AppleVis Unlimited: What's New and Noteworthy for September 2018

By AppleVis, 1 October, 2018

Welcome to the September 2018 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which aims to highlight what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of the best content posted to AppleVis - from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.

New and Noteworthy App Entries

Amazeng (iOS, Free)

In this game you can enjoy:

A challenge with more than 500 levels to solve and unlock

4 characters walking at different speeds

Infinite mazes from easy to difficult

You can use buttons or swipes to move in the maze

A compass will help you in larger mazes

You may play with VoiceOver or in High-Contrast mode

Current Version: 1.4 (August 2, 2018)

Read Amazeng's AppleVis App Directory entry for more information

Visit Amazeng's App Store page

Battery Monitor App (iOS, Free)

Battery Monitor, the most accurate battery life monitoring app on the App Store. With its simple battery life calibration, you can get estimations with down-to-the-minute accuracy (±1min)! It also have a handy widget to access estimations anywhere!

This app contains calibration for battery usage, battery charging time and much more, making it the most accurate on the App Store! Don't download those clones you find everywhere, download this FREE app now!

Features:

±1 min battery life accuracy*

±1 min charging time accuracy*

Simple interface, easy to use

iOS Widget for easy access

One time battery calibration

Current Version: 1.1 (November 21, 2017)

Read Battery Monitor App's AppleVis App Directory entry for more information

Visit Battery Monitor App's App Store page

Choice of Games (iOS, Free With In-App Purchases)

The choice is yours!

Choice of Games is a magnificent library of interactive novels: action, adventure, drama, historical, war, humor, supernatural, and more. Our games are entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by vast, unstoppable power of your imagination. Choose your path: your choices control the story.

Try a few of these Choice of Games classics:

Affairs of the Court: Choice of Romance — Plunge into court politics and change the course of history, or pursue a love affair that rocks the kingdom to its foundations!

Choice of Broadsides — Step into the shoes of the greatest naval hero of all time... you!

Choice of the Deathless — Battle demons and undead attorneys, and win souls to pay back your student loans!

Choice of the Dragon — Become a fire-breathing dragon who sleeps on gold and kidnaps princesses!

Choice of Kung Fu — Become the world's greatest kung-fu fighter or find true enlightenment.

Choice of Robots — The robots you design will change the world! Will you show them the true meaning of love, or conquer Alaska with your robot army?

Choice of the Vampire — A 200-year journey of love, power, and redemption.

Creatures Such as We — A philosophical romance with game designers on the moon. In this game within a game, there has to be a better ending! Awarded 2nd place in the 2014 IFComp.

For Rent: Haunted House — Rent out a haunted house under the tyrannical eye of a ruthless boss. Screw over your tenants! Ignore supernatural phenomena!

Grand Academy for Future Villains — Taking over the world? Welcome to the world's finest preparatory villain school!

Heart of the House — What will you sacrifice when trapped in a haunted manor? Will you destroy this evil or claim its power? And can love bloom in a haunted house?

Psy High — What's scarier: the principal, your psychic powers, or finding a date for prom?

Silverworld — Survive the past, save the future, and explore a savage Stone Age world!

Tally Ho — A Jazz Age comedy of manners—only a perfect servant can solve a perfect mess!

Current Version: 1.5.2 (September 28, 2018)

Read Choice of Games' AppleVis App Directory entry for more information

Visit Choice of Games' App Store page

FEER (iOS, US$2.99)

Tune your ears in to the ZOMBIES or you will die. Save the white FAIRIES and they will give you light. But don't ever STOP.

The first endless runner game for visual impaired and sighted gamers @equal rights. Only the ones with the best ears survive in this dark and foggy world and can save the fairies.

simple TOUCH interface to interact multiple MISSIONs let the challenge never end …> fascinating RETRO style Graphics immersive SOUND

No ads, No In-App purchase, FULL ENDLESS GAME

Designed from the scratch to be fully accessible with VoiceOver, incl. tutorial and menu

Current Version: 1.1.3 (September 24, 2018)

Read FEER's AppleVis App Directory entry for more information

Visit FEER's App Store page

Frequency Missing (iOS, Free)

Plays best with headphones.

Young radio reporter Patricia has just started her first job at a radio station. But immediately strange things begin to happen. Where is Richard, her friend and colleague who got her the job? He's been missing for three days. And who is tampering with Patricia's recordings?

