Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with iphone and apps

Jumping ship to Android (Google's S4) and need a Mailbox equivalent

0bvious — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:25:26 -0800

I think the time has come for me to jump the iPhone ship. The announcement of the Google version of the Galaxy S4 at I/O was the clincher. But I am not 100% sold on the idea, mainly because the S4 is an ugly brute, but also because I fear for the apps and innovation I will miss. Help me out, specifically in finding a worthy replacement for my beloved Mailbox app. I waited. I pondered. I looked longingly at the horizon. Now it's time to go.

I am a concerned jumper for a few reasons:

1. I use an ipad extensively, and don't see this changing anytime soon. Iphone/Ipad integration is pretty solid.
2. My girlfriend and close friends will be sticking with Apple and iMessage will be missed
3. I recently started using Mailbox app and it has revolutionised the way I use email. I don't think I can go back to the old cluttered inbox, BUT, Mailbox's plans to make an app for Android look vague at best.
4. Related to this, it seems that the Apple app store is still the top of the list for developers, even though there are now more Android devices out there than Apple. I like innovation. Will I have to wait around a lot?

I am jumping because I am sick of having to jailbreak my phone to have it do what I want. I am a heavy HEAVY mobile internet user, I use a lot of apps for a variety of things. I reckon most can be replaced, and fed into Dropbox or something to take the place of iCloud, BUT, I'm not sure, and I am worried that once I jump I'll be stranded.

I really wanted Google to announce a new Nexus at I/O this week, but they failed. The current Nexus 4 looks lovely, but the lack of 4G put me off. The HTC One also is a sweet looking device, but with only 4MP of camera to play with it would've felt like a downgrade. Google announced a new partnership with the S4 at I/O, so I am hoping to get one now, and root it when the Google rich version gets released in June.

My contract has been up for renewal since February, so I have already lingered long enough. The battery in my trusty iPhone 4 is pretty crap these days. Time to move on. Please help me out here.

How can I switch from music to my audio book quickly on my iphone

photoexplorer — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:16:24 -0800

I listen to a lot of audio books on my iphone while driving and working. I also like listening to music in between for short periods, but still need to keep my place in the book. Right now I am using the bookmark app to keep track of the audio book, which seems to be the best app that I have tried so far. But the problem is that whenever I want to switch back to my playlist of music, the iphone music app defaults to the audio book that was last played. Is there any better way of switching back and forth so that the music app can remember that it is supposed to play a playlist and the audio book app remembers to start where I left off in the book? For some reason no matter what combination of apps I use this happens. Even in other music apps, if I open it after playing a book, or press play on my headphones, the book starts playing. It takes a few seconds for me to navigate back to the playlist I want, then pick shuffle all, like I always do several times a day. Then later I go back to the audio book app, and it has no problem remembering what book I was on, but why can't any music app seem to do this? I have tried a few others, such as "Groove" but the same problem exists, and I haven't found one I really like better than the original apple music app anyway.
I can't be the only one with this minor annoyance. Suggestions?

How should I spend $50 at the iTunes store?

gladly — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:50:55 -0800

I've been given a $50 gift card to the iTunes store, and I'd like some help spending it. I will probably end up buying some music, but movies/TV or books are out, because I don't enjoy watching or reading for long periods on my phone. I have an iPhone 4S. I'd really like advice on buying apps that will:

- Help me shoot better video. I really enjoy shooting video on the iPhone, and I'm learning to edit in iMovie.
- Menu preparation and grocery shopping. I buy and cook the same things all the time, and I want to plan more interesting meals.
- Tower defense games. I discovered Kingdom Rush from an FPP, and I love PvZ.

I'd love to hear about apps that you love and depend on, even if they don't fit into any of the above categories.

