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App Store - page 39

Hound, Thumb Drift, and other awesome apps of the week

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appsoftheweek_1024
Have an 'appy weekend all!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

If you’re looking to unwind this fine Sunday by sampling the latest App Store delectables for your iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch, look no further: Cult of Mac has your hookup!

Whether you’re on the hunt for a fun racing game, a new and surprisingly great alternative to Siri, or a promising photo and video-editing app created by a 16-year-old dev, we’ve got what you’re searching for.

Check out our picks below. You won’t be disappointed.

Apple TV’s App Store now has video previews

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apple-tv
Apple has been hard at work refining and updating Apple TV's App Store.
Photo: Apple

Apple just granted the Apple TV App Store another small update today. It now supports developers adding video previews to their app description pages. These videos can be up to 30 seconds and showcase how the app works or aspects of the gameplay.

App Store hero targets bogus reviews for termination

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App Store
Apple needs to help consumers find quality apps, and developers to sell them.
Photo: Parampreet Chanana/Pixabay

A new search engine wants to keep App Store reviews honest and accurate by completely ignoring the ones that may come from paid shills or through developers’ relentless badgering of users.

As of this writing, the system claims it has audited over 17 million reviews and ignored 1.1 million of them. And if you’re wondering if the hot new game or feature-filled calendar app you’re about to download is really worth your time, you might want to check this site out.

App Store hits record $3.3 billion in quarterly revenue

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You'll be able to disable all notifications for Live Video on Facebook soon.
Facebook had a pretty good few months in the App Store.
Photo: Thomas Ulrich/Pixabay

Whatever else we hear from Apple’s earnings call later today, we know that its App Store game is strong.

The virtual store that provides all of your favorite fart apps raked in a Scrooge McDuck-esque pile of coin with a record-setting $3.3 billion in revenue and 5.5 billion downloads during the last three months of 2015.

Apple wasn’t the only company that finished the year strong, though; Facebook also pulled in some impressive numbers.

Exploding Kittens, Music Memos and other awesome apps of the week

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'Appy weekend everyone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Somehow the weekend’s already halfway over, but to help you make the most of what’s left, we’ve combed through the week’s best apps to help you sort the wheat from the chaff.

Whether it’s a card game built around detonating felines (seriously, it’s better than it sounds!) or an amazing live podcasting app, we’re confident we’ve got what you’re looking for.

Check out our list below.

Apple will open Europe’s first iOS App Development Center in Italy

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Apple has lost its third appeal for ownership of the term App Store in Oz. Photo: Apple
Apple is using Italy to test drive its new concept.
Photo: Apple

Apple constantly talks about how many jobs its created through the App Store, and it’s putting its money where its mouth is by creating Europe’s first iOS App Development Center in Italy — designed to give students the practical skills and training necessary to help them develop apps for the iPhone and iPad.

Concepts, Lifeline and other awesome apps of the week

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appsoftheweek_1024
Have an 'appy weekend.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

It’s a lazy winter’s Sunday, which means it’s the perfect day of the week to try out a few of the hottest new apps currently hitting Apple’s various App Stores. But which ones to sample?

Whether you’re looking for a great Apple TV media player, an engrossing text-based game for your Apple Watch, or a great iPhone app to plan your first 2016 adventure, we’ve got you covered!

Check out our picks below.

iOS 9.3 brings all-new 3D Touch shortcuts

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3D Touch is becoming more indispensable.
Photo: Apple

3D Touch gets a big boost in iOS 9.3, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system.

On top of the various other “what to expect” features we’ve told you about, the iOS update, which arrived yesterday, also adds a host of new shortcuts you can use from the home screen for all standard pre-installed apps. Check out our list below.

Customers spend record $1.1 billion in the App Store over Christmas

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App Store icon
The App Store was a massive success over the holiday season.
Photo: PhotoAtelier/Flickr CC

Apple had a record-breaking holiday season for the App Store, with customers spending over $1.1 billion on apps and in-app purchases in the two weeks culminating on January 3.

The first day of 2016 alone accounted for more than $144 million — smashing the previous one-day record, which was set just one week earlier on Christmas day.

App Store app acting weird? Try this quick fix

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You'll want to find these.
You'll want to find these.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Twitter user and developer Peter Steinberger shouted out to the Twitterverse when his App Store app kept showing an app that needed an update, but would never actually update, even with an iPhone restart.

He got a reply from Zachary Drayer, a mobile developer himself, on how to get the App Store to force refresh.

It’s totally nonintuitive, but utterly cool, and you can do it on your Apple Watch and iTunes app as well. Here’s what to do if you’re in the same situation.

10 superb iOS and Mac apps we loved in 2015

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'Appy new year.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac's Best of 2015 Witnessing the ingenuity of app developers both small and large is a real highlight of my job writing about the Apple ecosystem. In that regard, 2015 didn’t disappoint: Some tremendous new apps got unleashed this year on both iOS and OS X.

Here are Cult of Mac’s picks for the absolute best apps of the year for iPhone, iPad and Mac.

