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.
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
Wednesday April 17, 2024 9:58 am PDT by Juli Clover
Game emulator apps have come and gone since Apple announced App Store support for them on April 5, but now popular game emulator Delta from developer Riley Testut is available for download. Testut is known as the developer behind GBA4iOS, an open-source emulator that was available for a brief time more than a decade ago. GBA4iOS led to Delta, an emulator that has been available outside of...
Tuesday April 16, 2024 11:33 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The first approved Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) emulator for the iPhone and iPad was made available on the App Store today following Apple's rule change. The emulator is called Bimmy, and it was developed by Tom Salvo. On the App Store, Bimmy is described as a tool for testing and playing public domain/"homebrew" games created for the NES, but the app allows you to load ROMs for any...
Tuesday April 16, 2024 6:54 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Last September, Apple's iPhone 15 Pro models debuted with a new customizable Action button, offering faster access to a handful of functions, as well as the ability to assign Shortcuts. Apple is poised to include the feature on all upcoming iPhone 16 models, so we asked iPhone 15 Pro users what their experience has been with the additional button so far. The Action button replaces the switch ...
Wednesday April 17, 2024 12:19 pm PDT by Juli Clover
A decade ago, developer Riley Testut released the GBA4iOS emulator for iOS, and since it was against the rules at the time, Apple put a stop to downloads. Emulators have been a violation of the App Store rules for years, but that changed on April 5 when Apple suddenly reversed course and said that it was allowing retro game emulators on the App Store. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...
iOS 18 is expected to be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. iOS 18 is rumored to include new generative AI features for Siri and many apps, and Apple plans to add RCS support to the Messages app for an improved texting experience between iPhones and Android devices. The update is also expected to introduce a more...
Top Rated Comments