America’s largest cellphone carriers are about to get hit with hundreds of millions of dollars in fines from the Federal Communications Commission according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
Officials at the FCC found the companies broke the law by selling customers’ location data to third parties and are prepared to make AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint pay big time. The companies have reportedly been notified that fines could be on the way.
The coronavirus killed another major tech event today as Facebook revealed the in-person component of its annual F8 developers’ conference is canceled due to concerns around the coronavirus COVID-19.
Facebook’s move comes close to the time when Apple normally announces the dates for its Worldwide Developers Conference. The iPhone-maker revealed WWDC 2019 dates on March 14 last year, but with more and more tech events getting shut down, it could change Apple’s plans for its biggest conference of the year.
Spotify is rolling out some big UI changes as part of its latest update for its iOS app.
The new UI tweaks bring a more streamlined experience to Apple Music’s biggest rival, including a universal ‘Shuffle Play’ button that combines the app’s two most-pressed icons into one button.
Ben Stiller’s directorial TV series debut for Apple TV+, Severance, added another male lead to its roster today after striking a deal with Tramell Tillman.
Tramell, who can currently be seen in the Amazon series Hunters with Al Pacino, will play alongside Adam Scott in the thriller written and created by Dan Erickson.
Security researchers discovered a critical flaw in Wi-Fi chips made by Broadcom and Cypress Semiconductor that were used in Apple devices.
The discovery was presented at the RSA security conference in San Francisco this morning, revealing that billions of devices could have been affected. Attackers could use the vulnerability to decrypt private data sent over the air. Most manufacturers have already released a patch to fix the issue, but it’s unclear how many of the devices have been updated.
The following Apple devices were affected:
Some of the best mesh-routers on the market is finally adding support for Apple’s HomeKit.
Eero revealed today that its devices can now be added to the Home app on iPhone and iPad. The update allows you to control aspects of the eero routers remotely and also adds extra protections for other HomeKit accessories in your house.
Apple plans to celebrate International Women’s Day throughout the entire month of March with some special Today at Apple sessions that encourage women to explore their creativity.
The new ‘She Creates’ series of sessions will be available at Apple Stores from March 1 to March 31, giving visitors hands-on training for coding, photography, augmented reality and more.
Despite selling off nearly $1 billion worth of Apple shares earlier this month, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett is still bullish on the iPhone-maker.
Warren told CNBC he wishes he bought Apple shares before he did. Buffett is so hyped on Apple he finally ditched his old flip phone and bought an iPhone.
Walmart is allegedly looking to sell its video-streaming service Vudu right as the streaming wars are starting to heat up.
NBCUniversal is reportedly in advanced talks to acquire Vudu from Walmart, which could give the company another valuable asset as it prepares to launch the Peacock streaming network in a couple of months.
iPhone and iPad users can already sign up to download Quibi, the mobile-only streaming service created by former Walt Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Quibi was quietly posted to the App Store at the end of last month. News that it’s available for pre-order just surfaced today. You won’t be able to start streaming Quibi shows until April, but if you want to make sure you don’t miss the launch you can pre-order it now.
Cult of Mac spotted an Apple employee wearing an updated data-gathering backpack powered by iPhone 11 Pros on Thursday in Silicon Valley. The wearable rig, presumably used to collect images and data for Apple Maps, looks similar to one seen in 2018. But it features a new hardshell cover — and at least three of Apple’s latest iPhones, apparently used to capture images from the backpack’s sides.
Take a look at how it compares to the old setup:
Production of some AirPods components has managed to stay at normal levels despite the COVID-19 virus causing problems with Apple’s supply chain and stores in China.
AirPods Pro supplies were constrained months before the coronavirus outbreak in China. Tim Cook told investors that he couldn’t predict when production would finally catch up, but a new report gives some encouraging signs that things could get back to normal soon.
One of the most high-profile projects in development for Apple TV+ is already running into some huge problems while shooting its first season.
Apple reportedly shut down production on its TV series adaptation of the popular novel Shantaram in Australia. The reason: the writers can’t churn out scripts fast enough.
