News - page 413

The Facebook Gaming app finally landed in the App Store on Friday, several months after it made it to Android devices. The delay isn’t the only downside, though. According to Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, iOS users will get a considerably “inferior experience” due to Apple’s App Store policies.

The app allows users to livestream video games, much like the ultra-popular Twitch app. And the Android version includes mini-games users can play. But not the iOS version. “We had to remove gameplay functionality entirely in order to get Apple’s approval on the standalone Facebook Gaming app,” she said.

Despite the controversy surrounding it, 15-second video creation and sharing app TikTok remained the world’s most downloaded non-gaming app in July, according to a new report by Sensor Tower.

TikTok ranked as the No. 1 app on both iOS and the Google Play app stores, with more than 65.3 million installs in the month. This represents a 21.4% increase from July last year. In the first quarter of 2020, TikTok registered the best three months of any app ever when it comes to downloads.

President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking “transactions” involving Tencent’s WeChat will not hurt games owned, or partially owned, by the company.

That means it would not affect the likes of Riot Games’ League of Legends or Epic Games’ Fortnite, both of which have financial ties to Tencent. Instead, the executive order covers only WeChat transactions.

It’s Friday — which, among other things, means new shows going live on Apple TV+. This week, Apple has posted one new episode each of current series Little Voice and The Oprah Conversation.

The very first benchmark scores are coming to light for the 2020 iMac that Apple unveiled Tuesday, and this computer is already showing a healthy performance increase over the 2019 version.

Google Stadia and Microsoft Xbox Game Pass cloud gaming services aren’t debuting on iPhone or iPad anytime soon. And the holdup isn’t for technical reasons. It’s about Apple’s App Store policy.

These services could bring desktop-level games to Apple mobile devices. But Microsoft’s offering definitely won’t debut in the App Store this autumn, and Google’s isn’t available, either.

Apple sells wheels for the 2019 Mac Pro for the slightly ridiculous price of $699. On Thursday, a third-party accessory maker launched a cheaper option. Well, relatively cheaper: the OWC Rover Pro wheel kit is $199.

Apple released the public beta of macOS Big Sur beta 4 Thursday, and the hottest new feature is very high-resolution YouTube videos. Once Mac users get their hands on the OS upgrade this autumn, they’ll be able to stream video from this service in 4K.

A highlight of iOS 14 beta 4 is a TV widget on the Home screen, giving users easy access to shows in the Apple TV app. And the Weather widget returns for iPad users, among a handful of other tweaks.

Apple released the public beta Thursday after seeding it to developers earlier this week.

A supposed image of the iPhone 12 display hardware shows that the screen cutout in the upcoming handset remains the same size as in its predecessors.

Earlier this year, we heard unconfirmed reports that this feature, usually called the notch, would shrink considerably in the iPhone 12. That’s not going to happen, if the image that leaked out Thursday is legit.

The latest update to the Twitter app for iOS allows users to limit who can reply to their tweets. Twitter started testing the feature with a small number of users in May. Thursday’s update rolls it out to everyone.

Update: Twitter admitted Thursday that it got ahead of itself. It announced this feature in the release notes of its latest iOS app, but then told The Verge “the ability to limit replies on tweets is not currently available to everyone.”

Apple is using machine learning technology in more and more of its features, John Giannandrea, the company’s senior vice president for machine learning and AI strategy, reveals in a new interview with Ars Technica.

Giannandrea, who joined Apple from a job at Google, said “there are increasingly fewer and fewer places in iOS where we’re not using machine learning.” This stands in strong contrast to a few years ago — and even the point at which Giannandrea landed his Apple job.

The Trump administration wants to eliminate “untrusted” Chinese apps from the App Store as part of a multiphase “Clean Network” plan to cut down on potential security risks from China.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States will crack down on apps with parent companies based in China. The two specific apps mentioned are TikTok and WeChat. However, Pompeo simply used these to illustrate the kinds of apps that could get the boot.

The song “Radio Ga-Ga” gave Lady Gaga her stage name, and now, years later, she has her own radio show. And it’s debuting this week on Apple Music.

