Killian Bell - page 8

Instagram quietly makes its daily usage limits less limiting

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Instagram usage limits
The 10-minute option is gone.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Instagram addicts will have to rely on self control if they want to keep their browsing time to under 30 minutes a day after the photo sharing platform quietly made its usage limits less limiting.

It was previously possible to restrict yourself to just 10 minutes of Instagram per day within the iPhone app. Now 30 minutes is the smallest time limit.

Apple down another $5.7 million for refusing to abide by App Store rules

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App Store
Apple just won't comply with the ACM.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple was today fined yet another $5.7 million, its fifth so far, for an ongoing refusal to abide by new App Store regulation in the Netherlands.

Regulators last year ruled that dating app developers should be able to accept third-party payments. But as far as the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) is concerned, Apple has “refused to put forward any serious proposals.”

Kanye West snubs Apple Music, allegedly declines $100 million deal

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Kanye West
How could you be so heartless?
Photo: Super 45

Kanye West’s upcoming Donda 2 album will not be available on Apple Music — or any other streaming service. The rapper claims he turned down a $100 million deal with Apple because it doesn’t pay artists enough.

“No one can pay me to be disrespected,” read one of a number of Instagram posts that have since been removed. Donda 2 will now be exclusive to West’s own platform, the $200 Stem Player that allows listeners to “customize” songs.

iPhone 14 enters trial production right on time

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Apple plans iPhone features 3 years ahead
Mass-production is likely to begin this summer.
Photo: ConceptsiPhone

iPhone 14 reportedly entered trial production this week ahead of its official debut this fall. The move indicates that Apple has finalized the lineup’s design and is now ready to identify problems that might arise during manufacturing.

Foxconn, Apple’s largest manufacturing partner, reportedly will build the flagship iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. And Apple will task Luxshare, which makes some iPhone 13 Pro units, with manufacturing two more-affordable models.

How to quickly and easily fix common Apple Pencil problems

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Apple-Pencil-close-up
There's almost always an easy fix.
Photo: Daniel Korpai/Unsplash

Just like any other electronic gadget, Apple Pencil can sometimes experience issues that prevent it from working as intended. The good news is that it’s quick and easy to fix almost any Apple Pencil problem.

Try these simple tricks to eliminate connectivity problems, stuttering and more when your Apple Pencil starts acting up.

How to enable Conversation Boost on AirPods Pro

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Enable Conversation Boost on AirPods Pro
Make others much easier to hear.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

AirPods Pro aren’t your average wireless headphones. Apple packed in a whole bunch of brilliant features that allow you to enjoy clearer FaceTime calls, quieter flights, and more. One of those is the brilliant Conversation Boost.

Designed for those who are hard of hearing and introduced last August, Conversation Boost allows AirPods Pro to function a little like hearing aids. When it’s active, it amplifies the voice of the person you’re speaking to.

Here’s how to use it.

Colorful canvas bands a strong, stylish fit for Apple Watch [Review]

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Monowear-Urban-Canvas-Apple-Watch-1
Canvas doesn't have to be dull.
Photo: Adel Neal/Cult of Mac

Monowear’s gorgeous Urban Canvas bands are a terrific match for Apple Watch. They’re nicely priced at just $38, and they come in a range of great color options that go well with almost anything.

Here’s why they’re some of the toughest and most surprising Apple Watch bands I’ve worn to date.

iOS 15.4 lets some iPhone users download software updates over 4G

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If your iOS 15 update gets stuck on the Apple logo, try Tenorshare ReiBoot for Mac.
It's about time.
Photo: Tenorshare

iOS 15.4 gives some iPhone owners the ability to download software updates over a 4G LTE data connection for the first time.

It was previously possible to use 5G to get the latest over-the-air releases on iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. But Apple is now expanding that functionality by giving users in certain territories the ability to use 4G LTE as well.

How to schedule messages to send later in Slack for iPhone, iPad and Mac

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How to schedule messages in Slack
Avoid sending important messages at inconvenient times.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Not a good time to send that important message to a colleague in Slack? The widely used communication platform lets you schedule messages to send later on desktop and mobile. You simply choose the date and time, and Slack takes care of the rest.

The feature comes in particularly handy if you work with colleagues in other time zones and don’t want to bother them after hours. Here’s how to send Slack messages later on iPhone, iPad and Mac so they arrive at appropriate times.

Verizon makes Apple Arcade a permanent fixture of its Unlimited plans

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Verizon makes Apple Arcade a permanent perk
Or you can choose a Google Play Pass instead.
Image: Verizon/Apple/Cult of Mac

Verizon this week made Apple Arcade a permanent perk for those who subscribe to one of its Unlimited 5G plans. The carrier last year began offering Apple Arcade for six to 12 months. Now it’s a fixture for eligible customers.

That’s a pretty generous bonus — especially now that Apple’s own Arcade trial is just a month long. And it’s in addition to other Verizon entertainment perks, like access to Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+ and Apple Music.

Compass Pro is a strong and versatile iPad stand that’s great on the road

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Compass Pro stand for iPad
A foldable stand that's fit for anything.
Photo: Twelve South

If you find yourself lugging around your iPad on a regular basis, you probably need a stand that’s as mobile as it is effective. Compass Pro perfectly fits the bill with its durable, folding design that’s ready when you need it.

Built by the brilliant minds at Twelve South, the Compass Pro is made from ultra-tough metal and can be adjusted for everything you might want to do with your iPad — including drawing, typing, and watching movies.

