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6,562 'Apps' stories April 2010 - April 2016
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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.

Screens 4 for iOS brings new Curtain mode, improved keyboard support, visual tweaks, much more

Avatar for Zac Hall Apr 14 2016 - 12:15 pm PT
9 Comments

Since learning to trust my iPad Pro to do more of the tasks my Mac usually handles, Screens VNC has been a critical piece of the equation. iPads can be just as powerful as Macs on paper and also do things Macs never could, but iOS still has software limitations that make OS X a requirement for me. I’ve been using Screens to bridge that gap for practical reasons or just conveniently remote into my Mac using a really sleek and reliable interface, and today Edovia is releasing a brand new version called Screens 4 that packs in several improvements including some new features.


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iPhone and Samsung Gear S2 support draws closer as iOS app leaks

Avatar for Greg Barbosa Apr 14 2016 - 11:00 am PT
4 Comments

We’ve previously reported that the Samsung Gear S2 would be gaining support for iOS later this year, and it looks like that support is coming soon. A member of the XDA-Developers forums has shared a link to a potentially early version of a Samsung Gear S2 specific app that would allows iOS to pair with the device. While the app appears to be in the early stages (indications of the app’s creation dates back to March 2nd), it could potentially show us what the final app will look like.

Based on discussions in the forum, users looking to attempt the pair the devices may have to restore their S2 to factory settings before having it pair with the leaked iOS application. This may require having another Android device on hand, but the results seem to be mixed at this point. Some forum members are also indicating that they are able to receive notifications pushed from iOS, but have no way to reply.

The Samsung Gear S2 Lite iOS application can be installed through iTunes, or by side-loading through Xcode. Before launching the application, a Samsung specific enterprise profile must be accepted through settings. We cannot stress this enough, installing applications from unverified sources is not guaranteed safe. Proceed with extreme caution.

The Samsung Gear S2 is available refurbished from Best Buy for $159.99, or new from Amazon at $249.

9to5Toys Last Call: $100 iTunes Gift Card $85, Jackery Power Bank/Lightning Cable $20, Aukey Bluetooth Speaker $19, more

Avatar for Justin Kahn Apr 14 2016 - 9:33 am PT
0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Last Call Updates:

App Store Free App of the Week: Space Marshals goes free for the very first time ($5 value)

Get a $100 iTunes Gift Card for $85 delivered via email from PayPal (15% savings)

Jackery USB Power Banks: 6000mAh w/ MFi Lightning Cable $20 (Reg. $30), 20100mAh USB-C $36 (Reg. $50)

Smartphone Accessories: Aukey Bluetooth Speaker $19 (Reg. $27), iPhone 6/s Plus Leather Folio Flip Case $15, more

Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro 32GB Wi-Fi in Silver: $670 shipped (Reg. $799), more

Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular in all colors: $860 shipped (Reg. $1,079)

Apple’s latest 256GB Retina MacBook Pro: $1,200 (Reg. $1,499) – $99 less than list price of 128GB model

Apple 12-inch MacBook w/ Retina display 1.2GHz/8GB/512GB: from $1,250 w/ .edu

What if I told you that you could get a great Apple Milanese Loop knockoff for a tenth of the price ($16 Prime shipped)?

Apple Watch 42mm Space Gray Milanese Loop Band + Aluminum Dock: $27 Prime shipped (Reg. $35)

App Store Free App of the Week: Cut the Rope Time Travel for iPhone and iPad goes free for the very first time (Reg. $1)

Anthill for iOS drops down to its lowest price in years: $1 (Reg. $2)

Apple’s Pay Once & Play 50% off iOS game sale: Transistor, Brothers, Rules!, Implosion, Radiation Island, more

Brothers A Tale of Two Sons iOS puzzle-adventure game gets its first price drop: $2 (Reg. $5)

Apple offers Day One 2 iOS journal app for free ($10 value)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Pebble Time iOS/Android Smartwatch with color e-paper display: $105 shipped (Reg. $130+)

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Philips Hue Starter Kits (1st gen) w/ free shipping: Lux $56 (Orig. $80), White & Color $135 (Orig. $170)

