Apps

Apple’s ‘Planet of the Apps’ reality TV show is set to receive some real star power, Variety reports. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is expected to “serve as a mentor to contestants” on the upcoming reality series. Additionally, Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary V) has signed on to be an adviser to the show. Musician will.i.am will also serve as an adviser which suggests his role will be more limited than previously expected.

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Hot on the heels of a new Snapchat-esque Stories feature coming to Instagram, Snapchat today has announced Geostickers, which is a new feature that gives users yet another way to decorate their snaps. Geostickers are location-based overlays that can be applied to images before they are sent, as well as sent via the messaging feature of Snapchat.

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The above concept of how Apple could improve its current iTunes/App Store web view comes from STRV designer Ales Nesetril. It’s not the first time someone has suggested it, but it got me thinking once again about app installs via the web. What is Apple waiting for?

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Seems there’s nothing that can’t be turned into an iPhone game these days – including playing your part to help Hillary Clinton get elected, should that be your thing. Hillary 2016 is an app released last night by the Hillary for America campaign.

The only thing standing between Donald Trump and the presidency is us. Download the new Hillary 2016 app to take small actions every day that’ll add up to helping win this election—and make history. Test your knowledge, get special access, and compete against your friends (and Hillary supporters across the country!) to do the most good.

The gamification aspect provides ‘daily challenges’ which offer digital and real-life rewards, and allow Clinton supporters to compete against their friends …

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Earlier today, we detailed the $3 billion value that Pokémon Go represents to Apple, while we also noted of the effects the game is having on distracted driving and calls placed to emergency officials. Now, the United States Congress has started to look into the data usage of the game. No, not data in relation to user privacy, but rather cellular data usage.

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A new photo filter app, Prisma, is taking the App Store by storm this week (if you can ignore the Pokémon GO fervor) with good reason. At first glance, Prisma seems like any other photo filter app: choose a filter, pick an image, share to social media. What sets Prisma apart is the diversity and quality of the filters themselves.

There are some incredibly rich and unique options on here, that go beyond the usual shadowy color shifts popularized by Instagram. Prisma features a diverse set of filters that correspond to known paintings and art styles, including Mondrian Cubism, Mosaic, Heisenberg, The Scream and many more.

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Earlier this year it was announced that Apple was planning to launch its first original TV series about the “app economy.” Now, Apple has posted an open casting call for the unscripted reality series, which we now know is called Planet of the Apps.

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Earlier today, it was reported that Pokémon Go was gaining full access to many users’ Google accounts. Google itself says that applications with “full account access can see and modify nearly all information in your Google Account.” Niantic, however, has now issued a statement confirming that Pokémon Go having full account access is a mistake.

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Apple’s new European iOS App Development Center, announced back in January, is about to officially launch as the Università di Napoli Federico II in Italy today confirms it has partnered with Apple on the initiative (via Macerkopf). 

When Apple first announced its plans for the new development center, the first of its kind to offer training for app developers in Europe, it didn’t say which school it would be partnering with to push the specialized curriculum. Today it confirmed the Università di Napoli Federico II will play host to the “iOS Developer Academy” with a dedicated facility that will offer Apple’s specialized app development training to a couple hundred students.

The program will begin in October and last nine months.

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Snapchat, which just got a hefty update yesterday, has been hit with a lawsuit accusing that the app’s Discover feature of exposing minors to sexually explicit content. The lawsuit has been filed by a 14-year-old boy and his mother, who are represented by Mark Geragos in the Central California District Court.

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Update 7/6: Pokémon GO is now officially live in the US App Store. Click here to view the listing and download.

Update: While the game is not yet available in the US, those in Australia can download the app here. In a statement, the Pokémon Company tells US and Japanese customers to “please wait for a while” for the formal launch.

After a brief field test in May, Pokémon GO is now available on iOS. The game, which was produced in partnership with Ingress-makers Niantic Labs allows users to collect, train, and battle Pokémon characters in an augmented reality world. Initially, the game appears to be limited to the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. It’s also now available on Android.

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As it has done several times in the past, Apple is offering a free download of a popular iOS app via the Apple Store app. This time, the company is offering popular sketching app Procreate for iPhone for free.

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Facebook today has announced a new Featured Events capability that will make it even easier for users to find nearby ongoings right in the Facebook app itself. While Facebook already has support for Events, with 550 million people taking advantage of it each month, the company hopes that Featured Events will give more a more personalized experience.

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