A new app has launched to help with quick text transformations on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Textcraft brings over 50 formats that you can quickly convert your text to which should be useful for everyone from developers to everyday users.
Textcraft‘s functionality spans everything being able to more quickly have fun with text to valuable utility for developers and more.
There’s basic text transformations like upper, lower, alternating case, reversed characters and words, upside down and more. There’s also the option to replace words with emoji or the opposite, remove all emoji.
Developers and power users will find HTML stripping, transforming to URL endcoded or decoded, Base64, SHA256 or 512 HEX handy.
My new text transformation app Textcraft is now available on the @AppStore. It offers 50+ text transformations (with many more coming soon) – So yOu cAn tAlK LiKe tHiS, πππ πππ‘π πππ’ππππ, emoji translations, strip HTML, and so much more. π₯³https://t.co/hLz089JAyrpic.twitter.com/OkV8H6khxp
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Okay, for most of us 2020 wasn’t the best of times. But on the iOS front, Apple definitely seemed to be in a feast-or-famine mode.
The company released five new iPhone models (did you forget the second-generation iPhone SE?), and there was a major iPad Air revision that basically turned it into a low-end iPad Pro. The iPad Pro got an underwhelming update—but an amazing new accessory in the Magic Keyboard for iPad!
There was more to cheer than boo in the iPhone and iPad world in 2020, and that puts it pretty much ahead of most of the world. But can 2021 deliver something better? It’s time for some predictions.
Lucky number 13
The last two years have seen Apple increment the iPhone’s name by a single number, going to iPhone 11 and then iPhone 12. This would normally make me certain that an iPhone 13 was on the horizon, rather than an iPhone 12S. But we live in a world where some buildings don’t label their thirteenth floor as the thirteenth floor because of… boogins? Bad mojo? Superstition, that’s the world.
Will an iPhone 13 ever exist? I can’t see Apple jumping over it and going straight to 14, and Apple can’t tread water by adding letters to the end of the iPhone 12 forever. My money is on Apple calling it the iPhone 13, making a joke about superstitions at the product roll-out, and moving on as usual.
After a major exterior design refresh with the iPhone 12, I expect Apple to leave things be in 2021. The new iPhone will look more or less like the current models, albeit with some new colors, some textural variations, and maybe a smaller “notch” for the TrueDepth camera stack.
Michael DeAgonia/IDG
The Lightning port on the iPhone will live at least another year.
It seems like it’s probably going to be another year or two before Apple tries its hand at a folding iPhone, but I wouldn’t be shocked if we got a”portless” iPhone created by omitting the Lightning port. If it happens, Apple would probably revise the MagSafe connector introduced this year to also support data transfers and toss one in the box. But if I had to predict—and I do, that’s why I’m here—I’d guess that the much-rumored portless iPhone won’t happen in 2021. Why force yourself to include a MagSafe charger when you can sell them as lucrative add-ons?
If you wager on Apple rolling some camera improvements into the new iPhone you’ll never go broke. I’m sure the next iPhone cameras will be better, bigger, more capable of capturing stills and video, you name it. The sensor stabilization feature introduced this year in the iPhone 12 Pro Max might find its way down to the iPhone Pro. And I do predict that Apple will keep rolling super-high-end features into the Pro Max.
Finally, I’m going to predict that the global pandemic will finally have its impact on the iPhone product line. Thanks to the prevalence of masks in society, and the unfortunate barrier they form to Face ID scans, I predict that Apple will roll the button-embedded Touch ID from this year’s iPad Air into the next iPhone, as a complement to Face ID.
iPad updates for sure
I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but that 2020 iPad Pro update was underwhelming. The iPad Pro’s A12Z processor is now based on two-year-old technology. The whole update felt like a placeholder, and in 2021 we should get a proper iPad Pro update, one that uses an A14X processor that offers performance similar to what we see on the Mac with the M1.
The other addition I’d like to predict for the iPad Pro is its display. I don’t think the iPad Pro will get larger—as someone who uses a 12.9-inch model every day, it’s already quite large. Making either model any larger would force Apple to also produce new models of the Magic Keyboard, which is a pain.
But what about the display tech inside the iPad Pro? There are conflicting rumors about whether Apple is going to use mini-LED technology in the iPad Pro. But it sure seems like being able to declare the iPad Pro a true HDR display would be something Apple would shoot for, no?
