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.
In June, we told you about BlueStacks. It is a tool that allows Android apps to run on a Mac. The alpha only officially supported 17 Android apps, with Pulse and Words with Friends being the two of the more notable apps at launch, but the application has improved immensely. As Venture Beatfirst noted, BlueStacks has moved into beta this morning. It now allows users to run every Android app that the Google Play store has to offer. Some may be puzzled at the need to run a mobile application on the desktop, but it does come in use for apps like Instagram and Flipboard that have no desktop equivalent. BlueStacks reminds us a lot of Parallels or VM Ware, and it definitely becomes more useful with the added apps.
As of earlier this month, the Silicon Valley-based company passed 5 million installs on both Windows and Mac. BlueStacks also plans an even more impressive growth with partners AMD and ASUS, as TechCrunchnoted, where the software would be pre-installed on over 100 million devices. Upcoming features include an App Discovery system in the Mac app to make it easier for users to find apps. Interested? You can download the beta from BlueStacks.
Over the holidays, the iOS device user base surely grew to new heights with many gifted new iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches. With the growing App Store, it is important for new iOS device users to know which of the many applications are right for them. We have been pointed to AppHero’s free iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch application, which uses multiple methods to recommend App Store applications to its users. We spoke to AppHero’s Jordan Satok who explained that AppHero primarily uses a user’s Facebook and Twitter data in order to serve application recommendations.
A new iPhone app released just before Christmas provides a new spin on the panoramic, 360-degree video app, of which there are many competitors in the App Store. Normally, shooting 360-degree video would require the help of a hardware peripheral, such as the GoPano micro, or some crafty manual handwork to maneuver the device 360 degrees. With the new Cycloramic app from Egos Ventures, the iPhone will self-spin around by vibrating at certain frequencies. This allows you to capture hands-free, 360-degree video without a tripod or stand. The video above speaks for itself.
The developers warned the iPhone must be placed upright on a flat, hard surface without a case or stand. They also noted the iPhone 4s “will only turn very slowly on perfectly level glass. This is really designed for iPhone 5.”
Yet another App Store developer has managed to sneak an app with hidden tethering functionality into the App Store. We covered an app that did this in August, and this new application uses a similar process to enable tethering.
Because the application’s tethering functionality is an “easter-egg” – and was hidden from Apple’s app review team – it will likely be removed soon.
Some users have experienced some issues, and making sure that turning off proxies on your computer following setup and entering the correct static IP and socks information (the static HTTP is 6667 and SOCKS is 6668) seems to fix the most common problems.
Enabling tethering steps:
Go to calculator in F.A.K. Enter following: 1642, M+, C, 1452, M+, C, 1943, M+ When it says “run”, tethering is running. Press “C” to stop tethering.
HTTP port: 6667
SOCKS port: 6668
The video above is the best guide for setting up the tethering app. Directly above is some written assistance with specific characters that will need to be entered.
The Marion Police Department in Virginia have decided to encourage residents to report crime by releasing a new app called “iWatch Marion“. The app is available for free on the App Store and provides citizens with an easy way to report potential crimes by uploading tips, photos, and video. Content uploaded by users is forwarded directly to the police department closest to the location the tip was sent from:
Because iWatch Marion uses global positioning technology, the system intelligently forwards information to the Howard County Police Department based on where the handheld device is physically located at any given moment.
The app will also allow users to receive alerts for missing children, crime, weather, and more. I’m not sure if major cities will jump on the idea of encouraging citizens to get involved in crimes in progress, but it’s something that more and more smaller towns are starting to take advantage of. Expand Expanding Close
Update: Best Buy is now down to 15%. Still worth your time.
Today only, Best Buy knocks 20% off the price of physical iTunes gift cards across the board from $15 -$100 (including the very handy $10 three-pack). iTunes gift cards are good for music, videos, iBooks, movies, and iOS/Mac Apps. They can be ordered site-to-store for pick-up up until 3PM on Dec 24th or ship for free if you don’t need them by Christmas.
MapChoice | $0.99:A new app just released on the App Store provides you with access to both Apple’s new Maps and Google Maps in a single app. Your position will transfer from one map to the other, and it also includes StreetView and Foursquare integration.
