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iOS apps - page 13

Grab excellent photo app Obscura 2 while you can

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The Obscura 2 photo app is worth the money. But why not get it for free while you can?
Obscura 2 is worth the money. But why not get it for free while you can?
Screenshots: Obscura

Obscura 2 is one of the best camera apps and a bargain at $4.99 if the iPhone is your primary camera.

Today, Apple and the developer of Obscura announced it is available to download at no charge through Sept. 25 via the Apple Store app.

Unleash your graphic design prowess with Pixelmator [50 Essential iOS Apps #40]

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Pixelmator on iPad surrounded by camera gear
Pixelmator is a powerful, all-in-one graphic design app for photographers and designers alike
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: PixelmatorSince its introduction, the iPad has slowly won over new markets of people. Over the past couple years, photo and image editing apps have found a home on Apple’s tablet. Pixelmator for iOS takes photo editing and graphic design on iOS to a new level, bringing a photoshop-like experience to your fingertips.

George Takei’s House of Cats app bares its claws at Trump

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George Takei's new House of Cats apps shreds President Trump.
George Takei's new House of Cats apps shreds President Trump.
Photo: BMAD

George Takei is best known for his iconic role on Star Trek, but he’s also an activist. And a very anti-Trump one. His new app combines two things the internet loves: cats and politics.

House of Cats stars Trumpy Cat, a distinctly non-cute version of the President in feline form.

When did Apple’s built-in apps get so good?

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Look at this blank home screen. Just look at it.
Who needs third-party apps anyway?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

It used to be that the first-party iOS apps were only used by people who didn’t care enough to download something better. Mail, Notes, Contacts, the Calendar — all of these were immediately dumped into a junk folder by experienced users, to be replaced with a proper app. But something happened along the way to 2018. Now, Apple’s apps are every bit as good as third-party apps. (Well, mostly. The Contacts app is still awful.)

Today we’ll take a look at a few of Apple’s surprise hits.

LiquidText PDF Reader gives paper the upgrade it needs

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LiquidText
Using paper is so old-school. Your iPad is capable of much more!
Photo: LiquidText

Paper’s great for some things, but when it comes to reading and taking notes, the traditional medium is mediocre at best. And when iPad apps try to replicate paper, things get even worse.

“It doesn’t work,” said Craig Tashman, developer of the LiquidText PDF Reader app, which Apple showcased in an iPad ad this week. “They end up inheriting the deficiencies of paper without really inheriting the things that make it work.”

Tashman talked with Cult of Mac about his quest to reinvent paper, and the massive benefit of having a $945 billion tech giant giving an indie developer some props.

Netflix Smart Downloads manages TV shows for you

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Netflix iPhone
Want to watch the next episode of your favorite show on the subway? Netflix Smart Downloads makes it easy by automatically replacing each watched episode with the next one.
Photo: Netflix

A new feature in the Netflix app will automatically download episodes of your favorite shows. This means they’re waiting on your phone or tablet when you’re ready.

Netflix already allows users to download episodes to watch later. The improvement announced today just makes it easier.

iPhone app subscription fees doubled in a year

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Microsoft Word is one of thousands of titles available only through app subscription fees.
Microsoft Word is one of thousands of titles available only through app subscription fees.
Photo: Microsoft

We’re all accustomed to paying a simple, one-time fee for our iOS apps. But developers are increasingly turning to subscriptions. In fact, there were billions paid in app subscription fees in the past year.

Apple reported today that revenue from subscriptions is up 95 percent over last year.

Add some personality to your forecast with Carrot Weather [50 Essential iOS Apps #32]

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Carrot Weather forecast says its hot hot hot
Carrot weather tells it like it is... rain or shine, frigid or inferno.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Carrot Weather app Weather can be exciting, but checking the weather rarely is. Regardless of what’s going on outside, Carrot Weather makes checking the forecast hilarious and fun. Better than that, Carrot Weather offers an Apple Watch app that is best in class for the platform.

Massive explosions predicted during Fortnite event tomorrow

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Fortnite event happening Saturday
Fortnite could pop a big rocket on Saturday.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Something is going to happen in the Fortnite game tomorrow. What that will be is a bit of a mystery, but it’s causing a lot of buzz.

