News

The jailbreak app store Cydia has received a long-anticipated cosmetic update. The redesign launched automatically, so users need only to open the Cydia app to see the changes. The new look brings a clean, flat design to the interface much like iOS 7 and iOS 8.

The redesign hits every corner of Cydia, however functionality and options remain the same. The last time the jailbreak app store had a significant redesign was after the launch of iOS 7, when the Sources and Installed tabs were added. The Cydia home screen icon was also updated to match iOS 7.

A lot went on on with the App Store this week, but unfortunately it was a slow week for app releases. Apple added a Pay Once & Play section to the App Store highlighting "great games with no in-app purchases." Hopefully the new section will teach App Store customers that it is worth spending a few dollars on a decent mobile game instead of encouraging the freemium model.

Apple this week also increased the maximum app size on the App Store from 2GB to 4GB. This will give developers more leeway when creating high-quality games that take advantage of Apple's newer hardware and larger iPhone displays. Here's the announcement from Apple's developer portal:

"The size limit of an app package submitted through iTunes Connect has increased from 2 GB to 4 GB, so you can include more media in your submission and provide a more complete, rich user experience upon installation. Please keep in mind that this change does not affect the cellular network delivery size limit of 100 MB."

Fleksy has rolled out version 5.2 of its third-party keyboard and it includes a free Valentine’s Day theme for those who don't hate the holiday. The update also includes new Extensions, a new theme pack and other improvements.

The Heart Pops Extension continues the Valentine's Day theme by making your "keys pop with hearts" when you type. The Hotkey Extension allows you to add an extra row of keys that you can customize to with commonly used emojis, email addresses and so on.

Apple has dealt another blow to freemium games by adding a 'Pay Once & Play' section to the UK App Store. The new section highlights paid games that do not feature in-app purchases, such as Leo's Fortune.

While freemium games rake in a lot of money for both developers and Apple, a lot of hardcore and casual gamers despise so-called "free-to-play" games. Hardcore gamers claim that they rather pay a onetime download fee rather than suffering through timers and in-app purchases, and casual gamers are tired of being misled by the promise of a "free" game that actually cost money to play.

Apple is not only working on iOS 8.2, but the company released the first beta of iOS 8.3 to developers on Monday. Apple is also simultaneously working on iOS 8.4 and iOS 9.0, according to a report from 9to5Mac. iOS 8.0 was released on September 17, 2014, two days before the release of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Apple called it. "the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the App Store," but the OS stumbled out of the gate shipping with a bug that caused issues for HealthKit-enabled apps. iOS 8.0.1 was released to fix the HealthKit related bug, but the update caused some users to lose access to their cellular data and Touch ID. iOS 8 finally got rolling a few days later with the release iOS 8.0.2.

iOS 8.1 was eventually released to add Apple Pay support for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and iOS 8.1.3 launched a few weeks ago to improve stability and performance.

Apple seeded the fifth beta of iOS 8.2 on Feb. 2, 2015. The next major update is mostly focused on the Apple Watch. It will include Apple's WatchKit API for app developers and a few bug fixes. iOS 8.2 also reintroduces blood glucose tracking in the Health app. iOS 8.2 is expected to launch in late-March or early April before the release of the Apple Watch.