MapChoice gives you a choice between old and new maps. You can also view Street View and search using FourSquare.
Updated:
Instagram version 3.4.0 | FREE:Instagram gets updated today with support for 25 languages, a new “Mayfair” filter, Facebook iOS 6 integration, and more.
– Instagram is now available in 25 languages!
– New filter: Mayfair
– Share photos from any album
– Facebook iOS 6 integration
– Improved performance and bug fixes
The Wall Street Journal version 5.0 | FREE: The Wall Street Journal just updated its iOS app, moving content on iPhone and iPad to Apple’s Newsstand and providing users with automatically updated issues each morning. WSJ will now offer in-app subscriptions, billing users directly to their iTunes accounts monthly. The updated app also includes Alerts for breaking news.
Newsstand & Alerts
– WSJ is now in Newsstand! Get new issues automatically delivered to your device overnight. To use Newsstand, tap ‘Allow’ when prompted.
– Note: WSJ App icon will now appear in the Newsstand Folder.
– Breaking News Alerts from WSJ. To get alerts, tap ‘Allow’ when prompted.
In-App Subscriptions – Purchase a monthly subscription to WSJ through your iTunes account. With a digital subscription you get access to iPad, iPhone, WSJ.com and more.
StubHub version 4.1.0 | FREE: The StubHub iOS app gets updated with more interactive seat maps, the ability to see your view before buying tickets, iPhone 5 support, and more:
• Interactive seat maps for certain football and basketball games: filter ticket listings by section
• View from section: see the view from your section before you buy (for many events)
• iPhone 5 support
• Improved sharing (Twitter, Facebook, and text messaging)
• Ability to add events to your calendar
• User interface enhancements
Analytics firm Distimo is out today with the full results of its year-end 2012 app analytics report (via Fortune). While Apple is still the clear winner in terms of revenue, Google Play showed significant growth in the last four months. Its daily revenue grew 43 percent in 20 major markets. Apple’s growth was smaller, increasing daily revenue by 21 percent, but Distimo’s numbers show Google still has a long way to go:
On a typical day in November 2012, the revenues in the Apple App Store exceeded $15M USD, while in Google Play the revenues are just below $3.5M USD in 20 of the largest countries in both app stores… Even though the growth in revenues in Google Play in the last four months is close to that of the Apple App Store in 2012, the growth in daily revenues in the Apple App Store was higher than the total daily revenues in Google Play when comparing absolute daily revenue values.
As for the most popular apps of 2012, Distimo said Asian publisher Naver was able to beat Draw Something’s record of 1 million users in nine day. Its app, Line Pop, got 1.75 million downloads in the first 72 hours. That’s something that took Facebook nine months to accomplish. The app also brought over 1 million in revenue for the developer in 12 days.
To round out the year in review, Distmo breaks down revenue by category in the charts below: the top 10 most grossing cross-store publishers, the top 10 publishers and apps by downloads on the App Store, and the top five highest growing countries by revenue. There aren’t many surprises: Expand Expanding Close
1. Karateka | $2.99: Jordan Mechner, creator of the popular Prince of Persia franchise, and developer of the original fighter classic “Karateka” for the Apple II, is today bringing an HD remake of the game to iOS. Available on the App Store now for $2.99 for iPhone and iPad, the remake of the original 1984 fighter looks to essentially be a port of work done on the HD remake released on consoles last month. The video above features Mechner talking about the remake and comparing the original Apple II version to the new iOS title.
Created on an Apple II by Jordan Mechner in his Yale dorm room, Karateka became a #1 bestseller and influenced a generation of gamers with its groundbreaking rotoscoped animation and cinematic cutscenes… 28 years later, Mechner returns to his indie roots with a new take on Karateka for today’s digital game platforms, featuring art by Jeff Matsuda (The Batman) and music by Grammy-winning composer Christopher Tin (Civilization IV).
