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8 awesome paid iPhone apps that are free for a limited time

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:57PM EST
BGR

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We always pick the best possible iPhone and iPad apps for our posts covering paid apps that go on sale for free, but this week we’re starting off particularly strong with a few apps that users will love. Today’s post includes eight apps in all, and one of them is particularly cool — you can use it to unlock your Mac computer with the Touch ID fingerprint scanner on your iPhone!

As always, these sales could be over at any minute, so hurry up and download anything that looks appealing.

DON’T MISS: 5 secret things you didn’t know your iPhone could do

These are paid iPhone and iPad apps that have been made available for free for a limited time by their developers. There is no way to tell how long they will be free. These sales could end an hour from now or a week from now — obviously, the only thing we can guarantee is that they were free at the time this post was written. If you click on a link and see a price listed next to an app instead of the word “get,” it is no longer free. The sale has ended. If you download the app, you will be charged.

MacID for iOS

Normally $3.99.

Unlock your Mac with just your fingerprint or passcode – without even unlocking your iOS device.
***
MacID requires a Mac with Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) running OS X Yosemite or later, and an iOS device with Bluetooth LE running iOS 8 or later. Please make sure your devices support Bluetooth LE before purchasing MacID for iOS.
***

Macs that support Bluetooth LE:

• MacBook Air from 2011 & newer
• MacBook Pro from 2012 & newer
• iMac from 2012 & newer
• Mac Mini from 2011 & newer
• Mac Pro from 2013 & newer

Check if your Mac supports Bluetooth Low Energy by clicking on the Apple menu > About This Mac > System Report > Bluetooth.

MacID for iOS needs to be paired with the MacID for OS X companion app, which you must download from http://macid.co/get

FEATURES:

• MacID works with multiple Macs at once.
• Unlock your Mac using Touch ID or your device passcode.
• Interactive notifications – you don’t even have to unlock your iOS device.
• Control your Mac’s audio; works with iTunes & Spotify!
• Manually lock your Mac remotely.
• Auto-lock when you’re away from your Mac.
• Proximity waking when returning to your Mac.
• Notification Center widget; unlock your Mac from anywhere on your iOS device.
• Share clipboard text between your Mac and iOS device.
• Choose between MacID’s standard colours or a more high-contrast UI.
• Full iPad support with split-screen display.
• Authorise with Touch ID for tasks like moving protected files to the Trash on your Mac.

INTERACTIVE NOTIFICATIONS:
With MacID you don’t even need to open the app to unlock your Mac. MacID intelligently notifies you when one of your connected Macs is woken up, which you can authorise and unlock directly from your iOS lock screen using either your fingerprint or passcode.

AUTHORISE:
MacID will even notify you when tasks require your OS X password, like moving protected files to the Trash or changing a setting in System Preferences.

AUDIO CONTROLS:
You can also play, pause and skip iTunes & Spotify on your Mac remotely, as well as change the volume. Simply long-press on the audio controls to toggle between track and volume controls.

CLIPBOARD SHARING:
Ever needed to quickly share a phone number or piece of text between your Mac and iOS device? Clipboard sharing is built right into MacID; share anything up to 4000 characters.

AUTO-LOCK:
Enable auto-lock in MacID for OS X and your Mac will automatically lock when your iOS device moves away from it. You can even get notified when your Mac locks itself.

PROXIMITY WAKING:
Enable proximity waking in MacID for OS X and your Mac will wake itself when your iOS devices gets near, then simply authorise from the interactive notification MacID sends you to unlock your Mac without unlocking your iOS device.

WIDGET:
MacID now includes a handy Notification Center widget, which will show all your currently connected Macs and give you quick access to unlock them from anywhere on your iOS device.

MacID is:

• Secure: your fingerprint and passcode data never leave your iOS device; your OS X password never leaves your Mac.
• Trustworthy: MacID doesn’t ever connect to the Internet.
• Simple: designed to be as easy to use as it is beautiful to look at.
• Power friendly: MacID uses the latest Bluetooth Low Energy technology to use as little energy as possible, no matter how much you use it!

Download MacID for iOS

Route Map

Normally $1.99.

‘Route Map’ will help you track your walking, running and cycling trip on offline maps based on OpenStreetMap data. This app helps you record, analyze and share trip data.

Features:
– Record your GPS tracks even if app is in background.
– 12 map sources based on OpenStreetMap data.
– Simple and easy interaction
– Download map before your trip and use it in offline mode
– Shows current speed and altitude
– Detailed tracks statistics
– Export Tracks in GPX through iTunes share or direct to other apps

Download Route Map

Arrow C Premium

Normally $2.99.

Finalist for Best Arcade Game, Best Casual Game and Best Social Game in TIGA Award 2014
Showcase in Indie Prize Amsterdam 2015

Arrow C is an addictive puzzle game about arrow and color.

The gameplay is simple.
• Clear the playfield of colored blocks by bouncing a color-changing ball into them
• Ricochet off the walls and other blocks to create combos
• Tap and drag your finger to aim the ball and adjust your power then release to send the ball flying around the field
• When your ball connects with a block of a given color, it changes to that color and subsequent hits will break that block

Sharpen your skills and uncovering many exciting new features in 100 levels.