Solve mysteries and puzzles, explore environments and talk to characters. A short adventure game in classic point-and-click style with a small twist:

The game can be played by using sound only!

Read Frequency Missing's AppleVis App Directory entry for more information

Visit Frequency Missing's App Store page

Knight Commander (iOS, US$1.99)

You are the leader of a brand new tribe.

Look after your people by giving them food and letting them sleep.

You can customize their photo,gender and name to make it personal i.e. send Uncle Bob down the mines.

Tell them to gather resources and build buildings and craft items to make your empire stronger.

Sell your items for gold and further strengthen your empire by buying services from the shop.(No In-App Purchases required)

Equip them with weapons that you have made.

Complete quests for gold.

fight with computer opponents.

Survive disasters such as fire, flood and the clowns!

Features:

Over 150 items to make which include gravy,swords and sheds.

High level of customization possible.

Rich sound effects.

Dynamic in game economy.

Intuitive design.

Lovely music.

A perfect way to waste some time.

Fully Voice over compatible.

Current Version: 1.1.2 (September 26, 2018)

Read Knight Commander's AppleVis App Directory entry for more information

Visit Knight Commander's App Store page

Scores | Fast Sport Scoreboard (iOS, Free)

The best way to follow your favorite teams on iPhone and iPad.

Features:

Customize which sports you want to follow

Show your favorite teams at the top of the list

Super fast and clean interface

iPad Split View support

Current Version: 1.3.0.1 (September 25, 2018)

Read Scores | Fast Sport Scoreboard's AppleVis App Directory entry for more information

Visit Scores | Fast Sport Scoreboard's App Store page

Shortcuts (iOS, Free)

Siri Shortcuts deliver a quick way to get things done with your apps with just a tap or by asking Siri. The Shortcuts app enables you to create personal shortcuts with multiple steps from your favorite apps. Start from hundreds of examples in the Gallery or drag and drop to create your own.

Shortcuts includes over 300 built-in actions and works with many of your favorite apps including Contacts, Calendar, Maps, Music, Photos, Camera, Reminders, Safari, Health as well as any app that supports Siri Shortcuts.

Use the Shortcuts app to:

Get directions home, send your ETA and start listening to the news, just by asking Siri

Add a home screen icon that calls a loved one

Make animated GIFs

Make PDFs from Safari or any app with a share sheet

Get directions to the nearest coffee shop in one tap

Tweet the song you're listening to

Get all of the images on a web page

Send a message including the last screenshot you took

And so much more...

Shortcuts can be launched from the Today widget, from Search or by asking Siri. You can even add an app icon to your home screen for your favorite Shortcuts.

Shortcuts opens up incredible possibilities to automate things you do regularly on your iPhone and iPad.

Current Version: 2.0 (September 17, 2018)

Read Shortcuts' AppleVis App Directory entry for more information

Visit Shortcuts' App Store page

‎Word Rescue! (iOS, Free With In-App Purchases)

Word Rescue is a fun and exciting word puzzle game. Advance levels by connecting scrambled letters to create words. And the best part...a portion of the proceeds go to GreaterGood.org whose goal is to protect people, pets and the planet! Expand your vocabulary while supporting a great cause!

Word Rescue is also 100% accessible for the visually impaired!

Features include:

Hundreds of Levels

Fun Sound Effects

Voiceover accessible for the visually impaired

Supports GreaterGood.org

Easy to play, hard to put down! Download Word Rescue for free and play today!

Current Version: 1.01 (April 12, 2018)

Read ‎Word Rescue!'s AppleVis App Directory entry for more information

Visit ‎Word Rescue!'s App Store page

All recent app entries posted to AppleVis can be found at:

iOS
Mac
Apple Watch
Apple TV

Notable App Updates

BreakR (iOS, Free)

BreakR is a FREE voice-messaging platform for people on the move.

Turn your phone into walkie-talkie and use voice activation to be able to listen to the incoming messages and reply without having to hold any buttons.

Stay in touch with your friends when you are driving, running or skiing without compromising your safety.

If you can’t talk, type your message and it will be played as audio to the recipient with our TEXT TO SPEECH feature.

Change your voice with funny VOICE CHANGER filters to surprise your friends.

MUTE the conversation at any time to listen to your messages later.

Chat one-on-one or in a GROUP.

