Among the cool updates iOS 15 brought in September is an upgraded Weather app with some interesting and useful features. One of those is a new Precipitation map that’ll show you exactly where it is, and will be, raining (or snowing or sleeting) in your area — or anywhere.
You can also view Temperature and Air Quality maps in the same way. We’ll show you how.
Streaming brand Elgato’s EpocCam app, which lets you turn your iPhone into a webcam for your Mac or PC, now features native support for Snap Lens augmented reality filters. Parent company Corsair Gaming announced the update Thursday.
Amazon is now offering its second and biggest discount on the new Apple MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. The $19.05 discount reduces the price of the device to just $79.95 for a limited time only.
Bag yours before the price returns to normal.
Your iPhone charger doesn’t have to look like a charger when it’s off-duty. Twelve South launched its PowerPic Mod Wireless Charger on Wednesday. The Qi-enabled charging stand serves as a picture frame, with a detachable magnetic lucite frame that fits any 4 x 6 photo or graphic.
AXS Technologies has rolled out a more modular design for its Power1 battery pack case for iPhone and AirPods, Cult of Mac first wrote about in 2019. It’s an interesting product because it will carry and charge both devices at the same time, right in your pocket.
WhatsApp’s encrypted backups features is now rolling out on iPhone. Users can create a password to prevent unauthorized access to their chat data, while still uploading it to iCloud or Google Drive for their convenience.
The feature ensures that your WhatsApp chats are protected, even if the backup file itself somehow makes it into the wrong hands.
MagSafe is a huge step forward in wireless charging for iPhone. But Apple’s own MagSafe Charger is somewhat boring and pretty overpriced. The Wood Charger from Limited77 is a great alternative.
It works just like a MagSafe Charger, magnetically attaching itself to the back of iPhone 12, and it charges just as quickly. It’s also much more affordable. Want to know more? Here’s our full review.
iPhone is responsible for a whopping three quarters of all profits earned in the global smartphone market, according to a new report. That’s despite Apple seeing fewer sales than Samsung and Xiaomi.
Cupertino’s handset business actually accounted for just 13% of all smartphone shipments during the second quarter of 2021. But thanks to the large profit margins it enjoys on almost all of its products, it is by far the biggest earner.
iOS is safer than Android because you cannot sideload apps onto an iPhone, Apple says. The company this week published a document in response to the European Commission’s proposal that could force Apple to allow third-party app marketplaces, which points out the many risks (as Apple sees it) with that plan.
Titled “Building a Trusted Ecosystem for Millions of Apps,” the 31-page PDF argues that allowing the sideloading of apps on iPhone “would cripple the privacy and security protections that have made iPhone so secure.”
If you have fond memories of the ’70s tech that was generously steeped in woodgrain panels, you’ll love this sweet iPhone 12 case from Limited77.
It combines a flexible, shock-absorbing shell with a wooden finish that gives your smartphone plenty of protection and a little extra character. It’s also fully compatible with MagSafe accessories.
Check out our full review right here — and bag yours at 17% off the usual price.
I think most of us can agree that iPhone is long overdue a USB-C upgrade. But despite bringing the technology to Mac and iPad years ago, Apple seems reluctant to ditch Lightning for its smartphones. So, someone else did.
Robotics engineering student Ken Pillonel managed to replace the Lightning connector in his iPhone with a working USB-C connector. The mod allows for charging and data transfer — but it’s not one you’ll want to perform yourself.
After months and months of leaks and speculation, Rockstar Games today confirmed it is bringing Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition to consoles, PC, and mobile devices — including iPhone and iPad.
The collection includes all three PlayStation 2-era GTA games — GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas — which “will feature across-the-board upgrades including graphical improvements and modern gameplay enhancements … while still maintaining the classic look and feel.”
Google executive Hiroshi Lockheimer has called on Apple to adopt the Rich Communication Services (RCS) protocol that would enable improved and more secure messaging between iPhone and Android devices.
RCS brings a number of modern features — including support for audio messages, group chats, typing indicators and read receipts — and end-to-end encryption to traditional text messaging. But it’s unlikely Apple will play ball.
Apple is working on deeper CarPlay integration that could one day allow the system to take control of your vehicle’s air conditioning, seats, radio and more, according to a new report that cites people familiar with the plan.
The project, known as “IronHeart” internally, would require greater support from vehicle manufacturers. But if Apple can see it through, it would make CarPlay a whole lot more than a basic infotainment system.
Get into the Halloween spirit by giving your iPhone a sweet and spooky makeover. Casetify’s new Halloween case collection is available now from the Cult of Mac Store — with support for iPhone 13 models.
Bag yours in time for trick-or-treating!
About 60% of the price of an iPhone 13 Pro goes into producing it, according to a analysts’ estimate. That figure comes from examining the cost of each component in Apple’s new high-end smartphone. It’s much more than Apple used have to pay.
And note that the rest of the selling price isn’t pure profit.
Apple on Friday released an update for iOS 15 that takes care of a bug that disabled Unlock with Apple Watch on the iPhone 13 series. This patch — dubbed iOS 15.0.1 — has other bug fixes too, including one that incorrectly told users their storage was nearly full.
The new version is accompanied by iPadOS 15.0.1 with its own bug fixes.
Apple released a rare Device Support Update on Thursday for macOS Big Sur. While details are thin, the patch fixes a problem with Macs communicating with iPhones and iPads.
It’s a free download available now.
Siri is widely considered the dumbest of the smart assistants (although I would argue that Samsung’s Bixby easily takes that crown) and it just got a little dumber. Apple has removed a whole bunch of useful Siri features that iPhone users — particularly those with vision impairment — relied on.
Siri can no longer play your voicemail messages, check your call history, send an email, and more. “Sorry, I can’t help with that” is the response that greets iPhone users who attempt to use the features that were available before iOS 15 made its public debut almost two weeks ago.
Security researchers have discovered a major flaw in Express Transit on iPhone that allows hackers to steal money from a user’s Visa card. They say the problem can be easily fixed, but neither Apple or Visa seem interested.
The flaw makes it possible for iPhone’s contactless payment system, designed to make it easier and faster to pay for public transport, to be charged arbitrary transactions by a device that imitates a transport terminal.
Some iPhone models are being plagued by touchscreen issues under Apple’s newest iOS 15 firmware. The problem, which seems to affect iPhone 13 owners most, causes devices to not respond to touch inputs.
A restart temporarily fixes the issue, though it does appear to resurface again soon after. Some say that repeated touches can get the screen working normally again, though.
When supposed features of the iPhone 14 leaked out in early September, some complained that the iPhone 13 wasn’t even out at the time. But an Apple VP revealed that the company starts deciding on new iPhone features a full three years before launch.
Which means Apple is probably already at work on iPhone 18. And most features of the 2022 model are almost certainly fixed.
Spotify says it is looking into complaints regarding increased battery usage under iOS 15 and iOS 14.8. A growing list of users are reporting that the Spotify app has been draining their battery life since they updated their devices.
“We’ve passed your info on to the relevant team and we can confirm they are currently looking into it,” the music streaming giant told one customer.
Apple’s official MagSafe Charger just hit its lowest price yet after Amazon slashed $11.86 off its usual price for a limited time only.
Bag yours today — in time for your iPhone 13 upgrade — for just $27.14 before the discount disappears.
iPhone models that can’t install iOS 14 or iOS 15 can still get protection from the infamous Pegasus spyware thanks to iOS 12.5.5. Apple released this update Thursday for devices as old as the iPhone 5s to close a security hole in active use by hackers.
The same update can also be installed on older iPad and iPod touch models.