When I woke up this morning, hours before the iOS 7 update became available, there were already 14 apps waiting to be updated on my iPhone. Most of these updates contained anything from little tweaks to full-on redesigns in order to optimize the apps for the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system.
Of course, all of Apple’s core apps have already been updated as part of iOS 7. But there still seems to be a new third-party app update available every time I check my phone, and the update announcements have been coming in swiftly throughout the day. In iTunes, which was also updated today, Apple has included a ‘Designed for iOS 7’ section in the App Store. Here you’ll find many of the apps that have been refreshed to take advantage of iOS 7’s sweet redesign, but not all of them.
There are plenty of apps that have been updated, but if you’re looking to for some dramatic changes to show off your new OS, check out some of the apps below.
Evernote
Evernote has been given a complete redesign for its iPhone and iPad apps. Gone is the card-style navigation in favor of a flatter design that looks right at home on iOS 7 (though you can still use the cards if you want to). Better yet, notes are now automatically synced in the background via iOS 7’s new multitasking capabilities.
Facebook
In addition to an overall flatter look (with less color gradient than before) Facebook has added a bottom navigation bar that replaces the previous icons that were at the top of the app and the menu that appeared when you swiped in from the left. The bottom bar lets you choose between News Feed, Friend Requests, Messages, Notifications, and More. More gives you access to Events, Groups, Pages, Photos, etc. and will stay on that setting until you change it. This update is only for the iPhone app, not the iPad.
Foursquare
Foursquare’s updates are primarily visual. According to Foursquare, “We’ve fancied up the icon, updated the UI, and made it all work flawlessly in Apple’s new iOS.” Again, the chief difference here is the flatness in design, which gives the app a much more modern look and feel.
Kindle
Amazon has given its Kindle app a major redesign, with fonts, menus and various other details refreshed to match the look and feel of iOS 7. It also introduces Collections, which can help you categorize books, magazines, and anything else you’ve downloaded.
Twitter
Much like Foursquare, the primary change to Twitter is aesthetic. Again, think flat: there’s a flat toolbar at the top of the screen along with a few new buttons. It also hooks into iTunes Radio to let you find music that’s currently trending on Twitter. Siri can now search Twitter, and in Safari you can use Shared Links to find links that have been tweeted by the people you know. Twitter’s update is also compatible with iOS 5 and iOS 6.
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