Setting your Google account to automatically delete old information about you will soon be possible. Photo: Google/Cult of Mac
Everyone who uses Google services, whether on iPhone or Android, will soon be able to have some of the data being collected about them automatically erased after a span of time.
It’s already possible to order Google to erase everything it stores about your search history, but this new feature will allow for on-going deletion.
Google Fit has activity rings similar to an Apple Watch. Photo:
Google’s rival to Apple Health just made the hop across platforms. Google Fit can now be installed on an iPhone, making it easier to participate in challenges with Android users.
Even better, the software can connect with the Health app to pull data from an Apple Watch.
The #CancelSpotify movement is a win for Apple. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Spotify’s efforts to avoid paying higher rates is giving Apple Music a big advantage, according to a new report.
Apple is the only major music streaming company that isn’t appealing a decision to increase the rate paid to songwriters. As a result, Apple Music is getting all the love on social media.
One of Google’s top AI experts has left the company to join Apple’s special projects group.
Ian Goodfellow, who created an AI approach called general adversarial networks (GANs), was hired by Apple as a director of machine learning, adding another prominent Google AI expert to its growing team.
A previous Microsoft prank resurrected MS-DOS on mobile. Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft has banned employees from participating in April Fools’ Day pranks.
The stunts “have limited positive impact and can actually result in unwanted news cycles,” an internal memo explains. This comes just days after Microsoft resurrected Clippy, the famous Office assistant, only to remove it a day later.
The app makes it easier than ever to find contacts and, more importantly, keep your contact lists in order. It looks great, is incredibly fast, and works with all of your existing contacts on iOS.
Are you seeing this message in macOS 10.14.4? Photo: Wesley de Souza
Some macOS users are unable to sign into Gmail inside the Mail app after installing Apple’s most recent update.
The version 10.14.4 release, rolled out on Monday, puts many in an endless sign-in loop when trying to sync their Google accounts. The problem affects new accounts, as well as existing accounts that were already set up in Mail before the update arrived.
Google’s Stadia will run on macOS and iOS, not just Android devices. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Stadia will run top-tier games on Google servers and stream the video to users’ computers. This means that any device that can run the Chrome browser will have access to some of the best titles available.
iOS and macOS devices will be able to take advantage of Stadia. Chrome OS, Windows, and the Chromecast dongle will be supported as well.
We don't need two Gmail clients anymore. Photo: Google
It’s nearly the end of the road for Google Inbox.
A new popup that has started appearing inside the Inbox app confirms it will be closed down on April 2. Fans of the email client have just two weeks to find an alternative, but Google recommends another of its own.
Nintendo’s newest console was by far the hottest product. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Google Chrome now supports official Nintendo Switch controllers.
The console’s included Joy-Cons and optional Pro Controller are compatible. The surprise update comes just days before Google is expected to unveil a brand new game streaming service at GDC 2019.
Are you exposing sensitive data in the cloud? Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Apple is one of a larger number of big companies that has been inadvertently leaking sensitive data through Box, the cloud storage service.
Security researchers found that staff were exposing data by sharing public links to files and documents that can be easily discovered. It’s thought more than 90 companies, including Box itself, are affected.
I wanted a Galaxy S10, but I'm stuck with iPhone. Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
It’s not easy to give up your iPhone. Even if you’ve already decided you want to switch to another handset, it’s going to be incredibly difficult to let go. Apple has you locked in. And for some iPhone owners, there is no way out.
That’s because it’s not just your iPhone that you’d be saying goodbye to. Many other apps and services you use every day — some without even thinking about it — make switching to another platform nearly impossible.
Here are all the ways Apple makes it hard to jump ship and switch to Android.
Apple decided not to fight the ruling to pay songwriters more. Photo: Apple
Every major music streaming service is joining together to appeal a controversial ruling that increases payouts to songwriters. Everyone except Apple Music that is.
Spotify, Google, Pandora and Amazon have teamed up to fight the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board’s decision to increase payouts to songwriters by 44%. Apple is the only major streamer not planning to fight the ruling, causing some artists to heap praise on the iPhone-maker for its stance.
