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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.

Disney’s new iOS keyboard puts GIFs of your favorite characters and scenes right at your fingertips

Last year iOS 8 brought with it support for custom third-party keyboards. Some of these are designed to help you type faster, but some just make it easier to inject GIFs and other media into your chats. This week the cutest keyboard landed on iOS courtesy of who else, but Disney.

Just as its name suggests, the Disney Gif app puts hundreds of GIFs right inside your iOS keyboard. Choose characters and scenes from films including Star Wars, Lion King, Aladdin, Toy Story and Frozen. Disney also included support for Inside Out, which is a no-brainer decision since its main characters — each representing a feeling — work perfectly as GIFs.

Disney Gif uses the copy and paste of iOS so it’ll work system-wide wherever that functionality is supported. It shouldn’t be too tough sifting through the bunches of GIFs because Disney has organized them by emotion and story. The main Disney Gif app is available as a free download, but there are a couple in-app purchases including Frozen Emoji.

Visually express yourself in a whole new way with Disney Gif! Whether you’re feeling happy, sassy, villainous or magical, there’s no better way to show how you feel than with your favorite characters and moments. Whatever your emotion or reaction, we have a Disney, Pixar, or Star Wars gif for that!

Check back often for new content!

Explore and share gifs from some of the most loved stories, including:
Inside Out
Frozen
Star Wars
The Lion King
Tangled
Aladdin
Beauty and the Beast
Finding Nemo
Toy Story
Up
ABC Shows

…and so many more! Happy gif-ing!

Features:
– Browse through hundreds of gifs categorized by emotion or story
– New and trending content added frequently
– Chat gifs to your friends and family straight from your Disney Gif keyboard via text, email, or any app that supports the copy and paste of images

LEGAL DISCLAIMER:
Before you download this experience, please consider that this app contains social media links to connect with others, in-app purchases that cost real money, push notifications to let you know when we have exciting updates like new content, as well as advertising for The Walt Disney Family of Companies and some third parties.

NOTE: Disney Gif requests full access so we can access the internet and you can send cool gifs. We don’t save your key strokes or compromise your privacy.

9to5Toys Last Call: top-of-the-line previous gen 11″ MacBook Air $1,000, Monoprice Action Camera $60, more

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: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

11.6-inch MacBook Air (previous gen) 1.7GHZ/8GB/512GB + freebies: $1,000 shipped (Reg. $1,200+)

Monoprice MHD 2.0 1080p Action Camera: $60 shipped (Reg. $90)

App Store Free App of the Week: Halftone 2 Comic Book Creator ($2 value)

Amazon’s Treasure Truck brings daily deals to the streets

Giveaway: Grovemade’s latest wooden creation provides a luxurious home for your Magic TrackPad

More new gear from today:

Free McGraw-Hill educational iOS apps for your kids: Monster Squeeze, Beat the Computer, more (Reg. $2 ea.)

Games/Apps: BioShock, Civ Rev 2 & XCOM go 50% off on iOS, Rayman Legends $20, iOS freebies, more

Firebox’s new WTF section has a $236K Apple Watch and a full-size Delorean

Daily Deals: Canon Multifunction Laser Printer $95, Insignia 65-inch LED 1080p HDTV $700, more

More deals still alive:

LG 49-inch 4K 60Hz Smart LED UHDTV: $600 shipped (Reg. $900)

Verus iPhone 6/Plus cases in multiple styles & colors starting at $2 shipped

New products & more:

LEGO unveils the highly detailed new Ferrari F40 Creator series set

The Luzi Smart Lamp has Siri-like powers with charging options for Apple Watch

E3:

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Apple launches new App Store section showcasing LGBT content to commemorate 1969 Stonewall riots

Apple this evening has added a new featured section to the App Store focused on showcasing content that reflects LGBT pride. Apple notes that it is commemorating the 1969 Stonewall riots with the App Store section. The riots occurred during 1969 in New York City and are often seen as a pivotal moment in the fight equality for the LGBT community.


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HBO Now earned the most revenue of any iOS app last month following free trial period

HBO Now, the standalone subscription service for the premium network, appears to be a hit with iOS users, says new data from analytics service App Annie.

After launching on Apple TV and the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch in early April with a 1-month free trial, the new report says the standalone service’s app “debuted at #1 on our Worldwide May iOS revenue charts” showing that the free trial converted users to paid customers.

