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Apple Music app comes to Samsung smart TVs

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Apple Music is preparing for invasion
Apple Music subscribers can listen to playlists on Samsung smart TVs.
Photo: Apple

Apple Music invites people to “Lose yourself in 60 million songs.” Today, you can on a new device – a Samsung smart TV.

Samsung announced Thursday an Apple Music app is now available for its most recent smart TVs. Until the Samsung, an Apple Music app was only available with an Apple TV set-top device.

Lil Wayne will host new radio show on Beats 1 for Apple Music

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Young Money Radio 1
And you don't have long to wait, either.
Photo: Lil Wayne/Apple Music

Hip hop luminary Lil Wayne, one of the most well-known and respected rappers of the 21st century, is headed to Apple Music!

No, Lil Wayne (or Weezy F. Baby as the kids call him) isn’t debuting an exclusive new album on Apple’s streaming music service. Instead, he’ll be playing host on Young Money Radio, a new show debuting on Beats 1 Friday, April 24 at 7pm EST/4pm PT.

Mr. Pumpkin 2 adventure game lets you explore legendary Kowloon Walled City

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Kowloon Walled City 1
A point-and-click adventure is just the thing for lockdown.
Photo: Lilith Games

Mr. Pumpkin 2: Walls of Kowloon, a surreal, but intriguing, new game created by the makers of the popular Isoland game series (and the original Mr. Pumpkin Adventure, natch!), has landed in the App Store.

A hand-drawn point-and-click adventure that allows you to explore Hong Kong’s endlessly fascinating Kowloon Walled City, it’s the perfect game to play in lockdown. You know, to remind you that actually being able to walk around cities is a thing most of us used to do!

Check out the trailer below.

Apple’s first Macs with custom ARM chips could arrive in 2021

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2020-MacBook-Air
Look out, Intel.
Photo: Apple

Apple plans to start selling new Macs powered by custom ARM processors in 2021, according to a new Bloomberg report, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The company is said to be working on three of its own chips — all based on the A14 processor than will ship inside the next-generation iPhone lineup this fall. The first version will reportedly be “much faster,” according to sources.

How to swap out your boring apartment for a novelty backdrop in Skype

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skype-logo
No more cluttered apartment backdrop for you. Unless you choose it.
Photo: Skype

Let’s face it: The novelty of video calls has kind of worn off by this point in lockdown. What once seemed like the “video phone” of sci-fi dreams is now a way-too-frequent reality. But Skype has taken efforts to freshen things up by allowing users to swap out backgrounds for their calls.

Want to pretend you’re being massively irresponsible by appearing to call from a crowded beach? Want to swap out your cluttered apartment for a picture of an upscale mansion that will make your boss wonder if they’re paying you too much? Now you can. Here’s how.

Verizon again gives customers 15GB of free wireless data to stay connected during lockdown

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Verizon
Verizon offers free wireless data to help its customers be productive from home or keep entertained.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

In May, Verizon Wireless customers get an additional 15GB of mobile data for free for a second month of the COVID-19 crisis.

Many people under stay-at-home orders during the pandemic depend on their iPhone, Android or mobile hotspot to connect to the internet, and hence the world.

Brilliant iOS 14 concept packs tons of cutting-edge features

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New iOS 14 concept video includes home screen widgets
Home screen widgets are rumored for iOS 14. A concept video shows what they might look like.
Photo: The Hacker 34

An iOS 14 concept video shows how an iPhone might look if it gains home screen widgets, as has been rumored.

Plus, it envisions several features currently available for iPad jumping to iPhone, like Split Screen multitasking, a floating Dock, and more.

Watch it now:

iOS app shows virus lockdown leads to remarkably cleaner skies

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IQAir app showing LA air quality in coronavirus
Los Angeles has cleaner air under COVID-19 restrictions.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

A pandemic that kills thousands offers no silver linings.

But stay-at-home orders to slow the spread of COVID-19 shows us a window for what living with clean air is like.

An air quality tech company, whose global measurements can be monitored on an iOS app, says greenhouse gas emissions are so low right now, Los Angeles has the cleanest air of all metropolitans areas in the U.S.

Zoom 5.0 aims to stamp out Zoombombing

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Zoom 5.0 brings much-needed security enhancements hoping to end Zoombombing.
When you’re having a Zoom meeting and Satan drops in unexpectedly? That’s Zoombombing.
Photo: Zoom/Cult of Mac

Zoom on Wednesday committed to upgrading the encryption in its video-chatting app. And Zoom 5.0, which will be out within the week, will include additional security controls for meeting hosts, like the ability to report disruptive users.

Use of this platform rose enormously since people around the world went into self quarantine. And criticism of Zoom’s security and privacy controls also increased dramatically as Zoombombing became a thing.

Get an extra $10 for your old Apple devices in our Earth Day promo

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iPhone 8 iPad Macbook
Sell today to earn even more!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Sell your old Apple devices to Cult of Mac now to earn an additional $10 for Earth Day. We typically pay more than other buyback services, and we cough up real cash, fast!

Find out how much your old iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and other Apple devices are really worth — and use our promo code to get even more.

Twelve South’s stunning SurfacePad comes to iPhone 11 series

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Twelve-South-SurfacePad-iPhone-11
Orders yours today from $39.99.
Photo: Twelve South

Twelve South’s stunning SurfacePad is a case (kind of) for iPhone owners who hate cases — and it’s now available for iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

SurfacePad is a sheet of high-end leather that sticks to the back of your device and wraps around to cover its display. It keeps your iPhone free from scracthes, without the drawbacks of a traditional case.

