In January, we reported that Apple is preparing a new 4-inch iPhone that is essentially 2013’s iPhone 5s with upgraded internals. At the time, we heard that Apple would call the device the “iPhone 5se” based on it being both an enhanced and “special edition” version of the iPhone 5s. Now, we are hearing that Apple appears to be going all in on the special edition factor: sources say that Apple has decided to drop the “5” from the device’s name and simply call it the “iPhone SE.” This will mark the first iPhone upgrade without a number in its name and would logically remove it from a yearly update cycle.

Based on Apple reinvigorating the 4-inch iPhone screen size at a time where the market is mostly moving toward larger smartphone screens, it would make sense for Apple to position this device as simply the “SE.” Sources say that the dropping of the “5” from the name also simplifies the iPhone lineup as bringing back an iPhone “5” variant amid the iPhone “6” lifecycle could potentially confuse customers. The iPhone SE will replace the existing iPhone 5s and will take its price points.

The iPhone SE will look identical to the iPhone 5s except for slightly curved edges around the sides. It will feature an A9 processor for faster performance, an M9 chip for fitness tracking and always-on “Hey Siri” support, the ability to take Live Photos, an upgraded 8-megapixel camera system, an NFC chip for Apple Pay, and Apple’s latest WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular hardware. Sources say it will come in 16GB and 64GB capacities and add the Rose Gold color option from the iPhone 6s.

Apple plans to hold on event on March 15th, and if it sticks to that plan, release the new iPhone SE as soon as March 18th. Apple is also preparing a new 9.7-inch iPad Pro, not an iPad Air 3, with Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil support. Additionally, several new Apple Watch band options, including a new line of “high-quality’ nylon straps are in the cards for the event. These Apple Watch enhancements will be the last until the Apple Watch redesign is launched as soon as September.

Image via Karl Conrad

Filed under: iOS Devices

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I’ve never been a fan of the stock Mail app in OS X, so I generally find myself relying on Gmail inside of Chrome for all of my email needs. In fact, I don’t have any email accounts configured inside of the stock Mail app at all. With this in mind, I always get frustrated when I inadvertently click a mailto link inside of a browser window. Doing so forces the Mail app, which is set as the default mail client in OS X, to open without purpose.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could configure Gmail to play the role of the default mail client inside your browser of choice? In this video tutorial, I’ll show you how easy it is to configure Chrome, Safari, and even Firefox to use Gmail as the default mail client.

Note: You will need to be logged in to Gmail in your browser of choice to take advantage of these methods.

How to make Gmail the default mail app in Safari

Sadly, setting up Safari to open mailto links in Gmail isn’t as straightforward as it is for browsers like Chrome and Firefox.

With Safari, you’ll need to harness the power of a third-party mailto extension. The good news is that I’ve vetted this extension, checked out its code, and have verified that it’s legit and contains nothing malicious. You can download the extension here. Not only does this extension work for Gmail, but it also works for other popular web-based email services.

Once the mailto extension is downloaded, double click it to add it to Safari. Click Trust when asked in order to successfully install the extension.

After installation, click the Options check box to open the Options page for the mailto extension. From there, click the Gmail radio button to set Gmail as the default handler for mailto links clicked within Safari.

Before you can start using the mail extension, however, you’ll need to quit and restart Safari. Once you do, clicking email links should open a new composition window inside of Gmail directly in the browser.

How to make Gmail the default mail app in Chrome

Making Gmail the default mail app in Google Chrome is actually pretty straightforward. When you open Gmail in Chrome, you should see a handler button located on the right side of the address bar. Click the button to address Gmail’s request to make email links open directly inside of Gmail while using Chrome.

To fulfill the request, click the Allow radio button and click Done. Once you do, you can begin opening mailto links directly inside Chrome.

If you ever need to manage the handlers you have configured in Chrome, just go to chrome://settings/handlers/ to view setup options.

How to make Gmail the default mail app in Firefox

Like Chrome, setting up mailto links to open Gmail while using Firefox is super-easy. Open Firefox’s preferences, and click the Applications tab on the sidebar. Find mailto under Content Type, and use the drop down box to select Gmail. After that, just close the preferences page, and you can start opening email links directly inside of Gmail while using Firefox.

