MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

Apple has updated its iOS Maps application with Flyover support or expanded Flyover coverage in a number of cities around the world, and updated 3D buildings and turn-by-turn navigation for a number more, reports The Loop. Apple recently pushed significant updates for Maps users in Japan.Apple also made a number of updates in China, one of the company’s newest and biggest markets. Maps in...

Australian airline Qantas is handing out iPads with access to its Wi-Fi-streamed in-flight entertainment service Q Streaming, reports AFP (via AppleInsider). The iPad-based service was first tested on a single 767 in 2011, offering streaming access to over 200 hours of movies, TV shows and music, and is now being introduced on its 767 flights operating between Sydney and Honolulu. Later...

iMore Editor-in-Chief Rene Ritchie has written a worthwhile opinion piece arguing that part of Apple's challenge in maintaining its performance in an increasingly competitive smartphone market is the predictability of its "tick-tock" strategy of a major iPhone release every other year and an 'S' refresh on the years in between. Ritchie, whose close sources within Apple led him to report the...

Web video company Ooyala has published a new report (via AllThingsD) revealing that two-thirds of smartphone video viewing is being done on iPhones, despite Apple having only a 19% share of the smartphone market. While the stats sample only Ooyala's service, the base for the stats is a substantial one with the company having 200 million viewers worldwide and 25% of all Americans watching at...

A new combination of iPhone app and plug-in adapter from Automatic to read data from your car's onboard diagnostics (OBD) port turns virtually any car manufactured after 1996 into a connected car, providing detailed data on your driving habits and cost of driving (via The Verge). The OBD-II data port is a standard feature on all modern cars, providing access to fuel, mileage and engine data. ...

Tumblr today updated its iOS app to version 3.3, adding a redesigned camera interface that simplifies in-app photo taking and integrated Photoset capabilities. Previously released as part of a standalone app, the new Photoset feature allows users to create photo collages with customized layouts. Tumblr has also been updated with the ability to double tap posts to like them, easy one-tap...

Google has updated its Gmail experience when using mobile browsers like Safari. The company is aiming to replicate the experience users have using the Gmail for iOS app, updated back in December.Since launching the rebooted Gmail app for iPhone and iPad in December (http://goo.gl/2m7pd), we’ve heard from many of you that you like the redesigned UI, along with new features such as improved...

Syntellia, the company behind popular alternative keyboard app Fleksy, is developing software that will allow the app to work with the upcoming Leap Motion Controller. Syntellia is demoing the Fleksy and Leap Motion combo at SXSW this week. Fleksy is a text-input system that implements advanced predictive text algorithms to allow users to type without looking at the screen of the iPhone or the ...

As part of a South by Southwest promotion, Marvel has announced (via The New York Times) that it is giving away more than 700 of its No.1 issues through its Marvel Comics iOS app and web store. "This is the perfect way to show everyone how much we believe in our material by letting them try the first issues for free, because we're sure once they start, they won't stop," says Marvel SVP –...

Angry Birds Toons, Rovio's upcoming animated series, will be distributed through its existing line of iOS and Android apps to reach more than 1.7 billion users that have downloaded the games. Angry Birds titles that are in the App Store will be updated with a ">new video channel that will allow access to the show. The cartoon will also be available on select TV networks, Samsung Smart TVs,...

Apple has silently updated its Maps app in Japan after announcing similar changes in the first beta of iOS 6.1.1 back in the beginning of February. It appears that for many of the changes, Apple didn't need to expressly update the operating system and could instead implement changes server-side. The changes were first noted by Mac Otakara, via 9to5Mac. The iOS 6.1.1 beta became iOS 6.1.3...

The Apple iBookstore Twitter account accidentally retweeted an obscene message last night, reports 9to5Mac. The account also favorited the tweet, adding to the embarrassment for the company which has sought to limit sexually-explicit content on its App Store although it has not placed similar restrictions on its iBookstore. It is likely that whoever operates the Twitter account intended to...

TechCrunch reports that Philips has created an official developer program for its Wi-Fi connected Hue home lighting system, which includes an SDK for iOS and APIs to allow hardware and software developers to integrate Hue into their products. Hue, which is exclusive to iOS, allows users to control LED lightbulbs via the iPhone and an accompanying bridge that uses the ZigBee communication...

CNET reports that during a talk at SXSW, Jay Sullivan, Mozilla's vice president of product, said that the company has no plans to release an iOS version of Firefox because of technological limitations imposed by Apple. The nonprofit Mozilla, which pulled Mozilla Firefox Home from Apple's App Store in September 2012, is not currently building a version of its Firefox browser for iOS, nor does the ...

PayPal today introduced a new mobile SDK that allows iOS app developers to integrate PayPal checkout and mobile credit card payment mechanisms directly into their apps.Currently, iOS developers can include PayPal payment buttons into their apps, but users are redirected to Safari to complete their transactions. Now, users will be able to pay without ever leaving the app, including using...

Launch Center Pro today received its first major update. The app, which was released last summer, creates shortcuts to functions within apps. As an example, it can be used to create a shortcut to send a message to a specific person or search Yelp with a predetermined search term. Update 1.1 adds new in-app actions, allowing users to use preset text and group messaging, along with improved Text ...

An iOS developer has made an app to sync the Philips Hue iOS-controlled LED light bulbs with music. The $2.99 Ambify pulls tracks from the music library on an iPhone or iPad and plays them while simultaneously controlling the colors and brightness of the Philips Hue lights, creating a rave-like atmosphere with blinking multi-colored light bulbs synced to the music.Ambify - the Hue enabled...

Social networking apps have climbed nine places year-on-year in the App Annie rankings of monthly revenues (via The Next Web), moving from 12th place last January to third place in January 2013.As of January 2013, the Social Networking category ranked third in monthly revenues, behind only Games and Productivity in the iOS App Store. And that’s up 87% compared to January 2012 monthly revenues,...