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6,257 'Apps' stories April 2010 - December 2014
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Learn about the latest news for iOS, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV apps

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.

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Updated Dropbox iOS app gives you quick accesss to renaming files and folders, more

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Dec 1 2014 - 10:51 am PT
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Dropbox announced today that an incoming update hitting the App Store today will offer the ability to rename fils and folders and more.

Today’s update to the iOS app includes a new “more actions button” that will let users rename files, folders and access other functions: We’ve added an easy-access more actions button next to the sharing icon in the upper right-hand corner that leads to a set of file options so you can quickly do things like rename or move a file…To rename files straight from the Dropbox, simply choose Rename from the more actions button as you’re previewing. Rename folders by swiping to the right from the file list view and tapping the rename icon.

Dropbox also points out that the latest apps have a new disappearing toolbar that provides more screen real estate when viewing files and folders in addition to a few other new features. Our new toolbar disappears (and reappears) as you need it, leaving valuable screen space for a full view into your photos or important files. Simply tap once anywhere within your photo or file to toggle between the toolbar and full screen.

That new disappearing toolbar (which was present in the last version of the app as well) includes an edit button for Microsoft Office files as part of the company’s recent integration with the Office mobile apps.

The updated Dropbox app for iOS, version 3.6, will be arriving on the App Store today.

What’s New in Version 3.6

• You can now rename your files and folders!
• Swipe right on a folder to see more actions, including rename.
• We’ve moved a few things around – there’s a new more actions button (⋯) when viewing files
• On iPhones, the more actions button (⋯) also includes the full file na

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9to5Toys Cyber Monday: 11″ MacBook Air $750, Amazon Fire TV $69, Anker 13000mAh power bank $24, more

Avatar for Dec 1 2014 - 8:29 am PT
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Apple MacBook Air 11.6-inch (current gen) 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB $750 shipped (Reg. $899)

Amazon Fire TV streaming media player $69 ($30 off) or bundled w/ a year of Prime for $128 ($198 value)

Big USB Batteries, lowest ever prices: Anker 13,000mAh: $24, Aduro 10,800 mAh: $18, Limefuel 20,000mAh: $35

$100 iTunes gift card w/ email delivery for $75 from PayPal (25% savings)

Continue on for the rest of our favorite Cyber Monday tech deals:
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FingerKey app lets you unlock your Mac using iPhone’s TouchID fingerprint sensor

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Nov 28 2014 - 2:57 pm PT
28 Comments

A new app called FingerKey allows Mac users to unlock their computer using Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the iPhone 5s, 6, or 6 Plus.

That means you’ll be able to login to your Mac using your iPhone’s fingerprint sensor rather than typing in a password each time. The app takes advantage of Apple opening up the Touch ID sensor to third-party apps for logins after previously being reserved for unlocking the device itself and authenticating App Store and iTunes purchases.

The FingerKey app includes the ability to unlock multiple computers from a distance, 256-bit AES encryption, and a Notification Center Today widget for quick access.

The developer says that support for logging into Windows and Linux computers is coming soon as is a Pattern Unlock feature for logging in via touchscreen gestures.

We recently wrote about a similar app, which also used a Bluetooth connection, that allowed users to unlock their Mac using by knocking on their iPhone’s screen.

FingerKey is available on the App Store for $1.99 and the developer shared the video below of the app in action:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVS1f9iYqHs]

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9to5Toys Black Friday: Sabrent 10-port USB charger $20, Macs up to $200 off, Made In America deals, Anki $99, more

Avatar for Nov 28 2014 - 9:39 am PT
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Last USB charger you’ll need: Sabrent 10-Port USB Desktop Charger: $20 (orig. $45)

Best Buy Black Friday Mac deals: MacBooks/iMacs up to $200 off, more

Made in America Black Friday Deals: This is Ground, Spool Dock, DODOcase, more

Anki Drive Starter Kit, iOS-controlled killer robot car racing game $99 shipped (Reg. $150)

Continue on for the rest of our favorite Black Friday tech deals:


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Nintendo patent hints at official Game Boy emulator for mobile phones

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Nov 28 2014 - 9:04 am PT
7 Comments
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TechCrunch points to a newly published patent filed by Nintendo that shows the company is interested in bringing Game Boy titles to mobile devices through emulation technology. Many emulators exist online to mimic old consoles and allow gamers to play back catalogs of games converted to ROM files on Macs and PCs, and Nintendo could possibly do the same to officially bring titles to mobile devices without much heavy lifting in terms of rewriting the games:
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Critically acclaimed console game ‘Oddworld Stranger’s Wrath’ arrives remastered for iOS devices

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Nov 28 2014 - 7:18 am PT
3 Comments

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd2CxwPP6ks]

Oddworld Stranger’s Wrath first debuted on the original Xbox in 2005 to praise from critics and today the game has officially arrived for iOS devices with some new additions and enhancements specifically for the smaller screens.

