iPhone - page 50

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, Apple Watch Series 7, AirPods 3 and … more? We’re talking hardware predictions for next Tuesday’s big California Streaming event.

Also on The CultCast this week:

• Jon Prosser’s audacious iPhone 14 leak
• Facebook’s new Ray-Ban smart glasses
• More speed bumps for Apple’s car project
• Erfon’s botfly nightmare! (There will be pus.)

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.

Unless you just emerged from a cave or a doomsday bunker, you probably know everyone expects Apple to announce new products releases next week — most likely including the Apple Watch 7.

If you’re considering selling, trading, giving away or returning your Apple Watch for that or any reason, we’ll show you how to factory reset it first.

Microsoft is testing new firmware for Xbox Controllers that makes using them with iPhone and iPad even better. The update adds Bluetooth Low Energy support, and allows you to pair both an Xbox console and iOS device so that switching between the two is easier than ever before.

It’s probably best not to get too excited for under-display Face ID in next year’s iPhone 14. Despite Wednesday’s big leak hinting at the upgrade for 2022, one analyst warns the technology is still very much a work in progress.

In recent years, manufacturers have been working to put front-facing cameras behind their smartphone displays in an effort to eliminate notches and holes. And the results, perhaps unsurprisingly, have been a mixed bag.

Jon Prosser’s iPhone 14 leak is every Apple fan’s dream — and Tim Cook’s biggest nightmare.

The audacious revelation, dropped Wednesday morning via Prosser’s YouTube channel, Front Page Tech, showcased what next year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max might look like.

The exclusive iPhone 14 renders look so sweet that they might give pause to anyone contemplating buying an iPhone 13 later this month. That’s the nightmare part of this equation — and likely the part that makes Prosser nervous. Angry Apple executives might unleash all the company’s massive legal resources to stop him. And maybe even exact revenge.

Twitter is testing a new feature called “Communities” via an invitation-only roll-out on iOS and the web, with Android to follow at some unspecified point. It will help users find and join groups with shared interests and direct tweets to them.

Switching from Android to iPhone could soon be a little bit easier. WhatsApp is working on a new tool that will allow users to transfer all their chat data from Google’s platform to iOS, according to a new beta version of the app.

Twitter looks set to finally take full advantage of the larger displays packed into modern smartphones. It is currently testing a new edge-to-edge interface that gives you a better look at images and videos in your timeline.

A new teaser video posted by Twitter on Twitter, and embedded below for your enjoyment, offers an early glimpse at what’s to come.

WhatsApp could soon give users the ability to hide their “last seen” status from individual contacts. Evidence of the change has already popped up in WhatsApp beta releases ahead of its rollout on Android and iOS.

Apple will ask iPhone and iPad users for their permission to show personalized ads within its own apps in iOS and iPadOS 15.

A new popup appears when opening the App Store for the first time after installing one of Apple’s latest betas. It says personalized ads “help you discover apps, products and services that are relevant to you.”

Apple’s most popular devices could get even more expensive next year, with chip-maker TSMC said to be planning its biggest price increase in more than a decade. The move could also affect companies like Nvidia and Qualcomm.

Sources are blaming the price hike on a number of factors, including higher material costs and the ongoing chip shortage, which has encouraged some device vendors to buy up more components than they actually need.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: It sounds like iPhone 13 will come with a secret satellite trick that will give you signal anywhere on Earth! The feature might not prove as groundbreaking as it initially seemed, but it still sounds like a lifesaver.

Also on The CultCast:

• Sorry, but Apple Watch Series 7 might be a much smaller update than we’ve been told.
• A radical new South Korean law is forcing Apple to open up the App Store there — and other countries are sure to follow.
• Sadly, it couldn’t last forever. It sounds like our beloved Tim Cook is eyeing his retirement from Apple. So who at Apple will take the reins next?  We got it all figured out!

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.

