Apple won’t really let you delete pre-installed apps

We reported a few days ago that Apple was letting you get rid of some of its native apps. But that isn’t the entire truth. You won’t actually be deleting the apps. According to Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, that what they mean by deleting is removing these apps from your home screen and getting rid of associated user data.  These apps won’t be deleted because they are baked into iOS so the application binary stays there. Federighi clarified these facts at The Talk Show Live hosted by Apple blogger John Gruber. According to Matthew Panzarino, TechCrunch’s editor-in-chief, these apps are “part of apples [sic] signed binary” and when you “redownload” they just add the associations back. From our understanding, it’s like hiding apps in Android that you don’t want to use but they’re still there, they’re just not visible to you.  

Source: TechCrunch

Meet Meerkat’s new video chat app

Meerkat started out strong when it launched its livestreaming app but has since fizzled and been left behind by the giants like Facebook and Twitter. It seems the company is taking a stab at video apps again with Houseparty. The twist, though, is they won’t confirm that they own the app but according to Recode, the app is “definitely theirs.”

Houseparty is a video chat app like FaceTime and Skype that’ll make you available for chatting once you open that app. So, you can jump in and talk to friends who are online or they can talk to you. If they’re already chatting, you can see who they’re talking to and join their conversation. So yes, like at a house party. According to a source close to Meerkat, Houseparty is supposedly already bigger than Meerkat ever was. So it seems this under-the-radar approach to debuting an app is working for them.

 Download: Apple App Store (Free) + Google Play Store (Free)

Facebook Messenger gets a redesigned its Home screen

Facebook really wants to keep you on its Messenger app and they’re doing so by redesigning its Home screen. You won’t just see the recent messages you’ve been having but you’ll also now see things like Favorites (those you message the most), Active Now section for the friends, family, and colleagues who are on Messenger at the moment, as well as a Birthdays section to remind you to greet people who’re celebrating their birthday.

The social network claims they want to change the inbox experience and they’ve how to make starting a conversation easier or simpler. We’re not sure if this interface is the way to go. But it does make things easier to get to.

Source: Facebook

Google's Gboard keyboard turbocharges typing and search on iOS

In a surprise move, Google has released a replacment keyboard for iOS that integrates swipe functionality, access to search, emoji and animated gifs. As Google explains it, "Searching and sending stuff on your phone shouldn’t be that difficult. With Gboard, you can search and send all kinds of things—restaurant info, flight times, news articles—right from your keyboard. Anything you’d search on Google, you can search with Gboard. Results appear as cards with the key information front and center, such as the phone number, ratings and hours. With one tap, you can send it to your friend and you keep the conversation going."

I've been using Goard for few days on my iPhone 6S Plus and my iPad and find it to be more versatile than many third-party keyboards including iOS's stock keyboard. If you already like Google services, this one's a no brainer and worth checking out.