Philips Hue discounted bundles: 4-pack A19 white & color bulbs (2nd gen) $199 shipped (Reg. $240), more

Stay online when the power goes out with the APC Back-UPS Power Supply for $20 (Reg. $30)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Amazon’s new $290 Kindle Oasis is a slim, luxury e-reader with months of battery life

The Lycan Powerbox is a robust solar generator with a swappable battery system

Apple launches iOS app campaign to raise funds for WWF, partners with E.O. Wilson to create Earth Day lessons on iPad

Avatar for Zac Hall Apr 14 2016 - 7:49 am PT
9 Comments
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[UPDATE: Full collection of all 27 ‘Apps for Earth’ here.]

Earth Day is just over a week away and it appears Apple plans to highlight it this year with a campaign to raise money for the World Wide Fund for Nature. WWF and Apple teamed up this time last year on an environmental initiative in China, and this year it’s an App Store campaign that brings to two groups and developers together. Several iOS apps have updated today to highlight money from app sales and in-app purchases going toward WWF through April 24th. The App Store will likely update later today to feature these apps, but we’ve collected apps we’ve found so far below:


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Vine for iOS updated w/ new ‘Watch’ button for easily watching all of the videos on a channel

Avatar for Chance Miller Apr 13 2016 - 5:11 pm PT
0 Comments
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Popular short-form video sharing service Vine has today announced a new feature that avid users of the service could appreciate. In a blog post, the Twitter-owned service announced that there is now a “Watch” button on all Vine channels that allows viewers to seamlessly view all of the content from a single channel with one tap.


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Minecraft ‘Realms’ paid online gameplay coming to Pocket Edition iOS app

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Apr 13 2016 - 1:43 pm PT
0 Comments

Minecraft developers Mojang today announced a new online gameplay feature coming soon to the Minecraft: Pocket Edition mobile apps called “Minecraft Realms.”

Realms aims to make it easy to play online with friends, sort of like desktop players have been doing for years running their own servers, but without having to do much more than set up a group of approved users:
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Snapchat update adding motion tracking stickers on iOS and Android

Avatar for Greg Barbosa Apr 13 2016 - 9:58 am PT
1 Comment
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Snapchat has been on a roll lately introducing bigger and more creative updates to their social network. From introducing custom geofilters, to a massive overhaul in their chat system, they show no signs of slowing down. Today’s update takes video interactions a step further by allowing you to “pin” stickers and emojis to moving objects in video. The update will be rolling out to Android today and soon to iOS.


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9to5Toys Last Call: iPad Pro 12.9-inch $670, APC UPS Battery Backup $20, Philips Hue Bundles from $56, more

Avatar for Trevor Daugherty Apr 13 2016 - 9:30 am PT
0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Last Call Updates:

Jackery USB Power Banks: 6000mAh w/ MFi Lightning Cable $20 (Reg. $30), 20100mAh USB-C $36 (Reg. $50)

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/720404197888417792 align=’center’]

Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro 32GB Wi-Fi in Silver: $670 shipped (Reg. $799), more

Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular in all colors: $860 shipped (Reg. $1,079)

Stay online when the power goes out with the APC Back-UPS Power Supply for $20 (Reg. $30)

Philips Hue Starter Kits (1st gen) w/ free shipping: Lux $56 (Orig. $80), White & Color $135 (Orig. $170)

Philips Hue discounted bundles: 4-pack A19 white & color bulbs (2nd gen) $199 shipped (Reg. $240), more

Amazon’s new $290 Kindle Oasis is a slim, luxury e-reader with months of battery life

Apple’s latest 256GB Retina MacBook Pro: $1,200 (Reg. $1,499) – $99 less than list price of 128GB model

Apple 12-inch MacBook w/ Retina display 1.2GHz/8GB/512GB: from $1,250 w/ .edu

What if I told you that you could get a great Apple Milanese Loop knockoff for a tenth of the price ($16 Prime shipped)?

