Apps

6,234 'Apps' stories April 2010 - January 2020

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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.

TikTok was the most downloaded iOS app in Q4 2019, with Disney+ #1 in the US

Ben Lovejoy Jan 14 2020 - 4:59 am PT

TikTok was the most downloaded iOS app

Controversial video sharing app TikTok was the most downloaded iOS app in the world in the final quarter of last year, according to analytics company SensorTower. The top five were rounded out by YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook.

TikTok also took second place in the US, despite growing concerns about the app…

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‘Front and Center’ brings classic Mac window management to macOS Catalina

Bradley C Jan 8 2020 - 6:21 pm PT

Front and Center app

My first Mac was a 12″ Powerbook running OS X Panther that I purchased in 2004. To this day, it remains one of my favorite computers that I’ve ever owned. A few months after I purchased it, OS X Tiger was released. I remember the joy of waiting on UPS to deliver the DVD so I could upgrade. I say all that to make the point that I’m neither a new Mac user nor someone who’s been around since Apple was “doomed”. I do know one thing, I’ve discovered a new app that makes me wish I had. Front and Center’ by John Siracusa and Lee Fyock is one of those apps you’ll never live without once you get it installed.

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Earthquake warning app sends first ever alert to users in California

Ben Lovejoy Dec 19 2019 - 5:37 am PT

Earthquake warning app

An earthquake warning app created by UC Berkeley sent its first-ever alert to users in California after its release back in October.

This quake was a minor one, but it’s hoped that for bigger quakes the app can save lives and reduce injuries even if it can provide only a few seconds of warning…

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‘Snowflake Weather’ is powerful new weather app designed for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch

Chance Miller Dec 12 2019 - 6:29 pm PT

The developers of the popular iStat Menus app for Mac have debuted a powerful new weather app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Dubbed “Snowflake Weather,” the app is designed to offer a detailed look at weather data, in a sleek and consistent interface across platforms.

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Drafts for Mac adds actions support for deep integration with other apps and services

Chance Miller Dec 10 2019 - 6:16 pm PT

Drafts is a powerful app available for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, focused on allowing you to quickly capture, share, and create text. Today, Drafts for Mac has been updated with support for actions, allowing it to integrate closely with an array of third-party applications.

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App Store search analytics show we prefer older apps

Apps

Shopping apps for iOS see Black Friday boost as holiday spending shifts to smartphones

Chance Miller Dec 3 2019 - 4:52 pm PT

Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are in the books, we’re getting our first look at the data from the big holiday shopping weekend. Sensor Tower reports that Black Friday marked a major increase in downloads for shopping apps on the App Store.

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Apple says Mario Kart Tour was the most downloaded iPhone game of 2019, more

Chance Miller Dec 3 2019 - 2:02 pm PT

Last night, Apple officially revealed its selection of the best apps and games for 2019. In addition to those awards, Apple has also now revealed which apps and games were most downloaded throughout all of 2019, and a familiar title has come out on top.

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HomeRun Apple Watch app gains tons of new icons for controlling HomeKit with complications

Chance Miller Nov 14 2019 - 12:00 am PT

HomeRun is a powerful way to control HomeKit scenes and more from your Apple Watch, and it’s one of our favorite apps here at 9to5Mac. Today, the app is getting even more personal with a new collection of icons, emoji, and more.

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Walmart adds integration with Siri as it expands Voice Ordering feature

Chance Miller Nov 12 2019 - 4:08 pm PT

Walmart has announced that it is integrating with Siri on iOS to allow shoppers to easily add items to their cart. The new Voice Order feature allows you interact with Walmart by simply telling Siri to “Add to Walmart.”

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Duolingo Stories now available in iOS app for some languages

Duolingo Stories provide a fun way to test your language skills in the iOS app

Ben Lovejoy Oct 29 2019 - 6:12 am PT

Learning a new language can be hard work, and testing your reading and listening comprehension isn’t always the most riveting part of the process. Duolingo Stories is designed to change that, providing a more interesting way to map your progress…

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Square

Buy and sell stocks free of charge in Cash App, including fractional stocks

Ben Lovejoy Oct 25 2019 - 5:52 am PT

Buy and sell stocks in Cash App

Square’s Cash App now allows you to buy and sell stocks free of charge, avoiding the usual fees which can eat into profits.

Even better, the app allows you to buy fractions of expensive stocks like GOOG, where a single share currently costs over $1,200. Indeed, you can begin share trading with as little as $1…

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Kik Messenger won’t be shutting down after all thanks to MediaLab acquisition

Chance Miller Oct 19 2019 - 7:23 am PT

Kik Messenger is closing down

Last month, it was announced that Kik Messenger would be shutting down as the company pivoted to focus on its Kin cryptocurrency. As it turns out, Kik Messenger will live on thanks to an acquisition by MediaLab.