If you’re a big fan of using Gmail on the web, then you owe it to yourself to establish Gmail as your default mail app in your browser of choice. It’s not often that I click on mailto links, but I always find it so frustrating when I see the stock Mail app bouncing in my Dock after accidentally clicking one. Not only will this save you a little bit of time, but it might save you from a gray hair or two in the process.

Filed under:
How-To, iOS Devices, Mac Tagged: Browser extension, Chrome, default apps, Firefox, Gmail, Google Chrome, how to, Mail app, Safari, tutorial

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TechCrunch spotted an interesting security hire by Apple: the developer behind Edward Snowden’s recommended secure chat app is joining Apple as an intern.

Frederic Jacobs, a Switzerland-based developer who worked to develop secure messaging app Signal […] announced today that he is joining the Cupertino-based company this summer to work in its CoreOS security team. 

As the site notes, Signal passed every security test when put through its paces by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and you can’t really get a better endorsement than the fact that Snowden trusts it.

Apple is also ramping up its incredibly strong language in arguing its position against the FBI …

After Tim Cook said that creating the special code the FBI wanted would amount to the “software equivalent of cancer,” Gizmodo noted the analogy Apple used in its motion to vacate the court order.

Under the same legal theories advocated by the government here, the government could argue that it should be permitted to force citizens to do all manner of things “necessary” to assist it in enforcing the laws, like compelling a pharmaceutical company against its will to produce drugs needed to carry out a lethal injection in furtherance of a lawfully issued death warrant.

As we noted yesterday, Apple also cleverly refers to the code the FBI would like it to write as ‘GovtOS.’ Apple may not yet have persuaded the public (unlike 9to5Mac readers), but I’d have to say it’s winning the war of words.

You can catch up on anything you missed in our full coverage of the case to date.

• U.S. judge orders Apple to help FBI access data on San Bernardino gunman’s iPhone 5c
• Apple publishes letter responding to FBI iPhone unlock demand: ‘an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers’
• Google CEO Pichai appears to side with Apple in series of vague tweets on FBI encryption battle
• Security firm shows how Apple could bypass iPhone security to comply with FBI request
• Opinion: How likely is Apple to succeed in resisting the FBI court order?
• Should Apple comply with FBI request to bypass San Bernardino gunman’s iPhone? [Poll]
• Civil rights groups and tech companies express support for Apple’s stand against the FBI
• Opinion: Why an iPhone master key is better than a backdoor, but still too dangerous
• Petition urges White House to support Apple in blocking government access to locked iPhones
• Senate Intelligence Committee considering bill to penalize companies refusing to decrypt user device
• Report: Apple to get more time to formally respond to government’s request for access to locked iPhone
• Apple/FBI fight looks destined to go all the way to the Supreme Court as more background is revealed
• Department of Justice files motion to force Apple to comply with FBI iPhone backdoor request
• Apple implies FBI screwup: iPhone Apple ID password changed in govt possession, backdoor unnecessary
• FBI explains why it changed Apple ID password in iPhone unlock case, retrieved iCloud backups up to October 19 but wants more
• San Bernardino victims divided on iPhone issue as FBI claims not trying to set a precedent
• Apple/FBI: Tim Cook sends memo to employees, wants government to drop All Writs Act demands, posts customer FAQ
• Edward Snowden describes how the FBI could physically extract passcode from iPhone chip without Apple’s help
• Mark Zuckerberg sides w/ Apple in encryption battle as poll suggests public supports FBI
• Report says DOJ seeking data from ‘about’ 12 other iPhones as Bill Gates sides with FBI
• Report: Apple to argue that encryption battle with FBI should be decided by Congress
• Bloomberg: Apple will argue that the digital signature it uses to validate code is protected as free speech
• Tim Cook says tool to unlock iPhone is the ‘software equivalent of cancer’ in new interview
• Apple working on stronger iCloud backup encryption and iPhone security to counter FBI unlock requests
• Apple’s top lawyer Bruce Sewell to testify before Congress over encryption next week
• Apple officially responds to court request to comply with FBI in San Bernardino iPhone case
• Report: Google, Twitter, Facebook, & Microsoft to file court motions officially supporting Apple in FBI fight
• FBI director admits under oath that iPhone case would set a precedent; public & Republican candidates still on FBI side

Photo: The Verge

Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Apple, Encryption, FBI, Signal

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Facebook has announced that the Periscope-style live video broadcast feature it launched in the U.S. last month will be rolling out to more than 30 new countries “in the coming weeks” – though it hasn’t revealed which ones. The feature also made its way across to U.S. Android devices today.

