Product: Today we’re taking a look at a brand-new word game for iOS called 4Snaps. The premise of the game is like a cross between charades and Draw Something. You’re given a choice of three words. You have to pick one of these and then take four photos (“snaps”) to help the other player guess the word. The object is to see how many turns you can take in a row before someone misses the word.
Facebook updated its Messenger iOS app today making it easier to send photos and emoji with a few new features. Facebook is deeper integrating Instagram into Messenger, allowing users to attach photos from Instagram albums (in addition to any other album on their iPhone) right in the app. Version 2.6 of the app also makes it easier to send photos and emoji with a new paper clip icon that users can tap from any message.
Now it’s easier to send photos and emoji:
– Just tap the paper clip from any message
– Choose photos from Instagram and any other album on your phone
Don’t forget about stickers: Tap the smiley to see what’s new in the sticker store.
Bug fixes
Following Google’s release of an official AdSense Android app on Google Play last week, today the company has released an iOS version of the app. Much like the Android version, this is the first official AdSense client Google has released for the platform, and brings competition for some of the free and paid third-party clients already on the App Store. The app also provides much of the same functionality of the Android app, allowing users to access most reporting features available through the Adsense website, as well as payment alerts (which unfortunately can’t be dismissed at this point).
The AdSense app provides an easy way to access key data from your AdSense account. Access reporting features anywhere, directly from your iPhone. The first version of the app gives you access to: the key earnings information, top custom and URL channels, ad units and sites reports, payment alerts.
Two weeks ago, we reported that Apple would update its Apple Store iOS app with the ability to receive free content. The app was updated a couple of weeks ago to lay the groundwork for this feature, and now free content has begun appearing. The first paid app (normally $0.99) for free is Color Zen, and Apple will provide either a new app, piece of iTunes media content, or iBook each week.
The functionality works both in Apple Stores and actually if you are not in a store. A user just needs to pull up a store inside of the app’s store panel (see image above). When you click the free content option, you are taking to a screen to finalize your download.
We previously reported that Apple Store employees are instructed to install this application on a new iOS Device during Personal Setup (After a purchase). At an internal event in San Francisco last month, Tim Cook revealed that only a small percentage of Apple customers are aware of the app, but Cook wants to use the app as an element of his plan to boost iPhone sales in his stores.
Back in March, Akai Professional released an iPad app that aims to emulate its classic MPC drum machine. Akai is perhaps best known for the MPC— a series of physical drum machine/midi sequencer/samplers that come with samples you’ve likely heard on many of your favorite hip-hop, dance, and pop songs. Today the MPC emulator, dubbed “iMPC”, makes its way to the iPhone for the first time for $2.99 on the App Store, slightly less than the $6.99 that the iPad version sells for.
You’re not going to be able to get full-on MPC emulation for less than $5, but Akai has included a ton of great samples and features stripped straight from its legendary MPC series:
Turn your iPad into an MPC. With more than 1,200 samples, 50 editable programs, 80 editable sequences, and iconic MPC workflow, iMPC is the first app to bring the look and feel of the classic Akai Pro MPC to your iPad. iMPC includes everything you need to create a beat quickly and easily, including built-in effects, plus the ability to create new sequences and record and overdub beats. Time correction from 1/8 note to 1/32T with variable swing, and Note Repeat from 1/8 note to 1/32T with latch control are also built in. The app’s built-in sampler can record samples three different ways: using the mic on the iPad, using the line input on the iPad, or using the multi-touch turntable interface in iMPC to record samples directly from iTunes or other music libraries.
Celebrity endorsements can be cheesy, but this is a well-themed tie-in to the popular franchise. For a limited time, you can buy Usain Bolt as a playable character. Each character in Temple Run have different special abilities and Bolt is no exception. Bolt has a shield, providing invincibility for a short time as well as attracting coins, like a magnet. Imangi, the game’s developers, has warned that this is a limited-time promotion so eager fans should not wait if they want to play as an Olympian in the game.
