Apple announced Friday that its “App Development with Swift” curriculum is coming to more than 30 community college systems in the United States during the 2017-2018 school year.
Apple expands Swift curriculum to 30+ community colleges
Watch Apps
Take notes on the fly with Apple Watch and SnipNotes
Since watchOS 4 is not poised to deliver all answers to some of our lofty demands, it is time to get serious about alternative solutions to replicating a Notes-esque experience on your wrist. And as though the people behind SnipNotes had known of Apple’s continuing blind spot all along, in late 2015 the app originally designed for iOS went out on a limb and added an Apple Watch extension to its core competencies. Since then, the note taking app has gone from strength to strength and, even if only philosophical at this point, provides a standard of note sharing between iPhone and Watch that Apple themselves could hardly topple.
Let’s get the major pitfall out there first: just like Apple’s (still fictitious) Notes app on watchOS would only correspond with the original Notes app on iPhone, SnipNotes too only works and syncs inside its very own cosmos.
Accordingly, if you want to create, share or store notes (including locations, images, links) on your wrist, you are going to have to embrace SnipNotes as your default gateway for note taking. If you weren’t expecting anything else great, nothing to see here. If you thought of SnipNotes as a third-party app to read and feed into your proprietary Apple Notes, unfortunately that is still off limits.
That’s about as far as (subjective) caveats go, and with that it is time to turn our focus to the glorious meat of the app.
Take notes, Apple!SnipNotes earns its first brownie point right on launch. When activated, the app is going to ask for Touch ID authentication before breaking the seal to your data. This is not only a much appreciated safety net for when your nosy friend handles your iPhone, but generally gives most users peace of mind and a sense of privacy protection that Apple Notes is slowly getting whiff of as well.
The second brownie point is scored by an intuitive file system inside, consisting of multiple categories (such as Travel notes, Snapshots, etc.) which can all be edited, deleted or supplemented with the addition of new rubrics.
Brownie point number three - yes we’re keeping score - is conferred due to the fact that SnipNotes allows you to individually determine which categories sync their contents with your Apple Watch. It all starts with the ‘Inbox’, the overarching folder on both your devices, which functions as the initial collecting tank for new notes. From there, you can assign any file or note to a category, filter them or favorite notes to permanently pin them atop of your lists.
As for Apple Watch devotees, here's your lowdown: Notes can be created by way of voice input and Scribble. Neither might ever truly rival bigger screen note taking, however the ability to swiftly capture fleeting thoughts might be priceless to some. So talk to your wrist or jot down a few letters and before you know it, the note will be seamlessly relayed to your iPhone.
Conversely, SnipNotes on iPhone can be a great agent to storing pictures or screenshots on Apple Watch, since the app's category structure enables a folder like organization of your images. This little detail can't be stressed enough, because frankly, to this day, Photos on Apple Watch is egregiously half baked. That’s four out of five brownie points.
Suffice it to say that there is a whole lot more to discover, especially for advanced users, such as clipboard-to-note shortcuts and smart widgets. SnipNotes has clearly not spared any expenses to ultimately please every type of user, which is admirable in its intent but can sometimes produce an air of clutter to the untrained eye.
If you’re curious or in need of a notes app for your wrist, iPhone or iPad, grab SnipNotes for $0.99 on the App Store today.
Things 3 is out with overhauled interface and multiple new features
German developer Cultured Code on Thursday released Things 3, a major new iteration of its powerful personal task manager for iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac. Things 3 brings out a beautiful timeless new design with delightful interactions and animations. Aside from the new look and feel, the refreshed app is packed to the gills with a host of new features.
Released as three separate apps (they've kept the current pricing), Things 3 is Cultured Code's first paid update for existing users since versions 1.0.
Here's what developers had to say about the app's gorgeous new UI:
The all-new Things comes with an all-new design. It's not just how it looks—but also how it works, and how it feels. The interactions are delightful. The animations are smooth. The content is more structured. The concepts are clearer.
Open a to-do and you'll immediately get a sense of how the new apps feel.
Nicely animated transitions expand the selected to-do into an empty white piece of paper. You can add additional details to your to-do, neatly tucked away in the corner until you need them.
“There are no distractions here, it’s just you and your thoughts,” said developers.
The choice is yours: you can create either a simple to-do that looks like text on a piece of paper or opt for a richer to-do which may include additional details such as tags, checklists (a new feature for to-dos in Things 3), a start date, a deadline and so forth.
Speaking of to-dos, Things 3 introduces an all-new Magic Plus Button.
Found in the corner of the screen, you can tap it to quickly add a new to-do or actually drag the button to a particular list in order to generate a to-do in a specific location. Plus, managing to-dos is now way easier than before with expanded support for gestures, like dragging and dropping, swiping, tapping to expand and more.
Seasoned Things users will be delighted to know that developers have implemented one of the most-requested features: time-based reminders. For those to-dos you absolutely cannot miss, adding a reminder will give you peace of mind.
While scheduling a to-do in Jump Start, click Add Reminder and set the time. There are three ways to set the time: manually, using the app's natural language parser (just type “Wed 8pm” or some such, and you're all set) or you can speak to Siri (“Remind me to call Seb at 5am.”)
Watch the promotional video for Things 3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R6o5t0VK_A
Things 3 now supports headings to break up complex projects into sections.
And with the app's Magic Plus Button, you can create and place headings in new projects like a pro. The app's cleaner design extends to your Today and Upcoming sections which now combine calendar events and to-dos into one unified view with a timeline at the top, giving an outline of your schedule.
A new This Evening section is your at-a-glance overview of any to-dos that you won’t get to until later in the day, like things you can only do when you get home. The This Evening section is a handy way to keep these to-dos separate from the rest, in their own discrete list.
And to help you find a needle in the haystack, Things 3 now includes a Quick Find feature.
Just pull down on any list to reveal search, which can now find content across the entire app. Quick Find also includes handy shortcuts to your to-dos, lists, tags and more.
Type Travel, another new feature in Things 3, lets you navigation to any project, area or to-do in the app. On iPad, you can now swipe away the sidebar and focus on just the current list you’re working on, both in portrait and landscape orientations.
On your Mac, Things now has a Slim Mode which cuts out distractions so you can focus on the task at hand. To enter this mode, collapse the sidebar with a two-finger swipe. Slim Mode is especially great when you’re working in macOS's Split View multitasking mode.
You can even open multiple windows in Slim Mode and drag and drop items between them.
https://culturedcode.cachefly.net/things/videos/2017-05-03-allnewthings-when/video.mp4
Developers have completely rewritten core layers of the apps, which are now shared between macOS and iOS for increased reliability. The Apple Watch app has been updated as well (it now shows checklists and headings), there's a new structure for Areas in the iOS app and you can now import data from Wunderlist or OmniFocus into Things 3.
And with TouchBar support, owners of the new MacBook Pro can take advantage of convenient access to the app's most-used commands.
Things is fully integrated with all the latest iOS technologies: Apple Watch, Calendars, Siri, Reminders, Today Widget, Quick Actions, Action Extension, Handoff and Notifications.
The apps all stay updated via Things Cloud, which is the push sync service that Cultured Code custom-built for the app. Unfortunately, iCloud syncing is not supported in Things.
For the complete overview of what's new in the app, visit the official Things website.
Things 3 for iPhone and Apple Watch is $9.99 on App Store.
Things 3 for iPad is $19.99 on App Store.
Things 3 for Mac is $49.99 on Mac App Store.
To celebrate the launch of Things 3, all apps are 20 percent off until next Thursday, May 25.
A 14-day trial of Things for Mac is available via the Cultured Code website.
ExxonMobil expands Apple Pay support to Speedpass+ for Apple Watch app
Oil giant ExxonMobil introduced basic Apple Pay support within its mobile Speedpass+ app in March 2016, allowing customers to pay for fuel at approximately 6,000 gas stations nationwide. Yesterday, the company announced that customers can now pay for fuel and car washes using their Apple Watch and Apple Pay at over 10,000 Exxon and Mobil refueling stations across the United States.
Users must launch the Speedpass+ app on their watch and select the pump they're at to authorize it for payment. Next, press the Side button twice to invoke Apple Pay and approve the payment. You can start fueling up your vehicle.
Other new features available within the app include support for Touch ID app protection and Ford vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 technology to easily authorize payments, making it the first fuel payment connected car app in the United States.
Ford owners can additionally use the Speedpass+ app to check how much fuel is left in the tank when they are away from their car. Customers even have the option to apply for an ExxonMobil-branded credit card issued by Citibank from inside the app.
Once your application has been approved, the card will be automatically added as a payment option within the app, and you can start using it right away. For a limited time, new accounts shall receive a savings of 20 cents per gallon for the first two months, then six cents on every gallon after that, the company said.
ExxonMobil's app now supports several payment methods, including major credit cards, debit cards, ExxonMobil Smart Cards, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.
ExxonMobile Speedpass+ for iOS is available for free on App Store.
