Top 25 Apps that Have Been Updated to Interface with iOS 8

by Chris Thomas on 26 September 2014 · 2824 views

With the iPhone 6 Plus under scrutiny for bending, and Apple responding that it is actually a rare occurrence, it seems that much of the hype surrounding the initial debut of the new iPhone and the accompanying iOS 8 has been overshadowed by negativity recently.

But that hasn't stopped app developers from using the new app extensions API's that allow apps to communicate and interface with each other. Of course, despite the iPhone series being constantly compared to competitors, even moreso than ever before, the newest version of iOS remains every bit as useful as its predecessor iOS7, with some nice new additions as well.

In the following paragraphs we'll be providing a brief overview of the top apps in each category for iOS 8. Keep in mind this isn't just a list of popular iOS 8 apps – each of these apps have been (or are about to be) modified to interface with iOS 8 (i.e. - appearing within the notification center, adding context options in Share menus, etc.).Without further ado, these are the top 25 apps that have been updated to interface with iOS 8, listed by category:

Productivity Apps

Clear – Now displays your scheduled tasks for the day inside the notification center of iOS 8.
OmniFocus – Now you can view and complete tasks within a widget inside the notification center. You can also snooze or complete a task notification even faster using iOS 8's interactive notification feature
Things - Has added itself to the share menu in iOS 8, so now you can add tasks to your Things task manager from most places in the operating system.

Photo Editing Apps

VSCO Cam – A popular replacement for the native camera interface, VSCO Cam now utilizes the built-in manual focus, white balance, and shutter speed features built into iOS 8. Although the developers have not yet added the functionality for app extensions (meaning VSCO editor can't be run within other apps yet), they have stated that support for extensions should be added in an upcoming update.
Afterlight – This easy-to-use photo editing app has now added the ability to apply Afterlight editing features from within the camera roll in iOS 8. Now you can select a photo and add various filters, frames, and other effects without ever leaving your camera roll.
Quick – Quick has also incorporated itself into the camera roll in iOS 8, so now you can add text overlays to your images from within the camera roll.

News Apps

Instapaper – You can now quickly add items to your Instapaper queue by tapping the “Share” button inside any app and then tapping 'Instapaper'. The queue has also been turned into a widget, so you can quickly access your queued items with a couple of taps.
Pocket – Pocket finally lets you save links to pages from within the interface of any iOS 8 compatible app (i.e. - The Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed, Safari browser, etc.). In addition, Pocket has added support for Handoff, so you can start reading a story on your mobile device and switch to your Mac without interruption.
Yahoo News Digest – YND has shrunk itself down into a bite-sized widget that can be accessed via the notification center in iOS 8.
The New York Times – Made it possible to see The New York Times Top Stories from within the 'Today' view of the notification center.

Email Apps

Mailbox– Although this update has not yet been released, it is expected to arrive soon – Mailbox will let you 'archive' or 'snooze' an email directly from the lock screen. We don't know exactly when this feature will be available, but it has already been announced, so it can't be too much longer.
Acompli – This is also a pending update that is expected to drop within the coming days or weeks. The new feature will let you interact with your emails from within the notification center.
CloudMagic – Cloudmagic is ahead of the email app pack, as they've already released an update that lets you “Mark As Read” emails as soon as you receive them. They've also added a feature that uses the app extensions API to let you save or attach files to and from cloud storage apps like Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, and others.

Information Tracking Apps

Pedometer++ - this easy-to-use pedometer app lets you track the number of steps you've taken and other walking information from within a convenient iOS 8 widget.
ETA – This handy app hangs out in your notification center and tells you approximately how far you are from your home, work, or other saved destination. You can even tap the ETA bar to get directions to saved destinations via your favorite map app.
Audible – A new feature in this app lets you track how much audio you've been listening to within a notification center widget.

Privacy Apps

Day One – This journal app is one of the first to take advantage of iOS 8's improved TouchID fingerprint sensor. You can also track how much you've been writing in your journal within a widget in the notification center. The developers have also added an extensions that let you share photos and text with Day One within other apps.
1Password – Has also added support for TouchID in iOS 8, as well as using the extension API's to let you quickly login using saved passwords within hundreds of other popular iOS 8 apps. With this update a free version of 1Password has also been made available, with the option to upgrade to Pro features of course.
Mint – Now lets you log into your Mint.com account to check your finances using your fingerprint; yet another app to add support for TouchID.

Social Apps

Facebook – With many techies complaining that Facebook's integration in iOS 8 has been lacking, the app has been upgraded to allow you to post and tag photos from directly within the camera roll.
Tumblr – Thanks to the extensions API within iOS 8 you can now post almost anything to Tumblr from within any app that has a Share menu.
Pinterest – Before this update you'd have to open the Pinterest app to pin something. Now you can add things to Pinterest within the Share menu of any app.

Office Apps

Evernote – Evernote has perhaps taken advantage of the extensions aspects of iOS 8 the most, giving you the ability to clip text, links, and photos to an Evernote from within any app. You can also make Quick Notes from within the notification center.
Scanner Pro – Has added a button to the camera roll in iOS 8, so it is now possible to create super accurate scans from your previously taken images without having to leave the camera roll.
Sunrise Calendar – Serves as a nice replacement for the limited calendar widget that comes pre-installed in iOS 8. They've stated that their upcoming update, which will happen within the next couple weeks, will include a list of upcoming events shown in the 'Today' view within the notification center.