The introduction of Notification Center widgets with iOS 8 has brought a whole new dynamic to Apple's mobile platform, and of all the areas of the ecosystem that have been opened up to third parties with the latest software updates, Notification Center widgets appear to be thriving the most during these early stages. We've already seen dozens of great widgets as developers seek to take advantage of what is a brand new category, and here, we feature one of our favorite widgets to have landed so far.
Here are the top 10 best Notification Center widgets for iOS 8 which you should download and install on iPhone right away.
iOS 5 and iOS 6 introduced some social integration features which, among other things, allowed users to quickly post tweets and Facebook status updates right from the Notification Center using a simple tap. It was a convenient, effective way for users to get their 2 cents in without too much hassle, but with iOS 8, it's not longer a feature. But with Apple having given third-party developers a license to develop third-party Notification Center widgets - something only previously available via jailbreak - the NC can now be filled up with useful shortcuts and functions, and one dev has naturally seized the opportunity to re-introduced those sorely-missed functions.
Apple's introduction of third-party keyboards with iOS 8 has been a real win for productivity and general functionality. Users can now call upon the powers of Fleksy, SwiftKey and Swype when typing emails, messages and creating documents, and in turn, get the job done considerably more quickly. The opening up of the keyboard aspect has also brought a new wave of fun typing experiences, with the likes of the Riffsy GIF Keyboard bringing those much-loved memes to iOS, but before Riffsy even hit the App Store last week, PopKey sold the idea to us with its equally entertaining effort. At the time, it wasn't ready for end user consumption, but now, PopKey is ready for prime time, and below, you'll find both details and download link.
You can say what you will about Popcorn Time - and let's face it, most of what could be uttered about so-called "Netflix for Torrents" has already been said - but one cannot argue that those behind it aren't frequent with their updates. With versions of the app already spanning most of the major platforms including Windows, Mac and Android, it was confirmed late in August that an iOS edition was in the making. At the time, it was noted that Popcorn Time for iPhone and iPad would become available in a matter of days, but while today's official roll-out is slightly later than we'd hoped, it does appear to be a nicely refined experience worthy of the wait.
Some ten days after the official roll-out of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the official Facebook Messenger app has just been updated in compliance with both new handsets. The changelog doesn't list anything else by way of changes, but given that app developers often squeeze in a couple of gratuitous bug fixes and performance enhancements without explicitly mentioning them, this is an update recommended for all using Facebook Messenger for iOS.
The iTunes App Store is awash with camera apps, with perhaps tens of thousands now comprising the sizeable inventory. Some of them are great, but the vast majority are fairly average, with a number of developers apparently happy to clone features and hope for the best. But a new app for point-and-shooters has just rolled out for iPhone that seeks to offer a no-frills, raw camera experience that takes away the automated, mechanical nature of similar applications, and if you're looking for a highly configurable app, this one may just pique your interest.
iOS 8 opened up the iPhone camera API to developers, allowing them to take full advantage of all of the power hidden inside the very capable shooter. Even though the native iOS Camera app is pretty barebones, the new APIs have allowed third-party app makers to get creative with the iPhone camera. So far, a few apps have sprung forth that claim to give you a higher degree of manual control over the iPhone camera, but none have been able to impress so far. Either they were plagued by inconvenient controls, smallish sliders, or an incomplete feature set. Enter Camera+, with its version 6 update that has just been released to the iTunes App Store. The famous camera replacement app has just received a massive makeover, going full manual, and we’ll tell you what the fuss is all about right after the break.
Since iOS 8 first emerged last week, developers have been given a license to release their third-party keyboards for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users. Although the stock offering has improved significantly, it's still not as flexible and customizable as some of those found over at the App Store, and as such, millions of downloads have already been made by those seeking replacements. But while we'd highly recommend the likes of SwiftKey and Fleksy for a pure typing experience, some devs have instead sought to add an element of fun to proceedings, and a new GIF-based keyboard does precisely that.
One of the big highlights in iOS 8 - Apple’s shiny new interactive notification system - seems to have piqued the interest of quite a few large developers to make use of the new feature set. The latest joining the foray is Microsoft with its Skype offering. The Skype for iPhone app just received a major update making it iOS 8 compatible in general, and particularly making use of the new interactive notifications that Apple’s latest and greatest has on offer.
