Google made some announcements today regarding its work with the Quickoffice team since acquiring the company in June. On top of noting work to take advantage of Quickoffice conversion technology in Google Docs, Google launched a free version of the QuickOffice iPad app exclusively for Google Apps for Business customers today. There are also free iPhone and Android versions of the app for creating and editing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files coming to Apps customers in the near future:
Converting old files to Google Docs, Sheets and Slides is the easiest way to share and work together, but perhaps not everyone you work with has gone Google yet. To complement what you can do with Google documents, we’re also making it easier for you to make quick edits to Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint files without conversion. Starting today, the Quickoffice iPad app is available for free to all Apps for Business customers, and iPhone and Android versions are on the way.
Vice President of Google Enterprise Amit Singh welcomed the announcement on his Twitter account: “Customers can now get Quickoffice for free. No need to license microsoft for your ipad.”
The Wall Street Journal reported today that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has announced its decision to update its more than 10-year-old law governing the privacy of children online. The changes mean app developers and websites will be required to obtain parental consent when collecting photos, videos, geolocation information, or tracking behavior of children 13 and under. However, as noted in the report, the updated rules have been altered since originally proposed in August and would not require third-party plug-ins, like Facebook Like buttons, or app platforms, such as the App Store, to enforce the law:
in a departure from rule changes the government proposed in August, third-party “plug-ins” on websites—things like Facebook Inc.’s “Like” button and ads placed by advertising networks—will only have to meet child online privacy regulations if they have “actual knowledge” that they’re collecting information through a website or app that targets kids…
Apple made that point in five meetings with FTC officials in the fall. The FTC responded by explicitly exempting the Apple App Store and Google Play, the app store for mobile devices running Google’s Android software, from having to make sure that the apps they provided complied with Coppa.
The New York Times’ technology columnist David Pogue said last week that even Google thought its iOS Maps app is better than the Android version, mostly because that version just piled on feature after feature without a rethink.
However, the biggest news here is that the new iPhone version of Google Maps isn’t just better than Apple Maps. For now, at least, Google Maps is better in most respects on the iPhone than it is on Android phones. It has been redesigned with a cleaner, simpler user interface that makes it easier to use. Google officials say they took the sudden need to build a new iPhone version as an opportunity to rethink the popular app from the ground up.
Google is supposedly looking to rebuild its Android version based on what it did for the iPhone app.
Verizon and Redbox confirmed on the official Redbox Instant Twitter account that the new unlimited streaming service is rolling out gradually starting today. The $8-per-month Netflix competitor will provide unlimited streaming and four physical DVD or Blu-ray rentals ($9 a month for Blu-ray) and will be available through the browser as well as mobile apps. A Redbox Instant by Verizon iOS app for iPhone and iPad is already available on the App Store. There is also a free one-month trial included.
9to5Mac has once again scoured the App Store for all the latest app launches, price drops, noteworthy news, and updates, and we have compiled everything in a roundup below. Check it out, but keep coming back as we continually refresh the list throughout the day.
News
1. Pocket God | 99 cents
Bolt Creative just launched the 47th and “final-ish” content update for its episodic microgame app. The update brought “Episode 47: Apocalypse, Ow!” to users, access to the Apocalypse Temple’s Closet Room, and a strange Pygmy named Tom. Bolt Creative teased Episode 47 on it’s blog last friday, and it announced the new episode launch today:
The final conflict has begun. The answers to the Temple are being unleashed, and they don’t bode well for the Pygmies until they solve the ultimate puzzle and save their world.
So check out this very final-ish update (after all the apocalypse is in two days) for Pocket God, as we get “The Runs” ready for unleashing next year!
Check out the video above for more details.
Updates
1. TuneIn Radio Pro | 99 cents
Version 3.3. went live early this morning and included a new design, the ability for users to pick up right where they left off when resuming the most recent recording or podcast, and access to 24 college football bowl games (visit http://s.tunein.com/bowlgames to learn more). TuneIn said it also improved streaming stability for a number of formats.
2. TuneIn Radio| Free
Same version and update as above—but these tweaks apply to the free version of the Pro app.
3. Evernote Food | Free
Version 2.0 launched today with an all-new design, and the app is now available on iPad. With Evernote Food, users can explore recipes, browse their clipped recipes collected in My Cookbook, discover new restaurants, add cuisines to meals, share meals easily via favorite social channels, and sync all their data.