Last month, we announced that we planned to start bringing the ability to broadcast live to countries around the world, and now people in more than 30 countries can share live video via iOS. We’ll continue to roll this out to more people as well as Pages in countries around the world in the coming weeks … 

Facebook often adds features without a formal update to the app. The best way to trigger a check for new features is to restart the app. At the time of writing, it hadn’t yet hit my app in the UK.

To share live video, simply tap “What’s on your mind?” at the top of News Feed and select the Live Video icon. You can write a quick description and select the audience before going live.

Once you end the live broadcast, the video will remain on your timeline as a recorded one – which you can of course delete if desired.

Filed under: Apps Tagged: Facebook, Facebook features, Facebook live video, Periscope

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French site LesEchos (via iPhon.fr) is reporting that Apple Pay will be launching in France by the end of the year, but with a gradual rollout starting with a handful of major banks. It is expected to take 3-5 months between initial launch and the service being widely available in the country, with a pilot launch possibly in place by September.

Negotiations with banks are said to be proceeding slowly, with Apple’s cut of the transaction fee the main stumbling block. On a typical transaction, the banks would receive only 9 cents, and the standard Apple Pay deal applied in the U.S. would see Apple receiving 5 cents of this.

There is, however, hope that the issue can be resolved …

French banks are pointing to a precedent set in China, where Apple is believed to have agreed to halve its share of the standard 0.15% it charges U.S. banks. Fees were also an issue in negotiations leading up to the UK launch last summer, though terms were not disclosed.

Filed under: iOS Devices

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Plans for iPhone assembler Foxconn to acquire Sharp, allowing it to move into making displays for future devices, now appear in significant doubt. Initially reported in Japan as a done deal, the WSJ quickly reported that Foxconn was “delaying” signing – and the same source today reports that talks have broken down.

Sharp Corp on Friday scrambled to salvage a sale to Taiwanese electronics assembler Foxconn as its stock plunged and investors questioned whether the companies could restore trust to make their proposed marriage work after an 11th-hour breakdown in talks … 

The stumbling block is that Sharp would come with potential liabilities of around $1.3B, including potential tax claims and lawsuit awards against the company. Sharp says all this was properly reported in its accounts, but it appears that Foxconn did not have full knowledge of these risks until an email from Sharp on Wednesday,

According to a person familiar with the matter, Foxconn chairman Terry Gou received a list of liabilities in an email from Sharp on Wednesday morning, during a meeting at Foxconn headquarters in Taipei. Dozens of people were in the room and they “went berserk,” this person said.

The WSJ goes into a lot more detail for those interested, but for now it seems we’ll have to see whether or not the deal eventually goes through.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Apple Inc, Foxconn, iPhone, Sharp, Sharp Corporation, Terry Gou

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FBI director James Comey – who had previously claimed that “the San Bernardino litigation isn’t about trying to set a precedent” – has now admitted that it would. The Guardian reports that Comey made the admission when testifying under oath yesterday to a Congress committee.

The ultimate outcome of the Apple-FBI showdown is likely to “guide how other courts handle similar requests”, James Comey told a congressional intelligence panel on Thursday, a softening of his flat insistence on Sunday that the FBI was not attempting to “set a precedent”.

Asked if it was true that police departments around the country also wanted to gain access to locked iPhones, he agreed that it was …

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance is one of those who has said his office is planning to bring similar cases to court, the Guardian reporting that he has 175 cases of locked iPhones awaiting the outcome of the FBI case.

Comey also appears to be going easier on Apple.

“There are no demons here,” said Comey, striking a more conciliatory tone than that of the Justice Department’s accusation in court last week that Apple was placing “marketing” over security.

Apple’s top lawyer Brian Sewell is due to testify before the same committee next week. Tim Cook has said that creating a tool to unlock iPhones is “the software equivalent of cancer.”

The American public, however, still sides with the FBI – though not decisively so. The latest poll (via The Verge) of just under 2000 registered voters shows that 51% say Apple should unlock the phone, while 33% think it shouldn’t (and 16% are undecided). San Bernardino victims and families of the victims are also divided.

CNET reports that all five remaining Republican Presidential candidates unsurprisingly come down on the side of the FBI, with Marco Rubio the most aggressive in his language.

“Apple doesn’t want to do it [hack the phone] because they think it hurts their brand,” Rubio insisted. “Well, let me tell you their brand is not superior to the United State of America.”

Bizarrely, this appeared to contradict a statement he made last week that Apple “wasn’t necessarily in the wrong.”

Catch up on all our coverage of the case in the links below.

• U.S. judge orders Apple to help FBI access data on San Bernardino gunman’s iPhone 5c
• Apple publishes letter responding to FBI iPhone unlock demand: ‘an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers’
• Google CEO Pichai appears to side with Apple in series of vague tweets on FBI encryption battle
• Security firm shows how Apple could bypass iPhone security to comply with FBI request
• Opinion: How likely is Apple to succeed in resisting the FBI court order?
• Should Apple comply with FBI request to bypass San Bernardino gunman’s iPhone? [Poll]
• Civil rights groups and tech companies express support for Apple’s stand against the FBI
• Opinion: Why an iPhone master key is better than a backdoor, but still too dangerous
• Petition urges White House to support Apple in blocking government access to locked iPhones
• Senate Intelligence Committee considering bill to penalize companies refusing to decrypt user device
• Report: Apple to get more time to formally respond to government’s request for access to locked iPhone
• Apple/FBI fight looks destined to go all the way to the Supreme Court as more background is revealed
• Department of Justice files motion to force Apple to comply with FBI iPhone backdoor request
• Apple implies FBI screwup: iPhone Apple ID password changed in govt possession, backdoor unnecessary
• FBI explains why it changed Apple ID password in iPhone unlock case, retrieved iCloud backups up to October 19 but wants more
• San Bernardino victims divided on iPhone issue as FBI claims not trying to set a precedent
• Apple/FBI: Tim Cook sends memo to employees, wants government to drop All Writs Act demands, posts customer FAQ
• Edward Snowden describes how the FBI could physically extract passcode from iPhone chip without Apple’s help
• Mark Zuckerberg sides w/ Apple in encryption battle as poll suggests public supports FBI
• Report says DOJ seeking data from ‘about’ 12 other iPhones as Bill Gates sides with FBI
• Report: Apple to argue that encryption battle with FBI should be decided by Congress
• Bloomberg: Apple will argue that the digital signature it uses to validate code is protected as free speech
• Tim Cook says tool to unlock iPhone is the ‘software equivalent of cancer’ in new interview
• Apple working on stronger iCloud backup encryption and iPhone security to counter FBI unlock requests
• Apple’s top lawyer Bruce Sewell to testify before Congress over encryption next week
• Apple officially responds to court request to comply with FBI in San Bernardino iPhone case
• Report: Google, Twitter, Facebook, & Microsoft to file court motions officially supporting Apple in FBI fight

Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA

Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS Devices Tagged: Apple Inc, California, Cyrus Vance, Encryption, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, iPhone, New York County District Attorney, privacy, San Bernardino

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Apple is rolling out a small but useful improvement to developers today. It has overhauled the Payments and Financial Reports section of iTunes Connect with a modern interface and new design that combines all relevant financial numbers into one table. This screen was long overdue for a redesign, until today featuring ugly iOS 5 era buttons and textured backgrounds. The new look reflects Apple’s modern design philosophy: flat, white and clean.

The new layout consolidates a lot of information into just one screen. Developers can see estimated payment dates, regional breakdowns, applicable taxes at a glance. Alongside this UI change, Apple has also added a new feature to iTunes Connect to enable developers to download multiple financial reports in one go. This means devs can finally grab their sales data from Apple from multiple regions in one bulk export, in the iTunes Connect web portal.

Filed under: AAPL Company, Developers, iOS, iOS Devices, Tech Industry Tagged: Apple, developers, financial reports, iOS, payments

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As we told you about earlier, Readdle has released the highly anticipated update to its Spark email client for iOS. Spark 1.6 adds support for the iPad, including iPad Pro, syncing of settings and accounts, and watchOS 2 support among other things. Needless to say, it’s a major update that vaults it clear to the top of third-party email offerings on iOS.