Apple will relax App Store rules for “reader” apps that let users access previously purchased content and subscriptions for books, magazines, music and more, the company said Wednesday.

The move closes an investigation by the Japan Fair Trade Commission, and will apply to all reader apps on the App Store — in all countries. The agreement with the JFTC also paves the way for users to create and manage accounts inside iOS apps.

Apple on Wednesday confirmed the first states that will adopt digital driver’s licenses and IDs in Apple Wallet. Residents of Arizona and Georgia will be able to take advantage of the feature first, with six other states to follow.

The Transportation Security Administration will enable select security checkpoints and lanes at participating airports as the first locations customers can use their driver’s license or state ID in Wallet, Apple added.

Charge your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch simultaneously and cut down on cable clutter with $70 off the PowerUp 3-in-1 charging station from Aduro. It uses speedy Qi wireless charging technology and ships with an included power adapter and charging cable.

Get yours for just $27.99 — its lowest price yet — before this discount disappears.

South Korea has become the first country to tell Apple that it must open up the App Store to third-party payment platforms. The same law also applies to Google, and other countries likely will implement similar rules.

The amendment to South Korea’s Telecommunications Business Act prevents large app market operators from forcing their own payment systems on users and developers. It also bans unreasonable delays in app approvals.

Google could pay a whopping $15 billion to remain the default search provider on iPhone and iPad, according to one analyst. The figure could rise even higher, to as much as $20 billion, in 2022.

It is believed Google is willing to pay so much to ensure Microsoft and Yahoo, which may also be interesting in striking a deal with Apple, cannot break up the partnership Google has enjoyed for more than a decade.

The latest “Today at Apple” video just hit YouTube, showing iPhone owners how to snap stunning Portrait photos of their pets. The tutorial features tips from award-winning photographer and animal advocate Sophie Gamand.

Now that you’ve got the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer, Moderna or Johson & Johnson, how do you prove it?

Well, you can carry around your vaccination card just in case you need it to travel or gain entry to a gathering place, job or in-person event. Or you can take a few minutes and add a secure digital vaccine certificate, or passport, to Apple Wallet on your iPhone. We’ll show you how.

The Pegasus spyware, developed by Israeli firm NSO Group, has successfully been avoiding security new measures built into iPhone to block such attacks.

One version of the “zero-click” exploit was installed on an iPhone 12 Pro belonging to a Bahraini human rights activist, despite the fact that the device was running recent versions of iOS 14 with Apple’s “BlastDoor” protection.

Want to make the most of Portrait mode on your iPhone? Check out the newest “Today at Apple” video, which teaches you portrait photography tips designed to improve your directing, shooting, and editing skills.

Pokémon Unite, the newest mobile release from The Pokémon Company, will make its App Store debut next month. You can preorder the team-based battling game now ahead of its official debut on iPhone and iPad.

Nintendo also confirmed this week that the Pokémon Home app will pick up support for its next-generation Pokémon games — Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, and Pokémon Legends: Arceus — early next year.

Just when it looked like Apple’s lengthy legal battle with Corellium was finally over, Cupertino on Tuesday appealed a copyright case it previously lost in an effort to take down the firm’s iPhone virtualization platform.

The news is somewhat surprising after Apple last week settled other claims against Corellium, in what experts called a significant win for security research. And it contradicts Apple’s own stance on validation.

FlickType, maker of the accessible iPhone keyboard that has become popular among those with vision impairment, has confirmed it is discontinuing its app after years of obstacles and “abuse” from Apple’s App Store approval team.

The announcement comes after FlickType last week submitted an update to fix bugs related to iOS 15 and got “incorrectly” rejected by Apple. The team says Apple has ignored repeated requests for clarification and support.

SwitchEasy recently kicked off its big Back to School sale, giving you 15% off its wide range of cases for iPhone and iPad, new MagSafe mounts, and lots more. Prices start at just $11.04, but the discount ends soon.

Enjoy it today before it disappears!