Apple releases app for Android users to switch easily to iOS
In 2007, Apple unveiled the iPhone for the world. After 2008 when the App Store became the place to be with their “There’s an app for that” commercials, Apple always had a leg up on the competition. Once Android came into the picture, bringing the Play Store with it, Google slowly started to take bits and pieces of what Apple was doing with the iPhone and the App Store.
Over the years, Google has released a slew of applications onto the Apple App Store, with the most recent being the Android Wear application. There was even a period of time where the built-in Apple Maps application was powered by Google. However, nobody has ever seen an application from Apple developed for, or released on Google’s Play Store. That has changed today.
Announced at WWDC earlier this year, Apple stated that in addition to releasing an Android application for Apple Music, they also stated that there would be an easier way to port your information from Android to iOS. However, nothing else had really been mentioned or leaked about it, so there was no real way of knowing when it would be released.
With today’s launch of iOS 9, Apple pushed ‘Move to iOS’ app to the world on the Google Play Store. Essentially what this does is similar to what certain Android devices let you do now. Backup all of your content on your current device, and transfer to the new one via the application or Bluetooth.
For those who are brand new iOS, Apple has created a support page on their site that walks you through the whole process from start to finish. That way, when complete, all of the information from Android device will be nestled and organized on your new iOS device.
Now there are requirements for what devices are compatible with Move to iOS.
- Make sure that you have Android version 4.0 or later.
- On your Android device, make sure that Wi-Fi is on.
- Plug your new iOS device and your Android device in to power.
- Make sure the content you’re moving will fit on your new iOS device.
- If you want to transfer your Chrome bookmarks, update to the latest version of Chrome on your Android device.
If all of these requirements are met, you’ll be on your way to enjoying your new iOS device.
Let us know what you think about Apple’s first foray in the Google Play Store and how helpful this Move to iOS application will be for you.
Source: Apple
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iMovie for iOS Gains Support for 4K Video, 3D Touch
Apple’s iPhone video editing app iMovie was today updated to version 2.2, a major update that adds several new features to make the app compatible with features in the new iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPad Pro.
iMovie now supports 4K videos on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, allowing 4K video captured by the two devices to be edited within the app. The app has also gained support for 3D Touch, with a new Quick Action gesture that lets users start a new movie directly from the iPhones Home screen.
For the iPad Pro, performance improvements allow the simultaneous editing of multiple 4K video streams. On stage, Apple said the iPad Pro could edit three 4K video streams at one time. There’s also an enhanced interface for the iPad Pro with a full-height Media Browser and pixel-for-pixel 1080 HD Viewer.
There are several other design and performance improvements in the updated iMovie app, which are included in the full list of changes below.
– Create and share movies at stunning 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) on compatible iOS devices
– Create and share movies with 1080p HD video at 60 frames per second for smoother, more true-to-life action
– Use 3D Touch on iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to quickly start a new movie right from the Home Screen
– Desktop-class performance on iPad Pro with the ability to edit multiple streams of 4K video and use shortcuts with the Smart Keyboard
– Enhanced interface on iPad Pro with full-height Media Browser and pixel-for-pixel 1080 HD Viewer
– Connect a keyboard and use simple shortcuts to edit movies quickly
– Option to hide Media Browser while editing a movie
– Option to disable Ken Burns animation on a photo
– Redesigned Project Details view lets you watch movies and trailers before opening them
– Redesigned Video view lets you see more of your library while browsing videos and photos on iPad
– Improved Inspector controls with easy-to-read text labels on iPad
– Support for Slide Over and Split View when multitasking with the iMovie Extension for Photos
– Redesigned Audio browser in the iMovie Extension lets you easily browse and hear music
– Performance and stability improvements
– Support for Canadian French, Hindi, and Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong)
The new device-specific iMovie features will be available on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus when those devices launch next week, and they’ll be available on the iPad Pro when it launches in November.
iMovie for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store for $4.99. [Direct Link]
Apple Acquires Mapping Visualization Startup Mapsense
Apple has purchased mapping startup Mapsense, reports Re/code. Mapsense is a San Francisco-based startup that’s able to sort through massive geotagged datasets to create quick geographical visualizations of location-based data points that can be embedded into apps.