Good Media Catalog App for Iphone

yankeefog — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 08:21:11 -0800

When I finish a book or a movie, I like to write down my thoughts about it, and I'm looking for an iPhone app to organize my reading and watching notes. My particular picky bookworm/filmgeek requirements inside. In particular, I'm looking for an app that:

1. Works offline. (It's fine if it needs to be online sometimes to download info, and in fact it's a bonus if my notes are kept synced between my phone and my desktop--but I do want to be able to use it in places where I don't have signal. So, it can't be purely web-based.)

2. My thoughts should be kept private, not posted on Facebook or any other website. (This rules out Goodreads, as far as I can tell.)

3. I should be able to export my notes in some widely readable format.

Ideally, I'd find a single app for both books and movies, but I'm open to having separate apps for both.

Any suggestions?

PS: I've read this thread from 2009 but I'm hoping there have been some new possibilities since then.

Update apps on jailbroken iPhone 3GS

hollypolly — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 05:18:11 -0800

I have a jailbroken iPhone 3GS and the FB, Twitter and Instagram apps either keep crashing or malfunction. Cannot seem to update. Is there a way to revert to an older version of these apps compatible with this old model? I have a jailbroken iPhone 3GS and have been able to install the Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram apps with success, and have been using them for the better part of a year. In the past month or so they all seem to crash upon opening, or in Instagram's case, simply will not allow me to post pictures. I have tried updating, to no avail. Is it that my phone does not support the latest versions of these apps, or does this have to do with its 'jailbroken' status? Is there a way to revert to an older version of these apps compatible with this old model?

Any and all tips greatly appreciated!

Tracking iTunes Store prices on iOS?

jroybal — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 14:27:27 -0800

I use an app on my iPhone and iPad called AppShopper to keep a list of iOS apps I'd like to buy. It tracks them and sends a push notification when their price changes (or when there's an update to the app). Is there another app like that out there that tracks movies, music and TV shows (and maybe apps) on the iTunes Store? If there's no app, is there a website that does this?

Having Two Facebook Accounts on my Phone?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 06:41:32 -0800

I have two Facebook accounts. I'd like to be able to use them both on my phone. One is sort-of professional (it's not a business account, but is tied to my work in the arts community, and I also interact with family there) and the other is just for friends. I'd like to be able to check both on my phone. I can have them both open on my laptop by logging in to one in IE and the other in Firefox. Is there a way to do that on my phone - say, with two different FB apps - or if I try to do that, will it alert FB that my real-name account is not my only account (which I understand they frown on)?

I have an iPhone 4S if that is relevant.

Visual (Dollars and Coins) Time and Money Tracking App

purefusion — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:53:54 -0800

There used to be a time tracking app for Android or iPhone which tracked time visually by displaying amount spent/earned in the form of US dollars and coins on the screen. What app was that? There used to be a time tracking app, but I don't remember if it was for Android or iPhone, which tracked time visually by displaying amount spent/earned in the form of dollars and coins on the screen. Every second or two the screen would update with an accurate representation of amount of money per hour spent/earned by showing stacks of dollars and various denominations of US coins (pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters as appropriate).

Anyone know what app that was? I can't find it anymore, but I've only been looking through the App Store as I no longer use an Android device, so it could very likely have been an Android app. However, a quick Google didn't turn up any results with the search terms I was trying, so I figured I'd ask the hive. :)

Siri's Limits (not the sky..)

tenstairs — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 20:32:36 -0800

Siri is touted as an advanced piece of engineering technology, but as far as I know I can open Apple made apps and run a command. Very helpful if you figure it out (it's worth it), but limited indeed. What are its limits? Can this be extended? Note: There is no Siri API, or god forbid, SDK, to speak of.

Recommend an iPhone App for Recording Ambient Sound

Lentrohamsanin — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 09:29:00 -0800

Is there a good app for recording actual unfiltered/ambient sound on the iPod? There's a chronically but intermittently reoccurring high-pitched sound that I'm trying to record, but all the sound recording apps aimed at recording voices or music seem to filter it out. Video recording captures it, but the resulting file is too large for my purposes (attaching to an e-mail).

