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iPhone - page 49

Use the Biscuit ceramic wireless charger forever? So they say.

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The ceramic Biscuit charger is designed to be upgraded.
The ceramic Biscuit charger is designed to be upgraded.
Photo: Charles Duffy

A Kickstarter campaign promises a new iPhone wireless charger with a zirconia ceramic body and interior mechanics designed for easy repairs and upgrades. That means it bucks the “planned obsolescence” trend and begs longterm — and even permanent — use. The product’s name? Biscuit.

How to watch the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Mac

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How to watch Tokyo 2020
There are plenty of ways to tune in.
Photo: The Olympics/Cult of Mac

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games officially kicks off on Friday, June 23, and you can enjoy it all on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Mac. We’ll guide you through who’s hosting the action, and which apps you’ll need to watch it.

Charge it all with Anker’s new PowerExpand 9-in-1 USB-C dock

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The new Anker PowerExpand 9-in-1 USB-C PD Dock offers 60W of charging power.
The new Anker PowerExpand 9-in-1 USB-C PD Dock offers 60W of charging power.
Photo: Anker

Following the release of its 12-port Thunderbolt 4 dock in June, Anker is now rolling out a new addition to the PowerExpand range, the PowerExpand 9-in-1 USB-C PD Dock. It keeps a slimmer profile than Anker’s beefier docks in the range, some with a 12 and 13 ports.

How to use Slack’s new Huddles feature on iPhone, iPad and Mac

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How to use Slack Huddles
Host casual conversations, share your screen and more.
Image: Slack/Cult of Mac

Slack is rolling out its new Huddles feature in an effort to bring the office environment to wherever you might be working. The feature lets you hold “quick, informal discussions” with other members of your team.

You can also use it to share your desktop screen, which makes it great for demonstrations. We’ll show you how to use Huddles on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Apple seeds first AirPods Pro beta firmware — here’s how to get it

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How to install AirPods Pro beta firmware
Grab Apple's first AirPods Pro beta today.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple this week seeded its first AirPods Pro beta firmware for registered developers. This version enables a number of new features, including Ambient Noise Reduction and spatial audio for FaceTime calls.

Here’s how you can get yours hand on it.

Everything you need to know about the Pegasus spyware infecting smartphones

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Pegasus spyware FAQ
And how to tell if your iPhone is infected.
Photo: NSO Group/Cult of Mac

NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware is making headlines again after it was reported that a number of governments around the world have been using it to hack the smartphones of activists, politicians, journalists and other individuals.

A list of potential surveillance targets, which includes more than 50,000 phone numbers, was leaked and obtained by a number of news outlets over the weekend, reigniting concerns over government surveillance.

So, what exactly is Pegasus? And who might be a potential target of an attack? How can you tell if your iPhone already fell victim to the spyware? We rounded up everything you need to know about Pegasus.

Keep hydrogen peroxide away from your Apple devices

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Do not clean or disinfect your iPhone with hydrogen peroxide
Don’t combine your iPhone and hydrogen peroxide.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple recently added hydrogen peroxide to the list of cleansers not to use on its products. The chemical is often employed to disinfect surfaces, but it’s not recommended for wiping down your iPhone, Mac or iPad. Or your Apple peripherals, either.

The warning comes as the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on.

Anker rolls out detachable, wireless PowerWave Go 3-in-1 Stand

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The Anker PowerWave 3-in-1 charging stand lets you take power on the go.
The Anker PowerWave 3-in-1 charging stand lets you take power on the go.
Photo: Anker

Anker’s first announced its new PowerWave Go 3-in-1 Stand for charging iPhones, Apple Watches and AirPods back in January. Well, it just came out. The cool wrinkle here is a removable power bank to charge devices on the go.

Why we want iPhone wireless charging in reverse [Cult of Mac Magazine 410]

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iPhone reverse wireless charging. We want more.
We want more!
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 12’s secret reverse wireless charging capability will work with Apple’s new MagSafe Battery Pack. That’s great and all, but Apple should let the iPhone charge other gear, too.