According to its website, Mapsense built a cloud-based high-speed mapping engine that could ingest and index huge amounts of data with “lightning fast” search and filtering and simple visual analysis tools.
There are over 10 billion devices on the planet streaming location data on a daily basis. While collecting location data has become mainstream, the traditional tools to visualize, understand, and harness it have been hampered by the speed and scale of this massive and complex new datasource. Mapsense’s platform and developer tools help organizations quickly ingest and analyze billions of rows of location data to make more intelligent, locally targeted business decisions across the organization.
Apple is said to have paid between $25 and $30 million for Mapsense, and its 12-person team will join Apple. Apple confirmed the acquisition to Re/code with its standard acquisition statement: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”
It is not clear what Apple will use the Mapsense technology for, but this is just one of a long line of mapping companies Apple has purchased to improve its Maps app. Over the past several years, Apple has purchased companies like HopStop, Coherent Navigation, Locationary, WifiSLAM, Embark, and Broadmap.
Fanboys unite! Apple releases ‘Move to iOS’ app to the Play Store
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At the end of the day, it is all about the consumer. The beauty of the smartphone market is choice. While we are an Android focused blog, we try not to bash on Apple and iOS unless it really deserves to be said. In this instance, I am quite happy about what Apple has just released to the Play Store. The app is called ‘Move to iOS’ and does, or is supposed to do, exactly what the title states. Which is allow you to move all your photos, messages, Google Account info, contacts, bookmarks and free apps from your Android 4.0 running device to a compatible Apple iPhone device (iOS9). Any paid apps will land in your iTunes/App Store wishlist to re-purchase. It is like Samsung Smart Switch, which is another great tool to pull everything off an iPhone to a Samsung phone, or go from Samsung to Samsung. Similarly, Move to iOS creates a device-to-device Wi-Fi network connection to migrate all the data over. Simply install the app, open it up and pull out your iPhone. You should get a screen pop-up to enter the security code that appears on the Android phone.
I am sure the fanboys, and fangirls, will be all over flaming the app and rating it low. That is the nature of the beast. I for one, am happy to finally see a simple app to make it possible to switch back and forth fairly seamlessly. At the very least, this app will give retail sales associates another way to make the customer transfer experience pleasant. If you are a dual OS wielder and have some time, give it an install and let us know how it works out.
http://playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js
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Inside iOS 9: Split-Screen Multitasking for the iPad
iOS 9 brings a long-awaited Split-Screen multitasking feature to the iPad for the first time, letting users operate two apps simultaneously and bolstering the productivity capabilities of Apple’s tablet lineup. There are three different multitasking features that are available on various iPad models: Slide Over, Split View, and Picture in Picture.
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Slide Over can be activated within any app by swiping left from the right side of the iPad to bring up a small side pane that displays a secondary app alongside the first app. Slide Over takes up 1/3 of the space, and any app that has built-in multitasking support will appear in the side pane. Swiping downwards on the Slide Over window from the top of the iPad screen will allow you to switch between apps.
Slide Over is not a full multitasking experience because both apps are not active at once. When the side pane is open, the app that’s taking up most of the screen is paused and relegated to the background. Slide Over can be used in portrait or landscape mode and is useful for answering a quick message or looking something up in Safari while using another app.
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Inside iOS 9: HomeKit Gains Simpler Set Up, Pre-Defined Scenes, Triggers and More
HomeKit officially became available in June, with the launch of the first HomeKit-compatible products, but as we’ve highlighted in reviews, Apple’s home automation platform is still in need of some work to make it a viable choice for most users.
With iOS 9, Apple is debuting several new HomeKit features that have the potential to significantly improve the way it works, by simplifying some of the setup process broadening supported device types, and introducing key automation features to cut down on user interaction.