Help me find a new match 3 iPhone game!

peep — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:31:02 -0800

Can you help me find a new timewaster? I'm looking for a fun, addictive match 3 game, like Candy Crush or Bejeweled, but please no spammy social game stuff or near-impossible levels that encourage to you buy cheats (see: Candy Crush). For iPhone. I'm more than willing to pay for the game, but I want unlimited lives, no begging friends for stuff, and preferably not crushingly difficult. Just something mindless and not too frustrating to pass the time.

I'm really not interested in suggestions for games that aren't match 3 games. Not interested in Diamond Dash type games either (which is color matching but not match 3). I'm also aware of the unlimited lives thing with Candy Crush, but I'm done with that.

Thanks!

I want an app to manage my contacts on my iPhone

Deoridhe — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 16:06:47 -0800

Please recommend your favorites. It needs to be able to be backed up to my computer and I want to be able to divide contact info into categories (work, school, etc...) and vary the ringtones associated with them (if it can be done by category, so all my work numbers automatically ring differently, that would be awesome). I want warnings if it is going to delete any contacts as well, as this has been a problem in the past.

Any replacement for RJDJ?

Potomac Avenue — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 12:41:33 -0800

I recently found one of my favorite iPhone apps of all time RJDJ the reactive ambient sound generator and "world quantizer" was discontinued by the company and taken off iTunes. Damn! I never got a chance to put it on my new phone. Are there any other reactive music apps out there like it for iPhones? Specifically I'd like to walk around and have the sounds of the world around me transformed into music, rather than simply have an app play me music based on motions or location.

Need iOS help. Hope me!

Admiral Haddock — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 09:10:15 -0800

I've used iPhones for five years or so now, but there are a few things that bug me, and I wonder if there is a trick or preference I'm missing or a third-party app I can use or what. No interest in jailbreaking or switching phones. Specific questions inside. I've loved my iPhones, but there are a few things I'd like to be able to do. Again, no interest in jailbreaking or switching to Android, etc.

1. Autocomplete suggestions / different suffixes. If I'm tapping out a word, is there a way to nudge the autocomplete suggestion to use a different suffix? For example, say I want to type "antagonized," and when I type "antag" iOS suggests "antagonizing." Right now, I might just accept the autocomplete and then delete the "ing" and type "ed"--in this case, it's the same number of taps to accept the word and delete and retype as it is to type "onized"--but I'd rather just given the choice of word in the first place. Autocomplete will learn to suggest a word, but my complaint is not limited to my commonly used words. I get different suggestions if I misspell a word, but not for different suffixes of a partial word.

2. More than just song name on lock screen. I have a lot of music, and I don't always recognize the name of a song--I need the artist and album. Even with tracks that have album art displayed, there are times when the art doesn't help. Is there really no way to add the artist and album to the lock screen?

3. Stopping websites from asking me to download their apps. If I go to IMDB, I have to click through a splash screen that asks me to download the IMDB app. On other sites, I get a little floater at the bottom of the screen that asks me to either download their app or save them to my homescreen. Please make it stop.

4. One touch settings switches. Is there any way to put a button on my home screen to toggle attributes selected in the settings app? For instance, if I want to turn off wi-fi (which I do often due to bad wi-fi in my apartment), I have to tap settings, tap wi-fi, then tap the on/off toggle. I would love a button on my home screen that just toggles wi-fi on and off. But not just wi-fi--I'd love to be able to do this for airplane mode, different levels of brightness, etc.--I'd like this to be customizable. Any ideas?

All this is on an ATT iPhone 5 running iOS 6.01 (10A525).

Too Many Photo Apps

Quisp Lover — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 11:25:48 -0800

Help me delete redundant iOs photography apps. I own too many, and it's confusing. iOs photo apps are so featured-up that it's tough to track overlap. Here are the apps I own...can you tell me if any are obsolete due to the same features being built into other (hopefully superior) apps - which I either own already or can buy? I'd like to wind up with as few apps as possible.

Here's what I've got:
AutoStitch Panorama
Camera+
Canopy
CropForFree
FX Photo Studio
Hueless
Imgupr
Instagram
Koredoko
Photogene
PhotoStudio
PiconHand (Picasa web albums)
ProCamera
Snapseed
and SoftBox Pro for iPad (which I love and am keeping!

For starters, I'm figuring CropForFree must be superceded by at least one or two of the others I own.....?

Why are the apps locked and nothing else is?

anastasiav — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 08:03:39 -0800

We gave my husband's old iphone (3GS) to our son, filled with apps. Only now, I can't update, change, or do anything to the apps in itunes. This is probably easy. Help? Device is running 5.1.1 Says I have 875 mb of space remaining.

I just want to delete some apps that he has outgrown and install some new ones, but when I go into iTunes, I can fiddle around with everything (music, books, photos) EXCEPT the apps. The apps interface is all greyed out. I'm sure this is simple, right? What have I not checked or unchecked to give me access to his apps?

I'm a designer taking a Treehouse course on iPhone app-making and the code part doesn't seem to be sinking in. Any tips or tricks to get myself into that kind of headspace?

Senor Cardgage — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 12:52:39 -0800

I'm a designer taking a Treehouse course on iPhone app-making and the code part doesn't seem to be sinking in. Any tips or tricks to get myself into that kind of headspace? It's not so much that I can't handle any code at all. I love to sling CSS and rearrange HTML and php but this string stuff is making my brain glaze over and I refuse to accept that. How can I better get my head in this game?

Kyoto via iPod/smartphone/tablet

mdonley — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 21:14:54 -0800

I'm going to Kyoto for a two-day visit in November, but with only an iPod Touch 4 in my jacket pocket as I'd like to avoid bringing a heavy guidebook/backpack as I walk around exploring all day. What PDFs/docs/apps/downloads can help make my visit amazing, or at least easier? I've never been to Japan before, I don't speak Japanese, and I'll be on my own. I'm thinking about getting...

- the Lonely Planet "Kyoto" guidebook as a pdf download (are there better ones out there?)
- a Japanese-language app - there seem to be a lot out there; any recommendations for such a short visit?
- descriptions of historical/cultural sites in more detail from...Wikipedia? other sites?
- a list of cafes/places with wifi?
- ???

Ideally, I'd like to show up at Ryōan-ji, for example, and be able to read extensively about it while I'm there, see what's nearby, and possibly ask someone for tips/directions/help if need be. Can my little iPod do all this?

Thank you!

Tell me what I don't know about my new iPhone.

AthenaPolias — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 18:31:42 -0800

I've just upgraded from a phone that could barely handle email to an iPhone 5. I'm psyched about this quantum leap, and I'm familiar with most of what the iPhone can do, but this feels a little bit like getting a new limb: I know it'll be great, but I probably don't yet know how great and in what ways. What do I need to know to get the best possible iPhone experience? I'm Apple-conversant (though an avowed Windows user for my regular computing) and have used an iPad for work for about three years, so I'm not a total neophyte to iOS and apps, and I have the basics for iPhone operations installed. I've spent most of today and yesterday combing the app store and Gizmodo, etc for app recs, and I am especially excited about the opportunities for upping my productivity - specifically getting little tasks done that I always forget (asking Siri to remind me of things has already been amazing), and targeting some trouble areas in my life: fitness (Fitocracy), nutrition (MyFitnessPal), budgeting (Mint + my bank's app), and sleep (Sleep Time). So I think I have these areas covered, but I may be missing some other great opportunities. I'm also open to suggestions in any other areas - in what way has your iPhone improved your quality of life? What do you wish you'd realized it could do from day one?

Tl;dr: tell me the best things your iPhone does for you, esp. those a new user may not know about.

