FreshBooks ships iPhone-ready card reader, YouTube app gets native iPad Pro support

FreshBooks on Tuesday launched an iPhone-based card reader, competing against the likes of Square, while Google separately updated the YouTube iOS app with iPad Pro compatibility.

Previously available only by invitation, the FreshBooks reader is now generally available for $29. The accessory plugs into an iPhone's headphone jack, and is in fact exclusive to iPhones for the moment, as Android support is only due later in 2016.

One unique feature is that the reader will integrate with FreshBooks' namesake accounting software, influencing linked invoices and financial reports in real-time.

Shoppers can swipe chip- or stripe-based cards, but the reader doesn't support NFC-based transaction platforms like Apple Pay. Merchants using the reader will be charged 2.7 percent plus another $0.30 for each Visa or MasterCard transaction, and 3.4 percent plus $0.30 for American Express.

YouTube

The YouTube app will now run at the iPad Pro's native 2048-by-2732 resolution. In the past the app treated a Pro simply like the much smaller iPad Air 2, resulting in poorly-scaled videos.

Google does not appear to have added any other Pro-specific features. Indeed the app still lacks some general iPad multitasking features possible with iOS 9, namely Picture-in-Picture and Split View.

YouTube is a free download, and runs on any device with iOS 7 or later.