But what if you’ve been holding out and have just now decided to give Spark a chance? If that’s the case, then you should definitely check out this breakdown of 50 different tips for new Spark users. Like I always say, even if you’re a veteran user, chances are you may still learn a thing or two.

For an overview of Spark and the new version 1.6 release, be sure to have a look at our initial article concerning Spark’s recent update. That post will help you determine if Spark is right for you. Once you’ve finished reading, come back here for a look at many of the awesome features that Spark makes available.

I understand that this post is very lengthy, so if you wish to have an abridged version of all 50 items covered here, then have a look at our video walkthrough below. The video runs down all of the primary talking points, and gives new Spark users a good idea of what to expect and what the app is capable of doing.

Video walkthrough

Adding accounts

Go to: Settings → Mail Accounts → Add Account.

Spark lets you add a mix of Google, Exchange, Yahoo, iCloud, Outlook, or other IMAP account types. All accounts can be easily combined into a single unified inbox.

1Password integration

When adding new accounts, you may tap into the credentials stored within 1Password by utilizing the lock button in the upper right-hand corner of the login window.

Syncing settings and accounts via iCloud

Go to: Settings → Sync Settings via Cloud.

One of my favorite things about the latest Spark update is its ability to sync both settings and accounts via iCloud. This makes it possible to set up new devices with Spark virtually hassle free.

You will still need to verify at least one email address on your account before Spark will let you proceed with syncing. This is a good thing, however, as it can help protect your data if your iOS device happens to fall into the wrong hands.

Setting default email address

Go to: Settings → Mail Accounts → Default E-mail Address.

The default email address is the address used when composing new emails. It’s also possible to have Spark utilize the most recently used address. Of course, you can always change the from address on the fly when composing new email.

Refreshing the inbox

Although Spark supports push email from sources like Google, it’s still possible to perform a manual refresh by pulling down on the inbox panel.

Using the Smart Inbox

The Smart Inbox is one of the premier features in Spark. It essentially allows you to divide the inbox up into multiple sections to help prioritize importance. When using the Smart Inbox, only new emails appear at the top of the inbox. New email is further broken down into hierarchical sections, beginning with personal emails, notifications, and newsletters — in that particular order.

Viewing message details

Tapping on the subject line, name of the sender, or details button within an email will reveal the message details. Details contain information like From and To address, subject line, time, and message type.

Message Detail actions

Additional actions can be performed on message detail fields by tapping on them. For example, when tapping on the sender’s email address, you’ll see options for Copy, Compose, Add to Contacts, Save, and More.

Changing Message Type

You can change the type of a received email by tapping the details button below the subject line, and tapping the message type. You can select between three message types: Personal, Notifications, and Newsletter. If an email arrives that you believe has the wrong message type, use the message details to reassign it with the proper type.

Composing email

Composing a new email is easy; just tap the compose button in the bottom right hand-corner of the interface.

Minimizing email

To minimize an in-progress draft, tap the ‘x’ button in the upper-left hand corner of the compose window, and then tap the Minimize button.

Swiping between emails

You can easily swipe between emails in the inbox. This is a great way to navigate through a batch of new emails quickly and efficiently. As you swipe, the email being currently viewed is highlighted with a light blue tint in the inbox’s list.

Pinning emails

Pinning is the equivalent of marking an email as important. Tap the pin button above the message details to quickly pin an email. Pinned emails will appear at the top of the Smart Inbox, and are also available as a Sidebar item and/or Widget.

Snoozing emails

Like the soon to be defunct Mailbox, Spark lets you snooze emails. Snoozed emails will be removed from the inbox until a later time. Tap the snooze button in the upper right-hand corner of an open message to get started.

Customize Snoozes

Go to: Settings → Snoozes.

Spark lets you customize snooze availability and specific snooze intervals.

Using Swipes

One of my favorite Spark features is the ability to configure four different swipes gestures that correspond with various actions. By using swipe gestures on email in the inbox, you can execute one of the following actions:

• Mark as read/unread
• Delete
• Archive
• Move
• Move to…
• Pin
• Snooze
• Move to Spam
• Save to Evernote, Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, OneDrive
• More (iOS Share Sheet)

Customizing swipes

Go to: Settings → Personalization → Swipes.

Spark features left short, left long, right short, and right long swipe gestures. Each swipe can be configured via the app’s settings.