Binge-watching your favorite Apple TV shows on an iPhone is a great way to run through your data plan limits if you’re not careful, so Apple is introducing a way to wrangle in your data slurping habits.
iOS 13.4 beta 2 introduced some new settings to the Apple TV app for iPhone and iPad, giving users the option to control the size of downloads as well as lowering the amount of data used while streaming content. If Apple’s TV app is one of your major entertainment hubs, you’ll want to know how to take advantage of the new features.
Your iPhone addiction might be creating physical changes in your brain, according to a new study. Researchers looked into smartphone addiction and how it correlates to structural and functional changes in the brain.
They conducted MRI scans on 48 people, 22 of whom had smartphone addiction (SPA). The study found that SPA alters the brain in a way similar to what doctors see in drug addicts. The findings only get worse from there.
Apple seeded the second beta build of iOS 13.4 and iPadOS 13.4 to developers this morning bringing a bunch of bug fixes and some small new features to the iPhone and iPad.
Included among the changes are some more changes to the controversial toolbar in the Mail app. Apple also added some under-the-hood improvements and some changes to how location authorization works in apps.
Marshall’s best over-the-ear headphones finally gained active noise cancellation (ANC) with a big update that pushes the vintage-inspired cans into the modern age.
The new Monitor II ANC headphones were revealed by Marshall this morning and along with adding ANC to put them on par with AirPods Pro, the headphones also have a nifty multi-directional control knob that lets you easily control music and phone functions without touching your phone.
The new Galaxy Z Flip is one of the most expensive phones you can buy right now but it doesn’t come with an ad-free experience.
Less than a week after the phone launched, new owners discovered that Samsung put advertisements directly into the phone app. Anytime Galaxy Z Flip users go to make a call on the device they paid for they’re greeted with ads based on places nearby.
Look at this ugly interface:
Qualcomm’s 5G antenna design isn’t up to par with Apple’s design standards, reveals a new report that claims Apple is building its own antenna for this year’s 5G iPhones.
Fast Company claims Apple has decided to do the design work itself on the 5G antenna but it will still use Qualcomm’s 5G modem chip. If true, Apple would be adding an extra level of difficulty for churning out a reliable 5G iPhone during one of its most anticipated upgrade cycles in years.
Apple retail stores in Beijing are taking customers’ temperatures and requiring them to wear surgical masks as the area tries to normalize amidst the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Five Apple stores in Beijing reopened their doors with limited hours today after being closed since last month. CNBC senior correspondent Eunice Yoon posted a video from one of the newly reopened stores and the inside is shockingly empty.
Take a look at the entrance process:
Google is allegedly planning to launch its own news aggregation service that will compete directly with Apple News.
The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that Google has been in talks with multiple publishers about paying a licensing fee for content used in its upcoming news product. So far it sounds like the company is mostly talking to publishers outside the US, but the company says it views the initiative as an important tool for an informed democracy.
Apple’s biggest competition from China just got hit with the R.I.C.O.
The FBI and US Department of Justice revealed this afternoon 16 charges filed against Huawei, one of the world’s largest smartphone manufacturers. Prosecutors claim Huawei conspired to steal trade secrets, commit wire fraud and conspired to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
We’re still digging into the 56-page indictment, but it looks like Huawei was on a two-decade-long streak of keepin it gangsta.
Gmail is finally adding the ability to add attachments to emails straight from the Files app for iOS, giving users another crucial productivity tool.
Until now, the only way to send stuff from your Files app via Gmail was by using the sharing tool inside the Files app and creating a new email with it. Now users can reply to emails inside of Gmail for iOS and add attachments from Files without having to jump between apps. We’ll give you a quick rundown on how to use the nifty feature that’s starting to roll out to users globally.
Great looking shot on iPhone videos are a dime a dozen nowadays, but I guarantee you’ve never seen anything like this one.
The creative team behind Vallee Duhamel pushed the iPhone XS Max camera to its limit for their conceptual video Glacier that has to be seen to be believed. Apple commissioned the video to be made for one of its Today at Apple sessions and will be playing it at stores worldwide to inspire iPhone owners to push their own creativity.
Buckle up for a short film that’s out of this world:
Mobile World Congress 2020, the biggest annual trade show focused on smartphones, has been canceled.
News of the canceling comes less than two weeks before the event was supposed to open its doors in Barcelona, Spain where over 100,000 visitors and over 2,000 exhibitors from around the world were expected to attend.
