iOS apps - page 4

This definitely isn’t the first time we’ve talked about Overcast here at Cult of Mac. But since I’ve been spending time rounding up my must-have apps as part of our Awesome Apps series, it makes sense to tell you why Marco Arment’s podcast client is the best podcast app out there.

It’s actually a great time to introduce anyone unfamiliar with Overcast to the app, since it recently received its biggest redesign ever. Part of this change includes a new home screen with some smart features. I love Overcast for a number of reasons, but the app’s home screen is probably chief among them.

Gone are the days where folks needed a document scanner sitting atop their desks. Instead, we have our trusty iPhones! When friends ask me which app they should be using to turn paper documents into PDFs, I point them in the direction of SwiftScan. Let me tell you why.

Forget your whisk, chef’s knife or food-mixer. Apple’s iPhone should be your go-to device when it comes to preparing delicious meals in the kitchen. While it’s incredibly handy having Siri nearby to set multiple cooking timers, our iPhones, iPads and Macs can also double as digital recipe-books. And when it comes to recipe apps, trust me: The best out there is Mela.

New data from a couple of analytics firms shows that it’s harder now than ever to get an app to the top of App Store rankings, thanks to stiffer competition.

But the data shows that gaming apps have an easier time of it than other types of apps.

If your hardware doesn’t support Apple’s amazing AirPlay, it’s a little silly how many wires it can take to cast one screen to another. You can wind up with a whole pile of HDMI cables and adapters.

ApowerMirror skips the cables by letting you share your smartphone screen to a Mac, PC, iPhone, Android or smart TV. And for a limited time, ApowerMirror is on sale for $41.99 (regularly $259).

Created by former Apple employee Christian Selig, Apollo for Reddit is hands-down the best Reddit reader out there. Forget the official Reddit client for iOS and iPadOS – Apollo is the app I return to day after day when it comes to exploring the fascinating world of Reddit.

In my view, the official Reddit app feels like a rehashed version of Reddit’s freewheeling website. Meanwhile, Apollo is a proper piece of mobile software — the real McCoy, if you will. It gives you a fantastically effective interface for digesting the mountain of news and topical info posted by Reddit’s millions of users.

Now don’t get me wrong. Apollo is by no means swish, flash and fancy. It’s instead the exact opposite – stripped-down and streamlined. But believe me: When it comes to browsing Reddit while on the move, this app gets the job done.

This post is brought to you by Stratospherix, developer of FileBrowser Professional.

Although plenty of big businesses use Stratospherix’s FileBrowser Professional, it’s also a great product for home users and small offices. It helps users simplify their network and cloud storage, so they can easily work with files in just one app.

Individuals and businesses alike have trusted FileBrowser Professional for quite a while. It appeared on the App Store in 2009 and was among the first apps for the iPad when it launched in 2010. Since then, FileBrowser Professional has only gotten better, helping people use Apple devices more like they use a desktop computer.

It’s easy to download FileBrowser Professional from the App Store for iPadOS or iOS. Or you can try the free version, FileBrowserGo (see below).

Just under two weeks from its Worldwide Developers Conference 2022, Apple notified winners Tuesday of its annual Swift Student Challenge. Along with typical prizes for winners as in recent years — outerwear and a pin set — the company is giving winning students a pair of AirPods Pro.

This year’s winners made an interesting variety of apps, according to quick replies to queries via Twitter.

It’s true – Apple’s Reminders app has gone from strength to strength in recent years. But for a more-comprehensive task-management app on iOS, iPadOS and macOS, look no further than Todoist.

Trust me: It’s the best to-do app out there.

It appears Ecobee, the Canadian smart home accessories maker, will soon release a new version of its SmartThermostat with an air-quality sensor built right in.

The leak of the upcoming product came in the form of a hidden image in an update to the company’s iOS app.

Spring cleaning doesn’t just have to mean finally dusting. You can clean up your online tracks with a no-log virtual private network that’ll protect your identity and your browser data.

This three-year subscription to VPNCity offers that service and a lot more. And you can get it for $69 (regularly $357) with coupon code SPRING10 during our Spring Refresh Sale.

Even the most meticulous planners have trouble sticking to an agenda sometimes. But planning and notetaking doesn’t have to be all on you. There’s some impressive software out there that can make it easier on Macs, iPads and iPhones.

Date-focused notetaking app Agenda Premium 14 automates what it can for notetaking and planning, and makes the rest of the process easier with some fantastic tools. For a limited time, Agenda Premium 14 is on sale for $9.99 (regularly $34).