Google says Apple Watch support will be returning to Maps for iOS
Google has confirmed that it will be bringing back support for Apple Watch to the Maps app for iPhone and iPad at some point in the future. In a statement issued Tuesday to AppleInsider, a spokesperson for the search giant said: “We removed Apple Watch support from our latest iOS release, but expect to support it again in the future”.
The company provided no explanation for the removal of Apple Watch functionality from Maps for iOS, which went largely unnoticed because it wasn't mentioned in App Store release notes.
As we reported yesterday, recent updates to major iPhone apps like Google Maps, eBay, Amazon and Target came stripped of all Apple Watch support, perhaps indicating that watchOS features in them were not widely used.
Google brought its Maps app to Apple Watch in September 2015, with features like turn-by-turn driving, walking and transit directions for recently visited points of interest. The app lacked other features found in Apple's Maps for Apple Watch, such as no conventional map view and the inability to conduct searches without a tethered iPhone.
New app being developed would finally bring Spotify onto Apple Watch
There's a new app in the works that would finally bring Spotify onto Apple Watch. Called Snowy and created by developer Andrew Chang, it will permit Apple Watch owners to play their favorite Spotify tracks, browse playlists, access a Now Playing screen via a complication and more.
According to Chang's recent update on Reddit, Spotify will be working with him to add Apple Watch functionality and playlist syncing into its mainland iPhone and iPad app.
Facebook Messenger not loading on your Apple Watch? Try this…
Facebook Messenger users who try to set the app up on a new Apple Watch might find themselves plagued with problems loading the app. Similar problems affect Apple Watch users that aren't new, but rather have un-paired and reconfigured the device after troubleshooting problems with it.
There appears to be a significant bug in the Facebook Messenger app, and while the direct cause of the issue is unknown, there's a quick fix for getting your Facebook Messenger conversations to load properly on your Apple Watch, and we’ll show you how it's done it in this tutorial.
YouTube app adds Chromecast playback controls to Lock screen, Control Center & Apple Watch
Google's official YouTube for iPhone and iPad app has picked up a trio of compelling new features in its most recent update on App Store. Bumped to version 12.03, the free of charge software adds handy Chromecast controls to Control Center and your iOS device's Lock screen, and to your wrist via Apple Watch. The playback controls only appear when you're streaming videos from Chromecast devices, smart TVs, game consoles or any other living room devices that run the YouTube app.
Apple, IBM and United Airlines join forces on apps to improve your flying experience
Apple, IBM and United Airlines said Thursday they've teamed up on a next-generation of apps for United's employees that will make their work easier while improving your flying experience. These apps will assist the carrier's front-line employees in handling peak customer demands better while enabling more effective maintenance for over 50,000 iOS and Apple Watch devices already deployed.
As part of IBM and Apple’s global partnership to redefine the way work gets done, these MobileFirst apps include real-time analytics and data insight. For instance, United's flight attendants will be able to see at any time which customers are connecting in order to assist them in finding their gates upon arrival, for example.
Siri for Apple Watch is about to get much more useful
In addition to highlighting a new Theater Mode in watchOS 3.2, Apple yesterday announced that the upcoming software update will also enable support for Siri in third-party Apple Watch apps. As you probably know by now, the SiriKit framework made its debut in iOS 10.
It's an officially sanctioned way for developers to enrich their apps for messaging, payments, ride-booking, workouts, calling and searching photos with Siri interactions.
With SiriKit support in watchOS 3.2, developers can add spoken commands to Apple Watch apps to let users ask the personal assistant on their wrist to do things like book a ride, send a message, make a payment or accomplish other supported tasks.
Deliveries gains full iOS 10/watchOS 3 support & many new features in latest update
Deliveries, my favorite package tracker for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, received a major update on the App Store this morning. Bumped to version 8.0, Deliveries is now fully compatible with iOS 10 and watchOS 3 and supports many new iOS 10 features, from rich notifications and haptic feedback to a reworked widget, deeper 3D Touch support, faster background updating for the Deliveries widget and its Apple Watch app, improved suggestions when you add a delivery, an iMessage sticker pack and more.
1Password for Apple Watch is now a native app
1Password developer AgileBits was there on day one with a brand new Apple Watch app when the wearable device made its April 2015 debut. As useful as it was, the app wasn't exactly a speed demon and was limited in functionality by only supporting items stored in your Primary vault. Those issues are now a thing of the past as 1Password for Apple Watch is now a 100 percent native app that takes full advantage of the speed and performance enhancements afforded by running directly on Apple Watch hardware.
As a bonus, the new app now permits you to add items from any vault to your Apple Watch, including items stored in your 1Password.com account vaults.