Apps

6,285 'Apps' stories April 2010 - April 2013

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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.

NFL ’13 iOS app updated with live coverage, second-screen experience & push notifications for 2013 NFL Draft

Jordan Kahn Apr 24 2013 - 6:27 am PT

NFL Enterprises has updated its NFL ’13 app today to offer live coverage and a new second screen experience to a number of users directly through the app for the upcoming 2013 NFL Draft. NFL Network subscribers on COX, Cablevision, and FiOS in the US will have access to the live coverage on their iPads, while all users will be able to access a second-screen experience dubbed “Draft Extra” to enhance the event.

Other updates include a new custom push notifications for players, teams, and rounds, as well as additional live coverage for the Draft. Verizon customers can check out Draft Live on the NFL Mobile App.

What’s New in Version 3.10

– Follow the 2013 NFL Draft Live! COX, Cablevision and FiOS customers with NFL Network can sign in to watch NFL Network on their iPads (US Only). All other customers can watch NFL.com/LIVE at the Draft.
-Draft Xtra a second-screen experience designed to enhance the event
– Custom push notifications by player, team and round
– Plus all NFL.com Draft coverage – News, analysis and mock draft coverage
– Verizon customers can watch the Draft Live on the NFL Mobile App

Tumblr updates iOS app with new sharing features, save later with Pocket, animated GIFs, & more… now with ads

Jordan Kahn Apr 24 2013 - 6:10 am PT

On top of the recent announcement that it will be bringing sponsored posts, aka advertisements, to its mobile apps, Tumblr today released an updated iOS app that includes new sharing features, the ability to save content for later reading, new templates for sharing posts through email, and much more.

Other enhancements include animated GIFs while scrolling, an alphabetized and searchable Following list, and support for sharing directly to Twitter and Facebook. A full list of what’s new in version 3.3.1 of the universal iOS app is below:

What’s New in Version 3.3.1

Now you can do more than just reblog when you find something you love.

– Share posts via Twitter, Facebook, and more
– Save stuff for later using Instapaper and Pocket
– Email an entire post with our beautiful new template
– Fling a photo up or down to close it!
– GIFs animate while you scroll*
– Following list is now alphabetized and searchable

*iPad 2, 3 and 4, iPad Mini, iPod Touch 5th Generation, iPhone 4S and 5 only

Apple updates iAd Producer with support for iBooks Author widgets, iTunes LPs, iTunes Extras, more

Jordan Kahn Apr 23 2013 - 1:29 pm PT

Apple’s iAd Producer tool for creating HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript ads for its iAd platform gets updated to version 4.0 today and adds a number of notable new features on top of some performance enhancements that Apple outlined in a knowledge base article. The updated app now allows users to create iBooks Author widgets, iTunes LPs, and iTunes Extras. Apple provides more information on the new features, such as creating an iBooks Author Widget for iBooks Author projects on the iAd Producer support page:

You can create an iBooks Author widget for use in your iBooks Author projects. For example, you can create a widget that allows users to stream video from the Internet, draw using their finger, or interact with a timeline.

A full list of what’s new in iAd Producer 4.0 including: folder-based organization support, new HTML, Stack, Drawing, and Panorama objects, in-app quick previews, CSS filter support for objects, and much more below:

New in iAd Producer 4.0

This release contains a number of new features and improvements

Improved Object library interface
Improved Actions library interface
Support for folder-based organization in the asset library
New HTML, Stack, Drawing, and Panorama objects
New actions for adding and removing CSS classes, animating background position, animating image masks, and text slide-in animation
Support for applying CSS filters as well as image and gradient masks to objects.
In-app quick preview
Project-wide search in the Code Editor
Better export performance
Improved menu layout
Improved font support, including support for OpenType fonts
Improved rulers and alignment guides
Enhanced inspectors, with pop-up color pickers, and gradient sliders that now represent opacity
Support for QuickLook previews in iAd Producer project files
Support for iTunes LP, iTunes Extras, and iBook Author widget project types
Other fixes and improvements

(via MacStories)

Apple Store app for iPhone updated with notifications for when you are eligible for iPhone upgrade pricing

Mark Gurman Apr 23 2013 - 1:23 pm PT

Apple’s official Apple Store application for iPhone and iPod touch has been updated with some neat notifications-related enhancements:

– Choose to receive notifications that let you know exactly when you’re eligible for upgrade pricing on a new iPhone. And since all you need to complete the order is your Apple ID and password, buying your new iPhone is fast and easy (US only).

– Stay on top of your delivery with notifications. We’ll let you know when your order ships, keep you informed of any updates, and notify you when it’s delivered.

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Google Fiber TV remote app for iPad released

Zac Hall Apr 23 2013 - 11:31 am PT

Google launched its Google Fiber TV for iPad app today allowing Google Fiber customers to transform their iPads into QWERTY keyboard, TV guide yielding TV remotes.

For the past month, our Fiber TV customers have been able to control their TVs with any recent Android device. Using the Fiber TV app from the Google Play Store, they can search for programming, browse listings, and select shows or recordings with just the touch or swipe of a finger. Now, iPad users can enjoy this simple, intuitive experience, too.

This should come as great news to tablet owners in Kansas City, Austin, and Provo.

Google Fiber TV for iPad is available for free in the App Store.

(Source: Google)

Atom for jailbroken iPhones is a welcome lockscreen overhaul

Mike Beasley Apr 23 2013 - 11:00 am PT

The iPhone lockscreen hasn’t changed much in the past six versions of iOS, with the exception of the addition of a camera slider. Atom is a new jailbreak tweak that seeks to completely redesign the lockscreen and add new functionality, and it does not disappoint.

Keep reading to find out how Atom can make your lockscreen even more useful.

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DirectTV to add voice search, capabilities to its iPhone app later this year (video)

Mark Gurman Apr 23 2013 - 10:14 am PT

DirectTV has announced that it will be adding voice search and capabilities to its iOS application later this year, and a beta will be available this summer. Like Apple’s Siri application for iOS, the application will understand many different types of commands. For example, you can say “find movies with Tom Cruise” or “what’s playing on HBO?” Solid Signal posted a review for the DirectTV voice app, detailing some of the more advanced voice features.

While you wouldn’t want to use voice control in place of a remote, it’s a nice parlor trick to tune a receiver using your voice. Say “Tune to channel 7” or “tune to ABC” and the receiver will change channels for you. The natural language recognition is quite good, too. Saying “find me some comedies” resulted in over 200 being found.

The site also published a video overview:

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FedEx Mobile iOS app gets ‘Delivery Manager’ with customized delivery options, lets users sign for packages

Jordan Kahn Apr 23 2013 - 7:06 am PT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsDjJQzAhi4

FedEx has updated its iOS app today providing users with access to sign up and use a new FedEx Delivery Manager feature to customize delivery options and even sign for packages directly from within the app.

Once users have signed up for Delivery Manager, they will be able to schedule deliveries, provide instructions for pending deliveries, and even sign for packages using the universal app for iPhone and iPad. Other delivery options that users can customize include: Deliver to another address, Schedule a vacation hold, and Hold your package at a FedEx location.

Get convenience and flexibility for deliveries to your home. You can view upcoming deliveries to your home address, get status updates, or request to schedule a delivery by choosing your preferred date, time, or date and time combination. Or you can request FedEx to deliver to another address — in your neighborhood or across the U.S. — or select from free options such as Hold at FedEx Location.

The new Delivery Manager feature is initially only available for residential deliveries within the US. Users interested in signing up or learning more about the new feature can do so at fedex.com/delivery.

The updated FedEx mobile app is available on the App Store now.

Discovery Channel and TLC iOS apps updated with “Plus” interactive second-screen experience

Jordan Kahn Apr 23 2013 - 6:32 am PT

Discovery Communications updated two of its iOS apps today with a brand new second screen experience dubbed “Plus”. Available for the Discovery Channel HD app and the TLC app for iPhone and iPad, “TLC Plus” and “Discovery Plus” brings interactive “second-screen” content that syncs to some of the network’s most popular shows. According to iTunes, the synced experience includes “exclusive factoids, photos, and more” and will also allow you to sync up with previously aired Plus-enabled shows that you may have recorded on your DVR.