OS updates coming
Apple always surprises us with OS updates, and iOS 15 will undoubtedly bring some surprising new features and tweaks of old standards.
Apple
The next version of iPadOS could include a.redesigned home screen.
What I’m most interested in, however, is an iOS 13 feature being brought to the iPad for the first time: A redesigned home screen with the ability to place Widgets anywhere, rather than in a sidebar on a single page. I can see why Apple didn’t attempt to rebuild the iPad’s home screen during the same cycle as the iPhone’s, but now’s the time. It’s time for a rethinking of the whole thing, perhaps diverging even more from the iPhone’s design than one might expect. I think it’ll happen.
Beyond that, though, I think we may be in a relatively quiet year for iOS. To be sure, an enormous amount of work will be going on under the surface—Apple needs to improve the flow of apps from iPhone and iPad to the Mac, work to better unify iPad and Mac Catalyst development, and develop SwiftUI as the multi-platform future of writing software for Apple software platforms.
But to the regular user, I think it will seem like a smaller update year. A few unexpected fun additions, developer upgrades, and bug fixes. After a year like 2020, I think it might be wise for all of us to focus on healing wounds, fixing bugs, and adding as little drama as possible to the proceedings.
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Apple has a habit of introducing revolutionary changes year after year with every new operating system launch. 2020 was no different. In fact, in many ways, it was the most revolutionary year for Apple in terms of advancing user experience and privacy.
In case you missed out on the features that the new iOS 14 updates comes with, head on to our article –How to prepare your app for iOS 14.
However, we can presume that by this time you must have gotten acquainted with the key aspects of iOS 14 privacy features. But do you know that the update will carry an impact on the process of how your partnered iPhone app development company handles your app development and distribution?
Let us talk about it in detail in this article today.
The List of Privacy-Centric iOS 14 Updates
The biggest announcement that Apple has made in terms of the iOS update that will be made next year is giving users the option to clock IDFA identifier at the application level. A move that strengthens the tech giant’s position in theApple vs Android, which platform is more securedebate, would require the apps to ask the users for permissions to gather and share users’ data.
There are other privacy-related moves as well, but let us attend to IDFA first.
1. Changes in IDFA and store-level control
What is IDFA?
Identifier for Advertisers is a unique identifier for all mobile devices which is used for targeting and measuring the effectiveness of the advertisements on a user level across all the mobile devices.
What is the update about?
For every app install, users will have to opt in to IDFA. When developing apps for iOS 14, app publishers will have to provide a summary of privacy practices on the basis of which users will decide whether they want to opt-in IDFA or not.
The impact of this update lies in ad campaign becoming incapable of performing control recency, optimizing and measuring ad performance, or perform behavior-based segmentation. Additionally, the move is contributory to consent fatigue, which would increase the instances of users declining the data view request.
The impact of the update on the advertisers will be two-fold –
Retargeting to users will not work in the iOS application development process if the users opt-out of sharing their IDFA. Brands that don’t use deterministic variables like a phone number or email id (like Google and Facebook do) will witness a reduction in the targetable audiences.
Because of the limited access to IDFA, brands will not be able to show relevant ads to the users, a move that might direly impact user experience and ad monetization efforts of iOS app development.
2. Changes in app install attribution
iOS 14 comes with an updated SKAdNetwork interface that offers a method for Apple to notify the ‘ad network’ when a campaign creates app install conversion.
The impact of this update is the negligence of another type of app conversions for which a mobile app campaign would want to optimize other than app installs.
3. Control over geo-location access
Presently, iOS users have control over which apps access their location through the ‘Location Service’ setting. The new update will allow the users to opt-out of precise location sharing. And when that happens, only approximate geolocation data will be shared with the apps.
Apple presently comes with the feature ofIntelligent Tracking preventionor ITP which blocks cross-domain tracking. With iOS 14, there will now be a ‘Privacy Report’ passed to the users in addition to the ITP. It will tell the users which companies it is blockchain from viewing their data.
The impact of this update is more image-based than anything else. Brands have multiple use cases for tracking users – recency control, frequency capping, behavioral-based targeting, spend attribution, etc. But the update will give the users a perception that every company has the same tracking intent.
