Apple's Secret Tools of the Trade

Cupertino’s reasonably well kept secret is out, from the “deep-science” division of Apple’s underground (or at least ground floor) headquarters, news have it of a stash of super-secret “ Apple Genius Eyes Only” apps.

Many of these include testing and troubleshooting tools that allow to find bugs and improve iOS performance, as well as games and apps for internal communication between employees.

UniBox

If you work for Apple, one thing to be prepared for, is being responsive to emails from managers and coworkers. UniBox is an internal app used by Apple personnel to communicate, receive notifications from headquarters, and use as a voicemail app. Interestingly enough, the unlock feature does resemble the pattern-based lock-screen found in Android devices.

TouchFighter 2

We might never know how good TouchFighter 1 was, but the second release of this internal game looks like a lot of fun! TouchFighter was an experimental game initially released to test the accelerometer in the early models of the iPhone. The player would fly a spaceship through debris by tilting the phone, much like most iOS flight simulator games.

Switchboard

This is the employee’s version of the App Store, which gives access to internal apps and updates. It also supports Android-style gesture unlocking for increased security.

Red Zone Mobile

There seems to be no screenshots of this app in the wild, most likely due to the fact that this internal app provides a way for managers to compare sales performance and provide statistical information.

Receipts

This handy app is Apple’s internal expense tracker for employees, who can take a photo of a receipt for any item they purchased while on the clock.

Operator

This is the one-stop-shop iOS sensors tester application, and by far the geekiest (and coolest) of the lot. This app is designed to test GSM, Bluetooth, WiFi, Battery, Accelerometer, serial numbers, proximity, audio, video, touch sensors and buttons, among the main functions.

Developers of Operator surely didn’t lack a sense of humor, as they included “Easter eggs” such as the icon for Serial Number, which resembles a “serial” box of... Cheerios. Song included to test the audio settings are by INXS: "The Gift", "Need You Tonight", "New Sensation", and "What You Need.".

MobileRadar

Nothing particularly fancy about this bug-tracking application, except the icon, resembling an anteater, which... you guessed it: eats bugs.

MobileGenius

This is the go-to app for the Apple Genius. It provides information and updates on iPhone repairs, and it creates bug report records and test results on broken iPhones.

Inferno

In spite of the name, Inferno is a very powerful and friendly instrument to test the internal hardware and software of an iPhone. The app is also designed to automatically shut down if the device runs too hot.

GK Tank

The tank simulation game was initially developed to showcase Game Kit, the multiplayer-only game development platform, which is currently available on GitHub.

The Daily Download

The Daily Download was first spotted by 9to5Mac in 2011, and it’s an internal newspaper application pushing updates internal to the company.

Apple Connect

This is the main login system into Apple’s internal network of apps and services for employees. Like Switchboard, the login system integrates a gesture-controlled lock screen for increased security.