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Apple seeds second beta of iOS 12.2 to devs

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iOS12
iOS 12.2 is bringing a bunch of new features to iPhone and iPad.
Photo: Apple

Apple is starting off February by serving up a fresh new beta for developers with the release of iOS 12.2 beta 2.

The new beta comes just over a week after Apple seeded the first build of iOS 12.2. That update brought Apple News support to testers in Canada, as well as new Downtime feature that lets you schedules periodically limit the number of apps you can access.

Apple plans to limit accelerometer and gyroscope access in Safari for iOS

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close all tabs
You might not be stuck with Safari for much longer.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple plans to limit Safari’s access to the accelerometer and gyroscope inside your iOS device in an upcoming software update.

iOS 12.2 will prevent websites from having access to motion data by default, rendering certain content unusable — even on Apple’s own website. Users will be able to change this inside Safari’s settings, however.

Target stores now accept Apple Pay in the U.S.

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Target trolleys in store
Apple Pay is now available with one of the top U.S. retailers.
Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr CC

Target has started rolling out Apple Pay support at all its stores across the United States. The stores’ upgraded NFC-enabled payment terminals mean that the retail giant now accepts Apple’s mobile payment solution, along with Google Pay, Samsung Pay and contactless credit and debit cards.

It’s certainly big news for any retailer with 1,821 stores to hop on the Apple Pay bandwagon. But this is especially significant since Target was previously a notable holdout to this technology.

Apple Watch wearer saved by fall detection in Norway

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fall detection
The fall detection feature in Apple Watch Series 4 can distinguish between a fall, a trip and a slip.
Photo: Apple

The ECG on the Apple Watch Series 4 has made a lot of news for alerting some wearers to potentially fatal heart problems.

Now, the watch’s fall detection feature grabs its own hero headline.

A 67-year-old man in Norway was home alone when he fainted and suffered a hard fall in his bathroom that left him unconscious. There, he might have stayed had the Series 4 watch he was wearing not sent alerts to first responders.

Apple will reward teen who discovered FaceTime bug

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CNBC 1
Apple's FaceTime bug allowed people to eavesdrop on others.
Screenshot: CNBC

The 14-year-old kid who accidentally discovered the recent FaceTime eavesdropping bug has been told by Apple that he will be eligible for the company’s bug bounty program.

Apple set up its bug bounty program in 2016, offering rewards of up to $200,000 for security researchers who find vulnerabilities on the company’s software platforms. It’s not clear how much Grant Thompson can expect to claim from Apple — although it will reportedly go toward his college tuition savings.

Take a peek at the concept art behind Apple’s iconic 1984 ad

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A still from the classic Apple
This is a shot from one of the most iconic ads of all time.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s “1984” Macintosh commercial isn’t just the most iconic Apple ad in history, but one of the greatest advertisements ever created anywhere.

Now, three-and-a-half decades after the ad aired, the original storyboard for the commercial has popped up online. It offers a glimpse at the process which led to Blade Runner director Ridley Scott’s masterful ad.

Microsoft is bringing Xbox Live to Android and iOS

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Xbox One controller Apple EarPods
Controller support is better than ever.
Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

Microsoft is gearing up to release a software development kit that will allow Android and iOS developers to integrate Xbox Live features into their games.

The SDK, which will be officially confirmed by Microsoft next month, will also be available to Nintendo Switch developers. It will make Microsoft the first console-maker to open up its platform to third-party systems.

Amazon Prime Video’s X-Ray feature comes to Apple TV

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apple tv
One for the movie and TV buffs out there!
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple TV now supports the X-Ray feature for Amazon Prime Video. X-Ray provides additional information on the movies and TV shows you’re watching by giving extra details on the cast, characters, and production.

If you’re the kind of person who likes a dose of trivia, or additional context, with your entertainment, this could be the feature for you.

Morgan Stanley thinks Services will help Apple hit $1 trillion again

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money
Services are a growing focus for Apple.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple shares have rebounded some from the company’s holiday season slump, but its $787.6 billion market cap has a way to go before it’s back at the $1 trillion level it hit last summer.

Analysts at Morgan Stanley have a suggestion for turning things around, however. They think that Apple’s Services division could see Apple once again take its place in the exclusive trillionaires club.

What Apple’s past says about its future [Cult of Mac Magazine No. 282]

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Hey, that's no crystal ball ... Apple earnings offer a peek at Apple's future.
Hey, that's no crystal ball ...
Cover: Marty Cortinas/Cult of Mac

After enduring a rough quarter, Apple tells the world what went wrong. But even more interesting is what went right — and what that means for Apple’s future.

Get our take on what you really need to know from Apple’s latest earnings call, plus the rest of the week’s best Apple news, reviews and how-tos. You’ll find it all in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine.