How is Appinventiv Preparing for the Changed iOS 14 App Development Process?
iPhone app development has always been one of our strongest suits. We have always one of the firstiOS app development companyto run hypothesis testing on all the new updates. iOS 14 version is no different.
Our team of iOS app developers has deep-dived into how iOS 14 impacts app creation and promotion and while we have looked into the changes that we will have to make the app ready for iOS 14.
The primary step for us was to peruse the platform-wise recommendations for the iOS 14 update.
The documentations helped us get on top of the changes that were coming with iOS 14 and what we needed to do to prepare for them. Keeping technicalities aside, let us share our plans in terms of making your app pass Apple’s updated security principles in layman’s terms. But first thing first, let us look into the ways the app ecosystem is going to change in 2021.
The way iOS 14 influence app development will see the following things happening –
The space between organic and paid revenue and installs will get blurry
The efficiency of user acquisition and ad monetization will lower
The user-level ad reporting will become functionally impossible with iOS 14
Another impact of iOS 14 will be that retargeting campaigns will not be viable anymore
Apple’s SKAdNetwork is poised to become the source of ad attribution on iOS
Post-install events will majorly be attributable for around 24 hours
In light of these changes,the first thingthat we will be focusing on is ensuring that the SDKs we use across our iPhone app development services are up to date. Virtually every SDK – analytics, attribution, and ad monetization, etc. will have to be updated for accommodating iOS14.
Secondly, we will shift our focus on top-of-funnel activities – like ad watch, tutorial completion, etc. – instead of button funnel-like subscriptions and purchases.
Lastly, we will be revisiting how we ask for consent from the users. After ensuring that the users are having a good experience within the app, we willplan strategically-timed push notificationsexplaining how the tracking will elevate their experience in the application. Here’s a snapshot of what that would look like –
Other than these, going by the statistics thatover 30% of the iOS users have already disabled IDFAsharing, we will be exploring new approaches to help our clients retain their growth marketing expectations without relying on personal information. Here are some of them –
1. Use SKAdNetwork for advertisement attribution
Apple has released SKAd Network that enables Apple to manage the attribution passed to the Registered Ad network. While there areways to optimize and scale marketing with SKAdNetwork, like how it helps identify redownloads and track attribution, they are not very ideal because of multiple reasons –
Allows only click-based attribution
No date stamp parameter is provided
The campaign IDs are limited to 100 per ad network.
2. Non-individually identifiable IP address-based tracking
Another way brands can negate the iOS 14 impact on app distribution is by relying on the users’ truncated IP addressed for advanced contextual targeting and attribution. This way, they won’t have to identify any individual user.
If you are looking for an iOS application development company that is skilled to help migrate your existing application to iOS 14 while having a complete understanding and solutions to how iOS 14 impacts app creation,reach out to our team.
Shrikant Srivastava
VP Technology
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Every new version of iOS comes with a bunch of bugs and issues, some bigger than others, and iOS 14 is no different. Apple will iron out many of these problems with subsequent software updates, but it’s useful to know whether the issues you’re seeing on your own phone are known bugs in iOS 14—and to learn about some of the workarounds and fixes you can try.
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Troubleshooting isn’t always an exact science, so bear in mind that some detective work might be required to figure out what’s going wrong with your own particular iPhone or iPad. It’s possible that something other than iOS 14 is to blame for the problems you’re encountering, but we should be able to help you figure it out one way or the other.
Poor battery life
Low Power Mode can help you through your battery life woes.Screenshot: iOS
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iOS 14 has caused battery drain problems for numerous users, with iPhones reportedly lasting nowhere near as long with Apple’s latest mobile operating system installed. It’s been mentioned in connection with every iOS 14 release, but it seems that the iOS 14.2 rollout in particular has cause battery life to take a hit.
Battery life isn’t specifically mentioned in the release notes for iOS 14.3, and it looks as though the issue remains—at least for some users—going off widespread complaints on social media. Apple hasn’t anything officially acknowledged it yet.
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But the company did provide some technical support earlier in the iOS 14 release cycle for those with both an iPhone and an Apple Watch, recommending a full backup and reset (instructions here and here) of both devices to solve battery drain issues. Unfortunately, aside from the usual battery-saving tricks, a full reset is just about all you can try while you wait for a software update to (hopefully) address the issue.