Setup
Setting up HomeKit devices isn’t difficult, but it does require users to enter a unique HomeKit identifier to pair with an iPhone. In iOS 9, Apple will support scanning the code with the camera, shaving some time off of the setup process. Information displayed during the setup process, like icons, brand names, and images, is also improved, making the process somewhat more streamlined.
Scenes
With HomeKit, one of the most confusing and time consuming things to set up are scenes, which allow several devices to work in unison at a specific command. For example, when arriving home, one might want a scene that turns on the air conditioner and turns on the lights, a task that can be accomplished with a Siri command like “Turn on the Home scene.”
Scenes are useful, but their setup in iOS 8 is not always clear, especially to users who are new to HomeKit. In iOS 9, scenes are more straightforward because developers can add four pre-defined scenes to apps designed to work with their HomeKit-enabled devices. Pre-defined scenes include Getting Up, Leaving Home, Returning Home, and Going to Bed, and will walk users through setting up their devices for each occasion. Siri will automatically recognize these scenes, so Siri response to Scene queries should improve.
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Inside iOS 9: A More Intelligent OS With Proactive Suggestions and Siri Improvements
iOS 9 focuses on intelligence and proactivity, giving iOS devices the tools to learn user habits and act on that information. In iOS 9, our iPhones and iPads can open up apps right when we need them, make recommendations on places we might like, and guide us through our daily lives through improvements to search and Siri.
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Proactive Suggestions
Through a set of Proactive features, iOS 9 is able to offer up app suggestions and other information based on the way you use your iPhone or iPad. For example, if you often listen to music in the morning, iOS 9 will offer up the Music app on the lock screen when you plug in your headphones. If you always open the weather app to check what’s going on outside, it might be presented as a suggestion each morning.
When heading home from work in the evening, iOS 9’s Proactive features might bring up a map that includes traffic patterns, or tell you how long it will take to get home. When getting in the car, if you listen to a specific music app, it might open automatically when the car connects to Bluetooth.
Proactive suggestions are also available within apps. When creating an email or composing a message to a friend, iOS 9 will suggest people you typically include, making it easy to get things done fast. If you get an email with a flight reservation or restaurant confirmation, iOS 9 can suggest and then create a calendar event. With calendar events that include location, iOS 9 is able to assess traffic conditions and send a reminder when it thinks you should leave to make it on time.
Siri
Siri is also able to do a lot more in iOS 9 because the personal assistant has contextual awareness. For example, when asking Siri to “Remind me to do this” when looking at a request in the Messages app, Siri will understand what “This” refers to, providing the correct response. In the Reminders app, the Reminder created by Siri will link back to that original conversation, so the source is apparent.
Siri is also more aware of location, so specific location-based reminders like “Call mom when I get in the car” are available. For photos and videos, Siri is able to perform time-based searches. Ask Siri to “Show my photos from Utah from last August” and images that fit the criteria will appear. Siri is able to search based on dates, location, and album titles.
Siri Suggestions
Swiping left on the Home screen brings up a new Spotlight search interface that includes “Siri Suggestions.” Siri Suggestions includes a list of people you speak with often, apps you might want to use depending on the time of day, nearby venues like restaurants and gas stations, and relevant news.
Suggestions offered through this interface will change based on the time of day and each user’s iOS usage habits. If you open Yelp at lunchtime, it might display the Yelp app at noon. If you watch Netflix at night, it might display the Netflix app when you get home from work.
Search
Search in iOS 9 includes an expanded list of sources, which are available whenever a text-based search is made or a voice-based search through Siri. Sports scores and schedules, weather forecasts, and stock prices are all available, as are simple calculations and conversions. A search for 15% of $25, for example, will bring up the correct result.
Search extends to content within apps in iOS 9. When looking for a recipe, for example, you might search for “apple pie” to find apple pie recipes across several different cooking apps. Developers need to build support for search into their apps, so not all apps will show up. In the Search section of the Settings app, you can customize which apps will show up in search results.
