The Twitter app for iOS has always been a tad sub-par to the standards of many ardent tweeters, but while third-party apps like Tweetbot have managed to flourish over the years, the social company continues to tweak and improve the official offering. Today's update focuses heavily on profiles, which have been subject to a major revamp over the past few months, and given that the desktop Web version looks very much like Facebook, one could argue that the mobile app now offers a layout not too dissimilar to the official Facebook app.
The Family Sharing feature, as the name implies, will allow families and groups of people to share apps without having to connect to the same Apple ID. Since the introduction of the App Store, folks have shared the same account in order to save on buying many of the exact same apps or content, but the system is flawed in that every user of said account then has a list of content that they don't want or need, and never actually downloaded in the first place. To resolve this, Family Sharing essentially binds a number of Apple IDs into one parent account, and provided that they all feed from the same credit or debit card, can readily go ahead and download apps and content purchased by other members of the same family.
Apple's annual iPhone launch day is now almost upon us, and with many millions having pre-ordered over the past week or so, there'll be plenty of anxious owners waiting for the postman to knock at the door these next few days. But if you're finding the wait to be a little tantalizing, a nifty little Web-based tool lets you track your device as it flies over the Atlantic, and provided your device is still in the air and you have a UPS tracking number, you can watch minute-by-minute coverage as it tiptoes over on a satellite map.
Although the numerous jailbreaking gurus have been relatively quiet regarding a potential untethered jailbreak for the all-new iOS 8, the Chinese team Pangu has just delivered some very encouraging news. Although the collective stopped short of putting any kind of time frame on when the world might see its very first jailbreak on the new software, the group did say that it's well on the way to cracking the new OS, and given that Pangu was responsible for bringing Cydia to folks seemingly stranded on iOS 7.1.x, we're quietly excited about these claims.
Privacy and security is a constant concern in all walks of life, but in the Digital Age, particularly so. More recently, reports of spying tactics being used by the NSA and other such bodies has had the general public up in arms, and increased the onus on manufacturers and software makers to tighten things up. Apple hasn't exactly covered itself in glory in this respect given the recent celebrity image leaks, but with iOS 8, your photos, videos, messages and other such content apparently cannot be turned over to authorities.
As well as providing Android switchers with a guide on using its latest fleet of iPhones, Apple has just added an iOS 8 User Guide to iBooks for iPhone and iPad users. Ideal for anybody looking to get the most out of the new software, it covers every aspect from the simple stuff like sending emails to the other little quirks like using customizable keyboards, and as Apple describes in the release notes, serves as "an essential part of any iBooks library."
With every new iOS release, there are those devices that, due to age and thus antiquated hardware, are sadly left behind. In the case of iOS 8, only the iPhone 4 was culled, but by the reactions of many iPhone 4s users who've just jumped on the new software, perhaps its successor should also have been left behind. Many owners of the 2011 flagship release have reported issues since updating to iOS 8, and with general functionality suffering as a result, those of you currently clutching a 4s may well want to hold off for the time being.
Apple has really presented developers with a license to shine with iOS 8. As well as third-party keyboard and Notification Center widget support, devs have also been given jurisdiction over Touch ID. This means that apps that would ordinarily use, say, the Passcode feature to verify or secure certain features can now include the fingerprint sensor, and below, we've a round-up of those who've instantly pushed their updated apps.
When Apple announced iOS 8 at the Worldwide Developers' Conference back in June, it made a couple of unprecedented moves. In opening up certain areas of the ecosystem to third parties, iOS 8 is the most customizable release to date, and along with third-party keyboard support, the Cupertino also allowed developers to produce Notification Center widgets. To get you started with iOS 8, we've drawn up a list of the best apps supportive of these new widgets.
As well as rolling out the big iOS 8 update today, Apple has also unleashed a sizeable update to the Apple TV software. Given that the company's set-top runs on a variant of iOS, it makes a great deal of sense for these two releases to coincide, and after the purchase of Beats Electronics earlier on this year, an official Beats app for Apple TV is among the changes that have been pushed with this latest update. With Family Sharing and a plethora of other implementations, this is one update worth having, and below, we've got the full low-down.
















