iOS 8

WhatsApp is dropping support for iOS 8 in early 2020

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Facebook messaging apps
Coming soon to an iPhone near you?
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

WhatsApp today confirmed it will drop support for devices running iOS 8 early next year.

You’ll need to update to iOS 9 or later to continue using the app. WhatsApp warns that some features could stop working at any time after support ends in February.

Swype kills its virtual keyboard for iOS

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Swype iOS
Swype is no longer available on iPhone and iPad.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Nuance has confirmed that it has killed off its Swype keyboard with Dragon Dictation for Android and iOS.

Swype is no longer available to download from the App Store, and existing users won’t receive any new features or updates.

Apple confirms it bought Shazam

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Shazam
Shazam, an essential iPhone app for years, just got better.
Photo: Shazam

One of the most popular third-party apps on the App Store has officially been purchased by Apple.

London-based Shazam has long dominated the App Store charts with its ability to recognize any song, movie or TV show. Now Apple is bringing that tech in-house by purchasing the startup for nearly half a billion dollars.

The evolution of iOS: From iPhone OS to iOS 11

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Original iPhone running iOS 1
A lot has change since 2007.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iPhone turns 10 The operating system that powers the iPhone has undergone radical changes since Apple launched the device 10 years ago.

As part of Cult of Mac’s collaboration with Wired UK to mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, we took a look at the evolution of iOS, from a simple touchscreen operating system lacking key features into a true computing behemoth with more tools than any one user could possibly need.

New iMessage hack lets you crash friends’ iPhones via text message

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iPhone
It's really easy to crash other people's iPhones.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A new nefarious text message has been discovered that has the power to completely crash iPhones, even those running the latest version of iOS 10.

Instead of using infected links or weird text like previous iMessage hacks, this new one allows attackers to disable a person’s Messages app by simply sending a large contact file. When iPhone users tap on the file, it’s so big and complicated that it overloads the CPU and crashes the app.

Watch the hack in action:

iOS bug exposes photos and messages on locked iPhones

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photos in ios 10
It's shockingly easy to get into someone's photos.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Hackers have discovered a new method to unlock photos and messages on any iPhone, thanks to an iOS security flaw that utilizes Siri and VoiceOver.

iPhones running iOS 8 software and newer are vulnerable to the flaw, which was discovered by EverythingApplePro and iDeviceHelp. The group revealed the hack in a new video that shows you don’t need any coding experience or special hardware to pull it off. All you need is a few minutes alone with a victims iPhone and some help from Siri.

iOS 10 won’t be compatible with all iOS 9 devices

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otherfeatures
You might need a new iPhone to get iOS 10.
Photo: Apple

Tim Cook called iOS 10 “the mother of all releases” during today’s keynote in San Francisco, but Apple doesn’t plan to share iOS 10’s greatness with all the devices that are currently running iOS 9.

Apple made iOS 9 supported on more devices than ever last year by pushing it to all iPhones and iPads running iOS 8. This year though it appears that some users will be left out of the update, including iPhone 4s owners.

Here’s which devices will be compatible with iOS 10:

TrackR’s new app can find lost iOS devices even without GPS

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The iPhone 6s is selling like hotcakes.
We found your lost iPhone...
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Finding your iPad or iPhone is about to get a whole lot easier, even under the worst circumstances, thanks to a new app from TrackR that can locate your lost iOS devices regardless of whether or not its connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data.

The new free app called TrackR tablet, runs on both iPhone and iPad, and simplifies the way you find lost iDevices. There’s no sign in process to get into the app. Just open it up and ring your lost iPhone.

FBI was ‘stunned’ by Apple’s hardened encryption of iOS

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So many new updates!
iOS 8 is when the FBI got really worried about Apple encryption.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The FBI was reportedly “stunned” when it first got to see what Apple had planned for iPhone encryption, after it received early access to iOS 8 (where Apple introduced its new, stronger iPhone encryption) so that it could examine how its evidence-gathering techniques would have to change.

Rocky launch puts a damper on iOS 9 adoption rate

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iphone-transit
iOS 9 adoption isn't as fast as iOS 7's was.
Photo: Apple

The public release of iOS 9 got off to a rocky start yesterday but it appears that Apple’s problematic servers didn’t stop the big software update from gaining faster adoption in the first 18 hours than iOS 8.

Even though iPhone and iPad users are downloading iOS 9 at a slightly faster rate than they installed iOS 8, the number crunchers at TapyJoy found that iOS 9 is still lagging way behind iOS 7’s adoption rate.

Check out the race in the comparison chart below:

No, iOS 9 probably isn’t too big for your iPhone

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Notes-app
Unlike iOS 8 last year, iOS 9 shouldn't be much of a hassle to install.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple made two important changes to the way you install iOS 9 that will help out your storage space and probably your anxiety. If you’re like a lot of other people, you were pretty frustrated last year trying to install iOS 8. Your 16GB iPhone already has to store all your apps and photos, and it just seems downright greedy of Apple to ask you to install a software update that would take up even more space. This year’s update should be much smoother sailing.

AirDrop vulnerability is the best reason yet to upgrade to iOS 9

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AirDrop has a serious problem.
AirDrop has a serious problem.
Photo: Apple

Hackers have just given iPhone and iPad users a big reason to upgrade to iOS 9 due out later today: it fixes a serious AirDrop security vulnerability.

Mark Dowd, an Australian security researcher with Azimuth Security, revealed this morning that iOS 8.4.1 contains a critic security flaw in AirDrop that could allow an attacker to install malware on any device within range. Worst of all, even if a victim tried to reject the incoming AirDrop file, the bug lets attackers tweak the iOS settings so the exploit will still work.

