extensions

12 'extensions' stories September 2014 - January 2016

CornerTube for iPad lets you quickly watch picture-in-picture YouTube videos on iOS 9

Greg Barbosa Jan 20 2016 - 11:59 pm PT

CornerTube

With iOS 9 being out for nearly five months now, you would’ve expected all the top video apps to already be including picture-in-picture for the iPad. Unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be the case with YouTube and a few others. If you’re feeling the hurt from not being able to catch up on your favorite YouTuber’s latest videos while multitasking around your iPad, then check out CornerTube, a new YouTube utility app focused on PIP. CornerTube lets users quickly jump into videos on YouTube, all the while enabling that missing PIP feature. It gets even better once you start utilizing the included Today widget in Notification Center and Action extension in other apps.

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Chrome for Mac will soon require Chrome Web Store distribution for extensions to prevent malware

Jordan Kahn May 13 2015 - 9:11 am PT

5 Comments

Back in May of last year, Google started enforcing a policy that requires Chrome extensions be hosted on its Chrome Web Store, but only on Windows. The goal was to prevent malware hidden in extensions installable from outside its store, and it even started disabling extensions already installed on users’ systems that weren’t hosted on the Chrome Web Store. Now, Google says it will bring that requirement to Mac Chrome users over the coming months, as well as the Chrome developer channel for Windows that wasn’t previously enforcing the policy:
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WhatsApp Messenger adds free VoIP calling, new sharing extension, more

Zac Hall Apr 21 2015 - 11:25 am PT

18 Comments

WhatsApp Messenger, the popular cross-platform chatting service, released a major update to its iPhone app today introducing some long-rumored features and new ways to share content with friends and family…
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Facebook Messenger adds iOS 8 extension, WordPress gains WYSIWYG editor & image features

Zac Hall Feb 24 2015 - 10:26 am PT

6 Comments

Facebook is out with a useful update to its Messenger app for iPhone and iPad today adding an action extension for sharing content from other apps on iOS 8. This adds the ability to have deep Facebook Messenger integration with other apps including Safari and Photos just like Apple’s own Messages app.

Once enabled, you can do things like share images and videos from the Photos app or links from Safari directly to your contacts on Facebook Messenger without having to jump back and forth between apps. Facebook Messenger version 22.0 is rolling out now on the App Store.

WordPress’s mobile blogging app for iPhone and iPad also received a new update bringing the experience closer to that on the desktop …
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Popular automation app Workflow updated w/ over 50 actions, new features, more

Zac Hall Feb 12 2015 - 3:03 pm PT

3 Comments

Workflow iPhone iPad

Leveraging the power of iOS 8 extensions and new system customization options, Workflow debuted on the iPhone and iPad last year bringing a powerful automation app to users. Today the team behind Workflow is releasing version 1.1, which adds support for over 5o new actions in addition to including new features and updating some existing actions. Check out the latest from Workflow for iOS below:
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Google+ iOS app adds higher resolution experience for iPhone 6/6 Plus Retina screens, more

Jordan Kahn Dec 22 2014 - 8:01 am PT

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google-plus-iOS8-extension Google today updated its Google+ app for iPhone and iPad adding support for the higher resolution screens on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

In addition to the Retina imagery for the new iPhones, the app gains a few new features for both iPhone and iPad users in addition to the usual performance improvements and bug fixes.

Other features in version 4.8.0 include the ability to “vote on polls from people and brands” and an option to share to Google+ through an iOS 8 extension (pictured right).

The updated Google+ app for iPhone and iPad is available on the App Store now.

A full changelog is below:

What’s New in Version 4.8.0

What’s New
• Retina HD resolution on iPhone 6 and 6+
• Vote on polls from people and brands
• Easily share to Google+ from your device
• Performance improvements and bug fixes

Pixelmator 3.3 released with OS X Yosemite optimizations, Repair Tool extension

Benjamin Mayo Nov 6 2014 - 5:01 am PT

14 Comments

Hot off the heels of their iPad app, the Pixelmator team have today released Pixelmator 3.3 for Mac. This update centers around design and structural optimizations for OS X Yosemite, including an extension for integration with other apps and a new icon to match the ‘flatter’ aesthetic of the operating system. The update also includes a new file format to improve syncing and compatibility with the iPad version.