Apple Watch 42mm Space Gray Milanese Loop Band + Aluminum Dock: $27 Prime shipped (Reg. $35)

App Store Free App of the Week: Cut the Rope Time Travel for iPhone and iPad goes free for the very first time (Reg. $1)

Anthill for iOS drops down to its lowest price in years: $1 (Reg. $2)

Apple’s Pay Once & Play 50% off iOS game sale: Transistor, Brothers, Rules!, Implosion, Radiation Island, more

Brothers A Tale of Two Sons iOS puzzle-adventure game gets its first price drop: $2 (Reg. $5)

Apple offers Day One 2 iOS journal app for free ($10 value)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Daily Deals: Canon MG5720 Printer Scanner & Copier with AirPrint $60, SanDisk Ultra Plus 64GB microSDXC Memory Card $25, more

  • Enhance your computer audio w/ Mackie’s CR4 50W Reference Speakers for $115 (Reg. $150)
  • Smartphone Accessories: Polk Boom Swimmer Bluetooth Speaker $20 (Reg. $30), more
  • Fashion: Patagonia up to 50% off – 1/4 Zip Pullover $64, Board shorts $39, more
  • HDTVs: Seiki 42-Inch 4K $225, VIZIO 24-inch Smart 1080p (Refurb) $90, more
  • Media: Shrek The Whole Story Blu-ray $20, iTunes movies $10 – The Big Short, more
  • Games/Apps: Dishonored Definitive from $15, iOS freebies, more
  • This 40-inch BÖHM Soundbar is loaded with inputs including Bluetooth: $71 (Reg. $119)

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/720275111127814144 align=’center’]

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Green Deals: Aukey 12000mAh Solar Dual-USB Power Bank $25 (Reg. $30+), more

Samsung 48-inch Smart 4K UHDTV w/ 3 HDMI + 2 USB ports: $450 (Reg. $800)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Impossible Project reveals its Polaroid-style analog camera with iOS connectivity

JBL’s new Reflect Aware C noise cancelling headphones are powered by USB Type-C

Here’s everything Facebook announced at F8 that’s coming soon to your iPhone

Avatar for Greg Barbosa Apr 12 2016 - 1:01 pm PT
15 Comments
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Facebook held its annual F8 developer’s conference today that laid out the foundation for what the company plans to accomplish as far out as the next ten years. Today’s keynote presentation focused more on what the next year at Facebook and its products would look like for customers. Putting a heavy emphasis on Messenger and Facebook Live, it’s fair to say that you’ll be seeing a lot of these changes coming to mobile very soon.


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9to5Toys Last Call: iPad Pro 12.9″ 128GB Wi-Fi + Cell $860, MagSafe 2 Adapter $27, Cable Modems from $30, more

Avatar for Justin Kahn Apr 12 2016 - 9:36 am PT
0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Last Call Updates:

Stay online when the power goes out with the APC Back-UPS Power Supply for $20 (Reg. $30)

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/719937491579637760 align=’center’]

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/719997640088383488 align=’center’]

Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular in all colors: $860 shipped (Reg. $1,079)

Daily Deals: Apple 60W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter for 13-inch MacBook Pro $27, more

Save $120+/yr. by owning your cable modem: refurb Motorola DOCSIS 3.0 options from $30 shipped

Apple’s latest 256GB Retina MacBook Pro: $1,200 (Reg. $1,499) – $99 less than list price of 128GB model

Apple 12-inch MacBook w/ Retina display 1.2GHz/8GB/512GB: from $1,250 w/ .edu

What if I told you that you could get a great Apple Milanese Loop knockoff for a tenth of the price ($16 Prime shipped)?

