MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

During today's annual stockholders meeting, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed (via Bloomberg) that 40 billion iMessages and 15 to 20 million FaceTime calls are made daily. That number suggests iMessage has grown exponentially over the course of the last year as usage numbers were at two billion messages per day in January of 2013. As of mid–2013, Apple had 320 million iCloud accounts with 900...

Apple is making it easier for developers to find the resources they need when designing their iOS apps. The company added a new "Designing Great Apps" hub to its developer website that includes both videos and documentation on iOS user interface design, transitioning to iOS 7 and more. Exceptional user experience is a hallmark of Apple, and a distinguishing feature of apps built for iOS and OS X. ...

MOGA today announced that it is working on a successor to its original MOGA Ace Power iOS 7 game controller, sending out a teaser image that depicts a controller with a new Bluetooth-compatible design. The original MOGA Ace Power was compatible only with the iPhone due to its need to connect to the phone's Lightning port, but it appears the second version will utilize Bluetooth instead,...

Google's messaging app Hangouts was today updated to version 2.0, adding an iOS 7 redesign and several new features including animated stickers, 10 second video messages, and iPad optimization. This is the app's first major update since it received voice calling and Google Voice integration back in October of 2013. Following the update, the app supports a two-column conversation view on the...

ABC has plans to stream this weekend's Oscars live though its Watch ABC app for the iPhone and the iPad to a select number of customers, reports Variety. As with standard programming, watching the Oscars live via the app will require customers to authenticate through their cable providers. Subscribers of Comcast, Cablevision, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Midcontinent...

The Moov fitness tracker is a new wearable fitness device that is designed to sense both motion and 3D form in order to analyze the wearer's movement, giving tips to improve physical activities and workouts. It uses 9-axis sensors, including accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer to evaluate form. Acting as a digital personal trainer, Moov can analyze activities like running, weight...

Apple and Google are meeting with the European Commission to discuss concerns over in-app purchases. The two technology leaders will be asked to provide solutions that protect customers, particularly children, from errant and costly in-app purchases. Commissioner Neven Mimica, responsible for Consumer Policy said: "Consumers and in particular children need better protection against unexpected...

NimbleBit, the developer behind freemium hits like Pocket Trains, Tiny Tower, and Pocket Planes, has teamed up with Milkbag Games' Matt Rix, creator of Trainyard and Owen Goss, who did Landformer and Finger Tied, for an all new animal-based game called Disco Zoo, which is now available for download from the App Store. In Disco Zoo, players will take on the management of a zoo filled with...

Apple has updated the software used by large companies and educational institutions to deploy thousands of iPads and iPhones to employees and students. The changes to Apple's Device Enrollment Program, its Volume Purchase Program, and the Apple ID for Students services are detailed in a report at TechCrunch and in an overview document [PDF] posted to Apple's IT Deployment site.Among other...

Apple filed a formal appeal on Tuesday asking the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the ruling of its e-books antitrust case or to be awarded a new trial on the matter, reports the Associated Press. In its filing, Apple stated that U.S. District Judge Denise Cote's original decision to find the company guilty of conspiring to fix e-book prices was a "radical departure" compared to...

The FCC today launched a new ad-free FCC Speed Test app for iOS devices, designed to measure mobile broadband performance. The app is an expansion of the Measuring Broadband America program, which aims to measure both fixed and mobile broadband to “bring greater clarity and competition to the broadband service marketplace.” Like other mobile speed testing apps, the FCC's app analyzes...

Square is testing a new app called Square Pickup that allows users to order and pay for takeout food. The app is currently in beta testing with select San Francisco restaurants, according to Priceonomics.Instead of calling a restaurant to place a pickup order, users can just make the purchase with the Square Pickup App. The app is loaded with the restaurant’s menu. Just choose what you want,...

In what has become a yearly tradition for late February, Major League Baseball today updated its MLB At Bat app for the 2014 baseball season. The app, perennially one of the most popular -- and highest grossing -- on the App Store, received a top-to-bottom redesign to match iOS 7 and to improve the user experience.Photos and video are more prevalent in At Bat, running edge-to-edge and inline...

Proctor and Gamble first introduced its smartphone-connected Oral-B toothbrush earlier this month, but the company is on hand at the Mobile World Congress conference in Spain to give attendees a look at the upcoming device. The Oral-B SmartSeries 7000 connects to the Oral Blue iPhone app using Bluetooth 4.0, allowing the app to provide real-time guidance on brushing habits. It records...

AT&T today announced plans to add unlimited international messaging to all of its Mobile Share and Mobile Share Value plans, allowing customers in the United States to send international messages as part of their existing plans, with no additional cost. Text, picture, and video messages are all included.On Friday, February 28, all AT&T Mobile Share and Mobile Share Value plans will now include...

Apple today added a new TV4 Play channel to the Apple TV in Sweden, giving Swedish customers access to the TV 4 Play service that includes live broadcasting, original programming, and full episodes of TV4 Group shows. While content is available for free, premium subscribers have access to additional shows and movies. With 'TV4 Play 'on Apple TV, full episodes of current TV4 Group shows are...

Portland, Oregon-based Grovemade today launched a pair of new domestically-sourced woods for its line of iPhone cases and docks. New Walnut and Maple options are available, going along with the Bamboo cases that the company has been making for years.Grovemade also introduced a new iPhone dock with a three-pound steel base to hold the dock in place and allow one-handed removal and docking of...

With Apple hiring numerous medical professionals for its rumored iWatch project, and many new fitness and other types of health-related devices coming to market, wearable health-data tracking devices are proving extremely popular.A new device launching today on IndieGogo is SunSprite, a wearable device that measures the amount of visible and UV light that the wearer is exposed to in order to...