Developed by Oddworld Inhabitants, Stranger’s Wrath is the latest installment in the franchise despite being first released on the original Xbox almost 10 years ago. The title foregoes the side scrolling puzzler gameplay that made the original Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee and follow up games in the series popular when released on PlayStation in the late 90’s. Instead, Stranger’s Wrath is half first-person shooter, half third-person platformer with lots of the usual Oddworld exploration and theatrical soundtrack.

The developers say the new iOS release includes “exciting new controls that make the most of the mobile format and improved visuals throughout.” The game also includes support for Made-for-iPhone game controllers and supports English, German, Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Finish, Swedish, and Polish languages.

Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath is available on the App Store now for $5.99.

Twitter to start tracking the apps on your iPhone

Avatar for Mark Hearn Nov 26 2014 - 2:18 pm PT
19 Comments
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Image via: @kristinatastic

 

Twitter is about to get very nosey with its mobile subscribers, and if you’re among the millions of people using the company’s app on your smartphone, you’ll definitely want to listen up. The short-form social media outlet’s new app graph feature will soon start tracking which applications you have installed on your devices. This opt-out feature is being introduced to help the firm insert better ads and recommendations into your timeline.


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Flexibits Black Friday sale goes live early: up to 65% off Fantastical for iOS & Mac, more

Avatar for Zac Hall Nov 26 2014 - 10:09 am PT
3 Comments

Flexibits, makers of Fantastical for Mac, iPhone, and iPad, just kicked off their huge Black Friday holiday sale early with savings up to 65% off the regular price of their apps.

If you haven’t already tried Fantastical, it’s my favorite calendar replacement app–especially for iPhone–with natural language input and a clear list view for finding your appointments easily. Both the iPhone and iPad versions feature Today view widgets, extensions, and interactive notifications for iOS 8 users, and the Mac app is a simple menu bar app for accessing from anywhere.

Here are the deals:

Fantastical for iPhone: $4.99 $1.99 (60% off)

Fantastical for iPad: $14.99 $4.99 (65% off and lowest price yet)

Fantastical for Mac: $19.99 $9.99 (50% off)

In addition to discounting Fantastical for each platform, Flexibits is also taking half off its Chatology app which helps you archive and search messages on your Mac. Available from Flexibits.com, the $19.99 app is on sale for $9.99 for the holidays. For more deals and savings, stay tuned to 9to5Toys for all the best Black Friday deals.

 

iTunes Radio is ad-free for all & offering $5 iTunes credits today courtesy of Verizon

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Nov 26 2014 - 9:25 am PT
36 Comments
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iTunes Radio, Apple’s ad-supported Internet radio service, is today available with “limited interruptions” courtesy of Verizon. That means that you won’t be seeing the normal ads you’re used to on the service and instead just a message from Verizon that states, “Enjoy with limited interruptions courtesy of Verizon.” The company is also handing out $5 iTunes store credits through a banner ad on iTunes Radio (pictured above).

It’s not just for Verizon customers, however, as the offer comes today only as part of Verizon’s “Connection Day” promotion offering free digital content and services to all users, not just Verizon customers.
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These are the most popular non-Apple apps people keep on their homescreens

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Nov 26 2014 - 5:02 am PT
28 Comments

You don’t need to go any further than iTunes to see the most popular iPhone apps, but a couple of days after Betaworks launched #Homescreen, an app which allows people to share their homescreens on Twitter, we thought it would be interesting to check the results so far. The above image was the result at the time of writing.

#Homescreen is an app with a single function: it allows you to share your current iPhone homescreen on Twitter. Betaworks uses image-recognition to identify the apps, and pulls together a constantly-updated image showing the most popular dock and homescreen apps.

Betaworks excludes Apple’s own apps, but does note that “between 45 percent and 65 percent of the home screens examined had replaced Apple’s default apps with third-party options,” reports TechCrunch.

One trend the company noted in a Medium blog post is the growing popularity of third-party messaging apps.

Facebook is Messenger is on 14% of people’s homescreen, Whatsapp is on 12 percent, Snapchat is on 11%, Path on 5 percent (while snapchat and path arent straight messaging app’s, worth noting them here for comparison), Groupme 4.7%, HipChat on 2.6 percent, Line on 1.5 percent, Viber 1%, Kik is on 0.5 percent.

Facebook, unsurprisingly, took the title of most popular third-party app provider, with 68.6% of homescreens having at least one of Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Pages or Instagram.

If you want to share your homescreen but can’t be bothered to download an app to do it, you can tweet a screengrab with the hashtag #homescreen2014.

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9to5Toys Last Call: Beats Studio headphones $200, Pebble Smart Watch $80, Seagate 5TB Desktop HDD $130, more

Avatar for Nov 25 2014 - 12:27 pm PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the brand new 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Best Buy Black Friday Early Access for everyone: Pebble from $80, GoPro Hero3+ Silver bundle $250, Beats Studio $200, much more

Seagate 5TB Backup Plus USB 3.0 External Desktop Hard Drive: $130 shipped (Reg. $150)

RAVPower Element 10400mAh USB Power Bank $20 Prime shipped (Reg. $40)

The best Mac Black Friday deals that we’ve seen so far this week

Listen to the entire new AC/DC album “Rock or Bust” for free on iTunes a week before its release

Small States: JDS Labs makes powerful iPhone headphone amps, giveaway worth $279

Other new deals:

More deals still alive:

Black Friday:

We’re updating our email newsletter with Black Friday/holiday shopping ideas and savings

Top leaks:

All other leaks/info:

New products/ongoing promos:

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Dropbox’s Microsoft Office integration arriving in updated mobile apps today

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Nov 25 2014 - 9:47 am PT
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Following an announcement earlier this month that Microsoft was adding Dropbox integration for syncing and sharing to the Office for iOS apps, Dropbox announced today that the feature is now available in its latest app updates for iOS and Android.

The integration essentially allows users to tap into Dropbox storage directly from within the Office mobile apps, but it will also include the ability to send links to files from Office using Dropbox, open documents from Dropbox in Office, and more. Dropbox has instructions on how to use the new integration with Microsoft’s Office apps on its website.

To get started, make sure your Dropbox app is up to date on your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone, then open any Office doc, spreadsheet, or presentation in your Dropbox. Tap the new Edit icon (shown above) to start editing in the latest Office apps. When you’re done, your changes will be saved back to Dropbox automatically.

You can get the new features through the latest Dropbox app for iOS starting today and the latest versions of Microsoft’s Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Office apps. The integration is also expected to arrive for web users early next year.

Retailers w/ iBeacons have upper hand this holiday as shoppers embrace location-based offers

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Nov 25 2014 - 6:25 am PT
4 Comments
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The latest stats from Swirl Networks, the company behind a number of beacon deployments at high-profile retailers, shows that shoppers in the US are embracing Bluetooth beacons and along with it Apple’s iBeacon framework for app developers sending location sensitive notifications to users. More specifically, data collected from the company’s beacon deployments in recent months shows that beacons are influencing the way we shop with more than half engaging with the feature and many redeeming beacon offers when making purchases. 
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Twitterrific 5 for Mac may become the first casualty in Twitter’s war on developers, but it won’t be the last

Avatar for Mike Beasley Nov 25 2014 - 6:00 am PT
17 Comments
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If you open the Mac App Store right now and do a search for “twitter,” you’ll find results just like the ones in the image above. You may recognize the official Twitter app along with some of the most popular and prolific third-party clients. Right below Twitter for Mac you’ll find Twitterrific.

Twitterrific has been around for quite a while now, and was the very first native Twitter application ever built for Mac. It was also the first app to use the word “tweet” to refer to the posts on the network, and introduced many modern staples like conversations and replies. To this day it remains a popular choice among users and has seen many major updates and redesigns. It’s currently on its fourth major version.

In December 2012, Twitterrific 5 was released for iOS devices. The Iconfactory, Twitterrific’s developers, promised that a Mac version of the updated app was in development and would include support for the new iCloud syncing feature and an all-new design. Three days shy of a year after releasing the iPhone update, however, users were given what is currently the app’s most recent update. It included only two bug fixes. The developers have noted that the 5.0 update for Mac is facing big delays.

So what’s going on here? Why has it taken two years for any more news of the update? When will the new version finally be available?

The unfortunate truth? Not even the developers know.