Order yours today from the Cult of Mac Store.

Sorry, FaceTime, no Zoom boom for you

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Group FaceTime is a great way to stay in touch with your family and friends during coronavirus quarantine.
Group FaceTime use apparently exists mainly in Apple publicity pictures.
Photo: Apple

Americans love Apple’s video chatting app FaceTime, according to the results of a survey released Wednesday. But they don’t use it for group chats. As a result, use of FaceTime hasn’t increased at all while millions of people around the world self quarantine.

Instead, rival Zoom has enormously increased in popularity in recent weeks.

AppleCare+ for iPad Pro includes coverage for new Magic Keyboard

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AppleCare+ accidental damage coverage can apply to keyboards under the right circumstances.
An iPad’s AppleCare+ accidental damage coverage plan protects these keyboards too.
Photo: Apple

The just-released iPad Pro Magic Keyboard costs more than some iPads, and it’s possible to get AppleCare+ repair insurance for it. Just not directly.

Purchasing AppleCare+ adds accidental damage coverage to an iPad, as well as some Apple-branded accessories. That includes keyboards, like the very expensive one that debuted last week.

Facebook Messenger Kids expands its reach, adds new features

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Facebook-Messenger-Kids
Download it from the App Store today.
Photo: Facebook

Facebook Messenger Kids, the free chat app designed specifically for your little ones, on Wednesday expanded its reach to more than 70 new markets and added a number of helpful new features.

It’s now possible for parents to give kids control over their contacts (if they wish), and for kids to join approved groups. The changes come at a time when many children are out of school and unable to see friends.

iMac redesign, cheaper HomePod, new Apple TV reportedly coming in 2020

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Apple iMac showing the Apple logo.
It's been almost eight years since the last iMac redesign.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A redesigned iMac, a more affordable HomePod, and a powerful new Apple TV are just some of the products Apple has planned for 2020, according to one reliable reporter.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also revealed expectations for the 5G iPhone lineup, scheduled to launch this fall, and for a 14-inch MacBook Pro during a Twitter Q&A with followers on Tuesday.

First iPhone SE reviews: Victory in value

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2020-iPhone-SE-lineup-hero
It might even make you miss the Home button.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone SE, with its iPhone 8 form factor, proves that you can teach an old dog new tricks. With the first reviews for the new handset having hit the internet, pundits are in agreement that, well, the iPhone SE is pretty darn great.

In fact, if Apple’s made any kind of misstep it may have been showing us that you can get a pretty amazing iPhone for the price of a mid-level handset. Here’s what the initial reviewers are saying:

iOS vulnerability let hackers attack devices through Mail app

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iPhone hack
Hack has reportedly been fixed in latest iOS beta.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

San Francisco-based cybersecurity company ZecOps says that iPhones and iPads may be vulnerable to a flaw involving the Mail app, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

Unlike most email-based phone hacks, which involve making someone click a link or visit a website, this exploit does not require victims to do anything other than download (although not necessarily open) an email. It nonetheless could let hackers install malicious software on their devices.

A ZecOps blog post on the topic says that the vulnerability has existed in Apple’s mobile software as far back as iOS 6.

Samsung proves packaging can be more than just pretty trash

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Samsung-TV-box-cat-house
That's a cat house ... made from a TV box.
Photo: Samsung

We know Apple makes some of the prettiest packaging you’ll ever find wrapped around electronics, but it’s really just trash when you’re done with it. Samsung has found a terrific way to make its packaging useful.

Boxes built for the company’s newest TV sets can be turned quickly and easily turned into cardboard cat houses, small furniture, and other useful things when you’re done with them.

Avatarify lets you gatecrash your next Zoom call as Steve Jobs or Elon Musk

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Steve Jobs Zoom call
That's one way to liven up your next work meeting.
Photo: Avatarify

Zoom calls have exploded during the current coronavirus lockdown. But if you’ve already exhausted the possibilities of different angles and backdrops for your video calls, why not try being a different person entirely? You know, like former Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs.

At least, that’s the tech demo/experiment created by coders Ali Aliev and Karim Iskakov. They’ve developed an Animoji or Memoji-style tool called Avatarify that lets users superimpose a real-time mask onto themselves during video calls.

Facebook beta reveals hidden dark mode for iPhone and iPad

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Facebook-dark-mode
You can't activate it yourself just yet.
Photo: WABetaInfo

A new beta version of the Facebook app for iOS contains hidden resources that suggest a dark mode is on its way to iPhone and iPad.

The feature is expected to work in tandem with the system-wide dark mode settings on iOS for automatic activation and deactivation, but users should be able to toggle it manually, too.

Senator wants Tim Cook to take personal responsibility for contact-tracing data privacy

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bluetooth-tracing
Senator Hawley is concerned about Apple and Google's privacy for contact-tracing data.
Photo: Apple/Google

Sen. Josh Hawley wants Apple and Google to have some skin in the game when it comes to keeping data private in their joint coronavirus contact-tracing project. Hawley’s idea? That the Apple and Google CEOs — Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai, respectively — should take personal responsibility for ensuring the data is kept private.

“If you seek to assure the public, make your stake in this project personal,” the Republican senator from Missouri wrote Tuesday in a letter to Cook and Pichai. “Make a commitment that you and other executives will be personally liable if you stop protecting privacy, such as by granting advertising companies access to the interface once the pandemic is over.”