How to restore older versions of iOS apps

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It's not easy, but you can restore old versions of apps on iOS.
It's not easy, but you can restore old versions of apps on iOS.
Photo: Jeff Benjamin

Usually, an app update is a good thing. But sometimes, things go wrong: An update does the opposite of what you expect it to do. In that scenario, you want to roll your apps back, but unfortunately, at least on the iOS and Mac App Stores, Apple makes that seemingly impossible.

But it isn’t impossible — just a little tricky. Here’s how to roll your iOS apps back to an older version when things go wrong.

Mark Cuban wants Apple to boot Twitter out of the App Store

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Twitter
#getridoftwitter?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

When there are complaints about censorship in the App Store, it’s usually developers arguing that Apple shouldn’t have removed a particular app for infringing on its often-vague user guidelines.

Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban had something else in mind, however, when he sent a series of tweets claiming that Apple should boot Twitter off the App Store — until the social networking company finds a way of better removing “objectionable” material from its service.

Games and entertainment dominate Apple TV’s store

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The Apple TV's app store has been a smash hit in its first month alone.
The Apple TV's app store has been a smash hit in its first month alone.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

On the Apple TV app store, entertainment apps, including streaming video from the likes of HBONow and Netflix, are a clear winner, followed next by games.

AppFigures, an app tracking service for publishers and developers, took a look at the trends from Apple TV’s first month out of the gate. Their report also has some interesting insights about each category, and the way the Apple TV’s digital storefront is shaping up to be a fairly viable place to sell apps.

App Store search just got much smarter

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App searches now have a lot more in store for developers.
Photo: Apple

A number of developers have reported noticing a difference in the way the iOS App Store now organizes search results. It appears Apple made changes around November 3 to the search algorithm to improve the relevancy of the results. Developers have identified multiple factors that are contributing to the new App Store search and overall, the changes are garnering positive feedback.

Apple, Google pull InstaAgent app for ‘stealing’ login info

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Have you seen this app? If it's on your phone, delete immediately.
Have you seen this app? If it's on your phone, delete immediately.
Photo: Computer World

InstaAgent, a third-party app for users to track visitors to their Instagram feeds, was pulled out of app stores by both Apple and Google after an iOS developer discovered the app was stealing people’s logins and passwords.

If you have InstaAgent on your smartphone – and reportedly half a million of you do – delete it immediately.

WTF?! Study finds Android is actually safer than iOS

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The Apple brand is the big difference.
The Apple brand is the big difference.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Your iPhone isn't as safe as you think it is. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Your iPhone isn’t as safe as you think it is. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Are iPhones really more secure than Androids? Google’s platform certainly gets more stick thanks to high-profile vulnerabilities like Stagefright, but according to a new study, Android is still safer and more secure than iOS.

Apple adds new Shopping category to App Store

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The App Store's newest category is all about shopping.
The App Store's newest category is all about shopping.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Apple has added a new shopping category to the App Store today, bringing with it a collection of apps that cover everything from auctions, product reviews, price comparisons, Apple Pay apps, and more.

App Store users will begin seeing the new category on the App Store today. It may end up on the tvOS App Store as well, considering one of the biggest selling points during the keynote demo was the ability to shop from your TV. To make the new creation of the new category even better for users, a select number of apps are offering limited deals to iOS shoppers.

The following promotions are available in the ‘Save While You Shop’ group:

Apple says ‘screw you’ to Europe’s largest hacker conference

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Apple offers up to $1.5 million to anyone who spots a software flaw
You know, hackers like these guys!
Photo: United Artists

The Chaos Computer Club, Europe’s largest collective of hackers, claims that Apple rejected the group’s streaming video app — which would allow users to watch talks from its Chaos Communications Congress event.

Why? Because members of the conference had previously hacked iOS, and Apple doesn’t want to help spread the hacking word.

Apple bans hundreds of apps that swiped user data

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apps
Apple responded swiftly to the discovery that over 250 apps collected data with private APIs.
Photo: Jason Howie/Flickr CC

Apple banned over 250 apps from the App Store that were using software to access users’ personal information. These apps managed to get through the App Store approval process with private APIs, which are against the rules. Apple took action shortly after news broke this morning that a security firm discovered these apps.

Hundreds of iOS apps secretly collect users’ data

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Does Apple need to double up on its security measures for new apps?
Photo: PhotoAtelier/Flickr

A security firm claims to have discovered 256 apps that illicitly gather user email addresses, lists of installed apps, serial numbers and other identifying information.

Apple may be obsessed with user privacy, but these apps — which violate App Store policy and have been downloaded by an estimated 1 million people — somehow got by Cupertino’s gatekeepers.

TuneIn Premium now streams live NFL games FTW

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Apple TV won't be streaming football this year.
Apple TV won't be streaming football this year.
Photo: NFL
TuneIn is also streaming a bunch of NFL shows. Photo: TuneIn
TuneIn is also streaming a bunch of NFL shows. Photo: TuneIn

TuneIn Premium, the radio streaming app for Android and iOS, just got an awesome new update that lets you tune into live NFL games.

Subscribers get access to play-by-play feeds for all 32 NFL teams, including both the home and away feeds and national radio broadcasts.