A month after the trial ended for day one subscribers, App Annie says HBO Now sat at “#2 overall daily grossing rank in the United States” according to its data. Showtime is planning a similar standalone service that will launch next month.

It’s also interesting to see where Spotify and Beats Music sit on App Annie’s chart ahead of Apple Music’s launch on Tuesday. Apple Music will offer a 3-month free trial period for users and will be pre-installed, but Beats Music users should convert to Apple Music customers and the company certainly hopes to steal customers from Spotify. HBO Now’s performance is also good news for the revenue outlook of Apple’s rumored web TV service as cord cutters are clearly willing to pay for content.

HBO Now is available on the App Store for $14.99/month.

Apple’s iTunes U gets 1-to-1 discussions, importing from other apps, PDF annotations, grade book, more

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Apple’s iTunes U service, a resource for teachers to create and manage educational content for students on iPad, is today receiving a big update that brings a long list of highly requested features. Starting today, teachers and students using the platform will get access to new additions including 1-to-1 discussions, homework hand-in & grade book features, PDF annotations, and more.
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9to5Toys Last Call: Logitech UE MINI BOOM $50, LG 49″ 4K UHDTV $600, iOS Free App of the Week, more

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: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

Logitech UE MINI BOOM Wireless Portable Speaker (multiple colors) $50 shipped (Orig. $100)

LG 49-inch 4K 60Hz Smart LED UHDTV: $600 shipped (Reg. $900)

Headphones: Qy7 Bluetooth 4.1 Earbuds $20 Prime shipped (Reg. $30), Sennheiser HD439 $40 (Reg. $55+), more

Amazon’s Treasure Truck brings daily deals to the streets

Save $100 on Apple’s iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi 16GB in Gold or Silver: $399 shipped (Reg. $499)

Giveaway: Grovemade’s latest wooden creation provides a luxurious home for your Magic TrackPad

More new gear from today:

Games/Apps: Dragon Age Inquisition $30, Skylanders Trap Team Wii U $30, Jump Out free, more iOS freebies

More deals still alive:

Verus iPhone 6/Plus cases in multiple styles & colors starting at $2 shipped

HooToo Wireless N Travel Routers w/ file sharing 20% off: TripMate Nano $15 Prime shipped (Reg. $25), more

New products & more:

Polaroid’s mini 1-inch 1080p action camera refreshed with Wi-Fi integration for iOS

The Roost smart battery adds iOS notifications to your old smoke detectors for $35

E3:

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Apple’s iCloud Calendar + Reminders web apps are currently down [U: Fixed for some]

[Update: The issues seem to be resolved around 12:00 PM EST.]

[Update 2x: Apple has also acknowledged the outage on its system status page noting that it began last night and may still be ongoing.]

No word on Apple’s official iCloud system status page, but the Calendar and Reminders web apps on iCloud.com are currently down as several readers have pointed out. We’ve tested it here and the above error was returned. Apple’s iMessage service suffered a similar outage earlier this week with users reporting widespread downtime. Other iCloud web apps appear to be working properly. We’ll keep an eye on the outage and update if anything changes, but if you’re seeing the outage it’s not just you.

Apple joins Confederate flag boycott, removes apps that use flag in offensive or mean-spirited ways [U: Statement]

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after

[Update: Apple has confirmed the policy with us. Statement below.]

[Update #2: Reports are now surfacing that Apple is now reinstating some apps with the Confederate flag to the App Store. The company is working with developers who use the Confederate flag, but not in a mean-spirited manner.]

[Update #3: TouchArcade specifies that affected games are able to change their app icons and App Store screenshots to avoid removal.]

A couple of days after Zac Hall called for Apple to join large retailers like Walmart, Target, Sears, Amazon and eBay in withdrawing from selling items featuring the Confederate flag, Apple appears to be working on doing just that.