Temple Run 2 is free; Usain Bolt is available, for a limited time, as an in-app purchase for 99cents.
After launching its first official Android app back in June, popular photo sharing service Imgur this week finally released its first app for iPhone and iPad on the App Store. The new free app provides the majority of features that users can access through the web version of the service, including: the ability to browse, comment, upload photos, and manage accounts and albums.
Although it’s the first app the company has released itself, it already has competition with a handful of popular third-party clients in the App Store. Those apps use an API that the company provides and has frequently been adding new features to, but some include features not yet available in Imgur’s own app. Early reviews note that the app doesn’t yet allow users to save photos into their library, while sharing options for GIFs aren’t available from albums.
When it launched its Android app Imgur teased that additional content creation features were on the way, so it’s likely the company has plans to implement more features in the mobile app beyond what’s offered through the service on the web.
The Imgur app is available for free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.
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According to data from App Annie’s latest download and revenue report, Google Play for the first time surpassed the App Store in app downloads during the second quarter of 2013. While Google was able to move past Apple with about 10 percent more downloads during the three month period, the report notes the App Store brought in nearly 2.3x the amount of revenue.
App Annie says that Google Play’s growth was driven by emerging markets including Brazil, India, and Russia, and while the App Store still leads by revenue, Google Play closed the gap slightly compared to last quarter and years past.
Google Play saw Brazil climb two spots to join India and Russia as another emerging market in the top 5 countries by downloads for Q2 2013…The United States, Japan and United Kingdom remained the leaders in the iOS App Store when looking at revenue generation, and Australia climbed to #4 after a strong Q2. iOS App Store revenue was driven primarily by the United States and Japan, which combined to account for about half of the total iOS App Store revenue in Q2.
App Annie’s report also includes its Games Index tracking mobile games on iOS and Android, which now account for around 40 percent of all downloads on both platforms. During Q2, Gameloft’s Despicable Me: Minion Rush grabbed the top spot for most downloaded iOS game, while publisher Tiny Piece took the honour on Google Play.
As for non-gaming apps, Vine increased by three positions to become the most downloaded app during the quarter on iOS, followed closely by YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram.
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Popular messaging and VoIP service Viber just updated its iPhone app with a number of new features that first hit Android devices yesterday. The update brings “doodles”, a feature that lets users draw on top of photos before sharing.
Also new in version 3.1 of Viber is the ability to see when a recipient has viewed a message with “Seen” status notifications.
In addition, the updated app includes more emoticons, additional language support, and “Support for the Viber Desktop application on Windows and Mac.”
A full list of new features is below:
• Send doodles or paint over a photo and share it with your friends!
• “Seen” status lets you know when your messages have been seen
• Support for the Viber Desktop application on Windows and Mac
• Fun new emoticons
• Message performance improvements
• Bug fixes
• Localized to: Croatian, Norwegian, Romanian, Slovak and Ukrainian
Showtime updated its “Showtime Anytime” app today with live TV feeds that allow users to watch what’s currently airing on both SHOWTIME East and SHOWTIME West. That’s in addition to the on-demand content it previously offered.
The app is available for free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, and available to subscribers of AT&T U-verse, Comcast XFINITY, DIRECTV, Optimum and Verizon FiOS.
What’s New in Version 2.0
– Live TV: Tune in to watch what’s currently airing LIVE on SHOWTIME
– Improved stability and performance
– Minor bug fixes
Update: Apple appears to have removed the app from the App Store.
A new iOS app called “MyStache” has made its way past Apple’s App Store reviewers with hidden emulator functionality for Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and Game Boy. The iPhone & iPad app is disguised as an “augmented reality Mustache app,” but loading up ROMs through iTunes file sharing reveals a small red button that will launch the built-in, hidden emulators.
The emulators work on both iPhone & iPad, and offer game saves, a full-screen mode, and landscape support.
This isn’t the first time that game emulator has made its way past Apple’s App Store reviewers. Developers have been hiding emulators in everything from ordinary looking puzzle games to baby name apps, and Apple is usually on top of pulling the emulators which allow users to load up ROM files for old console games. There had even been some solutions that bypassed the App Store allowing users to download emulators directly from their browser on to their iOS devices, but most of those apps seem to be no longer functioning.