No notifications
Problems with message notifications on iOS 14 have been reported.Screenshot: iOS
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One of the more common (and frustrating) problems reported by iPhone owners running iOS 14 is that the Messages app doesn’t show notifications as it should. Alerts don’t appear on the lock screen and red badges don’t appear on the app icon in some cases, which is in addition to a separate problem that caused SMS messages to be delayed.
This is a bug that Apple has acknowledged and has claimed to have fixed with the iOS 14.3 update, according to the release’s notes. If you’ve noticed this happening on your own device, then the first troubleshooting step to try is updating to OS 14.3.
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If you’re still not getting alerts for Messages like you should be, then there’s no specific workaround to try besides the basic fixes: Double-checking your notification settings, rebooting your handset, and if nothing else works, resetting it and starting again from scratch (making sure it’s fully backed up first).
Choosing new default apps
iOS 14 lets you set your default email client.Screenshot: iOS
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iOS 14 rather quietly introduced the ability to set apps other than Apple Mail and Apple Safari as your default email client and web browser, respectively—the only problem being that iOS would very quickly forget which alternatives you’d selected, and revert back to the Apple defaults after a restart.
This is a problem that Apple has addressed and says is fixed, as per the iOS 14.0.1 update that was pushed out not long after iOS 14 itself. If you haven’t updated to the latest version of iOS for whatever reason, then this should be enough to make your default email and web choices stick.
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If you’re still not sure how to configure this new feature, you need to go to Settings and then pick the email app or web browser of your choice from the long list of apps. You should then see a Default Mail App or a Default Browser App option, which you can use to make your chosen app the default choice.
Losing wifi connections
Wifi drop-outs is one problem that’s been linked to iOS 14.Screenshot: iOS
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Wifi and cellular connection problems always crop up alongside a new iOS release, and iOS 14 has been no different—it must be something about the application of a brand new software layer that confuses your phone (or the networks that it’s connecting to), often resulting in dropped or unstable connections.
In the case of iOS 14, one of the most widely reported problems has been issues with dropped wifi connections. According to numerous users, iPhones tend to lose their connections to wireless internet and then refuse to reestablish the link, which causes problems for just about everything you could want to do on a smartphone.
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This is a bug which Apple has identified and applied a fix for—it should have rolled out to your phone with iOS 14.0.1, which “fixes an issue that could prevent your iPhone from connecting to Wi-Fi networks,” according to the release notes. If you’re still having issues after the update, then you’ll have to try the standard troubleshooting techniques for attempting to solve an internet connection problem.
Specific app problems
Certain YouTube features are exclusive to Premium subscribers.Screenshot: iOS
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There are always one or two apps that don’t work properly with a new iOS release: Developers have to work hard to get their software to work with Apple’s updated operating system, and sometimes bugs do slip through the cracks. If this happens to you, watch out for updates to apps—or even ask the developers directly about them.
YouTube is a case in point when it comes to iOS 14: Picture-in-picture mode didn’t work, then did work, then didn’t work again. At the time of writing, it’ll only function properly if you’re a YouTube Premium subscriber (a previous workaround of running YouTube inside Safari has since been blocked).
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It’s the same with 4K playback from the YouTube app: It’s only going to work if you’re a paying subscriber. Other apps on your phone may have similar restrictions, so if you’re experiencing bugginess or something isn’t quite working in one particular app, focus your troubleshooting efforts on that app in particular.
Other issues
Apple will keep you informed about iOS updates.Screenshot: Apple
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There are likely more issues than the ones we’ve covered above, but these are the ones that have been most widely reported. It’s worth keeping an eye on Apple’s official iOS 14 updates page, because the company will list the bug fixes being applied to iOS as well as the new features that are being added.
Problems that have already been addressed since the first iOS 14 release include issues with sending emails, displaying widgets, using Family Sharing, receiving incoming calls, wireless charging, the camera viewfinder, headphone audio levels, an unresponsive lockscreen, and more, so if you’re having issues with any of the above, updating to the latest version if iOS 14 is worth a shot.
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If you’re experiencing an issue that we haven’t covered here, then some research on the web should bring up matches with anyone else who’s having the same difficulties (try and be as specific as you can in your search). Good starting points are the Apple subreddit on Reddit and the iPhone discussion forums on the Apple site. Or tell us your problem below—maybe intrepid Gizmodo readers can help solve it.
Enlarge/ Just some of the iDevice types that Corellium didn't break one law—but may still have broken another—by emulating.
Security firm Corellium, which develops software that researchers can use to analyze Apple products, has been handed a partial victory in Apple's lawsuit against it, as a judge ruled that its creation of virtual iOS environments does not violate Apple's copyrights.
Corellium has since 2017 been creating iOS environments that can run on desktop computers, for use as a research and development tool. Apple sued Corellium in 2019, alleging, "Corellium's true goal is profiting off its blatant infringement" of iOS, and claiming that the firm "encourages its users to sell any discovered information [about system vulnerabilities] on the open market to the highest bidder."
Earlier this year, Apple amended the suit to include allegations that Corellium's work violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's (DMCA) prohibition circumventing or breaking DRM.
US District Judge Rodney Smith for the US District Court for Southern Florida yesterday issued his ruling (PDF) in the case, denying Apple's motion for summary judgement, and granting part, but not all, of Corellium's motion for same, finding that Corellium's actions were fair use but "issues of material facts" still exist.
Granted in part
Smith found for Corellium on the matter of the copyright claim, determining that Corellium was not simply cloning iOS as a means of competing with Apple, but instead was genuinely using Apple's work as the basis of creating something new.
"Corellium makes several changes to iOS and incorporates its own code to create a product that serves a transformative purpose,” Smith wrote. "Hence, Corellium’s profit motivation does not undermine its fair use defense, particularly considering the public benefit of the product."
Apple also alleged that Corellium's behavior "has been entirely improper" and that the company has not acted in good faith. Smith, however, wrote that "Apple's position is puzzling, if not disingenuous," as Corellium has a vetting process for clients and "has exercised discretion to withhold the Corellium product from those it suspects may use the product for nefarious purposes.
In short, the court "does not find a lack of good faith and fair dealing" on Corellium's part, Smith ruled, and "further, weighing all the necessary factors, the Court finds that Corellium has met its burden of fair use."
Denied in part
Apple's second claim, that Corellium circumvented its DRM unlawfully under section 1201 of the DMCA, is trickier to handle.
Under Section 1201, creating any kind of end-run around "a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work" is itself unlawful—even if you have a really good reason, such as research or repair, for doing so. Apple, as you would assume, has several technological measures through which it protects iOS.
There are, however, some enumerated exemptions from Section 1201. Every three years the US Copyright Office reviews the list, and can choose to add new exemptions. In 2015, for example, it became legal for researchers to hack voting machines and medical devices in controlled environments for purposes of good-faith security research.
There are Section 1201 exemptions for smartphones, but they are limited specifically to jailbreaking, for software interoperability reasons, and for unlocking devices to move between carrier networks.
Even though Smith found Corellium was engaging in fair use as far as the copyright claim, he rejected the fair use argument as far as the 1201 claim goes. "Here, if the court were to adopt Corellium's position that fair use is a defense to Apple's DMCA claim, that would effectively render Section 1201 meaningless," Smith wrote. "Therefore, Corellium may make fair use of iOS, but it is not absolved of potential liability for allegedly employing circumvention tools to unlawfully access iOS or elements of iOS."
The legal proceedings related to the Section 1201 claim, therefore, will continue into the new year.
2020 saw a record App Store spend as coronavirus lockdowns saw people forced to seek more at-home entertainment, according to analytics data. With less time spent with family, and fewer entertainment options outside the home, more time has been spent using apps.
The holidays alone have seen consumers so far spend an estimated $407M on iOS and Android apps, some 34% up on the same period in 2019 …
2020 has been a record-setting year for worldwide spending on mobile apps and games, which passed $100 billion in a single year for the first time ever in November. This trend continued on Christmas, when consumers around the globe spent an estimated $407.6 million across Apple’s App Store and Google Play, according to preliminary Sensor Tower Store Intelligence estimates.
Mobile spending on Christmas comprised 4.5 percent of the month’s total spending so far, which reached approximately $9 billion globally from December 1 to December 27. The majority of the holiday spending was on mobile games, which climbed 27 percent from $232.4 million on Christmas 2019 to $295.6 million this year.
Other entertainment was the second highest category after games.
On the App Store, Entertainment apps reached $19.3 million or 21.8 percent of all non-game spending. On Google Play, the category generated $4.3 million or 18.5 percent of all revenue generated.
Outside of mobile games, TikTok was the top app in terms of consumer spending, generating $4.7 million globally in revenue on Christmas.
As always, although there are more Android devices than iOS ones, it was iOS apps which generated by far the most revenue.
Apple’s App Store captured the bulk of the spending between the two platforms. It saw 68.4 percent of the spending, or $278.6 million, up 35.2 percent Y/Y. Google Play saw $129 million in revenue, up more than 33 percent Y/Y.
In the US, Roblox generated the most revenue among games, at $6.6M in the holiday period, while Disney+ did so in the other entertainment category, at $2.6M.
The vast majority of developers are already getting to keep more of their App Store revenue from the holidays, as Apple has been charging them the halved 15% commission rate earlier than the expected start date of January 1st. Apple announced the surprise U-turn back in November in a clever move to fend off antitrust action.
Vybe Together, an app that facilitated "secret parties" between users, has been removed from the iOS App Store after seemingly flouting coronavirus safety guidelines by promoting large New Year's Eve gatherings.
A recent Vybe Together video appeared on TikTok encouraging users to join "secret gatherings" in New York City up to and including this weekend, reports Business Insider. The short video sharing platform disabled the company's account, which was highlighted as advertising "NYE ragers" by New York Times reporter Taylor Lorenz in a tweet on Tuesday.
Apple quickly followed suit and culled the app from the App Store. Vybe's creators confirmed the tech giant was responsible for the takedown in a statement to The Verge.
A relatively obscure service, Vybe Together urged users to join in "private" revelry, employing the catchphrase, "Get your rebel on. Get your party on." The app is — or was — somewhat exclusive and only approved members were able to use the service to find, create and join parties.
"We are like Eventbrite, but way cooler," a Vybe Together spokesperson told Business Insider. "Vybe's can be anything from playing board games to bachata with your neighbors. A lot of people have been isolated and lonely and we wanted to enable them to meet. We are aware that large gatherings are not okay and we do not promote them. If we see events are popular we take them off!"
A person claiming to be a Vybe co-founder told The Verge that the service boasted a "few thousand" members, with another few thousand waiting in the wings as applicants. Exposure from Lorenz's tweet potentially drove more users to the service, though media scrutiny has seemingly forced it to suspend operations.
With its TikTok account terminated and the app stricken from the App Store, the firm shut down its website and closed an Instagram account. Vybe's last Instagram post — before it, too, was removed — read, "Blown out of proportion by the media. We DO NOT CONDONE LARGE GATHERINGS!!!"
Last August, Apple filed a lawsuit against virtualization company Corellium, which allows users to virtualize iOS for security research purposes. Now, a judge has thrown out Apple’s claims that Corellium’s virtualization tools violated copyright law.
Apple had also argued that if Corellium’s virtualization tools were used by the wrong person, the vulnerabilities discovered with the tools could be used to hack iPhones. The judge in the case, Judge Rodney Smith, called these claims from Apple “puzzling, if not disingenuous.”
As reported by The Washington Post, a federal judge in Florida sided with Corellium and said that the company had established fair use for using Apple’s code, thereby denying Apple’s request for a permanent injunction against the security startup.
“Weighing all the necessary factors, the Court finds that Corellium has met its burden of establishing fair use,” Judge Smith wrote Tuesday’s order. “Thus, its use of iOS in connection with the Corellium Product is permissible.”
Corellium is a security research platform that allows users to run virtualized versions of iOS on desktop computers. This makes the process of finding bugs and vulnerabilities in the operating system far easier, but Apple had argued that Corellium blatantly infringes upon its copyrights by offering this virtualization technology.
Interestingly, The Washington Post adds that Apple’s claim Corellium “circumvented security measures” and violated the DMCA has not yet been thrown out:
Apple initially attempted to acquire Corellium in 2018, according to court records. When the acquisition talks stalled, Apple sued Corellium last year, claiming its virtual iPhones, which contain only the bare bones functions necessary for security research, constitute a violation of copyright law. Apple also alleged Corellium circumvented Apple’s security measures in order to create the software, thereby violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. That claim has not been thrown out.
Apple’s lawsuit against Corellium came after the company significantly revamped its bug bounty program last year with higher payouts and a new device program that gives researchers what are essentially “pre-jailbroken” iPhones.
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Ready to start your journey into video editing for creating online content? Check out these background music apps for seamless video editing.
Music elevates good online videos to great by helping set the mood and tone of the content. There are plenty of resources that offer royalty-free background music for videos. You can find several apps across iOS and Android to help you edit videos to include background music.
Here’s a peek at some of the best background music apps and video editing tools on iOS and Android.
Best Background Music Apps – iOS
Filmora Go
FilmoraGo has the most straightforward interface for learning to edit video and include background music. The app is available on both iOS and Android, with an easy to understand interface. Some app features include the ability to layer multiple audio tracks, add a background music track, sound effects, and essential editing tools like split, cut, and paste.
Need to record a voiceover for your newly recorded video or include your own instrumentals? FilmoraGo can handle that with its recording feature. It also includes a direct share feature for uploading the video to social media like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
iMovie for iOS
Anyone with an iOS device has access to iMovie, which is one of the best video editors on the market. It offers a straightforward interface for on the go editing, but it really needs a companion Mac for advanced editing tools. Those who are new to video editing and adding background music to videos should start here, as it is free on iOS. If you have an Android device, keep reading.
Video Star
Video Star is an app for iOS devices to create music videos with looping background music. Users can select from a library of music included in the app or use their own.
VideoSound
VideoSound is an iOS app that allows users to add background music to any video before sharing it on Instagram or Facebook. The app also allows users to create a photo collage slideshow set to music – a popular marketing strategy for social media.
Best Background Music Apps – Android
Nash
Nash is an app that’s designed for businesses who want royalty-free music to play in the background. That can be physical locations or for internet streams. The app itself requires a monthly subscription, but it costs less than $5/month. Despite the subscription, Nash also includes a free library of background music for commercial use.
Nash specifically advertises itself as a background music player for live streams. If you’re a Twitch streamer looking for replacement music, check here.
Super Sound
Android doesn’t have as many good creative tools available, compared to iOS. That’s because there’s not really an iMovie equivalent on the platform. Super Sound comes the closest to allowing the type of advanced video editing that iMovie can accomplish.
The interface is relatively simple to learn, and users can cut, split, paste, and convert audio to several formats. Adding background music to a video is a breeze with Super Sound. It’s the best iMovie alternative for Android users.
If you’re lucky enough to have unwrapped a new iPhone as a holiday gift this year, you’ll probably want to install some new apps on it. Fortunately, we’re here to help with some suggestions. We’ve included great apps that are just generally fun or useful to have on your phone, and apps that you should download to replace the default ones that Apple ships.
With iOS 14, Apple made it easier to customize the way your iPhone looks, offering new widgets and easier methods for setting custom application icons. One of the biggest names around when it comes to iPhone widgets is Widgetsmith, which lets users add photos, text, quotes, and more. Combine it with some clever icon swaps (now easier than ever in the latest iOS update) and the right wallpaper, and you’ve got the customized iPhone of your dreams.
Libby
Libby
It’s tough to make it out to libraries right now, but if you’ve got a smartphone, you can get to the next best thing: Libby, which lets you borrow ebooks and audiobooks from your local library for free right from your phone. Plus, the app itself is a great digital reading app in its own right, so you can enjoy books even without a dedicated device like a Kindle.
TikTok
TikTok
TikTok has exploded in popularity in 2020 to become one of the biggest social media networks on the planet, with everything from internet memes, comedy sketches, and even a full-fledged Ratatouille musical. In other words, it’s the most fun place on the internet right now. Add in an algorithm that seems to almost magically show you videos perfectly tailored to your interests, and you’ve got almost endless content to watch.
Tweetbot
Tweetbot
Twitter is a vaguely terrible way to spend your time these days, but if you (like me) can’t tear yourself away from the social media service / entryway into hell, you’ll want Tweetbot, which actually makes using Twitter far less painful. Tweetbot shows you the tweets of the people you follow, in the order that they tweeted them. There are no ads or promoted tweets, powerful mute filters to block out unwanted noise, and (thanks to Twitter’s unfriendly API changes) no notifications to constantly ping you to come back to the app.
Paprika Recipe Manager
Paprika Recipe Manager
The internet is basically the best cookbook ever made, with recipes for whatever dish, dessert, or drink you want to create just a click away. Paprika lets you paste in links for those recipes, pulls out the crucial information (ingredients, directions, servings) from the sometimes endless stories and histories that food blogs insist on including, and saves the info in your own digital cookbook to pull up whenever you need it.
Halide Camera
Halide Camera
The cameras on the new iPhones are better than ever before, and a lot of that is thanks to the helpful AI-powered algorithms that work to perfect your shots. If you have a little more photographic know-how, though, you might want an app like Halide, which is designed to let you push the cameras to the limit. It also supports all the latest features of Apple’s new iPhones, including the iPhone 12 Pro’s ProRAW format, perfect for taking your photography to the next level. With an annual subscription, it’s not free, but if you’re big on iPhone photography, it’s worth the cost.
Darkroom
Darkroom
Of course, photography is only half the equation. Editing is just as important (if not more so), and Darkroom is one of the best apps around, with support for RAW and ProRAW photos, along with the option to edit photos in batches. Best of all, it’s free, although there’s also a monthly subscription option for additional features.
Authy
Authy
Security time! Do you secure your internet accounts with two-factor authentication? If so, great; Authy is the app you’ll want to use for authentication codes. If not, go set up two-factor authentication now! And when you do, use Authy, which does a better job of storing and keeping track of all those authentication codes than other apps like Google Authenticator.
Lastpass / 1Password
Lastpass / 1Password
Speaking of internet security, you should probably start using a password manager instead of just entering the same password for all your accounts. LastPass and 1Password are the two best options around, each with different pros, cons, and costs. Setting up a new phone is the perfect time to set up some more security.
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft OutlookPhoto by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Apple’s default Mail app for email is still just plain bad. The UI is unwieldy, and support for Gmail is still poor enough that you should install a different email app instead. Outlook for iOS is still one of the best options around, with useful features, a fast UI, and Microsoft support that means it’ll be around for years to come. Plus, with iOS 14, you can even set it to replace Apple’s app as the default option.
Google Maps
Google MapsPhoto by Chris Welch / The Verge
Apple Maps isn’t bad these days, truth be told. But that doesn’t matter. Odds are that you will move it to a folder and use Google Maps anyway, because you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like getting lost on your way to wherever it is you’re going. Sometimes, you just can’t beat the original.
Venmo
VenmoImage: Venmo
Whether you’re splitting the internet bill with roommates or splitting a tab at a bar (whenever bars are open again), everyone has to pay someone else back at some point. Venmo makes it simple, easy, and secure — and unlike Apple Pay, it works on things that aren’t iPhones, too.
Google Photos
Google Photos
Apple Photos is the default photo app, and you’ll likely never replace it, since that’s where all the photos you take automatically go. Google Photos is ending its unlimited storage starting on June 1st, 2021, so it won’t back up all your pictures and videos for free anymore. But it’ll still offering 15GB (on top of any pictures and videos you’ve already uploaded). That’s way more than Apple’s default 5GB iCloud storage, so it’s better than no backup at all. And when it comes to all your favorite pictures, why take the risk?
Fantastical
Fantastical
Apple’s default Calendar is fine for basic tasks, but if you want something a little more powerful, get Fantastical. Now free (with additional features available for a new subscription), you’ll get a UI that’s far more useful on a phone screen than Apple’s own, along with Fantastical’s excellent contextual cues that can automatically add details like dates or locations when you’re adding new events. It also has a truly excellent widget that’s far better than the default calendar app’s — something that’s especially useful with iOS 14.
Otter
Otter
This is a bit of a niche category, but if you record a lot of voice notes on your iPhone (maybe you’re a student who wants to play back lectures or a technology reporter who needs to interview people from time to time), then you’ll want Otter.ai. It’s an AI-powered voice recording app that transcribes as you talk and stores it all in the cloud to access from anywhere. There are a few limits on the free version — you can only record 40 minutes at a time and up to 600 minutes per month — but it’s still a useful tool to have.
Correction, December 28th 9:55am:Fantastical 2 (the former, paid calendar app) has been replaced by Fantastical (a free, subscription-based service.) This article originally referred to the new app as Fantastical 2.
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