Although the app largely resembles previous versions, with custom floating panels and black chrome, it now takes advantage of Apple’s transparency effects to mesh well with the OS.

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Google Drive now lets you open files in compatible Mac apps w/ new Chrome extension

Jordan Kahn Nov 5 2014 - 9:36 am PT

1 Comment

Google announced today that it’s releasing a new Chrome extension called Application Launcher for Drive that allows users to open files directly from its Google Drive service in compatible apps on a Mac or PC. The extension adds an “Open With” option that will let users launch files in apps like, for example, Mac OS X’s Preview app or third-party editing apps like those from Adobe and Microsoft.
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Fantastical for iOS updated w/ Today view widget, extension, interactive notifications

Zac Hall Oct 22 2014 - 7:00 am PT

6 Comments

Fantastical for iPhone and iPad, the alternative calendar and Reminders app from Flexibits, received a major feature update today for iOS 8 users. If you’re unfamiliar with Fantastical, the ability to turn text input like “Dinner with Tim tomorrow night at 7pm” into a calendar appointment without fiddling with menus and dials is it’s killer feature.

Fantastical for iPhone received an update last month which optimized the user interface for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users, and today’s new version adds a Today view widget in Notification Center, an app extension for use in other apps, and interactive notifications for responding to alerts without even opening the app. Check out the new features in the latest version of Fantastical for iPhone and iPad below.
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Flexibits says iOS 8 features coming soon to Fantastical following iPhone 6 update

Zac Hall Sep 18 2014 - 2:03 pm PT

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iPhone6_PF_SpGry_5-Up_iOS8-PRINT

With iOS 8 launching yesterday and the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus hitting stores and delivering to customers tomorrow, a number of apps have already begun shipping updates to take advantage of the new screen sizes and software features. With several customers asking where the update for Fantastical 2 on iOS 8 was, Flexibits today shared in a blog post its plans for the iPhones 6 and new version of iOS.

The makers of the smart calendar app note that the current version of Fantastical 2 has already been released with iOS 8 support and that a version of Fantastical 2 optimized for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has today been submitted so users of the new device won’t have to wait long for the new version. More importantly, a version introducing a Notification Center widget and system extension will be “coming in the next few weeks.”
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iOS 8 Roundup: The latest apps with extensions and Touch ID support

Zac Hall Sep 17 2014 - 10:30 am PT

18 Comments

Extensions

As part of iOS 8’s new Extensibility features, developers can now create app extensions throughout the system for sharing information and performing actions without actually launching their apps.

What this means for users is that the familiar action or share button (the upward arrow in a box) will now contain way more options than ever before. Remember when Apple added Facebook and Twitter sharing, for example directly to Safari and Photos on iOS? Starting with iOS 8, Apple is allowing all app makers to create similar buttons for sharing and actions. An example of an action (like copy or add to Reading List) shared by Apple at WWDC was native language translation directly in Safari using Bing Translate. Extension support also includes photo filters allowing photo editing apps that provide filter extensions to work inside of the native Photos app.

A year after introducing Touch ID, the secure fingerprint scanner first introduced with the iPhone 5s, Apple is also now allowing apps to take advantage of Touch ID for the first time. Touch ID users can now authenticate log-ins and more in supported apps using the secure fingerprint scanner. Below we’ll tell you about the latest apps already taking advantage of extensions and Touch ID support for iOS 8.

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Cultured Code previews Things system extension for iOS 8

Zac Hall Sep 2 2014 - 9:54 am PT

6 Comments

Cultured Code’s task management app Things has yet to receive an update on iPhone or iPad to fit in with Apple’s design direction introduced with iOS 7 as a major new version has long been in development, but it looks like users of Things will soon get a bit of relief in the form of an iOS 8 system extension.

A preview of the iOS 8 extension for Things has been added to the company’s status board for the app and shows text being copied and pasted from a website on Safari directly into a new entry on Things without leaving the web browser.

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