Steinberg, makers of popular digital audio workstation Cubase and innovators of the VST format for virtual instruments and plug-ins, this week announced the release of a new iPad app. Not surprising to anyone familiar with Cubase on the desktop, the “Cubasis” iPad app at first glance appears to go well beyond the functionality of Apple’s Garageband. However, the app will also cost a little more at $49.99 on the App Store.
Features include unlimited tracks (48 voices: iPad 2, iPad mini, 64 voices: iPad 3, iPad 4), more than 70 virtual instrument sounds modeled after HALion Sonic, and the ability to “sequence other CoreMIDI apps (MIDI recording only) and run Cubasis simultaneously via background audio.”
You’ll also be able to export projects to Cubase and Cubase Artist 7/6.5. Screenshots and a full list of features are below:
Key features
• Unlimited audio and MIDI tracks (depends on the device used)
• Over 70 virtual instrument sounds based on HALion Sonic
• MixConsole with over 10 effect processors
• Over 300 MIDI and audio loops
• Virtual keyboard and virtual drum pads
• Sample Editor and Key Editor
• Export projects to Cubase, Dropbox, SoundCloud, AudioCopy and email
• Core Audio and Core MIDI compatible hardware supported
• Sequence other CoreMIDI apps (MIDI recording only) and run Cubasis simultaneously via background audio
• Audio import from iTunes music library, AudioPaste, Wi-Fi server and iTunes file sharing
• Audio mixdown and MIDI export
Facebook announced on its Developer Blog today (via TechCrunch) that it is improving its mobile app install ads by providing a number of new options for both users and developers when viewing and creating ads. Perhaps the most interesting is the ability for iOS 6 users to install apps from ads within the Facebook iOS app without leaving the app—a feature Apple opened up to developers with iOS 6. In other words, ads in the Facebook app will no longer pull you into the App Store. This allows users to download the app within a dialog inside the Facebook app (as pictured above):
Mobile app install ads drive installs by taking people directly to the App Store or Google Play. Now, people on iOS 6 can install an app without leaving their Facebook experience. When they click on an ad, the App Store will appear in another dialog box. After installing the app, they will be able to continue where they left off on Facebook.
Facebook is also rolling out other features for advertisers, including the ability to customize ads “directly from the app dashboard, power editor, or the ads API” and view demographic breakdowns for app installs by age, gender, country, and more.
9to5Mac has once again scoured the App Store for all the latest app launches, price drops, noteworthy news, and updates, and we have compiled everything in a roundup below. Check it out, but keep coming back as we continually refresh the list throughout the day.
Just Released
1. Static | 99 cents
Static just landed on the App Store today and tracks how well users are doing in their favorite social channels (i.e., Twitter, Instagram, Analytics, Dribbble, and GitHub). The app’s description gives the following summary: “Just added an Instagram photo? Just published a blog post? How much traffic did you get as a result? How many new followers did you gain on Twitter? Instead of hopping back and forth between apps you can see your most important social stats from one screen.” Check out the promo video above for more details.
2. Scanner Mini | Free
Scanner Mini by Readdle launched today, and it basically converts an image into a scan, detects borders, removes shadows, corrects perspective, and spits out a PDF file in 5 seconds. To sum up its new scanning app, Readdle said: “We put the core functionality of Scanner Pro into Scanner Mini, and giving it away absolutely for free as a Christmas present to all iOS users!”
Rumors have been in the air for several months that claim Amazon will compete in the handset space with its own offering, much like it did with its Kindle Fire line of tablets. According to a new report from the Taiwan Economic News, the Internet retail giant has selected the infamous Foxconn to manufacture the handset. Additionally, Amazon is said to have ordered 5 million units and will launch the device at $100 to $200 sometime in the second quarter or third quarter of 2013.