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ClusterCards

Apps

15-year-old WWDC scholarship winner offers ClusterCards+ lifetime codes

Ben Lovejoy Oct 4 2019 - 6:27 am PT

Julian Schiavo, a 15-year-old winner of WWDC scholarships in both 2018 and 2019, is offering free lifetime codes for ClusterCards+, the subscription option for version 2 of the business card scanner app…

Update: 9to5Mac reader codes added below.

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Instapaper for iOS adds Dark Mode support, expanded ‘Tweet Shot’ feature

Chance Miller Sep 26 2019 - 10:24 am PT

Following the release of iOS 13 last week, read-it-later service Instapaper for iOS has been updated to take advantage of the new features. Instapaper now supports system-level Dark Mode and offers several performance improvements.

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AltStore is an iOS App Store alternative that doesn’t require a jailbreak, here’s how to use it

Filipe Espósito Sep 25 2019 - 4:58 pm PT

Apple has some strict rules about what can be published on its App Store. iPhone and iPad users can’t install apps like console emulators, Torrent clients, and more. Some workarounds eventually appear on the web, but they usually require a jailbroken device. This not the case with AltStore. Developer Riley Testut announced today this alternative solution to the iOS App Store that will not requires jailbreak tools, making it available even for users on iOS 13.

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Kik Messenger is closing down

Apps

Kik Messenger is closing down as company fights SEC over cryptocurrency ruling

Ben Lovejoy Sep 24 2019 - 5:10 am PT

Kik Messenger is closing down, with hundreds of developers losing their jobs, as the company pivots to its cryptocurrency, Kin. The company’s CEO said the company had made a deliberate decision to focus on fighting a recent SEC ruling…

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Snapchat 3D selfie feature available exclusively on the iPhone X and up

Ben Lovejoy Sep 17 2019 - 6:18 am PT

Snapchat 3D selfies come to the iPhone X and up

Snapchat 3D features similar to those announced for the new Spectacles 3 are now available on the iPhone X or above.

We’re excited to introduce a 3D Camera Mode to Snapchat — adding a new layer of expression and interactivity to Snaps. Snapchatters can use the new 3D Camera Mode to create Snaps that change in perspective and appearance based on how you move your phone when you view them — bringing your world and experience to life in a way that’s one step closer to the real thing …

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wunderlist app

Apps

Wunderlist founder offers to buy the app back from Microsoft as its shutdown looms

Chance Miller Sep 8 2019 - 6:31 am PT

Two years ago, Microsoft revealed its plans to replace Wunderlist with a new To-Do application. As the shutdown of Wunderlist looms, its original founder is offering to buy the app back from Microsoft to save its fate.

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Offline chat apps use Bluetooth and direct Wi-Fi connections

Apps
Privacy

Hong Kong protestors use offline chat apps to avoid government surveillance

Ben Lovejoy Sep 3 2019 - 5:13 am PT

Protestors in Hong Kong are increasingly turning to the privacy of offline chat apps to reduce the risk of government surveillance…

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Privacy

Zao iOS face-swap app tops Chinese App Store rankings, raises privacy fears

Ben Lovejoy Sep 2 2019 - 5:03 am PT

Zao app

Zao, an iOS app that lets users substitute their own face for that of a celebrity in video clips, has topped the Apple’s App Store rankings in China, but is raising privacy concerns.

App Annie said that the free app was downloaded millions of times and quickly went viral…

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Comparative review: Which is the best iPhone camera app for night shots?

Ben Lovejoy Aug 30 2019 - 7:59 am PT

Best iPhone camera apps for night shots

A quick play this week with NeuralCam suggested it might be in with a shot of being the best iPhone camera app for night shots — but I needed to put that to the test.

I did a comparison with five other camera apps — including the stock one — to see how each fared with two different types of night shot…

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Duolingo iOS app can now help you learn Latin; says not just for history nerds

Ben Lovejoy Aug 28 2019 - 5:59 am PT

Learn Latin app

The Duolingo iOS app can now help you learn Latin, a language which hasn’t been widely spoken since the mid-19th century…

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NeuralCam is a new app for taking iPhone photos in the dark

Ben Lovejoy Aug 27 2019 - 6:44 am PT

NeuralCam screenshots

NeuralCam is an iPhone app that aims to bring to the iPhone the kind of ultra-low-light capabilities we’ve seen in some recent Android smartphones.

Modern iPhones have gotten better and better at handling low-light photos. I put that to the test soon after I got my iPhone X, and wrote then about how impressed I was when testing it on some after-sunset shots…

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Powerful Mac RSS reader NetNewsWire now out of beta, free to use

Ben Lovejoy Aug 26 2019 - 6:51 am PT

NetNewsWire out of beta, free to use

NetNewsWire 5.0, the relaunched version of the powerful open-source Mac RSS reader app, is now out of beta.

Version 5 launched in public beta just two weeks ago, aiming for a balance of performance and power…

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