2017 was a great year for Apple as a whole, and the App Store was no different.
From messaging apps to music-generating tools to a smart AI assistant, Apple and various third-party developers unleashed an impressive array of new software designed to get us tapping, swiping and — most importantly — downloading.
A brilliant iPad port of one of the greatest turn-based strategy games of 2016, Civilization VI, is just of one of our picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps of the Week” roundup. In addition, we’ve got neat updates for the official Reddit and Shazam apps, plus a game that you control… using your eyebrows?
Check out our picks below — and have a very happy holidays!
A minor change in its App Store guidelines this week concerning template apps doesn’t sound like much. But if you’re one of the many, many iOS developers running a small business who rely on the App Store for a living, either directly or indirectly, it was a major triumph.
Here’s why it’s given developers another reason to celebrate this holiday season.
Apple has taken swift steps to make up to customers following the recent counterfeit Cuphead app, which appeared in the App Store this week without permission from the popular game’s developers.
Rather than customers having to request refunds for the fraudulent app, Apple is pre-emptively offering them to everyone who bought the app. It’s a nice “make good” for a situation that could have been embarrassing for the company.
Apple has always denied that merging its mobile and desktop operating systems, the way that Microsoft has done, is a good idea. But from 2018, it is reportedly starting to explore that road by giving developers the ability to create apps which work on iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
Depending on the hardware you use them on, these apps could be controlled via touchscreen, mouse, or trackpad — and would be equally at home on both iOS and macOS.
Apple is facing a lawsuit in China from a local clothing brand, which argues that Apple is infringing on its design trademark with its logo for App Store.
Apple changed the icon for the App Store in August this year — jettisoning the previous image showing a ruler, pencil and paintbrush crossing over to form an “A” shape, in favor of a simplified version of the same image. Unfortunately, clothing brand Kon has been using a similar image dating back to 2009, supposed to show skeletons bones symbolizing triumph over death.
When it comes to the iPhone X, facial recognition is most associated with the Face ID biometric security system, but there are other ways to use the front-facing camera on your device.
In a new game, titled Rainbrow, Washington University computer science graduate Nathan Gitter has created an innovative new game mechanic using Apple’s TrueDepth camera system — requiring players to control an on-screen character by raising or lowering their eyebrows. Yes, seriously!
A unique selfie app, created by Google, that summons up your inner supermodel is just of one of the picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup.
In addition, we’ve got part one of an excellent episodic adventure finally available on iOS, a sound-matching app for any guitar players out there, and an augmented reality-focused update to Facebook Messenger. Check out our picks below.
Windows 10 users hoping for some love from Apple by the end of the year are in for a dose of disappointment.
Apple says it won’t be bringing iTunes to the Windows Store this year. The move comes after Microsoft announced in May that iTunes would be supported on Windows 10 S machines by the end of 2017.
Apple will reward you with a $5 gift card for using Apple Pay at select retailers over the holidays. Your credit can be spent in the App Store or on iTunes. There’s a limit of one card per retailer, and the promotion is only available in the United States.
Microsoft Edge for iOS wasn’t packing iPhone X support when it hit the App Store late last month. But its latest update, available to download now, takes full advantage of that larger, sharper Super Retina HD display.
It’s not just Apple that’s excited about the possibilities of augmented reality! In its latest Snapchat-inspired update, Facebook has added new AR features to its Messenger app.
Called “World Effects,” the feature lets you place emoji-style 3D objects in three-dimensional space via your iPhone’s rear camera. Objects added include a heart, an arrow, and a robot — along with word bubbles with messages like “love,” “heart,” “miss you,” and — making us feel old — ““bae.”
Things from Cultured Code is arguably the best task management app on Mac and iOS. And with its latest update, you have the ability to add new items to your to-do list by email. It’s easier than ever to remember those important tasks.
Apple is now allowing all App Store developers to accept pre-orders for upcoming releases on iOS, macOS, and tvOS.
Customers will be able to view product pages and place their order ahead of an app’s official release date. They will then receive a notification once it is available and the app will be downloaded automatically to their device.
One of the most popular third-party apps on the App Store has officially been purchased by Apple.
London-based Shazam has long dominated the App Store charts with its ability to recognize any song, movie or TV show. Now Apple is bringing that tech in-house by purchasing the startup for nearly half a billion dollars.
In what looks like its latest security faux pas, Apple has allowed an app pretending to be created by MyEtherWallet.com — one of the internet’s leading services for storing ETH and other crypto currency — into the App Store.
Not just that, but the app quickly rose to the top of the iOS App Store over the weekend. Despite the creators of MyEtherWallet saying that the app is fake, and asking Apple to remove it, at time of writing the $4.99 app is still available to download.
An incredibly useful app that cleans your text of formatting issues is just one of our picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps of the Week” roundup.
In addition, we’ve got a brilliant music making app, an app for editing your 360 camera videos, and a superb post-apocalyptic survival adventure game. In the same week that Apple highlighted its top apps of 2017, these are our choices for the greatest apps of the past seven days. Check them out below.
Newton, creator of what is arguably the best mail app on iOS, now has a beautiful new calendar app. Newton Calendar was designed to be lightweight and gorgeous. It re-imagines what a mobile calendar should look like, and it makes managing your day a piece of cake.
An Apple Watch app that could actually save your life by watching for irregular heart rhythms is just of one of the picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps of the Week.”
In addition, we’ve got a console-quality racing game, a new iOS web browser, and an app that will let you stream video to your Apple TV by simply dropping a video onto your Mac. Check out our picks below.
Apple is ready to go red for World AIDS Day.
More than 400 Apple Stores around the world will sport red logos next week, while every Apple Pay transaction will result in a donation to the Global Fund. Apple will also promote apps and games that support (RED).
Microsoft Edge for iOS is now available to download from the App Store. The web browser entered beta testing in early October, but you needed a Windows 10 PC to get your hands on it. Now it is available to anyone with an iPhone.
Apple is removing violent games from the App Store — at least when it comes to games that glorify violence against drug dealers and users in the Philippines, that is!
While a lot of us probably haven’t come across them, there is apparently a niche series of games that depict Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte in a literal war on drugs. And seemingly the organisation “Asian Network of People who Use Drugs” (yes, that’s a real thing!) were none too happy about them.
The long-awaited arrival of beloved Nintendo franchise Animal Crossing on iOS is just of one of the picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps of the Week.”
In addition, we’ve got a great writing app for Mac (perfect if you’re writing a book!), a popular ARPG, and a brilliant point-and-click adventure game. Check out our picks below.
China may be working to ban Skype, with the phone call and messaging service disappearing from a number of sites, including Apple’s App Store in the country.
“We have been notified by the Ministry of Public Security that a number of voice over internet protocol apps do not comply with local law,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement. “Therefore these apps have been removed from the App Store in China.”
A brilliantly spooky, story-driven augmented reality game in which you search for your missing child in a new house is just one of our picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps of the Week.”
In addition, we’ve got a great app for teaching you Mandarin, another ARKit title that lets you get a closer look at some of the world’s top supercars, and a brilliant photo app for getting the most out of your iPhone or iPad.
Check our selections below. You won’t regret it!