The Plus experience isn’t available for all shows yet and is currently only available on iPad, although iPhone support and more content is on the way. The updated apps also include a new schedule guide allowing users to “quickly see when a series is currently airing new episodes, and what new shows are about to premiere.”

Update, April 24: Discovery has now updated its Animal Planet iOS app with a new experience that offers views from 12 live HD cameras:

What’s New in Version 2.5

Now on your iPad: Introducing Animal Planet L!VE, featuring unfiltered, round-the-clock access to the compelling worlds of the beautiful, cute and misunderstood. With this update, users can immerse themselves in 12 live HD cameras.

Apple’s iCloud servers once again experiencing major outages for a growing number of users

Jordan Kahn Apr 23 2013 - 5:34 am PT

Update, 9:34 AM: Apple has now updated its System Status page to confirm the outages we reported earlier this morning. Apple reports some users experienced issues with account & sign in for iCloud, purchases for iTunes, Game Center, and creating new Apple IDs:

Over the last couple of months Apple’s iCloud servers have been experiencing major outages approximately every couple of weeks and today a growing number of users are once again complaining of issues accessing various iCloud services.

9to5Mac readers in several countries have reached out to Apple support who confirmed the outages, although Apple is yet to update its System Status page to reflect the downtime. Apple is typically at least a few hours behind in reporting outages.

As highlighted by hundreds of users on Twitter, the outages appear to be affecting multiple iCloud services including Mail, third-party apps attempting to access iCloud credentials, and Find my iPhone. Others are simply receiving an error message when attempting to access any iCloud service. Some users are also reporting that iCloud is requesting they reset their passwords as if their account is experiencing a security issue.

We’ll update this post when/if Apple finally reports the outages.

So, is iCloud coming down, or are we hallucinating? http://t.co/fKAepnEhzO

— Ulysses Team (@the_soulmen) April 23, 2013

#iCloud seems to be down. Or account hacked? Hopefully not…

— Juhana Venäläinen (@juhana_) April 23, 2013

iCloud – AppStore – iTunes : Hors Service pic.twitter.com/6llTx5pu8o

— Vincent Chapeau (@iChaps_) April 23, 2013

https://twitter.com/himanzoo/status/326669089533722624

https://twitter.com/KhaledYousry/status/326666876124033024

Anyone else having #server issues with #Apple #icloud this morning?

— Kevvy (@kevvyrowley) April 23, 2013

the strangest thing is happening to my #icloud email account on my phone. hope messages will return… :-((

— bernardo (@bjchan) April 23, 2013

https://twitter.com/ridewithgarrett/status/326664553310081024

@flexibits Fantastical keeps asking for my password for my iCloud cal. Ideas?

— Meron Bareket (@MeronBareket) April 23, 2013

Netflix is now larger than HBO, now offers $12 family plan

Michael Steeber Apr 22 2013 - 5:23 pm PT

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Netflix, the streaming media company who just announced huge gains in its quarterly numbers, is now larger than HBO, according to Quartz.

After several strong quarters of growth, Netflix now has 29.2 million people in the US subscribed to its $8-a-month streaming plan, which is, for the first time, greater than HBO’s domestic subscription base of 28.7 million.

Quartz notes that Netflix, while not a cable network in the traditional sense, is now viewed more than any traditional U.S. cable market.

From an internet service standpoint, Netflix is also fairing quite impressively, making up 33% of all downstream traffic, which is more than services like YouTube, Amazon Video, and most impressively, iTunes.

As part of the earnings announcement, Netflix also noted that it would begin offering a $12 monthly family plan that would allow 4 simultaneous streams.

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Twitterrific 5.2.1 adds notification badges and more

Mike Beasley Apr 22 2013 - 12:57 pm PT

Twitterrific 5 has recieved another big update today, which introduces several new features, improvements, and fixes. The most prominent new feature is the fact that you can now enable app badges for push notifications, but other new additions include support for Twitter’s trending topics and the Favstar service. There are also a bunch of little improvements and bug fixes throughout the app, further polishing the recently-redesigned app.

The update is available now in the App Store. The change log is below, and you can find our full review of Twitterrific 5 here.