Current Version: 1.5 (September 26, 2018)

Changes in Version 1.5

New real time Walkie-Talkie conversation mode

Walkie-Talkie squelches

Recording a response is now available while still receiving the incoming message

Accessibility improvements

Bug fixes

Read BreakR's AppleVis App Directory entry for more information

Visit BreakR's App Store page

Dolphin EasyReader (iOS, Free With In-App Purchases)

EasyReader is a FREE accessible reading app for readers with dyslexia, low vision or blindness. Browse & download from the World's largest collection of talking book and newspaper libraries. Open your own DAISY, Epub or text books. Or copy text from anywhere on your phone & hear EasyReader read it back to you. Experience perfectly synchronized text & audio. Or for text only titles, EasyReader can add a human sounding voice of your choice. Boost comfort or contrast - choose colours, text size and highlights to suit your visual needs.

Make your books' text as big as your eyes require. Unlike other mainstream reading apps, there's no restriction with EasyReader. Zoom in with a standard 2 finger pinch or make fine adjustments with the simple sliders. There's never any blurry text or fuzzy fonts - your books' words are always crystal clear and always easy on the eye.

Navigate your books or newspapers by skipping directly to specific pages or headings. Search your book for words or phrases. Add text bookmarks or record your own audio bookmarks and return to them with ease.

EasyReader is fully optimized for use with iOS VoiceOver and iOS supported Braille displays.

Current Version: 2.2 (September 10, 2018)

Changes in Version 2.2

New library available - NCBI Overdrive

RNIB Overdrive and NCBI Overdrive - ability to browse and search titles in ‘New releases’ and ‘Most popular’ categories

New font 'Century Gothic' available in Text Settings

Now able to enter edit mode on the bookmark list and the list of pronunciation corrections

Polish translation update

Various additional fixes and improvements are rolled in as usual

Read Dolphin EasyReader's AppleVis App Directory entry for more information

Visit Dolphin EasyReader's App Store page

iCatcher! Podcast Player (iOS, US$2.99)

Download, listen, watch and enjoy your favorite podcasts all from your device.

FEATURES

Subscribe to your favorite podcasts in the app and manage them in the app

Download episodes over WiFi or Cellular (on devices that have cellular).

Support for Password Protected feeds

Background Refresh

Download in the background

Download multiple episodes at once (up to 3 on WiFi and 2 on cellular).

Sync subscriptions, episode playback positions and playlists between your devices with iCloud

Universal App (iPhone/iPad)

Search in all views to find that podcast or episode you are looking for

Custom playlists with filtering options by podcast, episodes and more.

Support for continuous playback (toggle it on now playing screen just below time elapsed).

All device orientations supported with configurable option in the settings

You can unsubscribe to podcasts and still have them on your device. Use that for those less than stellar podcasts!

Full VoiceOver support

PLAYBACK

Variable playback speed

Playback speed remembered per podcast

Support for podcasts with chapters and chapter images (MP3 and M4A)

Use your headset controls including Bluetooth car controls (when paired) to play/pause, jump forward or back 30 seconds

Sleep timer

Beautifully rendered show notes

Onscreen controls for jumping ahead 30 seconds, or jump back 30.

Gesture Support on the now playing screen (when the podcast logo is showing) to aid in hands free use

Double-tap to play/pause

Swipe up to toggle playback speed

Swipe left/right to rewind/fast-forward

Home of the L gesture for the 2 minute Leo jump.

See Settings and Gestures for more and for customizing rewind/fast-forward gestures

Support for AirPlay, watch or listen to those podcasts on your big screen

Support for external display of videos for devices that support an external display (get the Apple HDMI adapter)

Watch or listen to your favorite podcasts with a familiar layout

Customizable options like Auto-Play on connect to start playing the last playing podcast when you plug your headphones in (some restrictions, settings, playback, general).

FIND NEW PODCASTS QUICK

Find your podcasts by title, keyword or by author

Browse the top podcasts by category

Manually add podcasts with a URL

Support for Password Protected feeds

Option to download a single episode

Browse the web in the app to find podcasts to add. Browser will prompt if you tap a link that is podcast feed.

Import Podcast subscriptions for episodes that are already in your device from iTunes

Import your OPML file from iTunes or other iOS podcast app

Import media by using iTunes File Sharing feature

Add your existing audiobooks (non-password protected ones) using iTunes File Sharing feature

Add previously downloaded podcasts from your computer using iTunes file sharing feature (see settings and import media for details).