Need Help on Navigating Smart Phone Plans

snap_dragon — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:32:34 -0800

I am looking for advice on finding the best smart phone deals. I have an old clamshell phone. I need very little for myself...not even texting though want the occasional use of apps. I am currently moving to Denver and may switch from AT&T though my wireless and phones are bundled and very cheap ($90/mo for our two cheap phones and wireless for home though that would change *a lot* with upgrades?). I am really confused on what the hell is a decent deal. I don't make many calls whatsoever but my wife will be calling family or perhaps using Face Time/Messaging via an iPhone if we can afford. We don't need the newest and best phones but am not sure where to start for packaging costs, especially as we may do wireless separate once we get to Denver. Any thoughts on how you would go about this, where you would buy a phone (new or refurb), deals that have worked for you (assuming you don't use the phone for a lot but still want the options of some of the apps). iPhone? Samsung? Razr? Carriers recommendations? I want to go as low $ as possible but not make a stupid decision out of pinching the hell out of the pennies.

What are the most useful iPhone apps for Boston?

zamboni — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 11:55:28 -0800

What are the most useful iPhone apps for Boston? This is basically an update of this question, minus the NYC stuff.

I'm looking for anything that is well designed and you've found useful (e.g. good public transit apps, travellers guides, stuff to keep me entertained on the train/bus while enroute in between the two or anything else that you think might be handy or fun.)

I'd particularly like a recommendation for one of the many public transport apps, but if there's other interesting stuff, let me know.

Are there any iOS apps for community remix, besides Mixel?

waxpancake — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:58:13 -0800

Are there any mobile apps that support community/collaborative remix? Apps that go beyond your own social network (i.e. Facebook/Twitter sharing), but post to their own public community. There are thousands of sites like that on the web, but the only ones I can find on iOS are Mixel and Make Pixel Art, and that seems crazy.

Calling from an iPhone on wireless in china

Rinku — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:51:02 -0800

How can I call an american telephone number (landline or cell) from an iPhone that 1. Has only wireless, and 2. Is behind the Chinese firewall? I'm teaching english in China, and my office would be the perfect place to call home - I'm there at the right time - except I don't have my computer to use a VPN, and the internet is filtered. I have my iPhone 4, with the wireless on but the cell service / 3G off. I've tried the Skype app - I have money but the calls get killed - and the google voice app, which wants me to use my computer to create a voice account, and I've tried, but getting a new telephone number didn't seem like what I needed. The google "call" function, in the sidebar of the gmail window, is what I use on my computer, and it does work behind the firewall, but the iPhone app seems to be using some kind of different system.

Are there any other apps that would work in such a situation? I'm willing to pay a little bit per minute in order to call. Ideally I'd be able to call real phones, not just someone using the same app.

New to the iPhone ... We need some iHelp!

Admira — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:46:55 -0800

I just bought a second hand iphone 3Gs for my wife due to her old phone missing some texts. What are some great tips/tricks and apps/games we should install on it? Both of us are new to iPhone and the Apple ecosystem generally. I own a Android phone and a tablet, but my wife didn't like Android and her friends have iPhones and she likes them, so we got one.

It did have Cydia preinstalled on it, so its jailbroken already... is there anything I should look out for to uninstall or remove from the phone that might have been left there for nefarious reasons?

My wife isn't really into "always online" apps (in fact we turned off mobile internet as she is on a pre paid system here in the Philippines and data is very expensive) but it is hooked up to our wifi at home.

I already installed Skype and also XE currency exchange (how exciting!)

Thanks for your help!

Buying iPhone apps in another country?

Wilder — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 03:30:56 -0800

How do I buy an iPhone app for a friend in another country? also Travel & Veggie growing apps you can recommend would be very welcome. I found some great Travel apps for iPad in this recent AskMe and I will see if they are available for iPhone, but I really don't know how to buy someone an app as a gift when they live in a different country. I have a UK iTunes account and they have a Spanish iTunes account. All the Google-able info I've found relates to buying someone in the same country a gift, so I'd like this first time to go as smoothly as possible.
Recommendations for anything relating to Travel (this is someone who will probably have all the obvious apps as she is a Travel agent) and growing your own vegetables would be really welcome!
Thanks in advance, mefites!