Mobile menu toggle

iOS - page 10

Apple rejects iOS apps that support the Pebble watch

By

Investors and consumers alike are skipping Pebble
Investors and consumers alike are skipping Pebble
Photo: Pebble

Apple has begun rejecting iOS apps that support Pebble, the immensely popular and more affordable alternative to Apple Watch.

One developer received an email to say that their app, SeaNav US, was no longer welcome in the App Store because it mentions the Pebble — a third-party mobile platform — in its description.

Shamed Apple dev admits faking cancer to increase sales

By

apple watch
Disgraced app developer Belle Gibson was profiled on many TV shows, including "Australia's No. 1 breakfast show." Photo: Sunrise
Photo: Sunrise

Australian indie developer Belle Gibson — known for her iOS app The Whole Pantry — has publicly admitted that she made up a story about suffering from terminal brain cancer to boost profits.

“No. None of it’s true,” she told The Australian Women’s Weekly magazine when asked if she had ever had cancer. “I am still jumping between what I think I know and what is reality. I have lived it and I’m not really there yet.”

The 26-year-old entrepreneur based her business around telling others how she had overcome cancer through “healthy living” and without the use of conventional medicine. Apple was seemingly so taken with the story that it flew her to Cupertino to work on delivering one of the first wave of Apple Watch apps — although this has since been pulled.

How to transfer contacts and photos from Android to iOS

By

Transfer all of your Android contacts and photos in no time.
Transfer all of your Android contacts and photos to iOS in no time. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

You’re finally making the move, getting rid of your old Android phone in favor of a shiny new iPhone. The only problem is transferring all your valuable contacts and photographs from one device to the other.

Well, in today’s video I’m going to show you how to do just that — and luckily it’s a lot quicker and easier than you may think.

Make iOS Calendar look the way you want

By

Calendar
Press the button. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Oh, that pesky list view in your iOS Calendar app. It sure likes to go missing in various iOS updates, doesn’t it, like in iOS 7 when it just, sort of, disappeared.

It’s not totally gone now in iOS 8.3, but there is a new way to access it along with a new layout. There are also some funky ways to move around your Calendar app that may not be as intuitive as they should. These aren’t necessarily new to iOS 8.3, but it’s handy to know them, as well.

Here’s the recipe you’ll need to view your iOS Calendar the way you want on your iPhone and iPad.

Apple will kick off WWDC 2015 on June 8

By

WWDC 2015 is official. Photo: Apple
WWDC 2015 is official. Photo: Apple

This year’s Worldwide Developers Conference will kick off June 8 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, Apple said today. The five-day event will provide an early glimpse at the future of iOS and OS X, plus more developer sessions than ever before.

Apple Watch gets mixed reviews and HBO NOW comes to iOS on The CultCast

By

HBO NOW on iOS?  God's be good!
HBO NOW on iOS? God's be good!
Photo: HBO

This week: get’em while they’re hot! The Apple Watch is ready for pre-order, but the reviews are in, and they’re a mixed bag. Plus: what’s good in iOS 8.3 and OS X 10.10.3; Robert Baratheon makes HBO NOW a no-brainer; Samsung is up to their old tricks; the new Macbook didn’t benchmark well, but it might not matter; and things get weird in an all-new Get to Know Your Cultist!

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Squarespace 7 is live, and it’s their biggest update in years. Now building a beautiful website is faster and easier than ever. Learn more at Squarespace.com/seven and use code “CultCast” at checkout for 10% off any order.

cultcast-174-post-player-image-thin

Full show notes ahead!

Become a Safari search master with quick iOS tip

By

Searching within Safari pages is pretty easy, but well-hidden. Photo: Rob LeFebvre
Searching within Safari pages is pretty easy, but well-hidden. Photo: Rob LeFebvre

On the Mac, it’s super-easy to search for a word or phrase within the currently loaded page. You simply hit Command-F on your keyboard and Safari, Chrome or any other web browser will open up a little field to type your search terms into.

But what about when you’re using mobile Safari on your iPhone or iPad? How do you find a specific word or phrase there?

