On this week’s episode of AppStories, we talk about iOS 11’s drag and drop feature, examples of some of our favorite apps that implement it, and the apps we’d like to see add it next.
Sponsored by:
AppStories, Episode 25 – iOS 11 Drag and Drop Apps→
Stranger Things Retro-Style Game Launched
Season 2 of Netflix’s original series Stranger Things will debut on October 27th. To promote the new season, a retro-style RPG game featuring the characters and scenes from the show has been released on the App Store.
The free game promises hours of gameplay with 7 playable characters, 6 dungeons, and 30 quests. There are two difficulty levels, ‘Normal’ and a punishing ‘Classic’ mode, and lots of in-game collectibles and puzzles to solve along the way.
I have only had a short time to start exploring Stranger Things: The Game, but anyone who enjoys the TV show and retro-style games should have fun playing through the Stranger Things world and listening to the excellent chiptune soundtrack.
Stranger Things: The Game is available on the App Store.
60 Mac Tips, Volume 2 Released
Yestereday, David Sparks and Brett Terpstra released a new MacSparky Field Guide called 60 Mac Tips, Volume 2. The new volume picks up where Volume 1 left off with lots of great tips that are accompanied by highly polished screencasts narrated by the two authors. Sparks, who also co-hosts Mac Power Users on Relay FM with Katie Floyd, and Terpstra, an independent developer, author, and podcaster, have packed 60 Mac Tips with a wide range of topics that should appeal to beginners and experts alike including, Mail, Automator, Safari, Siri, Apple Notes, Apple Photos, Terminal, and much more.
60 Mac Tips, Volume 2 is available as an iBook on the iBook Store or from Vimeo as a series of downloadable videos. Both versions include high definition video, but I like the iBook version the best because it creates a convenient organizational structure around the videos.
Connected, Episode 162: Daily Dongle Carry→
Federico makes a confession, the trio considers how Apple could improve Do Not Disturb and then Myke forgets how Round Robins work.
On this week’s Connected, we talk about Alexa, iPhone dongles, and more iOS 11 app updates. You can listen here.
Sponsored by:
- Balance: Find out more about Balance Open and get $2 in Ethereum.
- Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code WORLD at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
- FlightLogger: Real-time flight tracking for worry-free travel.
My App Story
Last Friday, I left my job as a lawyer. Many readers may not even know that’s something I did because it’s not pertinent to what I do at MacStories. Over the course of many years, that job became less interesting and challenging. Eventually, I recognized that I needed a change, but nothing felt quite right. That is, until the day I decided to make an app. I’m not much of an app developer, but I wouldn’t be where I am now, writing this, if I hadn’t built one. This is my app story.
YouTube Adds iMessage App for Sharing Videos
Today YouTube’s iOS app received an update that includes the video service’s first iMessage app. The app only focuses on a single function – sharing videos – but it does well with that one thing, offering a robust sharing experience.
Upon opening the YouTube iMessage app, you’ll see a list of videos you’ve recently watched. This appears to pull videos directly from your full YouTube history, presenting a seemingly endless scrolling list of everything you’ve watched. Often iMessage apps contain a mere fraction of the information found in their parent apps, so I was expecting to only see a small number of recently watched videos listed; the ability to continue scrolling through my full history is a pleasant surprise. Another welcome addition is the inclusion of a search option. At the top of the iMessage app, you can search for any video on YouTube – either by text or by voice. Tapping the search box even reveals a list of your recent YouTube search queries.
When searching for the right video to share, YouTube’s iMessage app lets you view any video in full before sharing – just hit the vertically stacked dots on a video’s right hand side to find a Watch button. Once you’ve chosen a video to share, it will populate as an iMessage card that can be sent to friends, and they’ll be able to watch the video without ever leaving the iMessage conversation.
YouTube is a solid demonstration of a rich iMessage experience. Even though its purpose is limited to sharing videos, it offers access to everything you might want before sharing – your full watch history, a search option with recent search queries listed, and even the ability to watch a video inside iMessage before you send it. iMessage app developers take note: just because your app serves a single purpose doesn’t mean it has to be a bare-bones experience.
Balance Is a Wallet For the World’s Currencies [Sponsor]
We are on the cusp of a financial revolution fueled by crypto-currencies and Balance makes it easy for everyone to get involved. You’ve probably heard of Bitcoin, one of the earliest crypto-currencies, but there are others including Ethereum. Balance connects to the most popular crypto-currency exchanges like Coinbase along with traditional financial institutions bridging the gap between the old financial world and the new one.
Balance is a menu bar app for macOS that is available on the Mac App Store. The app connects with crypto-currency exchanges as well as traditional bank accounts, investment accounts, credit cards, and online services like PayPal using Plaid, a super-secure platform that works with financial institutions around the world.
When you set up accounts in Balance, the app automatically updates them periodically with new transactions, so you’re always up to date. You can click through the app’s tabs to view balances, transactions, notifications and gain insights about your spending. Soon, Balance will release an iOS version of their app too.
Balance is ready for the future. The current financial system is based on outdated, legacy software. Blockchains are the bedrock of a more secure and open system based on cryptocurrencies, but not many people are using them yet. Balance is poised to change that by becoming a single destination for traditional financial accounts and crypto-currency exchanges.
Balance has a great offer for MacStories readers who want to see what crypto-currencies are all about. Just go to bal.money/macstories and you’ll get $2 worth of Ether in a Coinbase account that you can link to Balance and track with its menu bar app. It’s a great way to see for yourself what the financial world’s future looks like.
Our thanks to Balance for sponsoring MacStories this week.
Canvas, Episode 45: Files and File Providers in iOS 11→
With iOS 11 released, apps are starting to receive updates to be compatible with features like the new Files app. In this episode, Fraser and Federico dig into what’s possible for cloud storage.
Speaking of Files, this week’s episode of Canvas is all about iOS 11’s new file manager and what third-party developers can build with file providers. You can listen here.
Sponsored by:
- Sanebox: Clean up your inbox in minutes. Sign up for a two-week free trial and a $20 credit.
Connected, Episode 161: A Handbag? Face Cream? A Chain Saw?→
Files on iOS 11 is taking shape, and some problems are emerging. Federico gets sad listening to the others talk about their watches, then slowly disappears as Stephen talks about macOS High Sierra.
On this week’s episode of Connected, we covered some of the issues with the Files app in iOS 11, then Myke and Stephen went over their impressions of the new Apple Watch and Apple TV. You can listen here.
Sponsored by:
- PDFpen Family, from Smile: Everything you need for more powerful PDF editing
- Freshbooks: Online invoicing made easy.
- Incapsula: Secure and accelerate your website. Connected listeners get one month free.