MORE

Completely customizable to meet your podcasts needs.

Swipe across a podcast or episode to access additional options

Podcast settings allow you to set the days the podcast typically comes out or the number of days between.

Specify the number of episodes to download when new ones are available

Share the podcast information via email with your friends

Post to Twitter or Facebook from the now playing screen

Current Version: 5.0.3 (September 26, 2018)

Changes in Version 5.0.0

Apple Watch local playback update for Watch OS 5 users. Local playback now plays better in the background. Support added for remote playback buttons via bluetooth headphones. Volume control accessible now by tapping the speaker icon on either the Phone playback or the Watch playback screen on the watch app

Added system style swipe left/right actions for Episodes. Swipe right for Play/Pause and Share. Swipe left for Mark as Played, Delete options, Bookmarks & More options

Added system style swipe left/right actions for Podcasts. Swipe right for Play/Pause and Share. Swipe left for Delete/Unsubscribe, Settings & More options

Searching on the podcasts tab will now display episodes if you select to search episodes/show notes/bookmarks. Limited actions have been added to the episodes displayed in those search results for the moment. You can however use the drag feature to drag an episode (or multiple) to a playlist

Media Toolbar added as an experimental feature. See settings tab, experimental, media toolbar to enable it. With the toolbar enabled when you tap an episode it will not display the now playing view, but instead show a toolbar pinned to the bottom with quick action buttons that show on all tabs. Tapping the episode again if playing will show the now playing view. Video podcasts will show now playing right away.

New Playlist Bookmark keyword filter option. When filtering by keywords there will be an option when adding a keyword to add it as a bookmark keyword.

VoiceOver actions added to the episodes and podcasts rows to make it quicker to scan through episode lists

More to come

Read iCatcher! Podcast Player's AppleVis App Directory entry for more information

Visit iCatcher! Podcast Player's App Store page

Microsoft Soundscape (iOS, Free)

Microsoft Soundscape uses 3D audio technology to enhance your awareness of what is around you, and thereby help you get around and explore your surroundings.

Soundscape will place audio cues and labels in 3D space such that they sound like they are coming from the direction of the points of interest, parks, roads and other features in your surroundings.

You will need a pair of stereo headsets that you feel comfortable wearing outdoors. For example, bone conduction headsets, Apple AirPods and in-ear open headphones have proven to work well.

Soundscape is designed to live in the background and provide you with effortless ambient awareness. Therefore, feel free to use it in conjunction with other apps such as podcasts, audio books, email and even GPS navigation.

Key features:

As you walk, Soundscape will automatically call out the key points of interest, roads and intersections that you pass. These can be adjusted and turned on and off.

An audio beacon can be placed on a point of interest, and you will hear it as you move around. You can place an audio beacon on a point of interest that you would like to track such as your destination, a point to return to or a landmark you are familiar with.

“My location” describes your current location and the direction you are facing

“Around me” describes nearby points of interest in each of the four cardinal directions, helping with orientation. Try this out when getting off a bus or leaving a train station.

“Ahead of me” describes points of interest in front of you, for example when walking down the street.

The expandable Callout History section lets you review callouts you have heard, repeat callouts, hear more information about them, and more.

Current Version: 1.9 (September 26, 2018)

Changes in Version 1.9

You no longer need to close Soundscape to save battery! Just select “Sleep” on the home screen to suspend Soundscape’s use of GPS for a period of time. You can choose to restart soundscape manually, otherwise if you choose to "wake when leaving", Soundscape will snooze and wake automatically when you continue your journey, ensuring that you are up and running effortlessly.

Improvements to beacon callouts while in a vehicle: try setting a beacon to your destination when on a bus or taxi to keep track of your progress. The frequency of beacon callouts will increase as you get nearer to your destination. You will also notice that bus stops are now listed as nearby locations and can be selected when setting a beacon.

Smart Invert support: if you have the Smart Invert accessibility feature turned on, the color scheme of Soundscape will not be inverted since it already has a dark background and light foreground.

Read Microsoft Soundscape's AppleVis App Directory entry for more information

Visit Microsoft Soundscape's App Store page

TapTapSee (iOS, Free)

TapTapSee is designed to help the blind and visually impaired identify objects they encounter in their everyday lives.

Simply double tap the right side of the screen to take a photo or double tap the left side of the screen to take a video. TapTapSee can photograph and record any two or three-dimensional object at any angle and speak the identification back to the user (Note: Spoken identification requires VoiceOver to be turned on).