It’s pretty simple, but not super-intuitive. Here’s our recipe for finding search terms on your iPhone’s version of Safari.

Gamify your commute: Waze drops Easter eggs all over the road

By

Need to gamify your ride? Waze has you covered. Photo remix: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac
Need to gamify your ride? Waze has you covered. Photo remix: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

Crowd-sourced navigation app Waze has got a neat little idea for this coming Easter: little eggs you can drive over while using the app for points (three per egg!) and bragging rights.

So, as you drive down the street, headed to the grocery or picking up the kids, you can maximize your route to get as many egg points as possible.

This fun little promotion is happening now (it started last week) and will last through April 5.

How to mark all iMessages as read on your iPhone

By

Apple's iMessage platform is in legal trouble.
Too many unread iMessages? Try this simple trick. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

If you’re like me, you’ve got a ton of unread iMessages on your iPhone and tapping through them all just to get rid of your app badge anxiety seems like a bit too much effort.

Apple has your back, though, with a nicely designed way to mark all your iMessages as read. It might not be apparent at first glance where to find this magic trick. Here’s how.

The year’s creepiest puzzle game goes free on iOS as App of the Week

By

Could this be 2015's most atmospheric game? Photo:
Could this be 2015's most atmospheric game? Photo: RAC7 Games

Although the App Store is still full of freemium games like Angry Birds, Apple is pretty great when it comes to highlighting some of the more unusual titles that pop up on iOS — from the M.C. Escher gorgeousness of Monument Valley to the nihilistic weirdness of Sometimes You Die.

The company continues that trend with its latest pick for App of the Week, which would normally set you back a couple of bucks, but can be downloaded completely free of charge for the next seven days. It’s Dark Echo, a uniquely twisted puzzle game by RAC7 Games — and I’m here to tell you it’s excellent.

Check out the trailer and a description below. Trust me, if you like unusually minimalist puzzlers, you won’t be disappointed.

Nintendo shares skyrocket with iOS and Android games on the horizon

By

post-316119-image-ef22c59f8dbdab8d2389ae9fc77ad40e-jpg

The video game world rejoiced yesterday at the news that Nintendo is finally backing down on its anti-smartphone and tablet stance, and is working to bring its most beloved franchises to Android and iOS.

But gamers aren’t the only ones celebrating!

Nintendo shares shot up 21 percent in the 24 hours after the company said it was teaming with Tokyo-based mobile company DeNA to develop smartphone games. The result was Nintendo’s value on the Tokyo Stock Exchange rising to its best closing price since June 2011.

Future versions of Windows could update like World of Warcraft

By

Future version of Windows could update like MMOs, will Apple follow suit? Photo: Neowin
Future versions of Windows could update like MMOs. Will Apple follow suit? Photo: Neowin

These days, Apple has one of the better cloud infrastructures in the world. Even so, the sheer demand for a new version of iOS or OS X on release day can bring Apple’s network to its knees. Apple’s servers simply can’t keep up with the demand.

But Microsoft might have found a better way. In the latest version of the Windows 10 operating system beta, there’s an option to download app and OS updates from multiple sources: not just Microsoft’s cloud servers, but all local network or PCs on the internet.

In other words? The future of updating operating systems might be a lot like updating World of Warcraft.

Use these wallpapers to spend less time on your iPhone

By

Playful design with a serious message. Photo: Molly McLeod
Playful design with a serious message. Photo: Molly McLeod

Designer, artist and feminist Molly McLeod has an iPhone problem. It’s one we probably all share: We spend too much time staring at it. Imagine how much worse it’s going to get when we replace our neurotic iPhone obsession with an Apple Watch.

McLeod created four delightfully playful designs that we could use to remind us (with a healthy dose of irony) to stop staring at our tiny screens for a moment.

“I find myself habitually looking at my phone when I’m commuting or idly waiting for something,” she writes on her website, “so I thought I would make my phone give me this gentle reminder. There are always other interesting things to look at if you look up!”

