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6,231 'Apps' stories April 2010 - November 2015
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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.

9to5Toys Last Call: Toshiba 55″ HDTV $350, 13″ Retina MacBook Pro $1,080, $15 Starbucks gift card for $10, more

Avatar for Justin Kahn Nov 10 2015 - 9:08 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:

Dual-Port USB Power Banks: Poweradd 20,000mAh $18 (Reg. $36), Anker 10,400mAh $16 (Reg. $20), more

Daily Deals: Toshiba 55-inch 1080p LED-Backlit LCD HDTV $350, WD 2TB Portable Hard Drive $70, more

13-inch Retina MacBook Pro 2.7GHz/8GB/128GB $1,080 (Reg. $1,299), 15-inch: $1,600 (Reg. $1,999)

Get a $15 Starbucks eGift Card for $10 from Groupon – save on your morning cup of coffee!

T-Mobile is discounting iPhone 6s/Plus by $100 when bought on an installment plan or outright

Implosion – Never Lose Hope for iOS goes free for the first time as IGN’s Game of the Month ($10 value)

Best Buy’s Black Friday ad brings deals on Apple Watch, Macs, HDTVs, games & more!

Sports Authority Black Friday Ad: Free gift cards w/ footwear, FitBit Charge HR $120, more

Target previews its top Black Friday deals, launches surprise one-day sale starting now

GameStop Black Friday ad leak: PS4/Xbox One bundles $300, new Nintendo 3DS XL $180, tons of games

Staples Black Friday Ad Revealed: iPad Air 2 from $374, mini 4 $300, more

Sam’s Club Black Friday ad leak: iPad Air 2 Cellular $175 off, Google Play $100 Gift Card $80, more

Kohl’s Black Friday ad leak: more PS4/Xbox One $300 bundles, home goods, clothing, much more

Sam’s Club One-Day Sale: iPhone 6s/Plus $100 off, iPad Air 2 64GB/128GB $150 off, PlayStation 4 $300, more

Amazon’s Black Friday Deals store is now open for business

eBay calls on Black Friday shoppers to decide which products will get discounted this year

The best GoPro HERO4 action camera accessories, mounts, storage, more

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Amazon Gold Box – Sony storage up to 60% off: 64GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive $18, 128GB microSD $43, more!

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Huge savings on pre-owned Apple Watches, deals from as low as $261 shipped

Apple iPod Touch 5th gen 16-64GB sizes, multiple colors: $149-$199 shipped

Apple Magic Mouse 2 (open-box): $68 shipped (Reg. $80)

Apple iPad Mini 2, space gray or silver: $199 shipped ($70 off)

ULAK Cases for iPhone 6/s, iPad mini, iPod Touch and Android devices from $3 shipped (Reg. $10+)

Review: How Amazon Echo changed my life + $130 special price ($50 off) for Amazon card holder

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NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

TP-Link introduces two new Wi-Fi extenders for home theaters, gaming consoles, and more

Sonos debuts new Trueplay speaker tuning feature with latest Controller iOS app

Avatar for Zac Hall Nov 10 2015 - 8:11 am PT
2 Comments

Back in September, Sonos unveiled an impressive new feature for its wireless speakers called Trueplay. Using the built-in microphones on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, this Sonos feature lets you fine tune your speaker to the room it’s in while optimizing the sound regardless of placement. Starting today, Sonos users can use try out Trueplay using the latest version of the controller app for iOS.
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Google Maps is bringing offline navigation and downloadable data to iOS

Avatar for Zac Hall Nov 10 2015 - 6:52 am PT
10 Comments

Google will soon be bringing a major new feature to its Maps app for iOS: full offline support. Google Maps has some utility already when used offline, but an upcoming update will make it much more robust when used without Internet access. For example, before you could see an area on Google Maps offline but not do much else with it. Coming soon, Google will enable features including navigation and business information lookup without requiring an active Internet connection.
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Fandango for iOS updated with Apple Pay integration

Avatar for Chance Miller Nov 9 2015 - 5:18 pm PT
4 Comments

Popular movie ticket service Fandango has today updated its iOS with a highly requested feature. Bumping the app to version 7.1, Fandango for iOS has added support for Apple’s mobile payment solution, Apple Pay.