Whatever the deal is, it’s happening at 1:30 pm Eastern Time on Saturday. In-game TV screens are showing a countdown clock, and that’s when it hits the zero hour.

Apple Maps getting revamped to suck less

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Apple Maps
After going from terrible to mediocre, Apple Maps is set to become good.
Photo: Apple

Apple has begun gathering its own data about the U.S. road network, rather than buying this information from other companies. The goal is to significantly improve Apple Maps.

This app was a disaster when it launched 6 years ago, and although there have been significant improvements, it has been the butt of jokes ever since. Apple wants to change that.

Millions of Americans watching World Cup on their iPhone or iPad

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World Cup iPhone watching is a thing.
Extremely heavy downloads of apps like Fox Sports Go show that World Cup iPhone watching is a thing.
Photo: Fox

Living in America, it’s sometimes easy to forget the FIFA World Cup is going on now in Russia. Soccer isn’t one of the Big Four U.S. sports. Heck, most Americans don’t even call it by the right name.

But the fact that new downloads of the Fox Sports Go app grew 950 percent during the first week of the World Cup shows there are vast numbers of people living in this country watching the matches on their phones or tablets.

T-Mobile FamilyMode brings parental control over every device in the house

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T-Mobile FamilyMode Home Base
The T-Mobile FamilyMode app and Home Base promise control over every Internet-connected device in your house.
Photo: T-Mobile

Parental controls are a hot item. Apple is building them into iOS 12, kid-friendly apps have them, and T-Mobile just unveiled its solution: Family Mode.

This includes iOS and Android apps than can limit what children do online. And the Family Mode Home Base connects to the home Wi-Fi router and lets parents put restrictions on every device in the house.

Take control of your schedule with Fantastical [50 Essential iOS Apps #30]

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Fantastical Ticker view upcoming events
Understanding your calendar, reminders, and events is fast and easy with Fantastical
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: FanstasticalManaging a busy schedule is something we all deal with from time to time. Relying on a calendar app makes it easier, but entering every meeting, project, or appointment can be a hassle. Fantastical is the best calendar app for adding events to your calendar and managing your schedule.

Tinder explores becoming slightly less of a hookup app

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Tinder Picks currently only for iPhone
The new Tinder Picks option -- currently testing exclusively on iOS -- helps you find people you have something in common with.
Photo: Tinder

Tinder Picks is a feature this dating app is testing that might make it a better way to find people you’re compatible with emotionally, not just sexually.

Picks takes the user’s profile and shows them pictures of people who have similar jobs, educations, and interests.

Amazon’s unlimited reading app finally arrives on iOS

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Amazon FreeTime Unlimited for kids now available on the Apple App Store.
Amazon FreeTime Unlimited offers kids age-appropriate videos, books, and apps. It's now on the Apple App Store.
Photo: Amazon

Amazon FreeTime Unlimited just made the jump to to the Apple App Store. This service for children ages three to twelve offers thousands of books, movies, and games for a flat monthly fee.

The service launched years ago on Amazon’s own tablets, but only became available for iPad and iPhone today.

Twitter redesign doubles down on news

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Twitter
Twitter is going to show you lots of news, all through the app. Hopefully that's what you want.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A Twitter redesign will put breaking news and sports events at the top of your timeline. Expect updated iOS and Android apps to emphasize current happenings over casual chat.

Apparently being brushed under the rug are pictures of your cat. Twitter seems to want people to be consumers of Tweets, not creators.

Turn to-dos into lasting habits with Streaks [50 Essential iOS Apps #25]

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Streaks app completing tasks
Streaks turns your to-do list into a game of success.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: StreaksTo-do lists can be incredibly useful for getting tasks done on time and staying on top of ongoing projects. Unfortunately for some, it’s a source of procrastination, with no reward for keeping up with your daily (or weekly tasks). The Streaks app gamifies your recurring tasks and helps create good habits (or break bad habits) quickly and easily.