The Kindle Fire line of tablets, which has software based off Android with many custom additions (and even more subtractions), has done wonders for Android’s tablet marketshare, helping the platform close the seemingly insurmountable gap with the iPad. Amazon was the first to offer a tablet at such a low cost, selling in seemingly big numbers. However, no specific figures have ever been given. Many saw the $199 Kindle Fire as a cheaper alternative to the $499 iPad, but things may change this holiday season with the iPad mini now available at $329.
With its large online marketplace and bevy of apps on its Amazon Appstore, we wouldn’t put it past the company to be a serious competitor in the handset game—at least for the Android devotees and the relatively small footprint of countries where Amazon operates/offers content. (via Engadget)
Autodesk Inc. announced today that it is now shipping the latest version of its professional video-editing suite for Mac, Autodesk Smoke 2013, starting at $3,495 SRP per license*. The latest version of Smoke provides a new user interface that combines Autodesk’s creative tools and effects with its track-based editing: ConnectFX for high-end effects, and Creative Tools—featuring “a robust toolset with proven high-end finishing tools.”
While noting a successful run for the trial download of the software, Autodesk said it implemented even more features and enhancements based on user recommendations. The new features include the ability to drag and drop a clip from the source player into the timeline, ability to expand/collapse the timeline FX pipeline area, and a redesign and streamlining of the UI and interface elements to speed up workflows.
“The anticipation for Smoke, since its thrilling announcement at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Vegas in April, has continued to build throughout the community of creative professionals. As a leader in high-end effects and 3D, Autodesk is committed to making that technology increasingly available to a new generation, and the new Smoke is case in point. The Smoke team has fielded thousands of inquiries and product recommendations in the process of developing Smoke 2013. I’m so excited to announce it’s here,” said Mark Strassman, Autodesk Media & Entertainment vice president strategy and marketing.
To accompany the launch today, Autodesk posted over a dozen videos showing off some of the features of Smoke 2013 to its YouTube page. We posted a few of the videos below that walk through the new user interface, ConnectFX, editing, and powerful 3D visual effects.
Any.DO To-do list version 1.7.1: Popular Any.DO To-do list app used by millions daily received an update today that brings location based reminders, simplified task creation, daily sorting filters, and more:
✪ Location based reminders – ‘Remind me to pick up groceries when I leave work’
★ Adding a task is easier than ever
✪ New Daily sorting (Today, Tomorrow, Upcoming & Someday)
★ Email your to-do’s to do@any.do and see them in your Any.DO app
✪ Performance upgrade
★ Stability improvements
Dead Trigger version 1.7.0:MadFinger’s free-to-play arcade-style shooter gets a holiday themed update today with a new North Pole Christmas Arena, a new Christmas Boss, grenade launcher, as well as new story missions and much more:
* How many waves you can defeat in the new NORTH POLE CHRISTMAS ARENA?
* Prepare for encounter with ZANTA, a new Christmas Boss!
* Try out the new GRENADE LAUNCHER…you’ll love it!
* Equip yourself well and shoot your way through the NEW STORY MISSIONS!
* New special PRICE OFFERS on weapons!
* Solve the underground puzzle and WIN a Dead Trigger T-SHIRT!
☣ Tweaks:
* Mini-Mortar has been improved to be more deadly
Cox TV connect for iPhone and iPod touch:Cox TV’s app for providing access to live TV on your iPad at home gets updated today with support for iPhone and iPod touch. The Cox TV Connect app for iPad also gets updated today with new features including access to TV listings when off your home network, close captioning, and the ability to ” Schedule DVR recordings from anywhere with remote DVR scheduling.”
Letterpress version 1.2:Atebits, the brains behind Letterpress, just announced version 1.2 of its popular word app. According to the developer, a new feature, dubbed “Share Replays”, is here. Check out a demo of the upcoming feature at Letterpress’ website.
• Themes on iPad
We know our loyal iPad users felt left out when we released the app without support for themes, but we’ve fixed that and you can now use the themes you know and love from the iPhone/iPod touch on your iPad!
• Text Size Selector
Having trouble reading? We added the option to increase the size of the text to make your life a little bit easier :)
• Many, many more smaller tweaks and usability improvements.
Foursquare version 5.4:A big update for Foursquare’s iOS app today brings new features, larger, swipeable photos, and more:
★ Decide where to go, or what to do when you’re already there.