NEW FEATURES

• App badges for push notifications (enable in iOS Settings > Notification Center)
– Notification count for replies, mentions & DM’s
– Using app badges also clears messages from Notification Center
• Favstar support (enable in Settings > Other Services)
– View a user’s Favstar page from their profile or via long tap on their avatar
– View Favstar info on a tweet via more actions menu (…)
• Twitter trends (open Sidebar > Search > Tweets tab to view)

IMPROVEMENTS

• Faster tweet loading time
• Search interface remembers last selected tab
• Support for Twitter stock symbols ($AAPL, etc)
• New tweet count stays on screen until the timeline is scrolled
• Home timeline auto-refreshes when posting a new tweet or DM
• Automatic theme changing now based on dawn/dusk at your location
• Compose gesture: one-finger swipe left/right to adjust cursor
• VoiceOver now speaks hint text at the bottom of settings panel
• VoiceOver now speaks muffled tweet descriptions
• Holding timeline position improved when using VoiceOver
• Photo viewer can be dismissed using VoiceOver’s two-finger Z gesture

BUG FIXES

• Muffled hash tags are now case insensitive
• Buttons in settings are now easier to tap
• Corrected display bugs during pull-to-refresh
• Fixed a bug that prevented Readability from turning off
• Tweets at the top of the timeline are easier to swipe
• User links in emailed tweets now properly point to the user’s profile
• Fixed various bugs that caused the timeline to jump to top unexpectedly
• Compose displays correctly when using foreign language keyboards on iPad
• Additional fixes & improvements

Dropbox iOS app updated with support for 6 new languages

Jordan Kahn Apr 22 2013 - 11:55 am PT

Earlier this month Dropbox announced support for 6 new languages on the desktop and Android devices. As promised, today the iOS app gets the same update, bringing support for “Indonesian, Malay, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese.” Update version 2.1.4, available on the App Store now, also includes the usual bug fixes and performance enhancements.

Dropbox version 2.14

Yahoo! for iOS adds Summly integration

Zac Hall Apr 22 2013 - 8:08 am PT

Yahoo continues to rebrand itself under the leadership of former Google executive Marissa Mayer, proving it can be just as innovative as its competitors.

Following the launch of Yahoo! Weather and Yahoo! Mail for iPad last week, the Internet giant updated its Yahoo! for iOS app today to include news summaries in its articles provided by Summly as well as a redesigned page for articles.

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Google launches ‘Places for Business’ iPhone app to manage business information across Google services

Mark Gurman Apr 21 2013 - 10:38 pm PT

Today, Google has released a new iPhone and iPod touch application for its Places for Business platform. Places for Business is a Google service that allows business owners to manage the presence of their business across Google services such as Search, Maps, and Google+. Now, with the new app, these tasks can be handled on the go.

Business owners can use the app to:
– Verify your business listing directly from your phone
– Update your business information: hours, address, contact information, and description
– Post beautiful pictures of your business on your local Google+ page
– Track web traffic going to your listing
– Manage multiple business locations from one app

Having the ability to manage Places for Business from an iPhone or iPod touch is a compelling experience because information can be updated at a quicker pace. Additionally, the camera inside of iOS devices allows for quick uploading of photos of businesses. The app is free on the App Store.

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Review + Giveaway: Abstergo jailbreak tweak finally fixes iOS notifications

Mike Beasley Apr 21 2013 - 10:00 am PT

When Apple introduced Notification Center in iOS 5, they changed the way most people manage notification on their iOS devices. For the most part, they were right. Unfortunately, Notification Center introduced its own deficiencies and now people are looking for changes once again.

Today, change has finally come in the form of a jailbreak tweak called Abstergo, and we’ve got five free copies for our readers. Keep reading for a full breakdown of the tweak and more information about how you can win a copy.

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Get Mac Blu-ray Player, Snapz Pro, Disk Tools, CrossOver, Paperless OCR, Gemini de-duper, more: $9

9to5 Staff Apr 21 2013 - 6:18 am PT

From 9to5Toys.com:

We covered this earlier this week when it was under $7 but it bears repeating as the price is still under $10.