Think how cool it would be to top off your AirPods Pro simply by setting them atop your iPhone.

It’s a logical next step (and it might even be coming soon). Find out why we think Apple should go all in on iPhone reverse wireless charging in the cover story of this week’s free Cult of Mac Magazine. Read it in the app on your favorite iOS device, or get the links to the stories below.

‘iPhone 13’ could feature Wi-Fi 6E for even better connectivity

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iPhone 12 Pro Max review: The industrial design will leave you breathless.
But you'll need a compatible Wi-Fi router to enjoy it.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple’s next-generation “iPhone 13” devices could feature Wi-Fi 6E technology for even better connectivity, according to a new report.

The extended version of Wi-Fi 6 — which is already available in iPhone 11 and later — promises even faster speeds and better range using the 6GHz band. But you probably won’t be able to enjoy it out of the box.

How to use a long, alphanumeric iPhone passcode so cops can’t hack it [Update]

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iPhone passcode
A strong passcode is the next-best thing to keeping your iPhone in a safe.
Photo: Rob Pongsajapan/FlickrCC

It’s time to stop using that useless six-digit passcode on your iPhone. Now that cops around the United States are going crazy for the GrayKey, a little box that can crack your iPhone’s passcode in hours, it has become clear that the iPhone’s regular six-digit numerical code is no longer secure.

Plus, now that GrayKey is available, it won’t be long before they’re in the hands of the bad guys, too, if they’re not already. In fact, instructions on how GrayKey works surfaced online last month.

The good news is, it’s super-easy to change your iPhone passcode to something a lot better. The bad news? There actually isn’t any, unless you already have the cops trying to break into your iPhone — in which case you’ve got plenty of bad news already.

Cupertino plans ‘buy now, pay later’ offering called ‘Apple Pay Later’

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A planned new service will give you more options to pay over time.
A planned new service will give you more options to pay over time.
Photo: Apple

Apple and its Apple Card partner, Goldman Sachs, plan to launch a new pay-in-installments service for all Apple Pay purchases reportedly known internally as “Apple Pay Later.” It resembles other “buy now, pay later” offerings from companies like Affirm Holdings and PayPal.

Apple plans to build 90 million next-generation iPhone units this year

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Next-generation iPhone 13 Pro concept is exactly what we’ve been hoping for
Apple seems to be expecting big things from "iPhone 13."
Photo: Ran Avni/ConceptsiPhone

Apple has tasked its manufacturing partners to deliver 90 million next-generation iPhone units by the end of 2021, according to a new report.

Scheduled to launch in September or October, the new lineup — which many refer to as “iPhone 13,” although the name remains unclear — is expected to be even more of a success than last year’s popular iPhone 12 models.

Apple’s iPhone Weather app is hilariously prudish

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Apple’s iPhone Weather app is hilariously prudish
Apple’s Weather app never gets to have any fun.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

You can be certain it’s never 69 degrees in Cupertino. Never. In what might be a somewhat amazing level of prudishness, Apple’s default iPhone Weather app reportedly will not indicate that the temperature is one degree warmer than 68.

Soulja Boy says Steve Jobs dropped in on music video shoot to give him an iPhone

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Soulja Boy
"Then Superman that phone..."
Photo: Bandai Namco Entertainment America/Wikipedia CC

Rapper Soulja Boy, best known for his 2007 viral hit “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” has another claim to fame as well: According to the 30-year-old rapper, Steve Jobs visited him on the set of his first music video and brought him the first iPhone.

At least, that’s the story Soulja Boy shared in a clip from an upcoming podcast interview for Million Dollaz Worth of Game. “I was the first rapper with the iPhone,” Soulja Boy says. “It was ‘Crank That’ video shoot 2007. Steve Jobs and the Apple team came. I was in the swimming pool, doing the instructional dance. Showing the people how to do the dance … They came, they brought me the iPhone.”