We’d expect Apple to pull the new MyStache app shortly, but for now it’s still available on the App Store for $1.99.
Google has just updated its Google Drive app for iOS with a couple new features and performance enhancements. After adding support for opening links in native Google apps from the Chrome iOS app last week, it has now updated the Drive app with an option to open links within files in Chrome and Safari.
Also new in version 1.5.0 of Google Drive for iOS is support for inserting rows and columns via the “+” button within Google Sheets, as well as stabilization and other bug fixes:
As noted by VentureBeat, EA revealed today during its earnings call with investors that for the first time, Apple has become “EA’s biggest retail partner as measured by sales” as a result of the App Store. It’s a big announcement for the publisher that previously sold the majority of its content through retail channels for console games, and it could be a sign that EA will be investing more in iOS and other mobile titles in the months to come. In its earnings release, the company noted that it was “the #1 global publisher in the iOS game market in the June quarter,” and also highlighted a few of its more successful iOS titles, including: The Simpsons: Tapped Out, Real Racing 3, and The Sims:
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Google has just issued a big update to its Chrome app for iPhone and iPad that brings new “interoperability with other Google Apps” and a number of other notable features. That means that you’ll now be able to open all links for YouTube, Maps, Google+ and Drive in their native apps instead of in the browser. You’ll also now be able to access the apps with a single tap from within Chrome.
The update also brings enhancements to the newly introduced voice search capabilities, including: always visible controls from the toolbar and text-to-speech support for “all variations of English, Spanish, German, Italian, French, Japanese, and Korean.”
Other improvements in today’s update include fullscreen support on iPad, easier access to browser history, and, according to Google, data cost savings:
Reduce data usage and speed up page load times. View data savings in Bandwidth Management settings. This feature is being rolled out and will be available to all users over time.
Google explained the experimental data cost savings feature in a whitepaper when it was first introduced on Android. In the document, Google says its tests showed the feature can reduce data usage by up to 50%:
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IMBb has released a big update today to its iPhone and iPad app, adding the the ability to purchase movie tickets directly from within the app and much more. The feature is initially only available to users in the U.S. and can be accessed directly through a “Showtimes & Tickets” section on listings for movies currently in theatres.
Also included in today’s update is integration with the Amazon Mobile app for one tap purchasing of DVDs & Blu-rays from Amazon:
Want to buy a movie or TV show on DVD or Blu-ray? “Search via Amazon Mobile” to the rescue. Requires that you have the Amazon Mobile app, but we provide a handy link if you don’t have it yet.
IMBd has added even more celebrity bio pages in today’s update and iPhone users now have “one-tap access to the full cast/full filmography.” The updated app also includes a few other UI enhancements and bug fixes listed below:
iPad and iPhone
* “Tickets, please!” You can now conveniently purchase movie tickets via the IMDb App (currently US-only).
* More bios for celebrities you know and love as well as for up-and-comers.
* Want to buy a movie or TV show on DVD or Blu-ray? “Search via Amazon Mobile” to the rescue. Requires that you have the Amazon Mobile app, but we provide a handy link if you don’t have it yet.
* Also, did you know you can tap the “Coming Soon” bar above the title on upcoming movies to add the release date as an event to your calendar?
* Bug fixes. Nasty tricksy bugsies. We hates them!
iPhone
* We heard you. By popular demand, we’ve updated the movie and celebrity pages to include one-tap access to the full cast/full filmography (which, yes, scrolls vertically).
* You’ll see that cute little Watchlist flag almost everywhere now. Tap it to add movies and shows to your Watchlist (and tap-and-hold to add to your other lists as well).
This will be the last update that supports iOS 5. Future updates will require iOS 6 and above.
