Apps
Apple app charts roundup: Top Singapore downloads of 2017
In this day and age, it would be accurate to say: You are what you download.
Apple has released their iTunes downloads roundup and this gives us insight on what users in Singapore have been putting on their iPhones.
This year, augmented reality, real-time competitive gaming, and mental health and wellness apps were all the rage. In the music department, Ed Sheeran bags the top spot for best album with ÷, and best song with “Shape of You.” Bruno Mars comes in second with his album 24K Magic. K-pop was also a thing with at least two Korean bands taking a spot in the top 10. iTunes Movies had “girl power” as a big theme this year with movies like Moana, Wonder Woman, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story making the list.
In 2017, Singaporean download habits paint us a pretty picture of users today. This illustration by Teresa Lim of @teeteeheehee sums everything up perfectly:
Top free iPhone apps are as follows:
- Grab – Ride Hailing App
- Uber
- YouTube
- Messenger
- oBike – Bike Sharing
- Google Maps – GPS Navigation
- Carousell
- Gmail – Email by Google
- Spotify Music
- Google Chrome
- My Singtel app
- foodpanda – Food Delivery
- UberEATS: Food Delivery
- Google Translate
- Healthy 365
- Snapchat
On the other hand, top paid iPhone apps are as follows:
- Gudak Cam
- TouchRetouch
- kirakira+
- Scanner for Me + OCR
- Enlight
- Forest by Seekrtech
- LightX
- Tabs & Chords – learn and play
- Afterlight
- Glitché
- Analog Paris
- Plotagraph+ Photo Animator
- The Wonder Weeks
- ProCam 5
- ProCamera
- Facetune
- Slow Shutter Cam
- Halide – RAW Manual Camera
- Pixomatic photo editor
- Fontmania – Add Artworks & Text to Your Photos!
In the gaming department, these free games topped the charts:
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
- Super Mario Run
- Fight List – Categories Game
- Coin Master
- Word Cookies!
- Candy Crush Saga
- 8 Ball Pool
- Clash Royale
- Episode – Choose Your Story
- Pokémon GO
- Lords Mobile
- Piano Tiles 2
- Subway Surfers
- Asphalt 8: Airborne
- Roll the Ball – slide puzzle
- Toy Blast
- Choices: Stories You Play
- Clash of Clans
- Cookie Run: OvenBreak
- Critical Ops
View the top music chart here and the top movies chart here.
Paraphrasing an old saying and giving it a social media twist, I say: “Show me your apps and I’ll tell you who you are.”
SEE ALSO: Apple iPhone X Review: Is it worth the hype?
[irp posts=”23404″ name=”Fan camps outside Singapore Apple Store to be first in line for iPhone X”]
New users on X might soon face a tough time on the platform. The social media website will likely start charging new accounts a small fee for the right to post on the platform.
Now, the fee isn’t a new one. Almost six months ago, the company tested the paid system in New Zealand and the Philippines. New users in those countries had to pay a dollar per year for the ability to post and reply to content.
As spotted by X Daily News on the same platform, the company might be ready to take the experiment to a larger market. New text strings have shown that the policy is rolling out worldwide.
SPECULATION: X might be expanding its policy to charge new users before they reply/like/bookmark a post https://t.co/odqeyeiHBx pic.twitter.com/EU71qlwQ0D
— X Daily News (@xDaily) April 15, 2024
The policy is designed to combat a wave of bots appearing on the platform. By preventing new accounts from creating posts, X hopes to stave off the standard behavior of bots these days. You might have noticed them as OnlyFans creators in unrelated posts, peddling NSFW content on their bio.
Though the global rollout was only just spotted, owner Elon Musk has seemingly confirmed the change. Replying to X Daily News, Musk says that it is “the only way to curb the relentless onslaught of bots.” He says that the current breed of bots can easily bypass simple checks these days.
Apps
Disney+ might get always-on channels similar to cable TV
Featuring content from Marvel, Star Wars, and classic Disney
The burden of choice on streaming platforms is real. If you’re like us, you’ve spent hours just mindlessly scrolling through titles on Netflix or Disney+ without watching anything. Netflix, at least, has a Play Something button to fight off that irresistible urge. Now, Disney+ is reportedly trying something different: always-on channels.
If you already cut cable from your lives, you’re likely missing traditional channels or networks that have pre-determined programming. It was a flawed system that eventually ended up with mediocre content and a downpour of ads. However, cable did allow us to keep watching without deciding what comes next.
Now, according to The Information, Disney+ is working on adding those channels to its streaming service. Naturally, these channels will include content from the platform’s library such as Marvel, Star Wars, and its list of classic animated films.
Strangely, the reported feature might still have ads in between programs. Though the addition of ads does mean a better similarity with real television, users still have to be paying subscribers to access the channels. Even if you’re already paying for Disney+, you might still get hit with ads.
Disney has not confirmed the reports yet. The platform might launch a version of the feature outside of the scope included in this report. It’s also unknown when these always-on channels will launch.
SEE ALSO: Macross to be available on Disney+
A few years ago, Apple unleashed one of the most interesting features for the iPhone today: Emergency SOS. Designed for those who like their fair bit of the outdoors, Emergency SOS allows users to contact emergency services without network coverage. Other manufacturers, however, are struggling to adopt the same feature. Now, Google might soon join Apple in providing satellite connectivity for its users.
Despite the convenience, satellite connectivity hasn’t taken off as much as the industry expected it to. For one, a network of satellites isn’t the easiest thing to maintain. Apple is still currently offering its services for free, a gamble that may or may not pay off. Now, the iPhone maker won’t be alone.
According to Android Authority, Google might start offering the same service to Pixel 9 users. Starting with this year’s upcoming flagship, the company is reportedly teaming up with T-Mobile to create satellite connectivity for its users. The telecommunications network is teaming up with SpaceX for the feature.
The same report describes how the feature might work. Once activated, the feature will ask users of their situation: is everyone breathing, are people trapped, are weapons involved, among others. The phone will then relay this information to emergency authorities for a rapid response.
Unfortunately, pricing remains a mystery. While Apple is still offering its satellite connectivity for free, other brands might put the burden of cost on the end user. Hopefully, they won’t, but a paid version is unfortunately expected at this point.
SEE ALSO: Should you be excited for Apple’s satellite connectivity?
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