Apple Card users could be running into problems paying their bill on Friday because the online portion of the service is having a problem. This might also affect other aspects of using the card, but that does not include using the card to pay for purchases.
Update: Apple reported the problem fixed on Friday evening about 7.5 hours after it first cropped up.
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.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After a week with the new iPhone 13 Pro, what features are knocking us out — and what’s registering a big “meh”? It’s time for some frank talk.
Also on The CultCast:
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.
The new M1 iPad mini garners rave reviews for its powerful performance and easily handled size. The M1 Mac mini is well-established as a compact but capable desktop machine. The HomePod mini smart speaker has flourished after the demise of the full-sized HomePod. So it’s no wonder to see “all mini” computer setups cropping up.
BlueStacks, the company behind the popular Android emulator for Windows, just launched a cloud-based Android game player that works inside your browser on Mac, Windows, iPad, and almost any other device.
Simply sign into BlueStacks X and you can instantly access a catalog of titles that are ready to play in just one click (or tap). There are more than 200 games available right now, and BlueStacks says it will add more every week.
Apple’s next-generation AirPods refresh is still on track to arrive before the end of 2021, according to a new report. The upgrade is rumored to bring a new design, similar to that of AirPods Pro, and other improvements.
The buds were widely expected to appear alongside iPhone 13 and Apple’s newest iPad models during the September 14 event, but that didn’t happen. It has now been well over three years since the last AirPods refresh.
Apple Watch Series 7 will finally be available to preorder on October 8, according to one of Cupertino’s official partners. Hermès is telling customers via email that’s the date they’ll be able to secure their new smartwatches.
Jon Prosser of Front Page Tech, who has a decent track record when it comes to Apple rumors, also claims that Apple Watch Series 7 will be available to preorder “as early as next week,” with shipping to begin in mid-October.
The first Apple Watch released back in 2015 has been classified by Apple as vintage. That might sound like a compliment, but it really means that getting the wearable repaired is a bit more difficult than it used to be.
Note that this is not Apple Watch Series 1. That’s a different model.
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.
At Cult of Mac we’re always going on about M1 Macs, but here’s something for the Intel Mac crowd. OWC launched a new DisplayPort adapter allowing you to connect two 4K displays or one 8K display to your Intel-based Mac or iPad using a single Thunderbolt port.
A highlight of the just-released budget iPad and iPad mini is the addition of Center Stage, a feature that lets the front-facing camera follow someone on a video call. It’s brilliant. It makes FaceTime and Zoom calls so much simpler.
This is perhaps the best new feature Apple has come up with in years. If you have a recent iPad and aren’t using this videoconferencing feature, you’re missing out. And here’s hoping it gets built into the 2022 iPhone.
Moft said it designed its stylish new MagSafe-compatible Snap Case with extra magnetic strength to ensure secure attachment of the company’s updated Snap-on Stand & Wallet as well as other MagSafe accessories to your iPhone 12 or 13 series handset.
The long list of problems that have surfaced in iOS 15 continues to grow as iPhone 13 owners report new issues with CarPlay.
Some say they are unable to play tracks in Apple Music or third-party apps like Spotify without the system crashing completely. There are some fixes you can try, like disabling the equalizer if it’s active, that may solve the problem.
iPhone 13 Pro Max charges faster than its predecessor, with speeds hitting up to 27W when connected to a 30W (or higher) power adapter, new tests reveal. That’s up from a maximum of 22W in last year’s iPhone 12 Pro Max.
The smaller iPhone 13 Pro maxes out at 23W, while all iPhone 13 units — with the exception of iPhone 13 mini — can receive up to 15W when charging wirelessly using an Apple MagSafe charger.
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.
Jon Stewart wants to be sure everyone knows how to find Apple TV+. So much so, in fact, that he created a public service announcement to help all the “innocent people who may never know the pleasures of Schmigadoon.” Stewart has an ulterior motive, of course: His new talk shows debuts Thursday on the streaming service.
Watch the wackiness now. That way you can be sure to see the first episode of The Problem With Jon Stewart on Apple TV+ for free.
UPDATE: The brilliant Elago Quattro bumper is now available in new color options, including shark gray and light pink, and it now supports 40mm Apple Watch models. Get yours today for just $11.99 from the Cult of Mac Store.
Don’t let your precious (and pricey) Apple Watch fend for itself in harsh environments. Pick up this tough Quattro Bumper Case from Elkson for essential protection against scuffs and shattered screens.
It protects the sides of your Apple Watch that are prone to scratching when you’re hard at work. It also has a lip that helps prevent its screen from rubbing up against anything rough.
You can get yours for Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5, and Series 6 for just $11.99.
You’ve got to love somebody bragging about getting their computer setup’s cable management down to one cord, because it’s never really one cord. They don’t mean it literally. It’s just that one cord to a hub or dock helped reduce their previously tangled mess of cables splaying out all over the place.
Production of the new iPhone 13 series isn’t catching up to demand. A shortage of a critical component is keeping wait times long for many versions of the handset.
But heavy demand is also reportedly adding to the delays.
Dodocase has come out with iPhone 13 series versions of its popular collection of leather and textile-based iPhone cases, including the Durable Wallet, Shockproof CardCase, Lorna Wallet, All-Leather Angle Viewer and custom-made options. Pricing starts at $45.
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.
2021 iPad mini owners who are hoping for a fix for its mysterious “jelly scrolling” effect will be disappointed to learn that Apple considers this “normal behavior for LCD screens.”
Cupertino said uneven scrolling can occur because of the way in which its Liquid Retina displays refresh line by line. However, the behavior has not been spotted on other Apple devices with LCD screens, like the newest iPad Air.
Apple is working on a new “High Power Mode” that could boost MacBook performance when the device isn’t connected to a power source, according to the latest macOS Monterey beta.
The feature is thought to be similar to the “Pro Mode” that was first spotted in a macOS Catalina beta early last year. Pro Mode never made its public debut, but it seems Cupertino hasn’t given up on the idea.
Apple has promised to fix an iPhone 13 bug that prevents owners from using Unlock with Apple Watch. In the meantime, users can disable the feature to prevent an “Unable to Communicate with Apple Watch” error from appearing.
Unlock with Apple Watch was first introduced last April with iOS 14.5, giving iPhone users with Face ID the ability to easily unlock their devices while wearing a mask, which prevents facial recognition from working.
Update Sept. 28: iOS 15.1 beta 2 includes a fix for this problem. However, it’s not known when iOS 15.1 will be released to the public.