Apple App Store

Most of the major apps like Twitter and Facebook have already been redesigned to match the new look of iOS 7, and Apple has made it easier to hunt them down by creating a "Designed for iOS 7" section in the Apple App Store. The new section allows you to look through featured apps or search for a specific app by release date or name.

If you haven't upgraded to iOS 7 (or can't), you can still use the updated Twitter app, and get the latest Facebook update that adds the new bottom tool bar. Other notable apps that have also been upgraded for iOS 7 include Evernote, Zillow, NYTimes, Open Table and RunKeeper.

iPhone 3G owners can finally stop threatening to throw away their phones. Users with older iPhones can now download legacy versions of apps that no longer support their device. For example, the iPhone 3G only supports iOS 4.2.1, and iPhone 3GS users will not be able to download iOS 7 when it is officially launched on September 18th. This causes a problem for users with older phones because most apps currently require iOS 4.3 or later to work.

As you can see from the screenshot above, the App Store will now give you the option to install the "last compatible version" of an app. So if you're stuck at iOS 4.2.1, but the app you want to install now requires iOS 4.3 to work, you can now download the 4.2.1 version of that app.

BlackBerry's Messenger app was submitted to Apple two weeks ago, according to a Tweet from a developer who worked on the app. It is unknown why the approval process is taking so long since the current approval time for the App Store is 4 to 5 days. Perhaps that is why the Senior Strategic Account Manager at BlackBerry, Alex Kinsella, felt the need to send a tweet.

The popular messaging platform was promised to land on both iOS and Android devices "before the end of this summer," by CEO Thorsten Heins in June. At least iOS users now know that it's not BlackBerry's fault for missing their own deadline.

After revamping its App Store Review guidelines with new rules on children’s applications, Apple emailed developers with additional details on its new iTunes "Kids" category. Apple originally previewed the new category for children at WWDC in June. The new section "provides parents with a place on the App Store to find age-appropriate apps for children," according to the email sent out by Apple. The letter also breaks down the age subcategories as 5 & under, 6-to-8, and 9-to-11.

Apple has revamped the App Store a few times this year to make it more parent and school friendly. In April, the company made app age ratings more visible, and added a pop-up warning to all 17+ rated content. Apple also created a new system for "educational institutions" to add individual accounts for children under the age of 13.

Now that the App Store is turning five years old, Apple is celebrating by offering 10 top iOS app titles for free. No less than five landmark games and five groundbreaking apps will be free to download and install for a limited time. July 10 marks five years since the App Store first opened in 2008.

While the store originally launched with 500 apps, there are currently 900,000 apps to choose from. Apple has also posted a timeline of milestones in the history of the iOS App Store. On June 10, more than $10 billion was paid out to developers, and on May 16 the store marked over 50 billion individual downloads.