With all of these new features, iOS 9 will learn more about usage habits over time to create a unique experience that’s tailored towards the specific needs of each individual user. Proactive suggestions will improve as time goes on and the operating system gets used to the way you like to use your iPhone or iPad.
iOS 9 Hidden Features: Settings Search, Selfie Folder, Home Sharing for Music, Go Back to App, and More
There are quite a few major changes in iOS 9, like split-screen multitasking for the iPad, improvements to search and Siri, under-the-hood performance boosts, and revamped apps, but there are also dozens if not hundreds of lesser-known tweaks and refinements that make the iOS 9 experience better than ever before.
We’ve had a lot of hands-on time with iOS 9, so we’ve rounded up a list of the best hidden features in new operating system. These are great little changes you’re going to want to know about, so make sure to check out the video and the list below.
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Settings search – There’s a new search bar in the Settings app that lets you quickly locate a specific setting by typing in what you’re looking for. Want Siri settings? Search for Siri, and all the settings options for Siri will be shown in a list.
Go Back to App – When you tap on a Notification or a link in Safari or another app and it opens a new app, you can go back to the previous app using a handy new “Go Back” button. The “Go Back” button will stick around for about a minute before disappearing, so you can switch quickly between apps if you just want to glance at something real quick.
Battery settings – To go along with all the new battery features in iOS 9, there’s a new dedicated “Battery” section in the Settings app, where Low Power Mode can be turned on. It also displays more detailed battery usage information that can be sorted by apps using the most and the least amount of power. With Low Power Mode, background activity, motion effects, and animated wallpapers are disabled. Battery information is also displayed in the Notification Center, for the Apple Watch, iOS devices, and some other connected devices like wireless headphones.
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Inside iOS 9: Notes Gains Checklists, Photos, Sketches and More
Apple has made the Notes app a lot more useful on iOS 9 by integrating it with several other stock apps, including Photos, Mail, Maps and Safari. In addition to traditional note-taking, users can now create checklists, draw sketches and insert photos, videos, links, maps, Pages documents and other attachments into notes.
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Checklists
You can now create a checklist in the Notes app by selecting lines of text and tapping on the checkmark button above the keyboard. Each list item will then have a circular bullet next to that can be marked as completed, which is convenient for grocery lists, wish lists, to-do lists and so forth.
Apple has also added formatting options in Notes for adjusting the size and weight of text, including Heading, Body, Checklist, Bulleted List and Dashed Line. Anyone that has ever used text formatting in Pages, Microsoft Word or virtually any other word processing program should be familiar with this feature. Read more
Apple Debuts New ‘Move to iOS’ App for Android
Alongside the launch of iOS 9, Apple today introduced a new “Move to iOS” app for Android devices. The app, which is now available for download, is designed to help Android users transfer their content from an Android device to an iOS device.
With Move to iOS installed on an Android smartphone or tablet, the Move to iOS service is able to transfer almost all important data from the Android device to the new iOS device, including contacts, message history, photos and videos, web bookmarks, mail account information, calendars, wallpapers, DRM-free songs, and books.
Using Move to iOS also helps users transfer over their apps to rebuild their app libraries. On the Android device, the app will compile a list of all the apps that have been downloaded from the Google Play Store or other sources. All free apps that have iOS counterparts will be suggested as immediate downloads, while apps that have paid iOS counterparts will be automatically added to a user’s iTunes Wish List for purchase as needed.
Apple has created a support document that walks Android users through using the Move to iOS app. It requires Android 4.0 or later, a Wi-Fi connection, and enough available space on the iOS device receiving content.
First announced at WWDC, Move to iOS is Apple’s most aggressive move towards encouraging Android users to switch to iPhone. By making it easy to transfer content, Apple is removing a lot of the headache associated with changing platforms. Apple has had a support document and a microsite designed to help Android users switch to iOS for quite some time, but this new app is a more comprehensive, streamlined solution.
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