iOS 8

Fleksy keyboard clocks in a new typing speed record

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 30, 2017

Fleksy keyboard, among the first soft-keyboards for iOS 8, broke the Guinness World Record for fastest texting six months ago and now they've done it again.

As announced Tuesday, following September's release of its iOS 8 keyboard Fleksy has now made the iPhone 6 Plus the fastest phone for typing by clocking in a new typing speed record on the device.

Brazilian teenager Marcel Fernandes Filho, who is seventeen years old, used Fleksy’s iOS keyboard to break his previous record of 18.19 seconds with a new time of 17.00 seconds.

Fleksy Keyboard is a 99-cent download from the App Store.

iOS 8.1.1 is out with bug fixes and performance improvements for iPad 2 and iPhone 4s

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 17, 2014

Apple on Monday started rolling out the latest iOS 8.1.1 software update for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. If you're jailbroken, stay away from this update as it plugs the Pangu8 jailbreak.

iOS 8.1.1 build 12B435 contains a whole bunch of bug fixes and general performance enhancements aimed at improving the mobile operating system's stability. You can apply the update over the air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

VSCO Cam 4.0 drops with iOS 8 and iPhone 6 support, iPad UI, Sync, Journal and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

If you needed an excuse to make VSCO Cam part of your iPhone photographer's toolkit, here's one. On Thursday, developers issued a substantial update to the free iOS app which brings a thoroughly redesigned user interface.

Now a universal app for all form factor iOS devices, VSCO Cam runs natively on iPads and brings out full support for iOS 8 and the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus resolutions.

This release is packed with half a dozen interesting new features, among them integration with VSCO' new mobile publishing platform dubbed Journal.

Download VSCO Cam free in the App Store.

Sunrise gets iOS 8 widget, Google Tasks and Eventbrite apps and iPhone 6 support

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 5, 2018

After gaining push support for Google Calendar, enhanced search and Todoist integration back in September and issuing a few maintenance updates since, Sunrise, the popular cross-platform calendar and to-do application, on Thursday launched a major new version in the App Store.

Sunrise now features native display support for the new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus resolutions so it will no longer run enlarged on the new iPhones.

You can now authorize both Google Tasks and Eventbrite services for use in Sunrise and there's a brand new widget for the Today view of the Notification Center on iOS 8.

Respective iOS and OS X edition of Sunrise are available free in the App Store and Mac App Store.

Big fingers? ThickButtons enlarges keys you’ll most likely tap next

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 2, 2018

Lviv, Ukraine based custom software development company N-iX, founded by Andrew Pavliv, has created a nice keyboard for iPhones, iPads and iPods running iOS 8 through its spin-off firm.

Named ThickButtons, it helps big-fingered users type more efficiently by using patented technology which enlarges and highlights keys you'll most likely press next while shrinking the remaining ones to reduce the chance of making an error.

Such an input method arguably makes typing with one finger more accurate, especially on four-inch iPhones. The software doesn’t require additional training and doesn’t depend on dictionary.

ThickButtons is $1.99 in the App Store.

Box updated with Touch ID support and Notification Center widget

Cody Lee ∙ November 12, 2014

Dropbox competitor Box updated its iOS client this morning, bringing the app to version 3.5. The update is a big one, bringing about a number of improvements and new features, including some that are specific to users with devices running iOS 8.

The Box app now features a widget in the Notification Center that allows you to quickly and easily create Box notes and view recent documents. The update also adds support for Touch ID, so you can use your fingerprint to lock and unlock the app.

Apple says iOS 8 adoption nearing 60%

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

The adoption rate for iOS 8 is slowly starting to pick up, according to Apple. As noted by MacRumors, the company tonight updated its developer portal with a new graph showing that the latest major revision of its mobile software is now on 56% of compatible devices.

This is good news for Apple, as the initial adoption rate for iOS 8 was embarrassingly low for a company that likes to tout the figure. In October, iOS 8 was believed to be installed on just 47% of compatible devices, compared to 70% for iOS 7 in the same time a year ago.

Say ‘hello’ to Overglide, a tiny game playable from the Lock screen and Notification Center

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 11, 2014

I should have suffixed the headline with “no jailbreak required” for added punch. Yes, Overglide for the iPhone and iPad indeed is a tiny game that you play within iOS 8's Notification Center and right on the Lock screen, even while your iOS device is locked.

This cave flyer has you piloting a paper plane as far as possible while dodging the obstacles, and it even comes with Game Center leaderboards and achievements.

How's that possible? Read on or grab Overglide for 99 cents in the App Store and see for yourself.

Netflix’s iOS 8 refresh adds 1080p playback on iPhone 6 Plus and support for iPhone 6 screens

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Netflix, a $7.99 per month over-the-top streaming video service, at last has gotten around updating its iPhone and iPad application for Apple's latest mobile operating system.

Released Tuesday, the new version is now optimized for iOS 8 while supporting 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch display sizes of Apple's latest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, respectively.

And if you own an iPhone 6 Plus and are a Netflix subscribers, you can now stream TV shows and movies in glorious full HD and enjoy 1080p content natively on that stunning Retina HD display.

Netflix 7.0 is available for free in the App Store.

How to unlock Apple’s hidden battery usage menu in iOS 8

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Developer Hamza Sood, well-known for his innate ability to uncover hidden items in iOS, has discovered another hidden feature, and created a tweak out of it. Dubbed DetailedBatteryUsage, this new tweak allows you to unlock the hidden battery usage menu that Apple uses internally during development.

Want access to hyper-verbose details on your iPhone battery usage? Have a glance inside to see what it looks like on video...

Twitterrific 5 gains large image previews, another new font, Today view improvements and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 29, 2016

Twitterrific by Iconfactory, a great looking Twitter client for the Mac and iOS, got refreshed Tuesday with a plethora of improvements, enhancements and several new features. Bumped to version 5.8.2, the freemium app now lets you enable large image previews in your timeline.

You can adjust your settings between small and large image previews in the Theme panel. Tip: consider turn this option off when on cellular in order to optimize bandwidth use. The team has added another new font, Zosimo, to appease those that didn't like the built-in Helvetica, Avenir, Proxima Nova, Signika, Museo Slab and Calluna fonts.

Twitterrific is free in the App Store, with In-App Purchases for unlocking additional features.

Mailbox for iOS updated with new interactive notification options

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

The popular email client Mailbox has been updated this morning, bringing the app to version 2.3.3. As the build number suggests, it's a minor release, but it does include a slew of bug fixes and performance improvements and a pair of new interactive notification options.

Among the many new features added in iOS 8 is interactive push notifications. These allow developers to add simple actions to their app's notifications, which is what the Mailbox team has done in 2.3.3. You can now choose to archive or snooze emails with just a single tap.