Apple is said to be working on a fix. Photo: Apple
Google’s Project Zero team has discovered a “high severity” flaw in the macOS kernel.
The issue, which potentially allows attackers to perform malicious actions on a mounted filesystem, was reported to Apple more than 90 days ago. No fix has been made available yet, but Apple has acknowledged the issue and is working with Project Zero on a patch.
Apple acquisition meant that Shazam turned a profit in 2018 Photo: Apple
Apple has pulled all but one third-party SDK from Shazam in its latest update.
The move wipes out analytics firms, ad networks, open-source projects, and more — including Google AdMob, Facebook Ads, Amazon Ads, and DoubleClick. Only HockeyApp, a Microsoft platform for beta testing, is still available.
Google has updated its excellent Gboard keyboard for iOS to add haptic feedback.
You will now feel subtle vibrations when you type, which help make on-screen keys feel more physical. Gboard is one of just a handful of third-party options on iOS that offer this feature.
A Saudi man can use a government app to restrict the travel of his wife or daughter. Screenshot: iTunes
Google is following Apple’s lead in investigating a controversial Saudi app which allowed men to follow the locations of their wife or daughters.
Tim Cook said yesterday that Apple was looking into the app to find out whether complaints made about it were accurate. Google has now told the New York Times that it plans to do the same.
Google pays a hefty sum to stay the default Safari search engine, making a real contribution to Apple’s bottom line. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
With sales of iPhones plateauing, money from its Services sector is playing an increasing role in Apple’s bottom line. There’s a significant source of this type of revenue many might not expect: arch-rival Google.
As part of its advertising business, Google pays Apple a huge sum every year to stay the default search engine in the Safari web browser. And it’s expected to grow.
A Saudi man can use a government app to restrict the travel of his wife or daughter. Screenshot: iTunes
A U.S. senator is asking Apple and Google to pull an app in Saudi Arabia that men use to track and restrict the movements of women.
Sen. Ron Wyden wrote a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google boss Sundar Pichai asking them to “immediately remove” the app Absher, from their app stores.
The iPad Pro is almost perfect. Almost. Cover: Marty Cortinas/Cult of Mac
We love Apple products. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be even better. In this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine, you’ll get the lowdown on our pet peeves about working with the iPad and MacBook Pro.
Plus, get some killer tips for boosting your Google searches (and learn how to ad stickers to your next “megaselfie”). Read up on the rest of the week’s best Apple news, reviews and how-tos in the latest issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. It’s yours for free in the iOS app store now.
Google is watching, all the time. Turn it to your advantage. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
How many time have you tried to remember that site where you read that thing last week? A million, probably. And how many times have you found it? Less than a million, for sure. But did you know that you can use Google to search only sites that you have visited?
You can probably find this photo using Google's advanced image search. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Last week we saw how to use Google’s search operators to narrow a search and get exactly what you want, just by adding a few words to your search string. Today we’ll check out the Google’s Advanced Image Search, which is just as handy, only for pictures
Apple was back at the top of the mountain yesterday! Photo: Apple
For a long time, Apple stock was predictable in the way that 1980s Mike Tyson was predictable: steamrolling through challengers as it firmly held onto its status as all-conquering champion.
That changed last year as Apple’s market cap fell behind Amazon, Google, and even old rival Microsoft. But yesterday, for a few moments, it climbed back to the top of the mountain as the world’s most valuable company once again. For a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, that is!
Search like a pro with Google search operators. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
For many folks, Google is the front page of the internet. You don’t type Facebook.com into your browser. You just type “Facebook,” and then click the first Google result. Or you do a basic search by tapping in what you’re looking for.
But Google is way more powerful than that. You just have to learn a few of its secret code words, and then you can slice and dice your searches like a pro. No more wading through pages of results to find what you want. Use these tricks, and you’ll almost always get what you want on the first page. You can even ask Google to show you the weather.