Fandango’s Apple Pay integration works just the same as it does with other third-party. When you go to purchase a ticket, you can now choose Apple Pay as a checkout option, significantly expediting the process.

Fandango’s addition of Apple Pay comes just a week after the iOS App Store added a new Shopping category to showcase apps like Fandango. Fandango’s support for Apple Pay has been a long time coming. Apple and Fandango have seemingly had a solid relationship thus far. Fandango powers database powers Siri’s support for movie times and reviews, so it’s odd that it took so long for the app itself to support Apple Pay. Fandango was also one of the first companies to release an Apple Watch app.

Fandango version 7.1 with Apple Pay support is available now on the App Store for free.

Facebook Messenger’s new ‘Photo Magic’ feature automates sharing shots of your friends instantly

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 9 2015 - 12:50 pm PT
0 Comments

A new feature in Facebook Messenger is now rolling out that scans photos added to your camera roll in search of your Facebook friends, and suggests that you send them to the people it finds. It’s a pretty nifty feature, if you feel comfortable with Facebook looking at every single photo you take on your device and constantly processing data on the friends you’re hanging out with…
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Adobe creative professionals offer first hands-on impressions using iPad Pro [Video]

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Nov 9 2015 - 9:41 am PT
5 Comments

Adobe is one company patiently waiting for the launch of the new iPad Pro as the firm in recent months has prepared for what it expects to be a big user base of professionals interested in its various creative mobile apps on the device. Sharing in the excitement for the launch scheduled for later this week, Adobe just released the video above showing off some of the possibilities of its apps on the new iPad and giving us one our first looks at hands-on impressions with the iPad ahead of product reviews going live.

In addition to offering some previews of upcoming mobile app improvements at its Max conference earlier this year, the company has worked hard to optimize several of its apps that are bound to be popular on the new larger iPad. Apps ready to go for the launch include Photoshop Fix, Photoshop Sketch, Photoshop Mix and Comp CC.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TVywEv2-0E]

Apple confirmed earlier today that the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro will go on sale Wednesday, November 11th in 40 countries, while the device will hit Apple retail stores sometime later this week. In Apple’s press release, Adobe’s vice president of Products Scott Belsky called the company’s work on software for the device an “industry-advancing collaboration that millions of Adobe and Apple customers will benefit from.”

“iPad Pro enables new forms of mobile creativity that will help transform how creatives work,” said Scott Belsky, vice president of Products at Adobe. “With the larger iPad Pro screen and lightning-fast performance, creatives will be able to take full advantage of Adobe’s family of Creative Cloud mobile apps. For example, the ability to manipulate a 50-megapixel image right on iPad Pro in Photoshop Fix and then send that image to Photoshop CC on a desktop, for further refinement, is the kind of industry-advancing collaboration that millions of Adobe and Apple customers will benefit from.”

While there haven’t been many hands-on videos since Apple first unveiled the device at its press event in September, we did get a look at Disney and Pixar animators playing with the device and offering their first impressions last month.

Macphun announces Aurora HDR, Mac photo editing app developed with HDR expert Trey Ratcliff

Avatar for Jeremy Horwitz Nov 9 2015 - 6:10 am PT
9 Comments

Expanding its suite of outstanding photo editing apps, Macphun today announced Aurora HDR, a powerful but easy-to-use tool for creating High Dynamic Range images. Co-developed by leading HDR photographer Trey Ratcliff, Aurora HDR automatically combines several exposures of the same image, bringing out bright colors and shadow detail that are lost by a single exposure.

Unlike typical HDR compositing, which yields a finished image that’s hard to meaningfully edit, Aurora HDR includes nearly 40 one-click presets to change the look of the image, including Signature Pro presets developed by Ratcliff. The app can be used in standalone or plug-in modes, and incorporates a large collection of detail, noise, and intensity adjustment tools borrowed from Macphun’s Creative Kit 2016 (reviewed here), notably including selective adjustment brushes.