Gaga Radio will premiere at 11 a.m. Pacific on Friday, and run every Friday for the whole of August. In a tweet announcing the new show, Gaga invited listeners to hear her and her Chromatica collaborators “talk about the inspirations, making the record & more!”

People who shoot iPhone videos vertically are often mocked for having committed some nigh-unforgivable sin. Well, you count Academy Award-winning director Damien Chazelle (Whiplash, La La Land) among the guilty. And he’s far from embarrassed about it.

Apple Wednesday debuted a short film shot by Chazelle using his iPhone 11 Pro. In the “Vertical Cinema” short, the Oscar-winning filmmaker shows how vertical shooting can be used to breathe new life into existing movie tropes. Lots and lots of movie tropes. Check it out below.

For law teacher Craig Smith, working from home meant improvising. And the inexpensive but effective DIY setup he concocted throws together a couple of strange Apple bedfellows: He uses a vintage PowerBook G4 to elevate his main computer, an 11-inch iPad Pro.

“I needed a little more room to spread out and not feel claustrophobic,” Smith told Cult of Mac. “So, I moved my setup to the dining room table that seats six, as I have little need these days to use it as a spot to actually dine.”

That’s when he got creative with ergonomics and pressed his vintage PowerBook into service as an iPad stand.

A new iMac concept design offers good suggestions for where Apple should be taking this Mac desktop. But also included is a small-but-genius improvement: make the base of the iMac an iPhone charger.

A detective drama from Robert Downey Jr.’s production company is reportedly headed to Apple TV+. The series centers on a down-at-the-heels cop trying to solve a decades-old cold case.

Downey, best known for playing Iron Man in numerous Marvel movies, might take a role in the show.

The Apple Store app debuted 10 years ago, and laid an Easter egg to recognize this milestone.

Type in the right words and you can join the celebration with balloons.

For long-time Apple fans like myself, Tuesday marked the end of an era. Phil Schiller stepped down from his role as VP of worldwide marketing.

Schiller was the last of the OG — a stalwart onstage companion to Steve Jobs, long before it was fashionable to watch Apple keynotes. Schiller was there at all the seminal moments in Apple history, including the launch of iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad. Back in the day, he and Jobs were a remarkable double act. Jobs would announce the products, and then Schiller would stride in to perform the demos.

Fortunately, Schiller’s not gone for good. In his new role as an Apple Fellow, he will still keep an eye on the App Store and Apple Events. But I wanted to take this opportunity to remember the man, the legend, that is Phil Schiller. Here are the top 10 reasons why I’ll miss him.

Samsung’s newly unveiled Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will have to take on the iPhone 12 Pro Max after Apple launches it this autumn.

Samsung’s top-tier handset offers seven features iOS fans should hope will show up in Apple’s next flagship iPhone. But the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra also has some real problems.

Samurai Jack is back in a new adventure. Adult Swim Games is bringing Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time to Apple Arcade in the near future.

In this platformer game, the star of the Cartoon Network series will face new enemies and rejoin allies to track down the evil Aku once more and defeat him once and for all.

Virginia launched its COVIDWISE contact-tracing app Wednesday, becoming the first state to use Apple and Google’s Exposure Notifications API to fight COVID-19.

The app uses Bluetooth Low Energy to anonymously track people’s interactions. Then it notifies users who have likely been exposed to infected individuals so they can take appropriate precautions, such as isolating themselves.

The new iPhone 12 chassis could include a mysterious circular array of 36 magnets inside its chassis, possibly to help with wireless charging, suggest new images posted to Weibo and shared by the EverythingApplePro Twitter account.

Apple has yet to release a native wireless charger for iPhone. Its most notable move in this direction was the AirPower wireless charging mat, which was announced by Apple and then canceled. Rumors since then suggest that Apple might be continuing work on the project.

On Tuesday, it was announced that Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, will transition into a new role as an Apple Fellow. This honorary position is one that Apple recognizes for a person’s outstanding contribution to the company in some capacity.

But while many newer Apple fans may not be familiar with the role, it’s one that’s been part of Apple dating back to the 1980s — even if this is the first time in more than 20 years that Apple has inducted someone into the club.

Here’s what you need to know about the other Apple Fellows: