internal prototypes for the new device include AirPort Express-like functionality, a form of enhanced iOS gaming integration, and a TV tuner component for connecting to existing cable setups.

Now, we have located a reference to the next-generation Apple TV inside of iOS 7 software builds:

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Shazam iPhone app redesign incoming w/ new features

Jordan Kahn Feb 10 2014 - 8:07 am PT

0 Comments

Update Feb. 25: The redesign we told you was incoming today started rolling out to iOS users globally. The updated app is available on the App Store now and the company notes that other new features are coming soon, including:

· Quick access to lyrics with a preview as soon as a track is matched, and with direct access to the music video and additional videos related to a song;

· Recommendations unique to Shazam;

· Lightning fast access to the most important information about any show broadcast on over 160 TV channels in the US: music in the show, cast and crew, and more;

· More engaging biographies and discographies, making it easy to go from discovering a great track to learning about and experiencing more from the band.

Shazam, the audio recognition app that lets users find currently playing songs and more, today announced that a redesign of its iPhone app is rolling out ahead of a larger change to the experience coming later this month. Today’s update replaces much of the light, baby blue color theme Shazam has long used and also introduces new features for accessing content and getting recommendations:

Over the coming weeks, Shazam’s more than 150 million iPhone users will see a new tag result experience as it is rolled out, with Android users getting it shortly thereafter. The new experience means Shazaming becomes the beginning of a journey, giving users effortless access to:

· A brand new look and feel for music and television results with easy access to previewing, buying, and sharing a track;

· Quick access to lyrics with a preview as soon as a track is matched;

· Direct access to the music video and additional videos related to a song; and,

· Recommendations unique to Shazam

The updated Shazam iPhone app will be available through both the Free and Encore versions.

Unverified: Flappy Bird pulled by Apple after copyright complaint from Nintendo? [Updated: Not true]

Ben Lovejoy Feb 10 2014 - 3:50 am PT

11 Comments

Update: Nintendo has sent an email to the WSJ denying that it has made any complaint about the app’s similarity to Super Mario Bros.

Apple’n’Apps, a relatively unknown site without much of a track record, is suggesting that Flappy Bird may have been pulled by Apple after Nintendo complained about copyright infringement regarding the graphics used in the game. Those pipes do look “Super Mario-esque”. The developer Dong Nguyen had claimed he was withdrawing it voluntarily, and that there were no legal issues. But there’s some gray area there we suppose.

A person familiar with the App Store review process tells Apple’N’Apps that Flappy Bird wasn’t removed voluntarily by Mr. Nguyen, as he claims. It turns out that Nintendo got in touch with Apple regarding the art assets in Flappy Bird claiming that they’re in direct violation of their copyrights. Apple contacted Mr. Nguyen regarding the copyright claim, and that’s why we saw the new updated version with graphic changes to the pipes [as well as fewer ads]. Nintendo already decided that they had seen enough, and Apple is the one who pushed Mr. Nguyen to remove Flappy Bird (with 24 hour notice).

We’ve asked Apple for a comment, and will update if we receive a response, though the version arguably makes more sense than a developer voluntarily forsaking around $50,000 a day in revenue due to the attention the game was receiving. Dong Nguyen’s two other games remain on the App Store, currently ranking #4 and #18.

Apple is know to err on the side of caution where copyright complaints are concerned.

The app has also been pulled from Google Play, which tells us nothing either way: if the claim is true then Nintendo would have approached Google also, but equally the developer would have voluntarily removed from both stores.

Flappy Bird creator promises to remove popular game from App Store by tomorrow

Chance Miller Feb 8 2014 - 11:36 am PT

14 Comments

After reaching the top of App Store charts, the hit iOS game Flappy Bird will be removed from the App Store. According to tweets from the developer Dong Nguyen, it sounds like the game will be removed from both the iOS and Android app stores in just 22 hours. In the tweets, Nguyen says he “cannot take this anymore” and refers to the game’s success as ruining his “simple life.” He says the decision has nothing to do with legal issues. Nguyen also says he has no interest in selling the game to anyone and that he’ll continue to make games.

I am sorry 'Flappy Bird' users, 22 hours from now, I will take 'Flappy Bird' down. I cannot take this anymore.

— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014

I can call 'Flappy Bird' is a success of mine. But it also ruins my simple life. So now I hate it.

— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014

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