TapTapSee helps blind and visually impaired users become more independent in their day-to-day activities.

Current Version: 3.3.0 (September 4, 2018)

Changes in Version 3.3.0

We’re very excited to roll out TapTapSee 3.3 complete with various bug fixes and now: video recognition!

Double tap the right side of the screen to take a photo or double tap the left side of the screen to take a video.

Videos can be recorded up to 10 seconds in length and have an audible 10 second ticker. Simply double click again to end a video that's under 10 seconds.

Read TapTapSee's AppleVis App Directory entry for more information

Visit TapTapSee's App Store page

Twitter (iOS, Free)

From breaking news and entertainment to sports, politics, and everyday interests, when it happens in the world, it happens on Twitter first. See all sides of the story. Join the conversation. Watch live streaming events. Twitter is what’s happening in the world and what people are talking about right now.

Current Version: 7.32.1 (September 21, 2018)

Changes in Version 7.32.1

In this release, we have made an improvement for people who use VoiceOver; we will now announce "New Items" for non-numeric tab badges.

We also are supporting Siri Shortcuts and push notification groupings for people with iOS 12.

Read Twitter's AppleVis App Directory entry for more information

Visit Twitter's App Store page

Voice Dream Reader (iOS, US$14.99)

Featured by Apple as Best New App in 81 countries including the United States and part of App Store Permanent Collections in Education.

Supported Document Formats> * PDF, Plain text, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, RTF, and Google Docs. * Web articles. * EPUB eBooks. (DRM-free books only. Kindle and iBooks are not supported.) * Bookshare Books. * DAISY text-based books and audiobook. * Audiobooks in MP3, MP4 or zipped MP3 format. * Rich text and image support for all documents.

Text-to-Speech

One premium Acapela voice of your choice free with the purchase of the app.

36 built-in iOS voices in 27 languages are also available for free.

200+ additional premium voices in 30 languages from Acapela, NeoSpeech and Ivona available through in-app purchases.

Correct pronunciation with your own pronunciation dictionary.

All voices work offline and play in the background even with the screen locked.

Reading Styles

Tee-up a list of articles and play while you drive, walk or run.

Spoken word is highlighted to improve comprehension and retention.

Auto-scrolling and full screen, distraction-free mode to help reader focus.

Finger reading. For beginners to read by at running a finger under each word.

Pac-Man. Harvard and MIT developed speed-reading method for everyone to read at 2x speed with no loss of comprehension.

High contrast and large font size for low vision readers.

Optimized for VoiceOver, Braille and switch control.

Tools

Bookmarking, text highlighting and annotation. Highlights and notes can be exported.

Full-text search.

Built-in dictionary.

Skip text in PDF header and footer.

Content Sources

Native support for Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud Drive, Pocket, Instapaper and Evernote.

Native access to Bookshare.

Safari extension to save Web pages and Web addresses.

Support for Box and OneDrive via iOS Document Picker.

Library Synchronization

Your entire library, including folders, reading locations, bookmarks and annotations are synchronized across all your devices using iCloud Drive.

Current Version: 4.6.3 (September 20, 2018)

Changes in Version 4.6.0-4.6.3

Version 4.6 adds a brand new feature: Reading List, and adds supports for Siri Shortcuts in iOS 12.

Reading List is a special folder for queuing up the documents you want to read. When you play the Reading List, Reader starts from the top of the list. When finished, it removes the document from the Reading List and continues to the next document. The completed document is still in the library.

You can add to the Reading List from the Library, either tap and hold in the grid view, or swipe left in the list view. You can also add multiple documents in Edit mode. To remove a document from the Reading List, use the Reading List icon, not the trash command, which removes the document from the Library entirely.

In addition, you can now Play and Pause directly in the Library.

A Siri Shortcut is now available for playing the Reading List. To add the Siri Shortcut, go to iOS Settings, Siri & Search, All Shorcuts, and you'll find "Play Reading List" under "Voice Dream". Tap on "+" and follow instructions. Siri Shortcuts require iOS 12.