Changing notification preferences per account

Go to: Settings → Mail Accounts, and tap on the account that you wish to configure.

You can change the notification preferences for individual email accounts on a per-account basis. Notification preferences let you decide between keeping all notifications, using smart notification curation, or disabling notifications altogether. Smart notifications only send alerts when receiving email from known sources, keeping automated emails, like newsletters, at bay.

Setting signatures

Go to: Settings → Signatures.

Spark lets you add multiple signatures, and assign a default signature to a specific email account.

Changing signatures on the fly

When composing an email, you can swipe between configured signatures on the fly, or you can tap the ellipses button in the bottom right-hand corner of a signature to further manage closing sentiments.

Customizing badges

Go to: Settings → Badges.

Notification badges can be a huge source of annoyance and distraction, so it’s great to see options inside of Spark’s preferences for managing how badges are displayed. Spark lets you disable all badges outright, or only show badges when receiving email from specific accounts.

Attaching photos

It’s easy to attach photos to an email you’re composing by tapping the photo button in the upper left-hand corner of the compose window. Use the list button at the top of the photo picker to filter photos by album.

Attaching files

Next to the photos button, you’ll find a traditional paperclip button for attaching items to email. Since iOS doesn’t feature a traditional filesystem, attachments can be made by tapping into services like iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, or OneDrive.

Searching using natural language

Spark features awesome searching capabilities that allow you to quickly hone in on a specific email that you’re looking for. By incorporating natural language search, you can use search queries like this: Emails with jpeg attachments from yesterday.

Saving search queries

Tap the star button next to a search query to save that search for future usage. When you perform a new search, you can easily tap into search history or saved searches.

Mass archiving and deleting

By using the drag handles at the bottom of an inbox list, you can quickly archive or delete all emails in the list.

Managing multiple inbox items

Tap and hold on any email within an inbox to jump into edit mode. While in edit mode, you can select multiple emails and quickly mark as read/unread, move, archive or delete.

Using Quick Replies

You can use quick replies with emails that feature a personal message type. Quick replies allow you to reply to an email in brisk fashion using a single tap. It goes without saying that quick replies work great when used on Apple Watch.

Adding Custom Quick Replies

Go to: Settings → Quick Replies → Add New.

Spark lets you add additional custom quick replies, which allow you to create your own text snippet with corresponding emoji icon.

Changing background color

Go to: Settings → Background Color.

Spark ships with three different background colors: Dark Sky, Dark Blue, and Light Blue. Background colors influence the Widget and Sidebar area, as well as the status bar.

Customizing the email viewer and default browser

Go to: Settings → E-mail Viewer.

By default, Spark makes it so that the primary toolbar action contained within emails is the archive option. You can easily change this to display the delete or both the archive and delete options if you wish. You can also configure what happens when an email is archived or deleted, and select the default browser. In case you’re wondering, Spark supports Safari View Controller, and all of the benefits that it brings to the table.

Using Widgets

Go to: Settings → Personalization → Widgets.

Widgets allow you to quickly access specific Spark features. With Widgets, you can access Spark’s calendar. Although there are definite overlaps with Sidebar items, Widgets can be easier to access on the fly.

Using the Sidebar

Go to: Settings → Personalization → Sidebar.

The Sidebar contains shortcuts to the Smart Inbox, Attachments, Snoozed email, and more. You can further customize the Sidebar shortcut cards via the Sidebar preferences.

Changing sound preferences

Go to: Settings → Sound Preferences.

Not feeling Spark’s own sound library? You can use the Sound Preferences to switch back to standard iOS sounds.

Viewing multiple email attachments

When viewing one of several attachments within an email, tap the attachment button in the upper right-hand corner to open the handy attachment picker.

Viewing a list of attachments across all accounts

Tap the Attachments shortcut in the Sidebar or in the Widgets list to access all attachments across all accounts.

View Recently Seen email

Tap the Recently Seen shortcut in the Sidebar or in the Widgets list to have a look at recently viewed email.

Setting up Smart Folders

Go to: Settings → Personalization → Widgets (or Sidebar) → Add new → Smart Folder.

You can configure Smart Folders, which act as email filters, via Spark’s preferences. Like search, Smart Folders utilize natural language to hone in on specific emails. You can further tighten the scope of a Smart Folder by configuring the accounts used within the search query.