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9to5Toys Last Call: Toshiba 1TB Portable HDD $45, Retina iPad mini 32GB $299, Amazon Fire TV Stick $25, more

Avatar for Justin Kahn Nov 24 2014 - 3:56 pm PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the brand new 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Toshiba Canvio Connect 1TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive: $45 shipped (Reg. $75)

Apple 32GB iPad mini 2 w/Retina display: $299 shipped ($50 off)

Amazon Fire TV Stick in stock and on sale for $25 w/ free in-store pickup (Reg. $39)

Giveaway: 10 limited edition Skrillex Ultimate Ears BOOM Bluetooth speakers ($200 value)

Amazon announces its Black Friday gameplan and prices, new deals every 10 minutes

Small States: JDS Labs makes powerful iPhone headphone amps, giveaway worth $279

Other new deals:

More deals still alive:

Black Friday:

We’re updating our email newsletter with Black Friday/holiday shopping ideas and savings

Top leaks:

All other leaks/info:

New products/ongoing promos:

Betaworks launches ‘#Homescreen’ to make app sharing and discovery easier

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Nov 24 2014 - 10:53 am PT
2 Comments

If you have ever caught yourself peering at someone else’s iPhone home screen, be it the person sitting next to you on the subway or in a college lecture hall, look no further. New York-based startup studio and venture capital firm Betaworks on Monday released a new app called #Homescreen for sharing your iPhone home screen and discovering apps. 
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Report: App Store downloads surge to highest ever in October following iPhone 6/6 Plus launch

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Nov 24 2014 - 5:03 am PT
1 Comment

According to the latest data from Fiksu, the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus alongside iOS 8 accounted for a massive increase and an all-time high for app downloads. Specifically, the report points to a 42 percent increase from the previous month among the top 200 free iOS apps tracked by the company. Around 7.8 million downloads for the top 200 free apps accounted for a 42 percent increase over September and a 39 percent increase year-over-year.
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GarageBand, Star Walk, Threes and more apps go (RED) until December 7th, all proceeds going to charity

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Nov 23 2014 - 2:22 pm PT
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A range of apps have been updated today with limited-time promotions, in aid of the (RED) charity. Apple has participated in the event with an update to GarageBand, offering a limited-edition In-App Purchase that makes over 300 new drum, guitar, synth and bass loops available as an In-App Purchase. All proceeds from the sale of this expansion pack go directly to the (RED) charity, which sends the money to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The In-App Purchase, which is priced at $0.99, will be available until December 7th.

Other notable developers are also participating, many of which including exclusive additional content. For example, Threes has been updated, with a fresh red theme and updated icon. Monument Valley has added one special (RED) level, Star Walk has added exploration of Mars, The Red Planet. The popular drawing app, Paper, has also participated with a red application theme and icon. The ‘Over’ app has made special edition font and artwork packs available for purchase. djay and Heads Up! are also taking part in the event. Like GarageBand, 100% of proceeds of app and IAP sales go to the (RED) fund.


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Apple’s A8 processor found in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus can reportedly handle 4K video playback

Avatar for Mike Beasley Nov 21 2014 - 5:47 pm PT
7 Comments

When Apple debuted the A8 processor that would be used in its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, it appears the company decided to omit one big detail: the chip, according to a new discovery by the developers behind the app WALTR. Using that app, they found that it was possible to load 4K videos onto an iPhone 6. Not only that, but the device managed to play it back without any issues.


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This week’s Apple Pay arrivals: Sephora, tickets.com, Disney Store app, Square coming in 2015

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Nov 21 2014 - 2:38 pm PT
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Apple is steadily rolling out more support for banking and card issuer partners since first launching its new Apple Pay payments service last month. The other part of the equation is retailers and app developers supporting the service and this week saw the rollout of additional support including announcements from Sephora, venues that utilize tickets.com, and the Disney Store iOS app. In addition, Square is today confirming that its previously announced under development bitcoin and NFC capable register will arrive with Apple Pay support sometime in 2015.
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9to5Toys Last Call: Seiki 40″ HDTV w/ USB $200, The Whole Pantry for iOS free, Intel 240GB SSD $110, more

Avatar for Nov 21 2014 - 2:13 pm PT
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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the brand new 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Seiki 40″ 1080P LED HDTV w/ USB & 3 HDMI inputs: $200 shipped more

Free iOS app courtesy of Apple Store: The Whole Pantry ($2.99 value)

Intel 730 Series 2.5-inch Solid State Drives: 240GB $110 (orig. $270), 480GB $200 (orig. $500)

Giveaway: 10 limited edition Skrillex Ultimate Ears BOOM Bluetooth speakers ($200 value)

Amazon announces its Black Friday gameplan and prices, new deals every 10 minutes

Small States – TM1985: former Ralph Lauren designer goes American made w/ elegant backpacks, $407 giveaway + 25% discount

Other new deals:

More deals still alive:

Black Friday:

We’re updating our email newsletter with Black Friday/holiday shopping ideas and savings

Top leaks:

All other leaks/info:

New products/ongoing promos: