One of the new features that arrived in iOS 14 is called App Clips. App Clips is described by Apple to be a "small part of your app" that can be available to users at just the right moment.
App Clips focus on finishing one task quickly. An ideal App Clip experience allows users to open and complete a task in seconds.
Instead of requiring an App Store download, they can be loaded and run via Safari, and once done with the experience, the full app download is offered to the user. Early examples given by Apple included take-out order apps, scooter rental apps, or apps to set up an appliance for the first time.
Game developer Firi Games has implemented an App Clip for their space shooter game Phoenix 2. The App Clip can be played by visiting their Phoenix 2 website on an iOS 14 device and tapping "Play" on the banner that appears on the top of the screen.
The introduction of Phoenix 2 is also available as an App Clip. App Clips are a new iOS 14 feature that allows you to run a part of an app without any download from the App Store. Try it yourself by tapping the 'play' button in the banner at the top of this website (requires Safari on iOS 14; the banner does not show if you have Phoenix 2 already installed).
After a few moments of downloading the assets, the introduction level to Phoenix 2 appears playable as a native App Clip on your device.
The demo plays just like a native app but without any app installation. Once done with the demo, a link to the App Store is available to the full game [Free]. TouchArcade wrote about the experience and thought the "frictionless experience" for game demos held a lot of potential for App Store game discovery.
Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon.
Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week.
iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28.
The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. iOS 26.2 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation iPhone SE.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you.
Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by Juli Clover
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products.
Here's what's supposedly coming:
An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1.
Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings.
macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below.
Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
I honestly haven't played a game on an iPhone since Tap Tap Revenge back in 2008 and this was neat in that it was cool to try a game and see how mobile gaming has changed but then realize honestly it hasn't changed much. This was just a copy of an arcade game from the 80s on a very tiny screen. the drama around Fortnite legitimately confuses me. People actually play games on these small screens? bewildering.
Also, I ended up downloading the whole game and didn't really pay attention to whether I was paying anything for it, so there's that. I just wanted to keep playing, and I'm sure lots of people will be smarter than I was, but I wonder how this might play out in the future