Apple Watch 42mm Space Gray Milanese Loop Band + Aluminum Dock: $27 Prime shipped (Reg. $35)

App Store Free App of the Week: Cut the Rope Time Travel for iPhone and iPad goes free for the very first time (Reg. $1)

Anthill for iOS drops down to its lowest price in years: $1 (Reg. $2)

Apple’s Pay Once & Play 50% off iOS game sale: Transistor, Brothers, Rules!, Implosion, Radiation Island, more

Brothers A Tale of Two Sons iOS puzzle-adventure game gets its first price drop: $2 (Reg. $5)

Apple offers Day One 2 iOS journal app for free ($10 value)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Smartphone Accessories: Lumsing Wireless Bluetooth Audio Stereo Receiver Adapter $17 Prime shipped, more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Twelve South brushed metal HiRise Apple Watch stand: $40 Prime shipped (Reg. $50)

Philips Hue discounted bundles: 4-pack A19 white & color bulbs (2nd gen) $199 shipped (Reg. $240), more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

You probably won’t own Lytro’s new 755MP Cinema Camera but you’ll enjoy its benefits

Airmail lands on iPad with Touch ID support, iOS 9 multitasking, & much more

Avatar for Zac Hall Apr 12 2016 - 6:44 am PT
12 Comments

Airmail made its way from the Mac to the iPhone a couple of months ago, and today the popular email app is completing the suite and releasing the first version for iPad. Airmail for iPad supports keyboard shortcuts and iOS 9’s multitasking features like Split View and Slide Over, so you can triage email in Airmail and browse Safari or Twitter at the same time. And the free update includes loads of other new features for both the iPad and iPhone versions including Touch ID support, custom shortcuts, a new gesture for moving between messages, and tons of new integrations and improvements.


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BBC launches iPlayer Kids, a child-friendly version of its popular iPad app

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Apr 12 2016 - 5:14 am PT
0 Comments

British parents have long known that handing your kids an iPad full of children’s TV shows is a good way to keep them quiet for a while appropriately entertained and informed. The BBC has made that job even easier today by launching a special iPlayer Kids app. The iPad app, which has a user-interface suitable for young children, features only age-appropriate TV shows.

The new child-friendly app is safe and easy to use. With over 10,000 episodes being made available this year alone, it has all of BBC Children’s world-class content in one place, allowing kids to discover and enjoy both new and old CBeebies and CBBC favourites including Wolfblood, Blue Peter, The Dumping Ground, Topsy & Tim and Go Jetters.

Each child in the family creates their own profile, complete with their age and a cartoon character to represent them, and the app them automatically filters the shows offered.

Pre-school children (under five) are only shown CBeebies content, while children over five are shown both CBBC and CBeebies content (customised to be suitable for their age).

The BBC says it created the app in recognition of the fact that children’s programs are the most popular genre watched through iPlayer.

Apple removes third-party Reddit clients from the App Store due to NSFW content

Avatar for Chance Miller Apr 11 2016 - 9:21 pm PT
14 Comments
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Update: Users report that the removed Reddit clients are returning to the App Store as developers implement changes to remove the NSFW toggle.

Following the release of the official Reddit iOS app last week, Apple today has pulled a handful of third-party Reddit clients from the App Store. While the change appears to be unrelated to the launch of the official Reddit client, it’s a surprise nonetheless. As for its reasoning for removing the apps, Apple says they violate clause 18.2 of the App Review Guidelines, which relates to NSFW content…


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9to5Toys Last Call: Crucial/Lexar Storage Sale – 1TB SSD $200, Leaf RSS Reader free, Philips Hue 4-pack $199, more

Avatar for Trevor Daugherty Apr 11 2016 - 9:31 am PT
1 Comment

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Last Call Updates:

Apple’s latest 256GB Retina MacBook Pro: $1,200 (Reg. $1,499) – $99 less than list price of 128GB model

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/719631840479469568 align=’center’]

Crucial/Lexar Gold Box: 1TB SSD: $200, 16GB RAM: $46, 128GB USB Stick: $25, much more

Leaf RSS News Reader for Mac goes free for the first time (Reg. $8+)

Philips Hue discounted bundles: 4-pack A19 white & color bulbs (2nd gen) $199 shipped (Reg. $240), more

Apple Watch Leather band knockoff in 5 colors for a tenth of the price ($14.49 Prime shipped)

What if I told you that you could get a great Apple Milanese Loop knockoff for a tenth of the price ($16 Prime shipped)?