Aurora HDR will be available in standard ($50) and Pro ($100) versions on November 19, with discounted $90 Pro pre-orders starting today from Macphun’s web site. Additional screenshots and details are below…


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Pinterest adds visual search tool to iOS app – can identify a billion objects

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Nov 9 2015 - 3:55 am PT
2 Comments

If you’ve ever been browsing Pinterest and spotted a lamp you really like in a shot of someone’s living room, or a bag you love in a street shot, the iOS app now has a tool designed to help. Just tap the search tool in the corner of the photo, highlight the object of interest and the app will search its product database to try to identify it … 
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Instagram reportedly testing ads with 3D Touch & Apple Pay integration & other Apple Pay news

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Nov 6 2015 - 12:00 pm PT
0 Comments

Update: An Instagram spokesperson has reached out with following statement:

“Mobile commerce is definitely a space we are looking at closely. However, this isn’t something we are testing at this time”

Instagram is reportedly testing new ads that will take full advantage of being integrated with Apple’s platforms including the new 3D touch pressure sensitive touchscreen feature and its payments service Apple Pay, Digiday reports.

The integration of Apple Pay and 3D Touch, a new feature introduced with the iPhone 6s that allows pressure sensitive touchscreen interactions, is reportedly being tested as an expansion of Instagram’s recently launched “Shop Now” feature:

It has even run tests with restaurants to sell menu items right from the Instagram feed, without the need to click off the app’s main feed, said an ad agency source familiar with the test.

Some of the shopping tests incorporate features like Apple’s force touch screen feature, which lets consumers apply pressures in their clicks to switch among multiple product options in the images, the source said.

In other Apple Pay news, MacRumors notes that Wegmans will be one of the next major retailers to roll out its rewards card program but that it’s only in a piloting phase ahead of a full roll out next year. Yesteday, Walgreens became the first retailer to offer its rewards cards through Apple Pay.

And possibly related to Apple’s overall rollout of its own payments service, the site noticed Apple appears to have quietly dropped support for PayPal credit payment plans in its US online store. It is, however, continuing to offer Paypal as a financing option in the UK and as a payment option in its online stores there.

Roundup: The best apps and games for the new Apple TV

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Nov 6 2015 - 9:27 am PT
29 Comments

The Apple TV has been available for a week now and the tvOS App Store is estimated to include over 1,000 apps, with more coming online every day. There’s a pretty good selection of titles, with a heavy focus on gaming. Developers are still figuring out how to use the touchpad Siri Remote in interesting and new ways but the initial launch is promising for sure. We’ve rounded up our favourite apps and games for the new Apple TV so far …


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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Apple Watch pre-owned from $261, Magic Mouse 2 (open-box) $68, iPhone car mount $4, more

Avatar for Justin Kahn Nov 6 2015 - 9:01 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:

GameStop Black Friday ad leak: PS4/Xbox One bundles $300, new Nintendo 3DS XL $180, tons of games

Huge savings on pre-owned Apple Watches, deals from as low as $261 shipped

Apple Magic Mouse 2 (open-box): $68 shipped (Reg. $80)

Car Tech accessories for iPhone: Aukey windshield mount $4 (Reg. $10), Mpow air vent mount $6 (Reg. $9), more

Review: How Amazon Echo changed my life + $130 special price ($50 off) for Amazon card holders

Sam’s Club One-Day Sale: iPhone 6s/Plus $100 off, iPad Air 2 64GB/128GB $150 off, PlayStation 4 $300, more

Meijer Black Friday ad: Xbox One/PS4 bundles $300 w/ $50 credit, much more

eBay calls on Black Friday shoppers to decide which products will get discounted this year

Amazon’s Black Friday Deals store is now open for business

Everything we know so far about this year’s best Black Friday deals and promotions

More new gear from today:

Bluetooth Speakers: Inateck Aluminum $30 (Reg. $43), SOL Republic Deck $40 (Reg. $50+)

Apple iPad mini 4 Wi-Fi 64GB in all colors: $460 shipped (Reg. $499)

More deals still alive:

Apple iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi: 16GB $399 (Reg. $499), 64GB $479 (Reg. $599), 128GB $559 (Reg. $699)

Apple iPad Mini 2, space gray or silver: $199 shipped ($70 off)

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/661597131170557954 align=’center’]

App Store Free App of the Week: Rayman Fiesta Run goes free on the App Store for the first time (Reg. $3)

New products & more:

Don’t Panic’s latest iPad Air 2 case is an astute all-in-one solution for every angle

New Fallout 4 launch trailer hits with a fresh look at gameplay and more

 

Google’s note capturing iOS app ‘Keep’ adds widget + share extension, copy to Docs feature

Avatar for Zac Hall Nov 5 2015 - 12:37 pm PT
1 Comment

Google’s iPhone and iPad note capturing app is out with a feature update today in the latest version. Keep users can now add an app widget to the Today view in Notification Center for capturing material in the app from anywhere with a swipe down.

iOS users can also add a new Keep extension using the latest update for sending websites and other information to Keep without opening it and leaving the app you’re already in. Finally, the new version lets Keep users copy notes with Google Docs for the first time.