= Features =
• Explore 100 addictingly fun levels
• 3 different game modes: Arcade, Endless and Battle
• Compete with your friends on Game Center and Facebook

Download Arrow C Premium

Srcfari

Normally $1.99.

View HTML source code plus CSS, Javascript and Image Asset Browser!

Srcfari allows website owners, web developers & curious people to instantly view the source code and assets of any website on the internet.

A must-have app for every web developer’s mobile toolbox.
VIEW SOURCE

Instantly view any website’s source code from your iPhone or iPad.

• One-tap source viewer
• Full syntax highlighting.
• Full built-in browser & web search
• Clean, simple and easy to use interface
BROWSE ASSETS

Easily view any website’s styles, scripts and image assets with Srcfari’s built-in asset browser.

• CSS stylesheets
• JavaScripts & jQuery plugins
• JPG, PNG, GIF and SVG images
ACTIONS

Srcfari allows you to perform a useful range of actions on the source code and site assets.

• View, browse & zoom
• Copy source code to clipboard
• Send source code via email
• View & save image assets
• Clipboard URL detection
• Open in Safari, Chrome or Opera

Download Srcfari

Phoenix Photo Editor

Normally $1.99.

Phoenix is a powerful and fast photo editor with a lot of editing tools, import and share options.
With Phoenix you will have all the freedom to customize your photos with pretty filters, effects, borders and fonts.

– it saves your current progress, you can continue in any time
– undo/redo feature
– supports high resolution output (up to 3000×3000)
– share your project to socials directly, send via mail or print it
– preserves EXIF data while editing
– you can add, edit or delete geolocation

Tools:

– Enhance
– Photo Filters
– Art Filters
– Light Effects
– Frames
– Stickers
– Text labels with bunch of fonts
– Vignette
– Blur (5 types)
– Pixelate area
– Color Splash
– Draw (5 tools, color picker, undo/redo)
– Brightness/contrast
– Hue/Saturation
– Exposure
– Warmth
– Sharpness
– Crop
– Resize
– Orientation

Supported socials:
– Facebook (import, share)
– Twitter
– Instagram (import, search by hashtag, share)
– Flickr (import, search, share)
– Tumblr
– Google+
– VKontakte

Download Phoenix Photo Editor

Whats The Movie?

Normally $1.99.

Think you know movies? How well do you think you can guess a movie if we only show you 4 objects that have something to do with the movie? It’s not as easy as you think!

“Whats the Movie?” is a devilishly simple game to play that will have you guessing the title of a movie from four simple images. You earn coins for every movie guessed right. Those coins can be used for hints on tough levels, or to unlock new levels. Choose categories from the 1980’s, the 1990’s, the 2000’s (and 2010’s), as well from the movie genres of: Classics, Comedies, Horror, Sci-Fi, Musicals, and Comic Books!

Ready?…. And… ACTION!
“What’s the Movie” was developed by JPSquare, which is basically just two dudes who have been buddies since high school, and are somewhere in the middle of their 9-to-5 careers wishing they had gone into computer science instead. We love games and building fun apps. We also like good ideas! Have an idea for a movie that’s not in this game? Send it to us! You might see it in our next update!

Download Whats The Movie?

SnapBox

Normally $2.99.

SAVE ALL THE SNAPS YOU GET FROM FRIENDS!

*DISCLAIMER: This app and its makers are not affiliated with Snapchat, Inc.
It’s so easy and fun:

1. Every time you get a new snap, make sure you FIRST open the SnapBox app

2. SnapBox will download and save the snap for you

3. You can view the snap any time!

Enjoy!

Download SnapBox

Etchings

Normally $1.99.

Instantly create beautiful etched illustrations from any photo! Experiment with twelve stunning styles you can tweak to fit your image perfectly — it’s easy and fun to turn your photo into a unique work of art.
“…Etchings outclasses them all with its ultra detailed, multi-lined sketches.” — Juli Clover for App Advice

“The results are amazing…. My advice: Buy this app.” — Charlie Sorrel for Cult Of Mac

“There’s nothing like Etchings in the App Store. It quickly and easily adds unique, classic looks to your images.” — Marty Yawnick for Life In LoFi
Share Your Etching

Once you have created your beautiful etching, share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more. Etchings also plays nicely with other apps: you can import images directly into Etchings and export them in high-resolution (up to 3300×3300) to the camera roll or your (second) favourite photo app.

Impressive Effects

Find just the right look from the dozens of combinations in Etchings. Try the “Classic” filter to create a timeless black-and-white illustration with amazing detail or, if you are looking for a little fun, try the “Spectrum” filter to create an extra-vibrant work of art. Why not immortalize your friends on some faux money or send them first-class with the “Air Mail” postage stamp filter.

For even more options, check out the Florence FX Pack! From the striking colorful “Alice” filter to the funky rainbow “Sorbet” filter, you can unlock six more hand-crafted effects for just 99 cents (or local equivalent).

Check out http://www.etchingsapp.com or follow @etchingsapp on Instagram and Twitter for some inspirational samples. You can search for #etchings to see the beautiful results created by artists from around the globe.

Note: High resolution output is limited to 1600×1660 on iPhone 3GS, iPod touch 4th generation, and iPad 1st generation. All other devices support resolutions up to 3300×3300.

Download Etchings

Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 15 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.