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

With the launch of iOS 6, users lost the ability to gift apps to others directly from the App Store, with users required to turn to the desktop version of iTunes if they wished to send an app gift. But as noted by iFun [Google translation], Apple has now quietly updated the share button in the iOS 6 App Store to include the option to gift paid apps. Not only are users once again able to...

Facebook has updated its iOS app with a faster news feed and a rebuilt timeline, all in the name of speed.Back in August, the company released a completely rewritten iOS app, foregoing the HTML5-based app that was available previously.What's new- Post your photos to albums and enjoy a speedier app.- You can now choose an album when uploading photos- News feed loads more quickly-...

The Loop reader Keith Huss shared an interesting look at how the Apple Maps fiasco actually turned out really well for end users, now that Google Maps has gone live on iOS.In the end, Apple has gotten exactly what it wanted for its users when it introduced its own mapping solution: turn-by-turn directions and lots of choice in mapping. Additionally, Apple is prominently displaying third-party...

Mailbox is an upcoming email management app developed by the team that designed collaborative task management app Orchestra, which was lauded for its simple design. Mailbox, which is designed to work with Gmail, features a clean, simple design that uses intuitive touch gestures, much like list-making app Clear. Quick swiping emails to the right removes them from the inbox and archives them,...

Amazon has released an iPhone app for its Prime Instant Video service, giving free access to thousands of titles to Amazon Prime members, as well as movie and TV show purchases and rentals. The iPad app was released in August.The app allows users to download purchased and rented movies and TV shows for offline viewing, as well as stream Prime Instant Video titles when connected to the Internet...

Time Warner Cable has updated its TWC TV iOS app [App Store] to allow subscribers to watch on-demand content as well as bringing other minor updates. In a blog post on its website, Time Warner says the update adds the ability to watch 4,000 TV and movie titles from 94 different providers. The catalog is a mix of standard and high-definition content, but the cable company says it will add...

Popular password aggregating app 1Password, from AgileBits, just received a major update to Version 4, featuring a total redesign of the app. 1Password’s new design has done away with the pin-code lock, replacing it with a master password much like the Mac app, the interface has been simplified, and the app, overall, is more organized. The toolbar features Favorites, which houses the...

The Federal Communications Commission today announced a proposal that would extend a previous agreement requiring wireless carriers to allow their users to send SMS messages to 911 call centers. The proposal would extend the requirement from simple SMS texting to "over-the-top" messaging services like Apple's iMessage.The four major American carriers, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, have...

The iPhone 5, Apple's first LTE smartphone, was only released in September but it hasn't taken long for Apple to nab 27% of the global LTE market, according to new data from Strategy Analytics (via Yonhap News). Apple is second in marketshare to Samsung, which registered 40% marketshare, although Samsung's share actually dropped from 50.9% in the previous quarter as Apple in particular entered ...

Bungie co-founder Alex Seropian earned his pedigree when he helped found the company that created Microsoft's hit game series Halo. He left Bungie to found a new studio called Industrial Toys, and earlier this week the firm revealed its latest project: a sci-fi first-person shooter called Morning Star for iOS. In a blog post on is website, the company says the game is a "complete...

Yahoo yesterday released an update for its iOS mail app, and today the company is continuing with its product revamp, launching an updated version of its Flickr iPhone app.That's why we're excited to introduce a redesigned Flickr app for iPhone and iPod touch, making it easier than ever to capture, share, and discover beautiful photos – all from the palm of your hand. This latest app also...

Sterne Agee's Shaw Wu has issued a new report on Apple, raising his iPhone unit estimates while lowering iPad estimates reports Apple 2.0. Additionally, Wu has cut his revenue estimates slightly while increasing his gross margin estimates for Apple's holiday quarter.Wu says iPad mini demand is strong but sales are limited by supply constraints and he sees the mini cannibalizing full-sized iPad ...

Sister site TouchArcade.com is offering a new promotion called "Free Play" in which they work with developers to offer highly rated games for free. The first offering is a role-playing game called Aralon. Aralon features over 30 hours of gameplay, and an incredibly...

Rovio is celebrating Angry Birds' third anniversary by upgrading the game with iPhone 5 support and also disclosing that an Angry Birds movie is tentatively scheduled for release in 2016.On the third anniversary of the release of Angry Birds, Rovio Entertainment announced that Despicable Me producer John Cohen has signed on as producer of the upcoming Angry Birds movie. David Maisel, former...

Yahoo today launched an all new mail client across several platforms, including iOS, Windows 8, Android, and the Web. According to Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer, speed and ease of use were the focus during the redesign of Yahoo! Mail.You've told us loud and clear that you want fewer distractions when it comes to email. You want to quickly login, communicate, and get on with your day. And we've...

Hot on the heels of Instagram's new update, Twitter officially announced the release of an update to its own iOS and Android apps, adding photo editing functionality and built-in filters. Starting today, you’ll be able to edit and refine your photos, right from Twitter. The latest versions of Twitter for iPhone and Twitter for Android introduce a few new ways to enhance the images you tweet....

Apple has updated its Find My iPhone iOS app with the ability to display driving directions to the lost device's location.Find My iPhone is a free service built into iCloud. It allows users to lock, find, or erase a lost or stolen iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac.If you misplace your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac, the Find My iPhone app will let you use another iOS device to find it and...

Instagram today launched its 3.2 upgrade, which includes the newly released Willow filter and a camera makeover that improves both the look and speed of in-app picture taking. The camera redesign is a welcome change, adding features like quicker access to the Camera Roll for iPhone 5 users, a better layout of the Camera Roll image selector, a rule-of-thirds grid for taking live shots, and an...