This free app lets you bookmark apps of interest. For an extra fee, it can track app updates and price drops, too
Developer: Heybox AB
Price: Free (+optional subscription)
Size: 14.5 MB
Version: 2.4.2
Platform: iPhone and iPad
There are a number of ways you can keep track of iOS apps following Apple’s removal of the wish list feature in iOS 11. One particular app, Lookmark, offers a nice solution to this problem through allowing users to bookmark iPhone apps, and even track updates and price drops — albeit for an extra fee.
At the very least, Lookmark, which is a free download, allows users to bookmark apps. But why should you care about this kind of functionality?
Well, maybe you tend to browse the App Store away from home where you don’t have a Wi-Fi connection for downloads. The App Store has become an even better place for app discovery since iOS 11, but downloading apps while on the go still spells bad news for cellular plans. A couple of impulse downloads could eat through your allowance in no time.
Alternatively, perhaps you check out albums in iTunes or novels in iBooks every so often but don’t necessarily want to splash out on them all at once. Apple may prefer us to buy everything on sight, but that’s not how most people like to shop.
For a start, you can search through your list of apps to find the right one.
Lookmark lets users bookmark apps from the App Store, and then download them the next time they’re hooked up to Wi-Fi, or next time their wallets allow it. It works a treat with both the app’s share sheet integration or the Safari extension for things you find on the web. And users can even add a browser extension to their desktop computer to send content over from Safari or Chome. (A free account will sync your Lookmark bookmarks between devices.)
Apps can then be downloaded at your leisure, or you can clear them from your Lookmark list. The whole process, from adding bookmarks to downloading apps, works a treat. And better still, Lookmark works with all iTunes content, including music, movies, and iBooks. This alone makes it better than Apple’s old wish list functionality.
You can send apps to Lookmark using a share extension.
For a subscription, however, Lookmark can become even stronger. Pro users can track app updates and price changes through the app, allowing you to download an something on your wish list the next time it goes on sale. This pro subscription will set you back either $9/£9 per six months or $14/£14 per year. It’s a shame Lookmark doesn’t offer a one-month subscription option or any kind of trial. We suspect light users wouldn’t get enough out of it to warrant subscribing, but if you buy a lot of content from the iTunes Store and App Store it’s worth considering.
Lookmark also lets you quick-view apps from your list using an in-line viewer.
To top it all off, Lookmark is elegant and well designed; its understated look fits perfectly within the aesthetic of iOS 11. The bottom line is that Lookmark is a great replacement for the App Store’s gone-but-not-forgotten wish list, and could save you a few bucks, too.