Searching for emails via Spotlight

Spark features accurate email searching directly from iOS 9’s Spotlight search interface.

Changing Notification Actions

Go to: Settings → Notification Actions.

Spark lets you customize the primary and secondary actions that appear when interacting with banner or Lock screen notifications. Options include Mark as Read, Archive and Delete.

Connecting services

Go to: Settings → Connected Services.

Although standard iOS share sheet support is there, you can interact with various services directly from Spark’s interface when using connected services.

Using the Calendar Widget

The aforementioned Calendar Widget is only available as a Widget, not as a Sidebar item. Spark’s calendar interfaces taps into the already existing calendar accounts on your iOS device, and lets you schedule events, create invites, respond to invites, and more.

Saving emails as PDFs

Tap the Share button when viewing an email, and tap the Save as PDF button to create a great-looking PDF that can be copied directly to iBooks.

Managing privacy settings

Go to: Settings → Privacy.

Privacy settings let you disable remote image loading, and prevent notification actions from being performed on an incoming email without verifying your device’s passcode.

Mark multiple messages read

Tap the mark button in the upper right-hand corner of an inbox group heading to quickly mark all messages within that group as read.

Undoing actions

Most actions executed within Spark, such as archiving an email, can be undone using the Undo button that appears briefly at the bottom of the interface. Just be sure to act fast.

How to add an email alias

Go to: Settings → Mail Accounts → Tap the account that you wish to set up an alias for.

Aliases can be easily added or removed from Mail Account settings.

How to delete an email account in Spark

Go to: Settings → Mail Accounts → (tap the account you wish to remove) →  Remove Account.

Removing an account from Spark is simple and straightforward.

iPad (and iPad Pro!) support is here

As I noted in our initial hands-on with Spark 1.6, iPad support was my most anticipated new feature in the latest Spark 1.6 update, and it doesn’t disappoint. Along with general iPad support, Spark natively works with the super-sized 12.9″ screen of the iPad Pro. Wrangling email while using Split View for side-by-side multitasking is productivity bliss on such a large screen.

Manage email on Apple Watch

Not only can you receive email notifications directly on Apple Watch, but Spark’s latest update adds support for watchOS 2. This means that the app now runs natively on Apple Watch, and as such, is noticeably faster. Along with support for the iPad Pro, this is one of the primary reasons that I’ve decided to go with Spark as my full time email client.

The future

Spark isn’t perfect, but it’s one of the best solutions for managing email on iOS. It’s also backed by a company, Readdle, that isn’t a risky startup. That bodes well for the long-term viability of such an app. After Sparrow, and now Mailbox, I said I would never give my heart to another third-party email client again, but Spark, with so many options and features in tow, is good enough that I decided to give in.

Readdle hasn’t been shy about the fact that it’s working on a Mac version of Spark, and if it can pull it off, that will be what truly pushes this client to the next level. As it stands now, Spark is one of the best email experiences available on iOS, and I wholeheartedly recommend you give it a shot.

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How-To, Apps Tagged: Apps, email, free iOS apps, iOS app, Readdle, Spark

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After releasing new tutorial videos for developers yesterday, Apple today has added a variety of new and more specific app categories to the tvOS App Store. The changes, first noticed by AfterPad, make it even easier for users to easily and quickly discover new apps for the fourth-gen Apple TV.

The new categories bring the tvOS App Store closer to being in line with the iOS App Store. The tvOS App Store’s new categories change from apps centered around business and travel content, to medical and productivity apps. The full list of new categories can be seen below:

• Business Apps
• Weather Apps
• Utilities
• Travel Apps
• Social Networking Apps
• Reference Apps
• Productivity Apps
• Music Apps
• Finance Apps
• Book Apps
• Medical Apps
• Catalogs

Since the device’s launch last November, Apple has gradually been improving app discoverability on the fourth-gen Apple TV. At first, the tvOS App Store didn’t offer any app categories, but the company fixed that soon after launch. Since then, it has added a few new categories, including Lifestyle, Education, and more.

Categories can be viewed by visiting the App Store on your fourth-gen Apple TV and navigating to the “Categories” tab along the top. The new categories are rolling out gradually, so you may not see all of them immediately.

Filed under: Apple TV, Apps Tagged: Apple, Apple TV, tvOS

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