Data on your iPhone isn’t that different from any of your other belongings — sometimes things get lost. For that reason, it’s important that you have an app that can recover lost data. Because you never know if it’s going to be an accidental screenshot that gets deleted or your favorite picture of a pet.

A lifetime license to PhoneRescue for iOS lets you recover lost data directly to your device forever. And, for a limited time, it’s on sale for just $29.99 (regularly $99).

So much time is lost when you’re constantly moving between spreadsheets and databases. When you must use one app to organize information and another to analyze it, things can get clunky and overly complicated.

Stackby is a unique app that combines the ease of a good spreadsheet with the analysis and sharing tools of a database. For a limited time, a lifetime subscription to the Stackby Personal Plan is also on sale for $69 (regularly $300).

Good software and e-learning courses can drain your bank account. At full price, some software packages can go for thousands of dollars, and many individual online courses cost hundreds of dollars each.

Cult of Mac Deals rounded up some of the highest quality apps and online courses, then slashed the prices to make them much more affordable. During our Best of Digital Sale, they’re all 30% off with coupon code DOWNLOADNOW.

The iScanner app does much more than quickly scan documents and QR codes. It also can measure the area of a room, as well as pulling off unexpected tasks like counting similar objects or solving math problems.

It’s a great tool to have on your iPhone. And right now, you can get a lifetime subscription to iScanner for just $27.99 (regularly $199) with coupon code DOWNLOADNOW.

I rarely share photos of my family – and more specifically, my daughter – online. I believe that she should have the right to choose if, and when her face is shared online.

This means that I typically only share photos with her face cropped out, or I resort to clunky editing processes to obscure her face. With the brand new app MaskerAid, now hiding her face can be done instantly.

Who said Valentine’s Day is all about flowers and chocolate? We may be biased, but you know what really sets our hearts aflutter? Game-changing Mac and iOS apps that make our Apple devices more productive and our days even easier.

So, if you want to treat yourself to something you’ll fall in love with this year, may we suggest some of the very best apps around? These all come highly rated by experts and users alike. And right now, you can take an extra 15% off their sale prices when you enter the code VDAY2022 at checkout.

Now that’s enough to set pulses racing.

If you’ve been reusing the same old password across multiple websites and accounts, you need to stop what you’re doing and get a password manager immediately. Cybersecurity experts recommend password managers as the best way to protect yourself and your private data.

And right now, you can grab a year’s premium subscription to the top-rated Dashlane — the official password manager of Cult of Mac — while it’s on sale for just $29.99. That’s 50% off the regular price of $59. Or, boost your savings even further by grabbing a one-year subscription to the Dashlane Password Manager Family Plan, which lets you create six premium accounts, on sale for 64% off.

To start developing apps for the iPhone and iPad, all you need to know is how to code with Swift. Want to get off to a fast start? We’ve got a hot deal on a that will get you developing iOS apps in no time.

Swift 5 Fundamentals: The Language of iOS Development covers the basics as well as advanced aspects of this fundamental Apple coding language. Plus, it shows you how to put those skills to use. And right now it’s only $19.99 (regularly $200).

WhatsApp is readying message reactions on iOS and Android that will roll out in a future app update. Screenshots of the feature have appeared ahead of its release, showing the ability to react to messages with select emoji.

It’s much like the message reactions feature already available to iPhone users inside iMessage. WhatsApp seems to be following Apple’s lead by only making certain emoji available, rather than allowing all of them, like Instagram.

If you always wanted to learn another language, now’s the time to do it. Not only is the start of the new year the perfect time to invest in yourself, but right now is your last chance to grab a lifetime all-language subscription to the award-winning Babbel for just $199.

Soon, it will go back to its regular sale price of $299. (Frankly, that’s already a great deal, since Babbel lists for $499.)

Apple says it has eliminated the iCloud sync issue that has been causing all kinds of disruption inside third-party apps.

The problem first surfaced late last year, soon after iOS 15 made its debut, and sporadically prevented many apps from syncing data through iCloud — much to the frustration of users and developers. But it is said to be eliminated now.

A growing number of developers report persistent CloudKit connectivity issues that break iCloud syncing inside their apps.

It seems the problem has been ongoing since at least November. Many developers say they reported the situation to Apple but have yet to see improvements — or even a response in some cases.

The latest WhatsApp update on iPhone brings a number of neat improvements for those who have updated to iOS 15. The app is now fully compatible with Focus mode, while contact photos now appear in notifications.

WhatsApp has also made it possible to pause and resume while recording voice messages. The version 22.2.75 is now available to all, though it could be a few weeks before the improvements are rolled out to everyone.