Usually, these ‘name your own price’ bundles are full of duds but this one is pretty impressive. You get Mac Blu-ray Player, Snapz Pro, Disk Tools, CrossOver, Paperless OCR, Gemini de-duper, MusicTube and more. There is a catch though. It isn’t really “name your own price”, it is pay a bit more than the last folks did. The good news is that it is currently under $9.17. The bad news is that the more people that buy, the higher the price goes, so get in quick.
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Tips: Use little-known gestures to arrange photos and shapes in iOS Pages

Benjamin Mayo Apr 20 2013 - 4:26 pm PT

Although the touch-centric UI makes getting to grips with Pages for iOS straightforward, the interface does not appear well-suited to precise positioning of objects, which is necessary in more complicated documents. Luckily, Apple’s iWork suite extends the default iOS set of gestures to provide options for finer-grained control. Learning these more-obscure techniques makes doing ‘real work’ with Pages for iOS an enjoyable experience, rather than an annoyance.

Nudging objects

The natural way to position an object with an iPhone or iPad is to drag it, but this method is not really suitable when doing pixel-accurate alignments. With Pages for Mac, you can achieve one-pixel ‘nudges’ with the arrow keys. To do a nudge on a keyboard-less iOS device, you have to use a special two-finger gesture. Start by placing one finger on the photo you want to nudge to select it. Then, swipe in any direction outside of the photo’s bounds with another finger, to move the object in the respective direction. Add on another ‘swiping finger’ to shift by 10 pixels, rather than single pixels, at a time.

Locked movement

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Watch our LIVE 9to5Mac Happy Hour April 19, 2013

9to5 Staff Apr 19 2013 - 2:11 pm PT

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Review: CamFind for iPhone lets you search for anything with your camera

Michael Steeber Apr 19 2013 - 10:30 am PT

Back in late 2010, Google brought Google Goggles (not to be confused with Google Glass) to the Google Search app for iPhone. At the time, it seemed like a great feature. You could take a photo of anything with your iPhone, and Google would instantly identify the object in the frame, returning relevant data about the photo.

That was 2010. You’d probably think that in the years following, Google would’ve continually updated Goggles, making the recognition more accurate and expanding its features. Well, you’d be wrong. In fact, Goggles functions entirely the same as it did in 2010, another fine example of Google’s continued dedication to their products.

Image Searcher, the developers behind a new app called CamFind, have seemingly stepped in where Google failed, creating a image-based search service that they claim is “four times more accurate than Google Goggles.” Let’s take a look at how it really performed.

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Vu news app for iPhone has unique interface, recommends content

Mark Gurman Apr 18 2013 - 2:52 pm PT

We’ve been testing a new, free iPhone news app called Vu that presents content based on what you have previously read/viewed within the app via an easy to use, fast interface. The app recently gained article saving and improved article sharing features, and we think it is worth taking a look at. Like other news apps, you can sync content between your iPhone, iPad, and your computer. You can access content you have saved for later via a web browser on non-iPhone devices.

NBA Game Time app for iPhone and iPad updated for the Playoffs

Mark Gurman Apr 18 2013 - 12:29 pm PT

The NBA has updated its iPad and iPhone/iPod touch applications in time for the NBA Playoffs. The Playoffs begin this Sunday, so the app updates feature a live updating Playoffs bracket and new content.

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Google Babel to have iOS client at launch

9to5 Staff Apr 18 2013 - 11:21 am PT

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Google’s new Babel messaging platform is not only taking on a Hipchat-like Group messaging featureset, it also appears it will hit the iOS App Store at launch (which is looking like sooner rather than later for all of the code leaks). More at 9to5Google

Facebook launches SDK 3.5, Share Dialog, over 80% of top iOS apps/games include Facebook integration

Zac Hall Apr 18 2013 - 9:05 am PT

via redmondpie.com

Facebook announced updates regarding mobile today at its Mobile Developer Conference in New York City continuing its effort to transition to a mobile-first platform.

Changes include an improved experience with Facebook Login, easier implementation of Open Graph on mobile, a new Object API and Object Browser, a native Share Dialog and Facebook SDK 3.5 for iOS.

The new Share Dialog allows users in non-Facebook apps to share directly to Facebook without leaving the app.

Facebook says its permissions dialog is 20% faster now.

The social network is encouraging mobile developers to integrate Facebook into their apps as it announced that 81% of the top grossing 100 iOS apps already integrate with Facebook.

(Source: Facebook)