Touch Arcade noticed that many Civil War games like Ultimate General: Gettysburg and the Hunted Cow series have all disappeared. An App Store search for ‘Confederate’ on Tuesday found plenty of games featuring the flag, while the same search today appears to show only apps dealing with the history (such as the reference work shown) above. All of the games shown in Tuesday’s search (below) have been removed from the App Store … 
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9to5Toys Last Call: 3-pack MFi Lightning cables $15, iPhone 6/Plus cases from $2, travel router $15, more

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: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

3-pack of 3.3-ft Poweradd MFi Lightning cables $15 Prime shipped (Reg. $23)

Verus iPhone 6/Plus cases in multiple styles & colors starting at $2 shipped

HooToo Wireless N Travel Routers w/ file sharing 20% off: TripMate Nano $15 Prime shipped (Reg. $25), more

Save $100 on Apple’s iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi 16GB in Gold or Silver: $399 shipped (Reg. $499)

Amazon Echo smart speaker now available for purchase for $180 shipped

Giveaway: Grovemade’s latest wooden creation provides a luxurious home for your Magic TrackPad

More new gear from today:

Games/Apps: Batman Arkham Knight 20% off + free skins & discounted bundle, Watch Dogs $10, iOS freebies, more

  • New! Daily Deals: Bluetooth Speaker $20, Logitech Z523 Speakers (refurb) $49, more
  • New! Save 40% at Gap & on Banana Republic sale items

More deals still alive:

Garmin vívofit Bluetooth Fitness Band (refurb): $42 shipped (Orig. $130)

iPhone 5 & 1-Yr Unlimited Talk/Text, 500MB LTE/m $300 shipped

New products & more:

Ily puts video calls front and center with compatibility for iOS and Android devices

Hulu secures its subscribers a 20% discount on the new Showtime streaming service

E3:

Opinion: Apple’s App Store needs to join the Confederate flag boycott

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Apple’s App Store should join Amazon, eBay, Walmart and others in boycotting the Confederate Flag

[Update 6/25/15: Apple has begun removing apps that “use the Confederate flag in offensive or mean-spirited ways” without removing apps with “educational or historical uses”.]

Apple’s Tim Cook added his voice to the chorus of CEOs speaking against displaying the Confederate Flag on Sunday, indirectly referencing it as a symbol for racism. In a tweet, Cook called to honor the lives of the victims in last week’s tragic South Carolina shooting by “eradicating racism & removing the symbols & words that feed it.” An Alabama native like myself, Cook has been a strong proponent for equality during his tenure as CEO, often speaking out against the South’s tarnished history and the changes we still need to address.

With major physical and online retailers including Walmart, Target, Sears, Amazon, eBay, and Etsy now publicly supporting the boycott against the Confederate flag by removing merchandise that displays it, I believe it’s time for Tim Cook’s Apple to join the campaign by removing digital goods that display the Confederate flag on the App Store.
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Instagram iPhone app adds revamped Explore tab w/ trending content, improved search

Instagram is rolling out an update today for its iPhone app bringing two major new features, including a redesigned Explore tab and improved search functionality. The company said the updates will “help connect our community to the world as it happens,” or in other words, a more real-time experience thanks to new trending Tags and Places within the Explore tab. 

With more than 70 million photos and videos posted to Instagram every day, wherever something is happening, chances are you can see it here. Whether it’s behind the scenes at the NBA Finals, on the runway with the latest fashion trend at a favorite club with a local band, people are capturing moments large and small on Instagram. But, until now, there’s never been an easy way to find these moments.

On top of the new trending tags and places in Explore, the company said it will be adding curated collections of images based on various themes, such as specific people or places, and featuring content from across the network.

The updated Explore feature is first rolling out to users in the US as part of the 7.0 update for iPhone that also adds improved search functionality:

For everyone on Instagram, we’ve dramatically improved the ability to find what you’re looking for. With the new Places Search, you can now peer in at just about any location on earth, allowing you to scout out your next vacation spot in the South Pacific, get a look inside that hot new restaurant or experience your favorite music festival — even if you couldn’t make it this year. The new Top Search also lets you search across people, places and tags all at once.

You can grab Instagram version 7.0 for iOS on the App Store now.

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Google Calendar for iPhone adds Drive integration, new interactive notifications, more

Google Calendar is out with an improved version for the iPhone today with version 1.1. The list of changes is short but the improvements should be welcome.

The update includes integration with Google Drive so users can connect files with events on your calendar. Interactive notifications now include the ability to open directions from alerts or respond to guests via email. Finally, users can now see week numbers next to the calendar and more entries using the week view.