Read Voice Dream Reader's AppleVis App Directory entry for more information

Visit Voice Dream Reader's App Store page

Weather Gods (iOS, US$3.99)

Meet the Gods: Fire, Ice, Water, Air & Moon delivering you the Weather as you have never experienced it before. Weather Gods redefines the weather app with painstakingly crafted data visualizations, procedural graphics and audio that enable you to literally see, hear and feel the weather. With no more weather icons to decode, the Weather Gods is simply the quickest, most engaging, most enjoyable way to get the accurate weather information you need.

The Weather Gods skillfully integrates premium weather data into an elegant, iOS Exclusive, easy-to-use interface that will delight casual users and weather enthusiasts alike.

With a wealth of rich weather data from the world’s most respected providers, the Weather Gods provide detailed site-based forecasts for over a million locations worldwide. Our advanced, next-generation notifications are easy to setup and bring you exactly the information you want right when you need it.

With 24 hour charts, observed weather, built in moon phase, widget, world clock and much, much more, the Weather Gods is a powerful personal time machine that lets you travel the world and visit the future. Please come join us on this exciting journey as we begin our mission to bring you the finest, most practical, most enjoyable weather app experience ever. We can’t wait to hear what you think!

Features

Day & Night summary for 7 Days with animated real-time weather backgrounds

7 Day HOURLY Forecast via the amazing ‘Weather Wheel’

Advanced user-friendly weather notifications

Weather based procedural soundscape

Detailed 24 hour charts & hourly charting

Moon phase, rise and fall

Observational (past) data

Off-line mode for explorers & professionals

World clock & international support

Powerful accessibility support - 100% support for Voiceover

Dashboard Widget

3D Touch Menu

Taptic Engine support

Combining the best global weather data sources available

Over 1 million weather-accurate locations

Complimentary 32 x sticker pack

Current Version: 1.8 (September 29, 2018)

Changes in Version 1.8

“Hey Siri, what’s the weather sound like today ?” A big new update to match your big new phone, Weather Gods for iOS12 is here. Supporting all the new phones & the fabulous new Apple Watch, Weather Gods takes a step into the future with Siri shortcuts, plus an all-new remastered procedural audio soundscape, with dozens more sounds & no more clicking! Plus we’ve redesigned the widget, made locations easier to use, and tinkered under the hood to make everything run faster and cooler.

Along with Watch 4 support, our Watch complications now update every 30 minutes with vastly improved GPS tracking.

Last but not least, our commitment to being the most accessible weather app continues with lots of tweaks & polish to voiceover support. As always, many thanks to our small army of beta testers & accessibility enthusiasts for all your support!

Read Weather Gods' AppleVis App Directory entry for more information

Visit Weather Gods' App Store page

Wotja A Generative System (macOS, Free With In-App Purchases)

Love creating things? Use Wotja to create your own relaxing ambient & reflective music, MIDI and 'text-to-music' melodies. Make 'cut-up' text for creative writing, too. Wotja uses generative techniques we've been crafting for nearly 30 years.

KEY FEATURES

Easily generate beautiful live ambient music, melodies & MIDI

100s of gorgeous generative music templates for mixing & editing are included

130+ parameters for generative (MIDI) music composition

Multi-channel MIDI Out/In via CoreMIDI & Virtual MIDI to drive external MIDI synths

'Text-to-Music' function to quickly generate reflective music & melodies using text in ANY language

Mix randomization options for fast creation of ideas, mixes & automatic albums

48 independent content cells in 12 tracks for live mixing/generative cell sequencing

Editors to let you experiment with sound design & modular synth/FX networks

SF2 wavetable & WAV/Ogg loop support for custom sounds

Cut-up editor for word locking, syllable rules, word alternatives, 5 source fields & more

Mixdown recording to VIDEO, WAV, MIDI so you can easily use/share your creations

Up to 8 hours continuous live music generation [Music Play Time Timeout]; press play to restart

iCloud & iCloud Drive support

Light & dark UI modes

Opens Noatikl, Mixtikl & Liptikl files

Lots more…

Current Version: 5.12.4 (September 28, 2018)

Changes in Version 5.12.0

New!

Added support for VoiceOver

Improved

Sliders now allow editing of the actual slider value, rather than an in internal magic value

Slider values for Amp units now show as dB

Fixed

Various display issues

Squashed more bugs

Read Wotja A Generative System's AppleVis forum announcement by its developer

Visit Wotja A Generative System's App Store page

Recent News and Views

Apple Software Releases

As is usual, September was a busy month for Apple software releases. Here is our main coverage of these:

iPhone XS Max: Some Early Thoughts From a Week With Apple's New 6.5-Inch Flagship

By David Goodwin | September 30, 2018

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the nights have started to draw in and temperatures drop. This can mean only one thing - we're now in what is traditionally Apple's main season for new product launches.

