Apps

Apple app charts roundup: Top Singapore downloads of 2017

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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:

Made on the iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil

Top free iPhone apps are as follows:

  1. Grab – Ride Hailing App
  2. WhatsApp
  3. Uber
  4. YouTube
  5. Facebook
  6. Messenger
  7. Instagram
  8. oBike – Bike Sharing
  9. Google Maps – GPS Navigation
  10. Carousell
  11. Gmail – Email by Google
  12. WeChat
  13. Spotify Music
  14. Google Chrome
  15. My Singtel app
  16. foodpanda – Food Delivery
  17. UberEATS: Food Delivery
  18. Google Translate
  19. Healthy 365
  20. Snapchat

On the other hand, top paid iPhone apps are as follows:

  1. Gudak Cam
  2. TouchRetouch
  3. kirakira+
  4. Scanner for Me + OCR
  5. Enlight
  6. Forest by Seekrtech
  7. LightX
  8. Tabs & Chords – learn and play
  9. Afterlight
  10. Glitché
  11. Analog Paris
  12. Plotagraph+ Photo Animator
  13. The Wonder Weeks
  14. ProCam 5
  15. ProCamera
  16. Facetune
  17. Slow Shutter Cam
  18. Halide – RAW Manual Camera
  19. Pixomatic photo editor
  20. Fontmania – Add Artworks & Text to Your Photos!

In the gaming department, these free games topped the charts:

  1. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
  2. Super Mario Run
  3. Fight List – Categories Game
  4. Coin Master
  5. Word Cookies!
  6. Candy Crush Saga
  7. 8 Ball Pool
  8. Clash Royale
  9. Episode – Choose Your Story
  10. Pokémon GO
  11. Lords Mobile
  12. Piano Tiles 2
  13. Subway Surfers
  14. Asphalt 8: Airborne
  15. Roll the Ball – slide puzzle
  16. Toy Blast
  17. Choices: Stories You Play
  18. Clash of Clans
  19. Cookie Run: OvenBreak
  20. 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”]

Apps

Disney+ launches a TikTok-coded vertical feed called Verts

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TikTok has changed how we consume media. Everything is now vertical. Even the most established streaming services, often a bastion for traditionally horizontal content, is adopting the different format. Now, Disney+ is getting a vertical feed called Verts.

Like its contemporaries, Verts presents a continuous feed of content but tailored to show the plethora of titles from the Disney+ library. This might include the first scenes of shows or notable highlights. The hope, of course, is to direct users to the longform content.

Directly from the Verts feed, users can easily add the respective title to their watchlist or go straight to the title’s page. In turn, the feed is accessible from the homepage since it has its own tab.

According to Disney, early experiments with the feature have driven engagement to available content. Right now, the feed is mostly for clipping enticing content from shows. However, the platform will experiment further with the format for new ways to tell stories.

Though Verts surely stands for “verticals” in this case, “adverts” might fit better as its full government name. Still, it might be a useful tool if you’re figuring out what to watch for the night.

Currently, Verts is available for Disney+ subscribers in the United States. Disney also has plans to expand the feature to ESPN for sports-related content.

SEE ALSO: Live NBA action on Disney Plus now available in the Philippines

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Google Maps is finally getting a 3D mode

The app will also have a Gemini chatbot baked inside.

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Some of today’s navigation apps are living in the future. Instead of a two-dimensional map, these apps render the user’s surroundings in 3D. It’s a nifty upgrade that helps drivers more accurately visualize directions on the fly. Finally, Google Maps is getting a much-needed upgrade and will take navigation to the third dimension.

In a new update rolling out today, the new Immersive Navigation feature will bring your surroundings to life. The 3D view creates a render of the surrounding buildings, overpasses, and terrain around the car. It takes the guesswork out of navigation by showing precisely where to turn and what landmarks to look out for.

In the same vein, you can now use Street View to preview your destination before you arrive. Google Maps will also highlight your destination’s entrance, side of the street, and nearby parking.

Outside of how the map is visualized, Google Maps is also infusing its service with Gemini. The new Ask Maps feature will let you engage with the app in a conversational manner. For example, if you’re in the middle of a long drive, you can now ask Maps where the best place is to stop over and have a coffee break. Ask Maps will provide directions, a potential itinerary, and even helpful links to book a reservation ahead of time.

Now, availability for both of these features is still a bit limited. Immersive View is rolling out today to compatible devices and vehicles in the United States. Further, availability will expand over the coming months.

Meanwhile, Ask Maps is available now in the United States and India for Android and iOS. A desktop version is coming soon.

SEE ALSO: Google Maps is finally getting a power saving mode

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Apps

Apple Music, TikTok launch Play Full Song, a new music discovery experience

Rolling out worldwide exclusively through Apple Music

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Ever came across a viral 15 or 30-second music snippet on TikTok that instantly became your jam on repeat?

For years, TikTok has been a regular source of songs that have become part of our playlists. And together with Apple Music, listening to the music you discover has just gotten even easier.

That’s through Play Full Song, a new music discovery experience, which launches exclusively though Apple Music.

With the new feature, Apple Music subscribers can now enjoy full-length tracks that they discover on TikTok. That’s without ever leaving that popular streaming app.

Fans who discover a song that they love on their For You or Sound Detail page can simply tap the Play Full Song button to open up an Apple Music player and enjoy the song in its entirety.

From there, subscribers can continue listening to a personalized stream of recommended songs. That means no more need to switch apps and search separately.

The new Play Full Song experience helps music fans move seamlessly from the moment of discovery to deeper listening. It’s also designed to be instant and all within the same environment.

Moreover, users can also save their favorite songs to Your Music and add them directly to their Apple Music playlists.

Built using Apple’s MusicKit, full-length song playback takes place on Apple Music. This way, streams are paid within the Apple Music service, supporting artists and rights holders while giving fans a smooth, uninterrupted experience.

Listening Party also launched

The feature builds on the success of TikTok’s Add to Music App. This was previously launched to help artists and fans convert discovery on TikTok to a playlist save in Apple Music and other streaming services.

To cap the announcement, TikTok and Apple Music are also introducing Listening Party. This new feature is designed to bring artists and fans together around music.

It creates a shared environment where fans can listen to songs from their favorite artists in real time, interact with each her, and engage directly with the artist during the session.

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