The Spotify update we’ve been waiting for since the launch of iOS 13 has landed. The latest version of the app finally adds Siri support, so you can ask the virtual assistant to play artists, tracks, and more.
The iPad is perfect for simple tasks. For more advanced things? Not so much. Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
Even with all the new productivity features in iPadOS, the iPad still can’t touch the Mac when it comes to ease of use. The reason? It’s complicated.
Find out why Cult of Mac’s Graham Bower thinks the iPad user interface can never really compete with the Mac in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. As usual, we crammed it full of Apple news and opinions. You also will find plenty of Apple how-tos and reviews. (Don’t miss our Apple Watch Series 5 review.)
Grab your free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine now from the iOS App Store. Or hit the links below to read in your browser.
The Apple Pencil can now take screenshots! Photo: Apple
Like skinning a cat, there’s more than one way to take a screenshot on the iPhone and iPad. And with the launch of iPadOS 13, there’s now one more way to snap a picture of your screen on the iPad.
Let’s check out all the ways to take a screenshot on an iPad running iOS 13.
Cult of Mac pays real cash — and fast! Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The brand-new 10.2-inch iPad is now available from the Apple Store. If you already have yours, it’s time to make some of your money back by getting rid of your old model.
If your new iPad looks like this, you're holding it wrong. Photo: iFixit
Apple’s new 10.2-inch iPad only arrived in stores yesterday, and already the good folks at iFixit have gotten hold of the device and cracked it open for a teardown.
Here’s what they found. (Hint: a lot of things stay the same, but there are a couple of neat touches!)
Bookmarklets IRL. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Every time I’ve written about bookmarklets, I’ve had to add a section on how to add them to Safari in iOS. On the Mac, you just drag them up to the bookmark bar, and you’re done. On iOS, the situation was so complex that I wrote a whole how-to just so I could link to that, instead of writing several paragraphs every time. But there is a way to drag and drop bookmarklets on iOS.
I’ve tested it on iOS 12 and iOS 13, and it’s amazing.
Apple has dropped a series of how-to videos that help you get the most out of iPadOS. You can use them to master features like Slide Over, Split View, and brand-new gestures.
After using Dark Mode, I don’t think I’ll be going back to the bright white iOS interface anytime soon. Apple poured a bunch of thought into Dark Mode so that it does more than just make everything black.
With iPadOS, you're one step closer to replacing your Mac with an iPad. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
iOS 13 is pretty great on the iPhone, but the real deal is iPadOS 13. With the new operating system, Apple split its tablet and phone platforms for the first time since the launch of the original iPad, and the tablet went in a whole new direction. iPadOS is still iOS, but now there are contextual menus, multiple windows for apps, a home screen that isn’t just a blown-up iPhone home screen, and a proper web browser. You can even plug in mice and USB hard drives.
Apple managed a fine balancing act here. If you update to iPadOS 13 and don’t really think about it, then everything (mostly) works the same, with just extra speed and polish. But if you want to dig in, you will find a whole new computer just below the surface.
In iOS 13, Photos is now an image-editing powerhouse Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
The Photos app in iOS 13 is now good enough that you may never need another app to edit your photos, for regular edits at least. Somehow Apple made the app even easier to use, and added some new features, while making existing features far easier to find.
For instance, Portrait Mode now gets its own tab; the automatic magic wand tool can now be fine-tuned (as can the built-in filters); and the crop tool now fixes perspective, and mirror-flips your photos.
iOS 13 lets you plug almost any USB device into your iPhone or iPad. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
iOS 13, which launches today, focuses more on adding a range of incredibly useful features and tweaks rather than pursuing a bold, overarching new direction. For instance, Safari on iPad now functions as a full desktop browser, just like on your Mac. Another great addition is the redesigned share sheet, which includes a top row of one-tap buttons for easily sharing with friends via iMessage. If you’re curious about when someone shares their location how do you see it, iOS also introduces enhancements to location-sharing features, which you can learn more abouthere.
Or, in iPadOS 13, which ships at the end of the month, you can plug in pretty much any USB device and it will work. Hard drives, SD cards full of movies, anything.
So, while you’re waiting for the new version of iOS to install on your device(s), check out all the new iOS 13 features right here.
Apple today rolled out iOS 13.1 beta four ahead of the update’s public release on September 30.
The latest release is available to both public and developer testers. It doesn’t appear to make any obvious changes, so likely focuses on performance and stability improvements.
Chatting with friends couldn't be easier. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Fortnite’s brand new Party Hub makes it easier than ever for mobile players to stay in touch with friends.
You can use it to chat to other players both inside and outside of the game. It will tell you which of your friends are online and let you start a party before jumping into a match on any platform.