Apple Watch 42mm Space Gray Milanese Loop Band + Aluminum Dock: $27 Prime shipped (Reg. $35)

Apple TV 4th gen: 32GB $109 (Reg. $149), 64GB $154 (Reg. $199) w/ VISA Checkout

App Store Free App of the Week: Cut the Rope Time Travel for iPhone and iPad goes free for the very first time (Reg. $1)

Apple’s Pay Once & Play 50% off iOS game sale: Transistor, Brothers, Rules!, Implosion, Radiation Island, more

Brothers A Tale of Two Sons iOS puzzle-adventure game gets its first price drop: $2 (Reg. $5)

Apple offers Day One 2 iOS journal app for free ($10 value)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Headphones: SOL REPUBLIC Tracks Air Bluetooth $60, Sennheiser Momentum Earbuds for iOS/Android $65, more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Audio-Technica ATH-M30x Professional Studio Monitor Headphones: $49 shipped (Reg. $69)

Audio-Technica’s best selling ATH-M50x studio headphones + FiiO A3 amp $130 ($180+ value)

Green Deals: Aukey 20W Solar Dual-USB Port Charger $39 (Reg. $47), 1.3-Gallon Compost Bin $19 (Reg. $26), more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

GoPro’s new Omni Virtual Reality rig leverages six HERO4 Black action cameras

Microsoft releases Hub Keyboard for iOS with Office 365 integration

Avatar for Greg Barbosa Apr 8 2016 - 7:46 am PT
6 Comments
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Microsoft Garage, Microsoft’s experimental projects team, has finally released their much anticipated Hub Keyboard for iOS today. This specific keyboard lacks the expected special one-handed typing mode, along with the previously reported Swype-like typing functionality. The latter feature may have been related to Microsoft’s recent purchase of SwiftKey, although it appears some of SwiftKey’s features made its way into Hub Keyboard in the form of autocompletion suggestions.


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Another month, another Flash vulnerability … Adobe issues emergency update

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Apr 8 2016 - 4:02 am PT
27 Comments

Less than a month after a critical Flash vulnerability allowed an attacker to take control of a Mac, Adobe has issued an emergency update for yet another critical flaw. The latest one is already being exploited by ransomware that encrypts Windows PCs, but while there’s no known exploit for OS X as yet, Adobe says that the same vulnerability exists on all platforms, and users should update immediately …


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Facebook unveils ‘Messenger Codes,’ will reportedly launch chatbot & live chat APIs next week

Avatar for Chance Miller Apr 7 2016 - 4:49 pm PT
4 Comments
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According to a new report from TechCrunch, Facebook is working with developers to build chatbots and Live Chat web plugins for business clients. The tools are said to be officially announced next week at the social network’s F8 conference. Chatbots will allow for businesses to offer automated response systems for responding to inquires from potential customers.


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Microsoft introduces Evernote, Facebook and Wunderlist integration in Outlook with calendar apps

Avatar for Edoardo Maggio Apr 7 2016 - 1:30 pm PT
2 Comments

If there is one thing we learned from CEO Satya Nadella’s corporate restructuring of Microsoft over the last couple of years, it’s that he wants its services to be everywhere. And that doesn’t just mean apps like those in Office 365‘s suite keeping your productivity up even on non-Windows systems, but something that aims at a much deeper integration.

With today’s update rolling out for iOS and Android, the Outlook app is adding what the company calls “Calendar Apps”. While you could already see your calendar from within the dedicated tab inside the app, the new addition — which likely comes from the Sunrise acquisition — will allow services like Evernote, Facebook and Wunderlist to integrate as well…


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Activity++ for iPhone and Apple Watch is an alternative dashboard for your fitness goals

Avatar for Zac Hall Apr 7 2016 - 11:38 am PT
8 Comments
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Starting with iOS 9.3, third-party app developers can tap into Apple Watch activity data like move and stand goal progress as well as exercise duration. Developer David Smith has used that new capability to create an alternative dashboard to Apple’s Activity app on iPhone and Apple Watch. The new app is called Activity++ (following Pedometer++ and Sleep++) and it’s out for iPhone and Apple Watch today. Here’s what it offers:


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