App Recap: Cosmicast, Incognito, Pager, and Major App Updates
In this week's App Recap, we've compiled a list of several apps released recently that are worth checking out. We've also compiled a second list highlighting some apps that received major updates this week.
New Apps
- Cosmicast ($7.99) - Cosmicast, a new semi-skeuomorphic podcast player available for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Apple Watch, has a very simple and intuitive interface. As podcasts are playing, podcast artwork spins in the center of a digital vinyl record and easy speed and play/pause controls are conveniently located at the bottom of the screen. The app also features an adjustable sleep timer and chapter markers that makes using the app even easier. Users can also have the option to change the app's icon with tens of different choices. Cosmicast is one of the latest apps to take advantage of Apple's universal purchases feature, so buying the app once will allow you to have access to it across all of your devices.
- Incognito - Private Browser (Free) - Incognito is a new browser built for iPhone and iPad with user privacy in mind. After each session, all cookies and web data are discarded. The app touts having no ads, no third-party trackers, and the ability to keep your web history and bookmarks locked with a passcode or disabled altogether. Although the app is free to download, it can only be used for 14 days under a free trial before users must pay a one-time fee of $1.99 to have lifetime access to the app.
- Pager: Alerts for Reddit (Free) - Pager is an app available for both iPhone and iPad that allows to you create and set custom alerts for content on Reddit. The app allows users to create monitors that match post titles and usernames, so you can be notified when your favorite artist releases new music or be alerted when a news story is released within seconds.
App Updates
- Darkroom - Darkroom, a popular camera editing app for iPhone and iPad, was updated this week with a new feature that allows users to edit videos as well as photos. With the new update, all of Darkroom's photo editing tools can now be used with videos. Video editing is a feature that is included in the app's Darkroom+ subscription option, which is priced at $3.99 per month, $19.99 per year, or a one-time fee of $49.99.
- GameClub - Subscription-based iOS gaming service GameClub last week brought open world RPG Aralon Sword and Shadow back to the App Store. The game has received substantial upgrades to graphics since its early days on the App Store, so fans of the original version will definitely enjoy the improvements.
- Messenger Kids - Messenger Kids, a Facebook app available for iPhone and iPad, was launched in over 70 new countries this week and debuted several new features. Among the new features is Supervised Friending, which gives parents the option to allow their kids to accept, reject, or add or remove contacts. Additionally, Facebook is now allowing parents approve other adults to connect their child with other children through group chats.
- Twitter - Twitter this week updated its Mac app to let users set timelines to automatically stream new Tweets, thus removing the need to manually refresh. To enable the new feature, users just need to simply enable the "Pin to top" toggle in their timeline settings.
Popular Stories
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more.
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iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose.
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An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later
Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on
An Apple Account ...
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
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Apple today provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26.2, which adds a few new features worth knowing about.
Measure App
Apple's Measure app now features a Liquid Glass design for the level, with two Liquid Glass bubbles instead of white circles.
Games App
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CarPlay
The...
Update: It took a day, but Apple has now corrected its Apple Intelligence device compatibility list to show support for the earliest Apple silicon Macs. The original article follows.
Apple's website is causing some confusion among Mac owners, and for good reason – its device compatibility listing for Apple Intelligence appears to have dropped support for M1 Macs.
The U.S. version...
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