Check out the lethal bug in action:

iOS 8’s final score: 87% of users upgraded

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A new iOS 8 update is here.
iOS 8 did as well as we predicted.
Photo: Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

iOS 8 is about to join the big tech scrapyard in the sky, but before it’s replaced by iOS 9, Apple has posted one last set of adoption figure — showing that a whopping 87 percent of eligible users upgraded to Apple’s last-generation mobile OS.

Cult of Mac Magazine: Apple Music, Rhapsody, Apple Watch hacks, tips

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Tons of great stuff this week.
Tons of great stuff this week.
Cover: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

This week we’ve got a magazine positively laden with great stuff: a piece on how great Apple Music actually is, a look at how veteran music service Rhapsody struggles for relevance, a chat with the young hacker who added custom watch faces to Apple Watch, and quite a few helpful how-to tips.

If you want a full-to-the-brim Apple news experience this weekend, be sure to download the latest Cult of Mac Magazine, or subscribe if you’re into that sort of thing!

Cult of Mac Magazine: Updates Galore! iOS 8, iTunes, Boot Camp

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More updates than you can shake a selfie stick at.
More updates than you can shake a selfie stick at.
Cover Design: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

This week, Apple has released a ton of new updates into the wild, including better-and-better versions of iOS 8, an iTunes that does Apple Music a bit better, and a Boot Camp that will let you run Windows 10 on your Mac. Try that on your Chromebook.

We’ve got a ton more, too, like killer tips and tricks for the public beta of iOS 9, a slick feature on trailblazer photographers who took selfies back in the day, and some ideas on how Apple Watch should track weightlifting sessions at your local gym.

All that and much, much more in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine

(Note: Because of Cult of Mac’s recent redesign, some images are not displaying properly in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. We apologize in advance — and we’re working on it.)

Apple’s last iOS 8 update fine-tunes Apple Music

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A new iOS 8 update is here.
A new iOS 8 update is here.
Photo: Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

We’re eagerly anticipating iOS 9 next month, but Apple’s got a few more fixes to give us in iOS 8.4.1, which is likely the final mobile upgrade to iOS 8.

Apple released iOS 8.4.1 to the public this morning, bringing with it a number of performance enhancements and bug fixes, plus some nice updates for Apple Music and Beats 1.

iOS 8 has 7x the adoption of Android’s Lollipop

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Heading
iOS 8 is shattering Lollipop's "record."
Photo: Flood G/Flickr CC

Android’s Lollipop and iOS 8 were announced at virtually the exact same time, but iOS 8 is obliterating it in terms of user adoption.

According to figures released by both Apple and Google, iOS 8 has 85 percent adoption among eligible iPhone and iPad users, while Lollipop is struggling its way to a mere 12.4 percent.

Here’s how to put your Instagram feed in Notification Center

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Feeday puts Instagram right in your Notification Center.
Feeday puts Instagram right in your Notification Center.
Photo:

If you’re like me, you probably spend a lot of time in Instagram during the day. In fact, if you’re like me, you probably spend so much time in Instagram that you wish it was integrated right into iOS, just a swipe away from no matter where in the operating system you are.

Apple’s never going to get around to baking deep integration to the Facebook-owned Instagram into iOS, but here’s the next best thing: a new app that puts Instagram right in iOS 8’s Notification Center.

iPhone’s encryption is so good, not even cops can get past it

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New York cops say iPhone encryption is making their job harder.
New York cops say iPhone encryption is making their job harder.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Law enforcement has a love-hate relationship with the iPhone. Features like Activation Lock have helped crack down on smartphone thefts, but there’s always the lurking threat of someone asking Siri about 9/11 and accidentally dialling 911 in the process.

The latest issue police are butting heads with Apple about relates to the company’s late-2014 decision to no longer maintain decryption keys which let Apple unlock iOS 8 devices for police as part of active investigations.

And New York’s cops aren’t happy about it!

This is how Apple will push Apple Music on every iOS user

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Welcome to Apple Music
Welcome to Apple Music
Photo: Juli Clover/Mac Rumors

Developers have been busy combing through the first iOS 9 beta for clues about upcoming Apple services, but in the lastest iOS 8.4 beta that was also seeded to developers earlier this week, the first signs of the Apple Music streaming service have started popping up (literally).

Some iOS 8.4 beta testers have received pop-up notifications in the old Music app. The introductory prompts reveal how Apple plans to get iOS users to sign up for the new service, either on an individual plan or family plan.

Here’s signup screen users will be greeted by:

Pay what you want for the mobile first developer bundle [Deals]

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You don’t need us to tell you that knowing how to design for mobile is becoming a must for programmers. So it’s a great time for you to learn, whether you’re new to coding or just need to brush up on your mobile skills. We’ve put together a Mobile First Developer’s Bundle of 10 app programming courses at Cult of Mac Deals to help you do just that. Worth $1,740, you can pay what you want for a limited time.

iOS 8 growth slowing, but still enough to shame Android

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iOS 8 adoption continues to pick up. Slowly but surely. Photo: Apple
iOS 8 adoption continues to pick up. Slowly but surely. Photo: Apple

We’re likely only a couple of months away from the first developer previews of iOS 9, but iOS 8 adoption continues to creepy steadily northwards.

According to Apple’s in-house stats — measured by visits to the App Store on April 27 — 81 percent of eligible iOS devices have now upgraded to Apple’s latest mobile OS. That’s up 2 percent from the last time Apple released its numbers.