Hide iOS QuickType bar and free up screen space

By

QuickType just might be cramping your style. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
QuickType just might be cramping your style. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo:

Got an iPhone 6 or smaller? You might be feeling a little cramped for space on your screen due to iOS 8’s new word-prediction system.

That little gray bar that sits just above your iOS keyboard is called the QuickType bar, and it’s where all the auto-correct and typing suggestions appear when you’re sending an email, typing a note or iMessaging with someone. The suggestions are based on your past conversations, which lets QuickType take your writing style into account. It even keeps track of who you’re writing to, since your word choice is typically tied to your conversation partner.

If you want to hide it because you need more space on your screen, you can do so in any of three ways. You can also bring it back if you’ve inadvertently hidden it and don’t know where it went.

Take a peek inside Apple Watch’s companion iOS app

By

Photo: Cult of Mac
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple placed another app that can’t be deleted on everyone’s iPhones with the release of iOS 8.2. For now, the Apple Watch companion app is just a useless tease if you don’t have an Apple Watch yet, but iOS developer Hamza Sood has cracked it open and given us a preview of what the app will look like once you get your watch.

Sood tweeted some interesting tidbits about the app, revealing its beautiful dark theme along with details about the settings, how to add friends, mute notifications, and other interesting features.

Take a peek inside the app below:

Apple unlocks iOS betas for everyone, not just developers

By

Photo: Cult of Mac
Want to get in on the newest versions of iOS before everyone else? Now's your chance. Photo: Jim Merithew/ Cult of Mac

For the first time, Apple has made it possible for those without an App Store developer membership to use iOS betas. Anyone can legitimately download and install today’s iOS 8.3 beta by joining Apple’s official Beta Testing Program.

OS X Yosemite was the first software release that could be beta tested by non-devs, and now that Apple has flung open the gates on iOS, many more people will likely opt-in to be on the cutting edge of where the operating system is headed.

Meet Google’s new Calendar app for iPhone

By

post-315110-image-14f12e2dda283a534880529da4ac39eb-jpg

Google’s gorgeous redesign of the Calendar app has finally made its way to iPhone. The Android version of Google Calendar’s redesign was released last fall, but iPhone users can now get their fingers on the official Google Calendar app too.

Like on the new Android version, you get new features like Events from Gmail, to turn emails into events on your calendar. Assists makes adding events quicker by recommending information to insert, and the new Schedule View makes it easier to scan your calendar and see what events you have coming up.

Take a tour of the new app below:

CIA spends years trying to break Apple’s security

By

The CIA is gunning for Apple's security. Photo: Spy vs. Spy
The CIA is gunning for Apple's security. Photo: Spy vs. Spy

The CIA has been been involved in a multi-year effort to crack iOS security, according to new information provided to The Intercept by whistleblower Edward Snowden. The attempts have been the focal point of multiple yearly CIA conferences called “The Jamboree.”

Among the possible solutions proposed include a means of “whacking” Xcode, the software used to create apps for iOS and Macs. Researchers claimed they had discovered a means by which Xcode could be manipulated to allow devices to be infected, so as to allow for the extraction of private data — thereby creating a “remote backdoor” that would disable core security features and allow undetected access to Apple devices.

How Android Wear stacks up against the Apple Watch

By

post-314659-image-edac148685eb770cb9cfa7597aa3b144-jpg

Now that we know more about the long-awaited Apple Watch, it’s time to find out how it stacks up against Google’s Android Wear platform and the growing number of wearables that support it.

There are lots of similarities between the two, but there also some big differences in software, hardware, and price that will likely help you decide which one is right for you.

Apple is working on fix for newly discovered ‘FREAK’ security bug

By

This login screen for a Quanta Computer database led to sensitive documents containing details on upcoming Apple products. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
The Freak bug went unnoticed for over a decade. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A newly discovered security bug has secretly left Safari users on both iOS and OS X vulnerable to attacks on hundreds of thousands of websites for years.

The ‘FREAK’ security flaw was exposed today by a group of nine researchers who discovered web browsers could be forced to use an intentionally-weakened form of encryption. FREAK effects iPhones, Macs, and Android browsers, but Apple’s spokesman says the company will release a fix next week.