Last week saw the releases of iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and Apple Watch Series 4. The iPhone XR will begin shipping next month, and it's likely that at the very least there will also be an update to iPad Pro before the season ends. Beyond this, there might be new MacBooks; refreshes for iMac and Mac Mini; and possibly even a second generation of AirPods.

Add to this mix the recent round of major OS releases, and you currently have lots of talking points for anybody with an interest in all things Apple; lots to have opinions on; and lots to have questions about.

I've now had nearly a week with an iPhone XS Max, so I thought that I would share some experiences and early opinions in the hope that this will answer some possible questions.

...

When lifting the iPhone XS Max out of its box for the first time, it felt very familiar. And, so it should, as to all intents and purposes, it's visually a scaled up iPhone X.

Measuring Up: The iOS 12 Measure App

By Paul Martz | September 25, 2018

Apple brings augmented reality (AR) to your phone with Measure, the first native AR app in iOS 12.

Apple's Measure app is visually compelling for sighted users, but also reasonably accessible for blind users. This blog describes taking measurements as a blind or low vision user, and enumerates improvements for Apple's consideration to make the app easier to use.

Keep in mind the Measure app is not available on all iOS devices. According to Apple Support, you must have an iPhone SE, iPhone 6s or later, iPad (5th Generation), or iPad Pro. The app installs with iOS 12 on any supported device.

Rounding Up the "Gather Round" Keynote

By mehgcap | September 12, 2018

It's time for our yearly dose of hardware upgrades from Apple. Today, the company held its traditional September press event, showing off the latest in iPhones, Apple Watches, and more. The event was titled "Gather Round". We're here, as usual, to tell you exactly what was announced.

For those of you in a hurry, here's the TL;DR.

The iPhone XS (5.8-inch screen) and XS Max (6.5-inch screen) are upgraded versions of the 2017 iPhone X. They have better cameras, dual sim support, tougher glass, and other spec bumps.

iPhone XR is an iPhone XS with a 6.1-inch LCD screen. The display doesn't look as good, it has a single-lens camera, no 3D Touch, and other trade-offs, but starts at a much lower price. It also comes in six colors.

Apple Watch Series 4 is here. It has a bigger screen, smaller bezels, a thinner casing, a faster processor, better microphone placement, an ECG reader, better fitness sensors, and new faces that take advantage of the extra screen space to show more complications. Existing Watch bands will fit it.

This Month in Podcasts

AppleVis Unleashed September 2018: The Propaganda Agenda

In this month's edition of AppleVis Unleashed, Thomas Domville, Randy Rusnakk and Mike Malarsie get together to talk about recent Apple news and topics of interest.

Topics featured in this podcast include:

Everything Apple announced at its September 12 'Gather Round' event
iPhone XS & XR: 5W adapter + USB-A, no more 3.5mm headphone adapter, no AirPower updates
Apple discontinues sales of iPhone X, 6S, 6S Plus and SE
We now know how much faster the iPhone XS's wireless charging is
More tests confirm faster data speeds of iPhone XS on both Wi-Fi and LTE
AppleVis Extra 59: Recap and Analysis of Apple's September 12, 2018 Event
The Accessibility Bugs Introduced and Resolved in iOS 12 for Blind and Low Vision Users
Apple Releases iOS 12; Bringing New and Enhanced Features and Performance Improvements
The New Features, Changes, and Accessibility Bugs in macOS Mojave for Blind and Low Vision Users
An Overview of Some of the New Features and Changes in iOS 12
An Overview of Some of the New Features and Changes in watchOS 5
AppleVis Extra 60: iOS 12 and watchOS 5 in Review
Reminder: Apple Battery Replacement Program Ends in December
iPhone 8 Recall: Everything You Need to Know
Frequency Missing
FEER
TIP: How to turn on automatic software updates in iOS 12
TIP: How to Automatically Create Strong Passwords in iOS 12

You can contact the Unleashed Team with feedback or questions at unleashed@applevis.com.

Listen to ‘AppleVis Unleashed September 2018: The Propaganda Agenda”

Solve Mysteries and Puzzles with the Frequency Missing iOS Game

In this podcast, Thomas Domville gives us a demonstration of Frequency Missing, an audiogame that can be used for a visually impaired and blind audience.