Google Calendar for iPhone is available for free on the App Store. Version 1.1 follows the initial launch in mid-March. Full release notes below:
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9to5Toys Last Call: Incase mega sale, iPad Air 2 $399, 11″ MacBook Air (newest) $749, more

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: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

Incase up to 40% off sale + extra 15% + free shipping: Icon Compact Pack $51, MacBook Air Hardshell Case $30

Save $100 on Apple’s iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi 16GB in Gold or Silver: $399 shipped (Reg. $499)

Daily Deals: 11.6-inch Macbook Air 128GB (newest version) $749, Anker 40W 5-Port USB Charger $17, more

Amazon Echo smart speaker now available for purchase for $180 shipped

Giveaway: Grovemade’s latest wooden creation provides a luxurious home for your Magic TrackPad

More new gear from today:

WD My Passport Pro 2TB portable storage w/ Thunderbolt cable $200 (Reg. $300)

$50 Toys R Us gift card for $40 shipped (20% off): save on video games, LEGO, amiibo, dolls, more

More deals still alive:

iPhone 5 & 1-Yr Unlimited Talk/Text, 500MB LTE/m $300 shipped

The best deals to really take advantage of Microsoft’s Xbox One free game promotion

…and even more great iPhone 6 dock options

New products & more:

Jabra’s new in-ear Bluetooth headphones track more than 40 exercises

GameStop launches vintage games store and prices are all over the place

E3:

Changing the conversation: How Apple could modernize iMessage to be more powerful and easy to use

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At this year’s WWDC, Apple devoted a lot of onstage attention to a revamp of the Notes app in both iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan. One of my favorite additions is inline web link previews. Just paste a URL, and Notes will turn the link into a preview bubble with a thumbnail for the page, as well as a title and description.

This got me thinking about the possibility of applying the same functionality to other apps. The most obvious place to start, in my opinion, is Messages. I’m constantly sending and receiving links through iMessage throughout the day, whether it’s to a web page, an image, or even just a tweet. Having to flip back and forth between Safari and Messages just to see what the link I’ve been sent is removes me from the conversation and slows down my workflow.


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Neat business-focused Hiri email app for Mac gets Office 365-compatibility, Exchange support to follow

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[vimeo 122338477 w=700 h=394]

I’ve tried a number of Mac email clients over the years before settling (for now) on Postbox, but if I were running a company, I’d definitely give Hiri a whirl. Once your company grows, however, the chances are you’re going to need Office 365 and Exchange compatibility – and that’s what the company is now working on … 
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Swarm for iOS reintroduces mayorships and bragging rights

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Avid Foursquare junkies (myself included), rejoice – mayorships are back, just now in the Swarm app. You can become the mayor of a place by checking into it more than anyone else in the last 30 days, and only one check-in per day counts towards your rank.


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Tweetbot for Mac 2.0.1 brings Twitter’s new ‘quote tweet’ feature, bug fixes

The first update for Tweetbot 2 on OS X has been released, bringing promised support for Twitter’s new “quote tweet” feature along with a bevy of bug fixes, including one for a particularly nasty bug that could crash the app while creating a new mention, and another related to uploading a profile photo.

The app also speeds up the process of changing accounts and introduces support for longer direct messages, which will be available as soon as Twitter flips the switch on that feature in the near future.

You can grab Tweetbot 2.0.1 from the Mac App Store for free if you bought an previous version of the app. For new users it’s available at the reduced price of $12.99.

9to5Toys Last Call: iPad Air 2 64GB $500, V-MODA Crossfade LP $70, iPhone 5 w/ 1yr service $300, more

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: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

Apple iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi 64GB in all colors: $500 shipped (Reg. $599)

Amazon Gold Box – V-MODA Crossfade LP Over-the-Ear Headphones in multiple colors $70 shipped (Reg. $150)

iPhone 5 & 1-Yr Unlimited Talk/Text, 500MB LTE/m $300 shipped

…and even more great iPhone 6 dock options

Giveaway: Grovemade’s latest wooden creation provides a luxurious home for your Magic TrackPad

More new gear from today:

The best deals to really take advantage of Microsoft’s Xbox One free game promotion

Daily Deals: 2-pack Nokia Mini Proximity Sensors $15, Acer 21.5″ IPS LCD HD Monitor $90, more