Google Keep lets you capture notes using labels and colors as well as photography and images on-the-go. Keep also supports capturing voice memos and making lists that backup and sync to your Google account. The new iOS widget lets you jump right into the app to create new note, lists, photos, and voice memos.

After only being available on Android for a couple years, Google brought Keep to iPhone and iPad just a few weeks ago. Download the latest version of Google Keep from the App Store to use the new features for free.

Facebook for iPhone adds enhanced Apple Music and Spotify song sharing with Music Stories

Avatar for Zac Hall Nov 5 2015 - 8:33 am PT
3 Comments

Facebook is rolling out a new post format on the latest version of its iPhone app called Music Stories. The new format lets you share songs and albums from popular streaming music services, starting with Apple Music and Spotify, while friends can enjoy 30-second previews of what you share. The Music Stories format also looks rich within the app. Tapping play turns the artwork in a record-like spinning animation, and a button to listen to the whole track or album on the streaming service is presented on the right. 
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Flickr iOS app updated with 3D Touch for quick actions, comparing photos & more

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Nov 5 2015 - 7:26 am PT
0 Comments

The Flickr iOS app has been update with support for 3D Touch on the latest iPhones. You can now upload a photo, view your feed, check notifications or carry out a Spotlight search right from the Home screen. Spotlight lets you search for albums, groups or recently-viewed photos.

The app also has a handy new 3D Touch feature within the app for deciding which photo to share from a selection … 
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Facebook reportedly launching News-like app ‘Notify’ with media partners next week

Avatar for Zac Hall Nov 4 2015 - 12:50 pm PT
3 Comments

Facebook is said to be planning to launch its standalone news app with a list of media partners on board sometime next week. That’s according to Financial Times, which reports the app will be called Notify and include content from a list of media partners including CBS, The Washington Post, and Vogue. Reports of Facebook working on a separate mobile app focused on news rather than the social network first surfaced in early August.

The news comes just as Facebook announced today in its earnings report that it’s currently serving an average 1.01 billion daily active users each month…
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Google Drive for iOS gets improved sharing experience w/ notifications & more

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Nov 4 2015 - 12:00 pm PT
0 Comments

Google Drive updates arriving today include new features for the service’s iOS app including sharing notifications and what Google promises will be a ‘consistent sharing experience across platforms.”

As part of its Drive mobile app updates today, both users of the iOS and Android apps can now enable notifications for when files are shared with them. Not only is it a notification, but it also acts as a quick link to jump right into the file or folder. And in addition, Google notes that “If a file/folder owner has notifications turned on and someone requests access to their content, the owner will be notified of the request instantly on their mobile device so they can quickly grant access.”

Another feature in the update for the Google Drive iOS app is what Google describes as a new consistent sharing experience, which essentially means the iOS app sharing experience is now on par with the Drive app on other platforms. You’ll notice the addition of an option to add a custom message when sharing:

We’re implementing a more consistent sharing experience in Drive (and the Docs editor apps too!) across platforms, including the ability for people using the Drive iOS app to add custom messages to recipients directly from the app when sharing a file.

The updated Google Drive app for iPhone and iPad is available now.

Evernote for iOS adds sketching/handwriting in notes, iPad split-screen support

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Nov 4 2015 - 11:31 am PT
1 Comment

Evernote just announced an update to its iPhone and iPad apps that brings the ability to sketch in notes, which should make many users happy as the company points out the feature is one of its most-requested (and one it’s long had on Android).

Using your finger or a stylus like the Evernote edition of the Adonit Jot Script or Apple Pencil, users can now sketch inside of notes. And for users of the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus with 3D Touch, the feature will allow you to “change the line weight just by adjusting your writing pressure.”