Young radio reporter Patricia has just started her first job at a radio station. But immediately strange things begin to happen. Where is Richard, her friend and colleague who got her the job? He's been missing for three days. And who is tampering with Patricia's recordings?

Solve mysteries and puzzles, explore environments and talk to characters. A short adventure game in classic point-and-click style with a small twist:

The game can be played by using sound only!

Frequency Missing on the App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/frequency-missing/id1398341698?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D8&at=11l4LS

Listen to “Solve Mysteries and Puzzles with the Frequency Missing iOS Game”

AppleVis Extra 60: iOS 12 and watchOS 5 in Review

In this podcast, Dave Nason, Thomas Domville, Scott Davert, and Serina Gilbert discuss their impressions of iOS 12 and watchOS 5, to be released on 17 September 2018.w

Listen to “AppleVis Extra 60: iOS 12 and watchOS 5 in Review”

An Overview of Some of the New Features and Changes in watchOS 5

In this podcast, Thomas Domville gives us an overview of some of the new features and changes in watchOS 5. Topics covered in this podcast include:

Grouped notifications and notifications management

The new Walkie-Talkie feature

New VoiceOver gestures to open Notification Center and Control Center

Rearranging widgets in Control Center

New features and expanded information in Weather

Adding cities to World Clock on Apple Watch

Adding stocks from the Stocks App on Apple Watch

Apple Watch support for student ID cards

Joining WiFi networks from Apple Watch

Automatic workout detection

The new Podcasts App on Apple Watch

A new crown-up setting in Wake Screen Settings

Raise to Speak to Siri and other new Siri settings

Accessing web links on Apple Watch

Listen to “An Overview of Some of the New Features and Changes in watchOS 5”

An Overview of Some of the New Features and Changes in iOS 12

In this podcast, Thomas Domville gives us an overview of some of the new features in iOS 12. Topics covered in this podcast include:

Improved Performance in iOS 12

Grouped notifications and notifications management

Screen Time

New Irish and South African Siri voices

Live Listen for AirPods

A Redesigned Battery section in Settings

A Streamlined experience using AutoFill in Safari

New Siri commands for looking up passwords and Find My iPad

Bedtime Mode

A new Control Center widget to scan QR codes

A new 3D Touch action for Do Not Disturb in Control Center

New settings for Voice Memos

The Measure app

Automatic software updates

New skip controls in the Podcasts app

The new thesaurus

Searching for song lyrics in Music

The new Air Quality Index in Weather

A changed interface for other contact options for recipients in Messages

A new 3D Touch action in Notes to scan a document

A new 3D Touch action in Camera to scan a QR code

New, assignable commands for braille display users

New VoiceOver gestures on iPad

Changes to the Status Bar on iPad

Listen to “An Overview of Some of the New Features and Changes in iOS 12”

AppleVis Extra 59: Recap and Analysis of Apple's September 12, 2018 Event

In this podcast, Dave Nason, Alex Hall, Tyler Stephen, and Scott Davert discuss the announcements made at Apple's September 12, 2018 event.

Listen to “AppleVis Extra 59: Recap and Analysis of Apple's September 12, 2018 Event”

A complete list of all podcasts posted to the AppleVis website can be found at www.applevis.com/podcasts

Club AppleVis

We have recently launched Club AppleVis, offering members and friends of our community a means of directly contributing towards the financial costs of operating AppleVis.

The biggest reward from being a Club AppleVis member, is that you will be directly helping to make AppleVis possible. However, as a “thank you”, we offer a number of perks to Club AppleVis members:

Each year we offer one Club AppleVis member the opportunity to take part in one of our roundtable podcasts.
Club AppleVis members have access to an RSS feed containing all of the episodes in our podcast archive, enabling them to browse and play these in their podcatcher of choice. Note our main podcast feed includes only the 100 most recent episodes, with the remainder accessible via the website.
With the support of the developers and companies we have come to know through running AppleVis, we will occasionally offer discounts or giveaways to Club AppleVis members.

It is possible that we may offer additional rewards to Club AppleVis members as ideas and opportunities present themselves. However, what we will not be doing is making some content only available to Club AppleVis members, as we believe this would be against the spirit of AppleVis and everything our community strives to offer.

More information on Club AppleVis and how to join can be found at www.applevis.com/club-applevis