More deals still alive:

Beats by Dr. Dre Powerbeats2 Wireless Bluetooth Headphones in multiple colors: $150 shipped (Reg. $200)

App Store sale – Amazing Fantasy Games at least 50% off: Badlands $2, more

App Store Free App of the Week: Warhammer Snotling Fling ($4 value)

New products & more:

The 5 biggest iOS and Android games announced at this year’s E3 Expo

Monoprice’s $200 Action Camera matches GoPro on specs & has a slick viewfinder

E3:

Mini review: Home Radio, the Mac app that could plug the gaps in Apple Music radio (free today only)

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While we’re all expecting good things from the radio side of Apple Music, it’s going to be a curated experience, meaning we’ll get the radio stations Apple chooses to offer. If it doesn’t cover all of our favorite stations, we’re going to need another radio app to plug the gap.

For listening on the move, the free SwipeRadio iOS app is a delightfully minimalist way to do it. Developer Dataphase has now taken the same approach on the Mac, with Home Radio. The philosophy is the same: no bells, no whistles, just the radio stations you want to listen to in an extremely lightweight app.

I’ve been trying it out, and if you want to do the same, developer Noam Gordon is kindly making it free for today only (22 June) especially for 9to5Mac readers … 
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9to5Toys Last Call: iPad Air 2 $75 off, Monoprice’s new $200 Action Camera, App Store sale, more

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: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

Daily Deals: iPad Air 2 all models $75 off w/ prices from $424, Logitech K400 Wireless Keyboard $20, more

Monoprice’s $200 Action Camera matches GoPro on specs & has a slick viewfinder

App Store sale – Amazing Fantasy Games at least 50% off: Badlands $2, more

App Store Free App of the Week: Warhammer Snotling Fling ($4 value)

The 5 biggest iOS and Android games announced at this year’s E3 Expo

Beats by Dr. Dre Powerbeats2 Wireless Bluetooth Headphones in multiple colors: $150 shipped (Reg. $200)

Quick Review: Kano’s Raspberry Pi 2 computer kit shines as a learning tool for kids and DIYers alike

More new gear from today:

Get a free game of your choosing when you buy an Xbox One next week

More deals still alive:

Ondesoft Mac Bundle with X-Mirage, iTunes Converter, Audiobook Converter and more: free ($146 value)

DJI Phantom 1.1.1 Quadcopter with GoPro Mount $299 shipped (Orig. $349)

New products & more:

DxO One pairs with your iPhone to snap DSLR quality RAW images

V-MODA’s new 3D precious metal headphones dwarf the cost of your gold Apple Watch Edition

Super Smash Bros. updates, Star Fox rolls onto Wii U, more

Limited edition PS4 accessories celebrate PlayStation’s 20th Anniversary

New games & hardware announced at E3 make Xbox One deserving of a second look

Sony shows Last Guardian, Final Fantasy VII remake, Uncharted 4, Star Wars, more

Microsoft unveils new hardware, 360 compatibility + Forza 6, Halo 5, more

Bethesda’s real life Pip Boy for iPhone/Android, Dishonored 2, Doom, more

Xbox Live Gold Members can enjoy EA Access for free this week

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Apple launches new App Store page to showcase apps taking advantage of VoiceOver

Apple today has added a new featured section to the App Store in which it is highlighting apps that take advantage of the iOS VoiceOver feature. Last month, Apple was recognized by the American Foundation for the Blind for its efforts to accommodate users who suffer from vision loss. A gala is being held this evening in New York City by the American Foundation for the Blind to honor the recipients of the Hellen Keller Achievement Award, which Apple received, and to celebrate, the company has added a new App Store section showing off apps using VoiceOver.


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Power for Apple Watch lets you check your iPhone battery remotely

iOS 9 adds a handy widget to the iPhone that lets you check your Apple Watch, Beats headphones, or other Bluetooth accessory battery levels from Notification Center, but there hasn’t been a way to check the phone’s battery level from the watch.

And because the Apple Watch can catch notifications from the iPhone even at great distances when on the same WiFi network, I often charge my phone in a different room without missing anything important… except knowing when my iPhone is finished charging.

Surenix, best known for work in the jailbreak space, today released a clever Apple Watch utility to remedy that situation with an app called Power.
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