Sketches, like everything else, sync across platforms so you can view and continue to edit on another iOS or Android device. And the feature includes handwriting recognition, so you’ll be able to search for text you’ve written inside notes.

Here’s how you access the feature:
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Feature Request: Airbnb’s Apple TV app is perfect for a concierge-style experience for guests

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Nov 4 2015 - 11:04 am PT
1 Comment

Feature Request is a new regular 9to5Mac series where authors offer their opinion on how to improve popular hardware or software products.

A lot of the apps on the new Apple TV bring similar experiences as on iOS to the big screen, but we’re bound to see some unique apps designed specifically for the living room that perhaps didn’t make a lot of sense on smaller or mobile devices. One example of this and my first Feature Request: Airbnb should add a concierge-style experience for guests through its new Apple TV app.
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9to5Toys Last Call: Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones $119, iPhone 6/s case $3, MFi Lightning cable $4, more

Avatar for Nov 4 2015 - 9:08 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:

Get the latest Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd Gen.) for $212 shipped (Reg. $249)

Audio-Technica’s best selling ATH-M50x headphones in black: $119 shipped (Orig. $170), more

Protect your new iPhone 6/s with this dual-layer case in Space Gray, Silver or Gold: $3 Prime shipped (Reg. $12)

USB Power Deals: 3.3-ft. MFi Apple-Certified Lightning Cable $4 (Reg. $11), Lumsing 3-port Car Charger + Lightning Cable $8, more

Review: How Amazon Echo changed my life + $130 special price ($50 off) for Amazon card holders

Apple iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi: 16GB $399 (Reg. $499), 64GB $479 (Reg. $599), 128GB $559 (Reg. $699)

Apple iPad Mini 2, space gray or silver: $199 shipped ($70 off)

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/661597131170557954 align=’center’]

Sam’s Club One-Day Sale: iPhone 6s/Plus $100 off, iPad Air 2 64GB/128GB $150 off, PlayStation 4 $300, more

eBay calls on Black Friday shoppers to decide which products will get discounted this year

Amazon’s Black Friday Deals store is now open for business

Everything we know so far about this year’s best Black Friday deals and promotions

More new gear from today:

Daily Deals: Vizio 43″ 120Hz 1080p LCD HDTV + $100 Dell GC $300, LYTRO Light Field Camera $400, more

More deals still alive:

This 802.11n pocket wireless router from TP-LINK is a must-have for avid travelers: $10 shipped (Orig. $40)

Buy a pair of PowerBeats 2 Wireless In-Ear Headphones, get a $50 Target gift card: $144 shipped (Orig. $200)

Beats by Dr. Dre Pill 2.0 Portable Bluetooth Speaker (multiple colors) $120 shipped (Orig. $200)

New products & more:

Mellow Boards makes any skateboard electric and looks good doing it

 

Review: Cold Open for iOS makes it easy to track your favorite TV shows

Avatar for Mike Beasley Nov 4 2015 - 6:24 am PT
9 Comments

These days, there are so many good TV shows on that it’s difficult to pick just one or two favorites, and on-demand streaming makes it even easier to watch your favorite shows on your own schedule, so it’s no surprise that some people have a hard time keeping track of which shows they’re behind on.

For many, the solution has come in the form of apps that take all of the work out of remembering when your favorite shows air and help you track which episodes you’ve seen or missed. Sometimes, however, these apps can be as complicated as the TV schedule you’re trying to track.

Today, a new app in that category called Cold Open has launched. It was created by a team of developers and designers known in the iOS and jailbreaking communities for their work on a variety of projects, and it’s one of the simplest TV apps yet, making it ridiculously easy to keep track of your watching habits.


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Want to see how Microsoft’s Cortana compares to Siri? Apply for access to the iOS beta

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Nov 4 2015 - 6:03 am PT
2 Comments

If you’re curious to see how Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana compares to Siri, you may be able to take it for a test-drive. Microsoft says that it has completed internal testing of Cortana for iOS and is now seeking beta testers.

Cortana is with you on your Windows 10 PC, tablet, and phone—helping you whenever and wherever you need it. But we also know that there’s a choice of mobile devices out there, so we want help from our Windows Insiders to make sure she’s a great personal assistant on iOS too. We’re looking for a limited number of people to get their hands on an early version of the […] Cortana for iOS beta … 


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