Neural networks make Google Translate app smarter, more accurate while offline

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Google Translate is now better, even offline
On-device learning should make the Google Translate app much better at its job.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Neural machine translation (NMT) has made the online version of Google Translate more accurate for years. Today, this AI feature was added to the iOS and Android apps so it can be used offline.

NTM allows the software to learn over time to create better, more natural translations. And this function is available while traveling without a local data plan.

GoodNotes 4 is the paper notebook of the future [50 Essential iOS Apps #24]

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GoodNotes 4 notebook with Apple Pencil on iPad Pro
GoodNotes 4 is perfect for writing notes, regardless of the topic.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: GoodNotes 4 The iPad has become a workhorse in the last few years. Since the introduction of the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, the transition from pen and paper to digital note-taking is more feasible than ever. GoodNotes 4 is one of the best digital note-taking and document-annotation apps available on iOS.

Avoid road hazards and slowdowns with Waze [50 Essential iOS Apps #22]

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Waze on iPhone in a car GPS mount
Waze provides clear turn-by-turn navigation and alerts you to potential hazards.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Waze map and navigation All across the country (and the world), people depend on cars to get from place to place. Unfortunately, not knowing where traffic is slow, or where a police officer is hiding, can cause serious delays. The Waze navigation app takes out the guesswork.

It tells drivers where traffic, construction or the 5-0 might turn a drive into a total bummer. Better yet, the navigation app’s huge user base means real-time data that lets you change course to avoid slowdowns.

What WWDC’s ‘sneak peek’ at project Marzipan could mean for the Mac

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WWDC 2018
The answer is complicated.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of Mac Near the end of Monday’s WWDC 2018 keynote, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi addressed a question that’s been circulating in the tech press for a while: Are Mac and iOS merging?

His answer was direct and unequivocal: “No.”

Then he delivered a “sneak peek” of Apple’s long-rumored cross-platform project codenamed “Marzipan.” In line with the past six months of rumors, the idea of the framework is to allow UIKit-based iOS apps to run natively on Mac. While that probably sounds exciting to Mac owners, it could yield an unwelcome unintended consequence. It could trigger a “lost year” for Mac apps.

Protect your photo collection with Google Photos [50 Essential iOS Apps #21]

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Google Photos library backup on iPhone X
Google Photos is the photo and video backup app we all wish Apple would give us.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Google Photos Photos and videos are some of our most important mementos, helping us recount our fondest memories. The thought of losing those keepsakes shouldn’t be something that keeps you up at night.

With Google Photos, every photo and video on your iOS device can be safely backed up to the cloud, accessible even if your iPhone or iPad goes up in flames. Even better, Google Photos can help you free up space on your iOS device, so there’s always room to take more pictures.

Explore your interests through pictures with Instagram [50 Essential iOS Apps #20]

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Cult of Mac Instagram profile
Instagram could soon offer original shows of its own.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Workflow appThere are tons of social networks to choose from. Some help you stay up-to-date with news, while others are focused on friends or family. Instagram is the social network for seeing the world and keeping up with your interests through images. Unlike Twitter or Facebook, Instagram lets photos do the majority of the talking.

Make Twitter great again with Tweetbot [50 Essential iOS Apps #17]

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The Cult of Mac profile in Tweetbot on iOS
Tweetbot for iOS is clean, easy-to-use, and isn't cluttered like the Twitter app.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Tweetbot for Twitter app Over the years, the Twitter app has changed significantly. What started as a container for Twitter’s mobile website has grown into the jumbled mess that it is today.

During that time, many third-party Twitter clients blossomed, providing a more streamlined, logical experience. While many faded away, a select few managed to stick around. For several years now, Tweetbot has been one of the best Twitter clients on iOS. It offers a clear design, simple gestures, and provides a better Twitter experience.

Podcast app Castro adds most-requested features

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Castro 3 playing the CultCast podcast
Podcast app Castro addresses several missing features with version 3
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

With podcasts increasing in popularity, Castro has been one of the top third-party podcast players on the market. In version 2, Castro changed the way users manage their unplayed episodes with their podcast triage system. While it was a great update, and included some gorgeous design touches, it was missing some key listening features. With version 3, Castro adds in users most requested features to make it a truly great podcast player.