✓ If you’re looking for a place to go, you’ll now see the most important stuff up top when you tap through, like the rating, address, hours, menu, and phone number.
✓ If you’re already checked in, you’ll see things like who else is there and popular tips (to make sure you order right).
✓ We also added big, swipeable photos at the top to help you get a sense of what it’s like.
★ Every time you check in, you’ll learn something interesting.
People love points, great tips, and other nuggets of information. So we’ve simplified the experience after you check in to just show you one important takeaway. ‘Seven weeks in a row going to the gym,’ ‘a great off-the-menu burger you have to order,’ or ‘your 20th time hanging out with your friend Charles.’ Foursquare will show you the most interesting highlight from your visit.
GuitarToolkit version 2.2: iPhone 5 optimizations, upside-down orientation, VoiceOver support, and more in the latest update to the one of the best guitar toolkit apps on the App Store: Expand Expanding Close
Google announced on its official blog today that it would do some “winter cleaning” by discontinuing a number of services in the near future. Among the services shutting down as of Jan. 30 is Google Sync, which allowed users to get access to Gmail, Calendar, and Contacts using the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol. As an alternative, Google recommended IMAP for mail and the recently launched CardDAV and CalDAV protocols. Google also confirmed it would continue offering the service to existing consumers and Google Apps for Business, Government, and Education customers.
Dropbox announced on its blog today the introduction of an all-new iOS app that introduces a redesigned, streamlined UI, a new Photos tab that allows you to scroll through a timeline of your automatically uploaded photos, and improvements to the photo-viewing experience. Dropbox noted that uploads have now been improved, allowing users to ” tap the ‘+’ icon to upload something or create a new folder.”
We’ve packed a ton of love and tiny details into our new iOS design, and we think you’ll dig its simplicity. For example, we got rid of the text labels on our tabs in favor of clean and streamlined iconography. Splashed across the app is the glorious Dropbox blue you’ve come to know and love, and we’ve reduced complexity to make everything feel so fresh and so clean, clean.
The Witcher 2 is one of the most sophisticated games ever presented on Mac computers. Prepare to test out the gaming potential of the new iMacs in one of the best looking games for Apple’s computers. We have prepared a special app to test the game’s performance before players can buy it. To check it out just click here
Chrome version 23.0.1271.96: Google has updated its Chrome iOS app today with one highly requested feature- the ability to play sound when the app is running in the background. That means content with sound that you are playing in the browser, such as a YouTube video or mp3, would continue play when multitasking. The update also includes a fix for a character encoding bug.
-Allow sound to play when app is backgrounded.
-Fix character encoding bug.
GoPro App version 1.1.13: GoPro has updated its iOS app to include support for features exclusive to the HERO3 camera lineup.
NEW ARRIVALS IN GAME CENTRAL STATION!
• Turbo Time is here! Enter the race for gold, and drive at turbo speed in this all-new arcade racer!
• New achievements are in! Earn new achievements for Fix-It Felix Jr., Hero’s Duty, Sweet Climber, and Turbo Time.
• Added language support for Dutch and Russian
A+E Networks announced today the introduction of its first iPad apps for watching shows from some of its most popular networks, A&E, History, and Lifetime. All three of the iPad apps are available for free on the App Store starting today, and they feature the ability to watch full episodes, access exclusive clips, and create a customizable Watchlist of upcoming shows. The Lifetime app also includes access to 25 full-length movies.
“By offering the A&E, HISTORY and Lifetime watch apps, we are giving fans of our networks an opportunity to consume our leading libraries of original quality content wherever and whenever they want it,” said Dan Suratt, Executive Vice President of Digital Media and Business Development, A+E Networks.
A&E noted in its press release that Comcast subscribers who sign into their Xfinity TV account would have access to extra content such as full previous seasons of certain shows. It also said the apps, powered by Bottle Rocket, “will support additional distributors in early 2013.” The apps do not yet support AirPlay, but A+E confirmed the feature is coming. There will also be an iPhone/iPod version of the apps released in January alongside the Android versions.
Some of the shows offered through the apps include:
