Workflow Is Now Free On App Store After Being Acquired by Apple

What began with students winning an Apple Worldwide Developers Conference scholarship, culminated in the purchase of their app by the same company they won a scholarship from, Apple.

Workflow describes itself as a tool that can “combine a bunch of steps across apps into a single tap.” Its is an automation too that users can incorporate into their daily tasks to avoid the inconvenience of repeating actions across the iOS. For instance, the app can do things like share photos onto multiple social networking apps for you from the workflow app, rather than opening each app and uploading to each.

Apple did not disclose the financial aspects of their Workflow acquisition, but they have purchased the App along with its four staffers, Ari Weinstein, Ayaka Nonaka, Nick Frey, and Conrad Kramer.

Workflow won an Apple Design Award in 2015 and named it the Most Innovative app. It was previously available for purchase for $2.99, but has been made available to download for free after Apple’s acquisition.

Apple Unveils New Clips App, Built to Edit Videos on the Go

On March 21, Apple announced a new app, ‘Clips, that is being described as a tool to enable iOS users to create and share short video clips, all from their iOS devices.

Although the app is not intended to be used as a platform to host the videos and be shared within the app, Apple assures that the videos will be easily shared to other social networks including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Vimeo.

‘Clips’ will allow users to edit videos that are saved on their phone, or record new videos from the app. Photos and multiple  short video clips may also be compiled to create a video. Text can be placed on the finished or audio captions can be generated by the app in real time in a feature called Live Titles. Live Titles is available in an initial 36 languages and will produce quality captions from your voice or other audio that can be animated with a variety of different effects or emojis, which can be edited by the user.

Photo via Apple

Dozens of in-app soundtracks are free and easy to use and will automatically adjust to the length of the video.

The clips themselves can also be edited with filters to alter the look, like inserting a a comic book effect. Speech bubbles, emojis and other filters will also be available.

Photo via Apple

Also included in the editor is the app’s ability to recognize faces from a video the user has created and make suggestions on who to share it with.

Apple can already organize images based on who is in the photo by using facial recognition after users give a name to an image of a person in a People album. It can also group together images featuring certain recognizable objects and allow users search for them.

The app will be available to download in early April and is built to work on “iPhone 5s and later, the new 9.7-inch iPad, all iPad Air and iPad Pro models, iPad mini 2 and later, and iPod touch 6th generation” devices running iOS 10.3 or newer, according to Apple.

Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp Don’t Hold Back in Cloning Snapchat Features

Snapchat has been a popular social media app since its initial release in 2011, and has seen its membership ranks swell over the years as users sought out a new way to share video and picture updates. The Venice, California based company allows users to sendselect users photos or short videos which can only be viewed once, or to post photos and videos on their Stories page, which are available to view by all of the user’s friends or a chosen few for 24 hours.

Competitors, though, have taken note and have been capitalizing on Snapchats innovative features.

Facebook Messenger launched “Messenger Day” earlier this month, and much like Snapchat Stories, users can post photos and videos that can be viewed by approved for 24 hours.

Messenger Day – via Facebook

WhatsApp for a short time removed a text Status that updated other users what they were up to (Available, Busy) and replaced it with similar GIF, image, and video updates similar to Snapchat Stories. The text-only Status update was restored after some backlash from users.

WhatsApp Status

Most notable among the clones are the very similar Instagram Stories, which appear along the top of a user’s homepage in the Instagram app. Users tap to see a slideshow of images or videos from users they follow and can tap to continue onto the next item, or swipe between posters.

Instagram Stories

Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram are all owned by Facebook.

Facebook made an offer to buy Snapchat in 2013 for $3 billion when Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg personally met Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel to discuss the deal, but Spiegel rejected the offer, believing the company to be worth more. Snap, Inc.’s (Snapchat) recent IPO valued the company at $24 billion.

Facebook has long been asserting its online dominance of the social media market by buying potential competitors, like Instagram and WhatsApp.  Or in, the Snapchat’s case, beating them at their own game to render them unnecessary.

By consolidating services under one corporate umbrella, Facebook may edge Snapchat out of the competition by enticing users to scale back how many social media accounts they maintain, and stick with Facebook-owned products.

App Charts for Friday, March 17

Top Free in Android Apps:

1. Messenger by Facebook
2.  Snapchat by Snap, Inc.
3. Facebook by Facebook
4. Word Cookies by Bitmango
5. Instagram by Instagram

Top Paid in Android Apps:

1. Minecraft: Pocket Edition by Mojang
2. Geometry Dash by RobTop Games
3. Danmaku Unlimited 2 by Doragon Entertainment
4. Spongebob Moves In by Nickelodeon
5. Sleep as Android Unlock by Urbandroid Team

Top Grossing Android Apps

1. Mobile Strike by Epic War
2. Game of War: Fire Age by Machine Zone, Inc.
3. Clash Royale by Supercell
4. Clash of Clans by Supercell
5. Candy Crush Saga by King

 

Top Free in Apple Apps

1. NCAA March Madness Live – Men’s College Basketball by NCAA Digital
2. ESPN Tournament Challenge by ESPN
3. CBS Sports by CBS Interactive
4. Bitmoji – Your Personal Emoji by Bitstrips
5. Snapchat by Snap, Inc.

Top Paid in Apple Apps

1. Surgeon Simulator by Bossa Studios Ltd
2. Minecraft: Pocket Edition by Mojang
3. Bloons TD 5 by Ninja Kiwi
4. Prune by Joel McDonald
5. Heads Up by Warner Bros.

Top Grossing in Apple Apps

1. Clash Royale by Supercell
2. Game of War by Machine Zone Inc.
3. Mobile Strike by Epic War LLC
4. Candy Crush Saga by King
5. Netflix by Netflix, Inc.

 

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