iPhone Software

Some iOS users have great app ideas, but maybe they're just not very good at programming. Apple could be seeking to broaden app development opportunities to people without typical developer skills if a patent revealed by AppleInsider means anything.

Apple has already released the iBooks Author software package to help streamline the process of publishing ebooks. Although there are already services that help build iOS apps, nothing would compare to a software package from Apple dedicated to the process. Drawings from the patent application show a variety of graphic interfaces that could be used to make apps.

Last Year's April Fool's joke reappeared in Cydia today, thanks to code that checked for the date and displayed a Twitter-inspired Quick Bar. Saurik explained that the prank was intended to emulate the discontinued Twitter iPhone app feature, which received poor reviews. The Quick Bar automatically displayed promoted tweets.

The feature was renamed the "dickbar" by some frustrated users before it was eventually removed by Twitter. Saurik realized that some people might get confused by the feature reappearing every April 1st, so he removed the code once and for all. Cydia 1.1.6 incorporates this change and can be updated using the Cydia app.

Ever send a message with invisible ink to a friend? Now with the Black SMS app, text messages can be encrypted and decrypted easily by any iPhone owner with the right password. Once Black SMS is installed on your iPhone, the secret message is simply typed into the app and a password assigned.

Copy and paste the message into an SMS or email message, then send away. Just make sure you share the password with your recipient, because otherwise nobody will be able to read your message. Black SMS uses Advanced Encryption Standard for serious security, even though the app is simple to use and only costs $0.99 in the App Store.

Thanks to iOS 5.1 the relationship between Siri and Yelp just got a little bit closer. The iPhone 4S has used Yelp from the beginning to provide answers to all of your questions surrounding local businesses, especially restaurants and bars. The latest firmware update provides more interaction from the results that Siri pulls up from Yelp.

Now with the Yelp iPhone app installed, tapping a business listed in Siri's search results will bring you directly to the business in Yelp. This provides full access to all of the pertinent information you may need before heading over to that address, such as hours of operation, review details, and photos.

Looking for a faster way to access heavily used apps on your iPhone? A new tweak named AppSlider makes it possible to add two app icons to the unlock slider at the bottom of the lock screen. You can choose which apps to make available at all times.

The best part is that the AppSlider tweak respects your passcode, and will follow the same rules as the unlock slider. Once installed on a jailbroken iPhone, AppSlider will shorten the width of the unlock slider and add two app icons when enabled. Any native or third party apps can be opened directly from the lock screen.