Last November, Rovio introduced a new Angry Birds Star Wars game that brought iconic Star Wars locations and characters from the movies into the Angry Birds gameplay universe. Today the developer is teasing what looks to be an entirely new Star Wars themed Angry Birds game. While Rovio’s initial tweet only mentioned a “Big new game announcement” coming this Monday, it later confirmed on its blog that the announcement will be for “a brand new game” with “the biggest character line-up ever, awesome new powers, and maybe even a few surprises!”
On top of the teaser, Rovio is also making Angry Birds Star Wars available for free today for a limited time.
We don’t get any other details, but Rovio did include the image above hinting the game might be inspired by Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace:
Just as the new film of the same name from director Guillermo del Toro is about to hit theatres, Reliance Games has released the ‘Pacific Rim’ mobile game for iPhone and iPad. The developers have done a couple decent movie-tie ins in the past, so hopefully Pacific Rim will be worth the $4.99 it’s asking in the App Store. The game features a story mode with over 30 levels and also a Survival Mode that will allow you to “defend humanity from an endless wave of Kaiju” in one of the massive transformer-like robots from the movie known as Jaegers.
Pacific Rim is available now for iPhone and iPad on the App Store.
Exclusive Features:
•Story Mode: Play over 30 levels and challenge monstrous creatures in intense combat inspired by the motion picture.
•Survival Mode: Can you defend humanity from an endless wave of Kaiju? See how skilled you are with your customized Jaeger.
•Command up to five different Jaegers with custom equipment and technology.
•Upgrade your Jaegers and weapons to dominate the battlefield.
•Discover and research new technology to increase your armor, power and speed.
•The game explores the Pacific Rim universe with new events, Jaegars, and Kaiju not fully revealed in the film.
Square Enix already informed us that developer Eidos Montreal would be releasing its highly anticipated iOS instalment of Deus Ex this week on July 11. Today the app appears to have hit the App Store worldwide a day early with the expected $6.99 price tag. The App Store link is already live for the game in the US, and it should be available to download elsewhere shortly.
Deus Ex: The Fall is the start of a new journey in the award winning Deus Ex game series. Set in 2027– the golden era for science, technology and human augmentation. Ben Saxon an augmented former British SAS Mercenary, is desperate for the truth behind a global conspiracy threatening his life.
Deus Ex: The Fall is available for both iPhone and iPad as a universal download, but keep in mind you’ll need a free 1.6GB for the game. However, it’s not surprising given the fact Eidos and Square Enix appear to be cramming in almost a full console like experience in the iOS exclusive. Previously release gameplay trailer for The Fall below:
EA already said that Plants vs Zombies 2‘s July 18 release date would be delayed slightly until later this summer, but today PopCap announced that it is kicking off a soft launch today in Australia and New Zealand to fine tune the experience. In fact, the game is already available on the App Store in both Australia and New Zealand (and of course any user can access the download with an Apple ID associated with one of those locations).
we are launching the game a bit early in Australia and New Zealand to help us test out all of the new systems and features we’ve built into the game. We’ve added a bunch of new features that allow us to take advantage of new technologies to make a better experience for our players, and those innovations require us to perform some large tests to make sure we are ready for our worldwide audience to play.
PopCap already announced that the game would be a free-to-play experience, but today noted that it will “be testing all sorts of different aspects of the game’s functionality, pricing, stability, etc.”
Hahaha crashes on iOS 7! RT @9to5mac: Plants vs Zombies 2 for iOS launches in Australia & New Zealand App Stores http://t.co/RC3YbBshFK
— Lars™ (@larsetc) July 9, 2013
A break down of new game features from iTunes below:
Game Features
NEW PLANTS! NEW ZOMBIES!
Meet B**k Choy, Bloomerang and Lightning Reed: Just a few of the powerful new plants that will defend your lawn through time. Go toe-to-missing-toe with dozens of new zombies including Ra Zombie in Ancient Egypt, Swashbuckler Zombie on the Pirate Seas, or Chicken Wrangler Zombie in the Wild West. In every new world, clever new zombies and brain-teasing challenges will test your zombie-zapping skills.