Think twice about buying the new 10.2-inch iPad if you’re a frequent Microsoft Office user.
Microsoft’s rather strange policy on tablet use will almost certainly mean you’ll lose out on free Office access if you upgrade to Apple’s newest slate. And a subscription will cost you $9.99 a month.
Keep your iPhone close by. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
A newly-discovered flaw in iOS 13 lets anyone access your contacts without your passcode.
It takes just a few simple steps to bypass your iPhone’s lockscreen and see every phone number, email address, and physical address you have saved. But a fix is already on the way.
Without the sacrifice of 3D Touch, this wouldn't be possible on iPad. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
I love 3D Touch. I use it all the time. It’s one of the handiest shortcuts on the iPhone. And now, with the iPhone 11, it’s gone. But I don’t care. Why? Because Haptic Touch is almost as good. Even better, thanks to Apple’s switch to Haptic Touch, you can use all those 3D Touch features on the iPad.
Take a deep breath and dive into the new features with us. Photo: Apple
Apple’s big event today lasted for an action-packed 105 minutes but if you don’t have time to watch the entire presentation, Apple’s got the perfect video for you.
Along with publishing all the new product videos it showed off today, Apple also created its own summary video of the entire keynote. In less than two minutes the video manages to cram in all the new features on the iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11, Apple Watch Series 5, iPad, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+ and more at a frenzied pace.
Tim Cook was in a hurry to reveal Apple's new goodies. Photo: Apple
Tim Cook promised a “huge” morning full of “big” announcements, and boy was he not kidding.
Apple kicked off its 2019 iPhone keynote by diving straight into Apple Arcade. Cook and his colleagues didn’t let off the gas until they squeezed all the juice possible out of Apple’s product lineup 105 minutes later. After promising attendees that innovation would be on full display, Apple revealed it’s coming for your wrist, your pocket, living room, TV, gaming console, DSLR and much more.
Apple today surprised us with a brand new entry-level iPad. It’s even bigger, with a 10.2-inch screen, and it now boasts a Smart Connector like iPad Pro. But it’s still nicely priced.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new iPad.
Get ready for Apple's latest innovations. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
The stage of the Steve Jobs Theater is set for the biggest Apple keynote of the year — and we can’t wait to watch the iPhone 11 unveiling with you.
Rather than live-blogging the Apple “By Innovation Only” event, Cult of Mac is hosting a live chat so all our writers and readers of the site alike can nerd out on all the glory Tim Cook and the gang have in store. We know for sure we’re getting new iPhones but there’s still plenty of room for some surprises.
Could we see a new Apple TV set-top box? A Tile-style tracking device called Apple Tags? An Apple TV+ price tag and launch date? The anticipation is killing us. Apple’s iPhone 11 keynote kicks off Tuesday at 10 a.m. Pacific. Of course, we’ll be getting wild in the chat beforehand, so come in and join the fun.
Apple will unveil new iPhones next week. Photo: Apple
With Apple’s next keynote event just days away, Apple has updated its Apple Events app for Apple TV. If you own an Apple TV and want to watch Tuesday’s event from the comfort of your couch, this is the app you need.
The September 10 “By innovation only” event kicks off at 10am Pacific/1pm Eastern. A new wallpaper hints at the event’s theme, which many are predicting refers to the new color options for the iPhone 11.
iOS 13.1 beta 1 brings back almost every cool feature dropped from previous betas. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
After the release of iOS 13.1 beta 2, iOS 13 is probably good enough for you to install and use. I’ve been running the new iPadOS on an old test iPad since the very first version, and it has been glitchy all the way. But as of the latest developer beta, almost all of the problems have been ironed out.
So, is the iOS 13 beta really stable enough to install?
Here's how much you can make selling certain exploit chains. Photo: Zerodium
One of the biggest buyers of iOS zero-day exploits says the market is flooded with new iPhone bugs due to weakened security components in Safari and iMessage.
Zerodium, which pays $2 million for iOS exploits, recently announced it’s increasing its payout for Android exploits to $2.5 million. iOS used to be the most locked-down mobile operating system, but the company says Android’s security has improved with every new OS release while iOS has been slacking, leading to a glut of new exploits.
How much space do duplicate files take up on your iPad? In theory, they use no extra storage. Thanks to the design of the Apple File System (APFS) used on iOS and macOS, duplicating a file doesn’t actually create a copy. It just creates a reference that points to the original file on the disk.
But what about File Providers, and iCloud, and all that stuff? I decided to take a deep dive and find out if you can really make a zillion copies of a file with no penalty. The results were, to say the least, confusing.