Last chance: Save on stellar iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch accessories in our Fourth of July sale

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Juuk polished Revo
Save on the stunning polished Revo from Juuk, and lots, lots more.
Photo: Juuk

The Cult of Mac Store just kicked off its big Fourth of July sale, offering 15% off all items when you spend $50 or more.

Take your pick from some of the best iPhone, iPad and AirPods cases, stands, Apple Watch bands and more — all hand-picked and approved by members of the Cult of Mac team.

The offer ends today, so enjoy it while you can!

How to downgrade to iOS 14 after installing the iOS 15 beta

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How to downgrade to iOS 14
Got iOS 15 public beta regret? It's not too late to go back.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

If you’ve already installed the iOS 15 beta on your iPhone and run into issues, you might want to downgrade to iOS 14 until more stable releases are available. Luckily, it’s really easy to do that if you have a Mac handy.

We’ll show you how.

2022 iPad Pro could pack next-gen 3nm chip for even greater performance

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iPad-Pro-Magic-Trackpad-3
Coming in late 2022?
Photo: Apple

The 2022 iPad Pro could ship with a next-generation chipset manufactured using a cutting-edge 3-nanometer process, according to a new report out of Asia, citing several sources familiar with the matter.

The upgrade would lead to even greater performance for what is already one of Apple’s fastest mobile devices. But we may have to wait longer for the same technology to make its way to iPhone.

Apple will buy LG smartphones to attract more iPhone switchers

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Apple now accepts LG phones for trade-in
Get up to $180 for your old LG device.
Photo: LG

Apple will now give you credit toward an iPhone when you trade in an eligible smartphone from LG. A total of four different devices are accepted right now, with up to $180 on offer.

The move comes just months after LG announced it is exiting the smartphone business. The South Korean firm will not release any new handsets following years of sales declines and losses.

How to enhance remote work with Apple devices and endpoint management

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Hexnode: Remote work is the new normal. Is your organization making it as safe and productive as possible?
Remote work is the new normal. Is your organization making it as safe and productive as possible?
Image: Hexnode

This post on Apple device endpoint management is brought to you by Hexnode.

The COVID-19 pandemic remolded everything from our socializing habits to our working styles, imposing a new normal worldwide. Remote work emerged as a workable solution to prevent the complete interruption of entire industries while also safeguarding employees’ health during a dangerous time.

T-Mobile’s Test Drive program gets eSIM support for easy setup on iPhone

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T-Mobile Test Drive
No additional hardware required.
Photo: T-Mobile

The Test Drive program that allows smartphone users to try out T-Mobile’s network free for 30 days now supports iPhone’s built-in eSIM.

You previously needed to use a mobile hotspot and a physical T-Mobile SIM card to take advantage of the trial. Now, you simply need to download an app on iPhone XS or later.

Apple prepares to bring mmWave 5G to more countries with iPhone 13

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Killian filed that 5G thing. I’m reading it now. Do you want me to hold it for tomorrow’s newsletter just in case?
Even faster connectivity for some iPhone owners could be on the way.
Photo: Apple

Apple is adding new 5G component suppliers to bring faster mmWave connectivity to more countries with iPhone 13, according to a new report. The technology is currently available only in the United States.

Sources say Cupertino is now working with five antenna-in-package (AiP) manufacturers after adding AT&S to its roster.

How to download Apple Watch’s new international Stripes faces

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How to get international faces for Apple Watch
You don't have to spend $49 on a band to get the face.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple introduced new International Collection bands for Apple Watch on Tuesday, priced at $49 each. There are 22 available and each comes with an accompanying Stripes face you can download from Apple’s website.

But you don’t need to buy a band to get your hands on the new faces. We’ll show you how to download them right now to show support for your country at this year’s Summer Olympics.