AMAZING NEW WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR BRAIN
New Plant Food and power-ups will take your game to new dimensions. Plant Food will supercharge your plants when you need it most. Use your fingers to pinch, flick and zap zombies off your lawn.
LOOK OUT! ZOMBIE CHICKENS!
Seriously.
NEW LEVELS OF EXCITEMENT
Battle the fun-dead on land, on sea and… on the rails? Unlock ultra-challenging (and ultra-fun) endless levels — Pyramid of Doom, Pirate’s Booty and the Big Bad Butte.
THE FUN NEVER DIES
Gather keys to unlock brain teasers and new plants. Collect coins to purchase potent power-ups. Earn stars to take you to new worlds. Survive long enough and you’ll be rewarded with piles of prizes and achievements. And that’s just the beginning! The future holds many mysteries. Also, zombies. Lots and lots of zombies.
Yahoo updated its email app for iPhone and iPad today with a few new features. Users will now be able to log into more than one account at a time and easily switch between inboxes without logging out.
Also new in version 1.5.5 is support for Business Mail accounts. Yahoo! Small Business customers will now be able to use the free app to access their email and also have access to “push notifications, Yahoo! contacts, and photo attachments.”
– Multiple accounts: Have more than one Yahoo! account? More power to you! Now you can add all your Yahoo! accounts and easily switch between your Inboxes, without ever having to sign out.
– Business Mail accounts: Yahoo! Small Business customers can now access their email through this app, with all supported features such as push notifications, Yahoo! contacts, and photo attachments
– Bug fixes and stability enhancements
Apple’s long-running lawsuit against Amazon for its use of the “App Store” trademark might finally be coming to an end as Reuters reports a judge has dismissed the case at the request of the companies. The report claims U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in California dismissed the case “after Apple issued to Amazon a covenant not to sue, eliminating the need for Amazon to pursue a related counterclaim.”
“We no longer see a need to pursue our case,” Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said. “With more than 900,000 apps and 50 billion downloads, customers know where they can purchase their favorite apps.”
A spokesperson for Amazon said “This was a decision by Apple to unilaterally abandon the case, and leave Amazon free to use ‘appstore’.
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Yelp receives a nice update today for iPhone and iPad that brings the app up to version 6.9.1 and introduces a new feature (in at least the US) for users to order food directly from within the app. Now, while reading a review of a local restaurant users will be able to tap a new “Order Pickup or Delivery” button to place an order. The feature isn’t available everywhere yet, but Yelp plans to roll out the button to new locations in the weeks ahead.
New in 6.9.1:
• Reading that review making you hungry? Well, you can now order delicious meals without ever leaving the Yelp app! We’ll be rolling this out to more locations in the coming weeks, so check for the “Order Pickup or Delivery” button on your favorite local restaurants.
Tumblr updated its iOS app today for iPhone and iPad with a few new features that will greatly improve the search experience within the apps. On top of being able to now search tags and blogs (something that many used third-party clients for), version 3.4 of the Tumblr app will also allow users to explore trending tags and blogs, as well as “Follow recommended blogs for any tag you search.”
A full list of what’s new is below:
We’re thrilled to bring you a brand new discovery experience:
– Search tags and blogs
– Explore trending tags and blogs
– Follow recommended blogs for any tag you search
Pandora Radio for iPhone and iPad received a minor update today that brings a couple of welcomed improvements for users. The first notable new feature will automatically pause music when muting your iOS device, making sure you never miss a song when muting suddenly and forgetting to pause. The updated app also adds improved playback buffering for what Pandora says is ‘stutter-free’ music and the usual bug fixes and performance enhancements.
Pandora also notes that “all the URLs that work on Pandora.com now work just as well on your phone.”
Full list of what’s new below:
• Stuck with a flaky connection? We’ve improved playback buffering to keep your favorite music stutter-free.
• Never miss another great song: if you mute your phone, we’ll pause your music for you.
• More links to more of what you love: all the URLs that work on Pandora.com now work just as well on your phone.
• Bug fixes and improvements to keep your music playing as it should.