Brilliant concept brings 7-inch display to iPod Touch 7

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iPhone
The iPod Touch might finally get upgraded.
Photo: ConceptsiPhone

The iPod Touch might make a comeback in 2019 now thanks to some new renders we’ve got a glimpse of what it might look like.

Apple hasn’t released a new iPod Touch since 2015. Rumors indicate that an update could come out this year. Details are pretty scarce on what the new features could be, so the folks at ConceptsiPhone busted out a brilliant imagining some sleek new additions that would make it truly lust-worthy.

Get ready to drool:

After Trump call, Foxconn recommits to Wisconsin factory

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Foxconn Wisconsin
Foxconn workers in Shenzhen will not report next week until further notice.
Photo: Foxconn

How a Foxconn factory in Wisconsin takes shape depends on what day of the week it is.

Today, company CEO Terry Gou is committing to a “Gen 6 fab facility” in the dairy state after having a “personal conversation with President Donald Trump.

How many jobs will come with a Gen 6 fab facility or what exactly it will build is not known. A Gen 6 factory typically builds screens for smartphones, tablets and small televisions.

Apple caves to Kremlin pressure to store iCloud data in Russia

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Apple in Russia
A new Russian law means President Vladimr Putin could take a peek at the iCloud data of his citizens.
Photo: Caviar

Apple will comply with a Russian law that could force them to decrypt data on Russian customers at the government’s request.

The law took effect last year and requires the tech giant to store data on servers in Russia for up to six months. Apple acquiesced to a similar law last year in China, a smartphone market in which it has invested heavily.

Apple staffing up its streaming video service

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Apple TV service facing competition
The rumored Apple TV streaming service for Mac, iPhone, etc. needs people to run it. People who Apple might be hiring already.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple is hiring in its media group devoted to audiovisual media. After digging through the company’s job openings in recent months, an analyst believes these new employees are for the anticipated Apple TV streaming service.

This company has been paying to have TV shows and movies produced for months, but has so far kept quiet about its plans. That’s expected to change soon.

Apple‘s Heart Month incentives keep your ticker healthy

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heart health Apple
Celebrity fitness trainer Jeanette Jenkins co-created a Today at Apple session to bolster heart health.
Photo: Apple

Today is the first day of Heart Month, and Apple is going all in with a special Apple Watch activity challenge and health education sessions at Apple Stores in San Francisco, Chicago and New York.

Apple did not wait for February to help customers understand the health of their hearts. Last fall, the tech giant showcased the Apple Watch Series 4 with an electrocardiogram feature that some customers say alerted them to life-threatening heart conditions such as AFib.

Sell your old Apple devices and get paid fast!

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Apple gadgets
Trade in your old Apple gadgets and get a cheap upgrade.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Don’t miss out on cheap Apple devices in the post-holiday sales.

You can save a pretty penny on a sweet upgrade, whether you need a new iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac — and we’ll help you get the money you deserve for your old gear.

Cult of Mac typically pays more than other trade-in services for aging Apple gadgets, and we won’t leave you waiting weeks for your cash.

Facebook employees considered quitting after iOS apps shutdown

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Facebook employees
Facebook employees went through a tense 24 hours.
Photo: Facebook

Apple’s sudden shutdown of Facebook’s internal apps for iOS created enough chaos this week that some working for the social network company were openly talking about quitting, according to reports.

The Facebook employee apps show shuttle schedules, campus maps, and company calendars. Apple disabled all of them Wednesday after it learned Facebook ran a research app where iOS users could be rewarded for their data, a sideloaded app that violates Apple’s developer rules.

iOS 11 users can’t access the App Store or Apple Music

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iOS 11
Do you have problems with iOS 11?
Photo: Apple

Some iOS 11 users are having trouble accessing the App Store and Apple Music, according to online reports.

The services have been unusable for over a day for a number of users who are yet to upgrade to the latest software — despite being shown as online on Apple’s System Status page. There is a weird workaround that has proven useful for some, however.

Apple apologizes for FaceTime eavesdropping flaw; fix coming next week

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2018 iPad Pro Animoji
Apple's FaceTime bug allowed users to eavesdrop on others.
Photo: Apple

Apple has apologized for its FaceTime bug, and assured customers that an iOS software update is coming next week to fix it.

The FaceTime flaw allowed users to see and hear individuals before they answered a Group FaceTime call. Apple took the Group FaceTime servers offline after the news broke, but from the sound of things, it regrets how long it took to deal with the situation.

U.K. spy agency wants to listen in on encrypted chats

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iMessages in iCloud is coming in iOS 11.3.
Apple has been a strong proponent of encryption.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The U.K. government has an idea for getting around the thorny issue of tech companies creating a backdoor for encrypted services: just let government agents be able to listen in on encrypted communications.

That’s the so-called “ghost proposal” being put forward by officials from Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), a close surveillance partner of the U.S. National Security Agency. The proposal would make it possible to inject hidden participants into secure messaging services.