Apps

We are only days away from Apple announcing an official partnership with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT-style intelligence to iOS 18 and perhaps a new and improved Siri.

Ahead of those announcements, the ChatGPT iPhone app has been updated so you can keep talking to ChatGPT while multitasking in other apps. This enables a much more powerful, desktop-like experience while using the iPhone.

Bartender is a popular Mac app that lets users customize and add new functions to the macOS Menu Bar. However, the app was recently acquired by new and unknown developers without disclosure, which raised concerns among current Bartender users.

The iPhone Camera app has gained a lot of features since 2007. Users can do things like change the focus, choose between different modes, apply filters, use Night Mode, and much more. And while some users (like me) prefer the option of using third-party apps with even more controls, Zerocam is a new iPhone camera app that has zero controls or settings.

ChatGPT is down for many, with OpenAI acknowledging on its status page that the chatbot is “unavailable for some users.”

The partial outage appears to be global, though recovery does now appear to be in progress, with DownDetector showing a decline in the number of reports …

Instagram as a company seems to have never heard of this little niche product called the iPad. There may never be an Instagram iPad app, which doesn’t bode well for Threads’ own chances of native iPad support either.

But did you know that you can get an app-like Threads experience on the iPad right now? Here’s how to unlock the best iPad experience for Threads.

The TikTok algorithm could be split, claims a report, with a US-only version used for the hugely popular app to try to avoid a ban.

Developer Bytedance has tweeted that the report is not accurate, but its message appears to be more a repetition of its legal stance than a specific denial …

Meta is offering teenagers a strengthened version of its Instagram Limits tool. When set to its highest level, only Close Friends will be able to comment, reply, tag, mention, or message them.

It’s the latest development in the company’s protections for teens, after anti-grooming blocks and nudity blurring introduced earlier in the year …

Update: A US court has fast-tracked the appeal, which will be heard in September. TikTok owner Bytedance has just three weeks to file its arguments for the ban to be overturned.

Bytedance, the parent company of TikTok, is suing the US government, arguing that the threatened ban is unconstitutional. The company had previously said it would do so, though it had been unclear whether it would follow through.

The company is fighting a law which forces it to either sell the app to an American company, or be banned from operating in the US …

Today alongside confirming the details for WWDC 2024’s keynote and other offerings, Apple has announced its Apple Design Award finalists for the year.

As per tradition, Apple annually recognizes some of the best apps on the App Store across a variety of categories. The finalists this year consist of 42 apps and games across a total of seven categories, with three apps and three games in each category. Brand new this year: a Spatial Computing category highlighting six Vision Pro apps.

Mark Gurman reported over the weekend that customizing iOS app icons will be one of the new features we can expect to see in iOS 18.

On the face of it, that seems a relatively minor cosmetic change, but I think it does open the door to using it in rather an impactful way …

Today in the latest update to Arc Search for iPhone, search is becoming more conversational. The new ‘Arc Search’ feature aims to replicate the dynamics of talking on the phone, providing Arc users with a more voice assistant-like experience.

The popular security utility Little Snitch, which monitors Mac network traffic for suspicious activity, has been updated to a much more modern interface, with a whole range of new features.

Key among these is DNS encryption, which shields server name queries, and a curated list of blocklists which can be installed with a single click …

A TikTok buyout by an American company appears to be the only way for the app to survive in the US, and potentially in Europe too. But potential buyers could find themselves paying a lot of money and not getting the one thing they really want: the algorithm.

Real-estate billionaire Frank McCourt and former Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin are among those who have confirmed they are planning bids for the app …

Along with the launch of the new M2 iPad Air and M4 iPad Pro, Apple has also introduced a new Apple Pencil Pro that has the same design as the Apple Pencil 2, but features new sensors and Find My support. The company has added new APIs to iPadOS so that developers can take advantage of these new features, and Goodnotes is one of the first apps to do just that.

An EU investigation has been opened into growing concerns about teen Instagram addiction, to determine whether parent company Meta is breaking the law by deliberately seeking to make its apps addictive.

The investigation will also look into whether the company’s age-verification procedures are sufficiently robust, and the phenomenon of sending users down potentially harmful ‘rabbit holes’ …

Today the latest gaming emulator for iPhone and iPad has arrived on the iOS App Store.

RetroArch brings with it an abundance of supported game systems ranging from Nintendo favorites like the N64, SNES, Game Boy, and Nintendo DS to Sony’s PlayStation and PSP, Sega consoles, and more.

Following changes to the App Store guidelines last month, developers were finally able to release game emulators for iOS – such as the popular Delta. And joining that list now is Gamma, a new PlayStation emulator available on the iOS App Store for iPhone and iPad.

Developer Michael Tigas, maker of Focused Work, has launched a new app for Mac, iPhone, and iPad called focusedOS. This new app is designed to elevate your focus and productivity by eliminating distractions through a variety of different tools. The one I’m most excited about helps your Mac imitate the iPad’s one-app-at-a-time design.