WhatsApp now continues to play voice messages while you do other things

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WhatsApp logo
WhatsApp embraces iOS 15.
Image: WhatsApp

WhatsApp for iPhone just got a big improvement to voice messaging that means you no longer have to put other replies on hold. The app now continues to play a voice message you’ve already started even if you jump into another chat.

It’s part of a bunch of improvements WhatsApp plans for audio notes, which also include the ability to replay a message you’ve recorded before sending it.

iPhone 14 Pro could be set for a major RAM upgrade

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iPhone 14 Pro with pill-shaped camera
A 48-megapixel camera needs more RAM.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

iPhone 14 Pro could be the first to match iPad Pro (and Samsung’s new Galaxy S22) in RAM capacity. A new rumor claims Apple’s next flagship is set for an upgrade to 8GB — up from the 6GB packed into last year’s iPhone 13 Pro.

The memory bump may be necessary to accommodate iPhone 14 Pro’s new cameras, which are expected to include its largest rear-facing sensor to date.

OtterBox will replace OtterSpot batteries for free due to potential swelling

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OtterBox OtterSpot
If you have an affected unit, you should stop using it immediately.
Photo: OtterBox

OtterBox this week launched a replacement program for its unique OtterSpot batteries after confirming that some are susceptible to swelling.

Earlier versions of the battery, which are designed to stack so that multiple units can be charged simultaneously, will be swapped at no cost for those who contact OtterBox support.

Apple investors urged to fight Tim Cook’s $99 million pay package

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Tim Cook at Unleashed event
Apple's "Unleashed" event focused on music and Macs.
Photo: Apple

A shareholder advisory group is urging Apple investors to vote against a $99 million compensation package awarded to CEO Tim Cook last year.

Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) said it has “significant concerns” over the “design and magnitude” of the package — which is up $14.8 million from the year before. But it is Apple’s board, not investors, that make the final decision.

Safari stops saving passwords without user names in iOS and iPadOS 15.4

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lock
To save you from confusion later.
Photo: Chepe Nicoli/Unsplash

iOS and iPadOS 15.4 make a small but welcome change to the way in which Safari saves login information. As of the third beta release, which rolled out to developers on Tuesday, passwords without user names won’t be saved.

The change, which also applies to macOS 12.3 Monterey, means users will be prompted to add a user name before they can save a new password. It helps prevent a buildup of passwords you can’t remember the user names for.

New Pokémon card game hits iOS and macOS in beta next week

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Pokémon Trading Card Game Live
But only for those who live in Canada.
Image: The Pokémon Company

Pokémon Trading Card Game Live, the newest game from The Pokémon Company, enters beta testing on iOS and macOS next week before it makes its official debut. But there is a rather large catch (excuse the pun).

If you want to be one of the first to play Pokémon TCG Live, you must be Canadian.

Apple Podcasts app gets new filtering options in iOS 15.4

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Apple Podcasts filtering in iOS 15.4
It's not easier to navigate long-running shows.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple is making a number of nice design improvements to its Podcasts app in iOS 15.4. The biggest is the ability to filter podcast episodes by season.

That particular change undoubtedly will prove handy as users navigate their way through long-running shows. But it’s not the only new option for podcast filtering in Apple’s latest beta.

Twitter expands Safety Mode beta in a whole bunch of countries

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Apple's Twitter account and other high-profile accounts hacked in massive Bitcoin scam.
Making Twitter a better place.
Photo: Ravi Sharma/Unsplash CC

Twitter’s upcoming Safety Mode feature, which is designed to automatically detect and block trolls from your timeline, was this week expanded to more users in many English speaking countries before it rolls out to everyone.

Safety Mode first entered beta with a limited number of testers last September. It is now available to around half of all users in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and more as Twitter looks to “collect more insights” on how well it’s working.

Last chance: Save 50% on Rilee & Lo’s beautiful Apple Watch bands

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Rilee & Lo stretch link for Apple Watch
Rilee & Lo's biggest discount yet!
Photo: Adel Neal/Cult of Mac

Rilee & Lo is now offering its biggest-ever discount on its entire collection of stunning stretch-link bands for Apple Watch — as well as the matching stacking bracelets.

Bag yours from the Cult of Mac Store before the sale ends at 11:59 p.m. PT today to get 50% off the usual price.

Microsoft Teams emoji gets a cute 3D makeover

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Microsoft Teams 3D emoji
A sweet emoji upgrade.
Image: Microsoft

How do you make your emoji stand out in a sea of similar designs? You give them an awesome 3D makeover, of course! That’s exactly what Microsoft is doing with more than 1,800 emoji characters inside Microsoft Teams.

The redesign, which starts rolling out today in an early preview, will be available all platforms — including macOS, iOS and the web.

The New York Times is already upsetting Wordle fans with big changes

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Useful Wordle hacks
And so it begins.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Wordle fans are already upset with The New York Times, the popular game’s new owner, for making big changes to its original word list.

The updates, which are designed to make the game more accessible, the publication said, include the removal of obscure and potentially offensive words. And they’re having a big impact on the game’s social aspect.

Apple’s first M2 machine could be a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

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MacBook Pro with Touch Bar
The Touch Bar lives on! Apparently.
Photo: Apple

Apple is expected to introduce its first MacBook Pro with a next-generation M2 chipset in March, but it may not be the upgrade many fans are hoping for.

A new report, citing a “reliable source with close links to Apple’s supply chain,” claims the device will be identical to the 13-inch MacBook Pro — complete with Touch Bar. It is not expected to get a display upgrade.