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News - page 758

Apple doesn’t want you mining bitcoin on your iPhone

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Antana/Flickr CC
Apple has shared more details about its cryptocurrency policy.
Photo: Antana/Flickr CC

You can no longer use your iPhone for mining bitcoins — or not through Apple’s official channels, at least.

Revised wording in the App Store review guidelines notes that Apple is banning apps which “run unrelated background processes, such as cryptocurrency mining.” In a dedicated cryptocurrency section, the company goes on to break down in more detail what is — and, crucially, is not — permissible.

Stunning mobile RPG Elder Scrolls: Blades is coming to iOS this year

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Bethesda
This is going to look spectacular on iPhone X.
Photo: Bethesda

Bethesda has revealed that The Elder Scrolls: Blades, a new free-to-play RPG set in the Elder Scrolls universe, is coming to iPads and iPhones later in 2018.

A preview of the game was shown at E3 over the weekend, showcasing its astonishing graphics, massive open world, and entertaining gameplay. “You have to see this running on an iPhone X,” the company representative gushed in an on-stage demo. Check out the unveiling below.

Apple Music hires another hip-hop expert from the BBC

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Screenshot shows Beats 1 radio on Apple Music on an iPhone.
Ryan Newman was formerly editor of 1Xtra, the BBC's main hip-hop and grime radio station.
Photo: Apple

Apple recently hired Ryan Newman, a key player from the BBC’s main hip-hop and grime radio station, 1Xtra.

It’s not clear exactly what role Newman will perform at Apple Music. However, he was one of the brains behind shaping and implementing 1Xtra’s musical direction. He could perform a similar job at Apple.

Next-gen Apple Watch could use solid-state haptic buttons

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Apple Watch goal
Wave goodbye to physical buttons!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The next-gen Apple Watches have so far avoided physical redesigns in favor of under-the-hood improvements. That could change this year, however, according to a new report.

Sources in Apple’s supply chain claim that the Apple Watch Series 4 will replace the current physical buttons on the device for solid state buttons with haptic feedback. While the device will retain the same button configuration as existing Apple Watches, these buttons won’t physically click as before.

Cult of Mac Magazine: Apple’s most important WWDC 2018 revelations and more!

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magazine
In this week's Cult of Mac Magazine: Even though Apple didn’t have any new physical toys to show off, Tim Cook and company still managed to pull out some big surprises at this year's WWDC.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine: Apple’s WWDC 2018 keynote lasted nearly 130 minutes and was jam-packed with new software goodies for developers and regular old Apple fanboys.

Apple is doubling down on its software game. And even though they didn’t have any new physical toys to show off, Tim Cook and company still managed to pull out some big surprises.

What’s new in iOS 12, macOS Mojave, watchOS 5, tvOS 12 and ARKit 2.0? You’ll find these stories and more in this issue. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

Get a hands-on look at watchOS 5’s new Apple Watch features

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watchOS 5
We've had time to play with the developer beta of watchOS 5, here's what's new.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of Mac Even if you already saw the WWDC 2018 keynote where Apple showed off watchOS 5, there are tons of features that got brushed over — and some did not get mentioned at all.

As is our duty, we installed the first developer beta of watchOS 5 and gave it a full run-through so we can show you all the new features in action. Check out the video below.

iPad magician’s tricks freak out monkeys

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Simon Pierro
Simon Pierro pulls a banana out of his iPad and shares it with a friend.
Photo: Simon Pierro/YouTube

iPad magician Simon Pierro is used to civilized audiences when he performs mesmerizing tricks on his Apple tablet.

But on a recent trip to the Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud, Bali, the long-tailed crowds that gathered curiously around Pierro’s iPad reacted quite aggressively as he made bananas and peanuts suddenly appear on his screen.

Apple Music adds new ‘Coming Soon’ section

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Apple Music
Apple Music was mysteriously absent from the WWDC 2018 keynote.
Photo: Apple

Staying on top of your favorite bands’ new albums just got a little bit easier, thanks to an Apple Music update that adds a “Coming Soon” section to the iOS app.

Apple began rolling out the new feature, which showcases new music expected to be released in the coming weeks, to Apple Music users today. Here’s where to find it – and how to use it.

tvOS 12 brilliantly fixes the biggest password pain on Apple TV

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Apple TV
Apple TV uses Siri remote to prompt nearby iPhones for passwords.
Photo: Imgur

Apple TV is about to get a lot more friendly when it comes to inputting passwords and PINs.

Entering passwords on Apple TV has been one of the biggest pain-points on its entire existence. But starting with tvOS 12, Apple is giving its box the ability to prompt all nearby iPhones to enter a password, even if you’ve never connected to that Apple TV.

Here’s how it works:

iOS 12 is scary good at learning your schedule

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iOS 12
Siri Shortcuts in iOS 12 are super-useful.
Photo: Apple

Apple fans that have been complaining for years that Siri is dumb might be a little creeped out by how much better the digital assistant is in iOS 12.

With the new Siri suggestions Apple introduced this week, your iPhone will now be able to prompt you about events you haven’t even told it about. One developer posted his experience of Siri learning about a lunch just through iMessage.

Prepare to be impressed:

Amazing numbers from WWDC 2018

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wwdc 20 million developers
Did you know that 20 million people are building apps for Apple devices?
Photo: Apple

With so much to digest during Apple’s big WWDC keynote on Monday, it was easy to miss some of the finer details.

You might be aware of every new feature coming to iOS 12 this fall. You might have memorized the changes to macOS, too. But did you know that more than 20 million people are now building apps for Apple devices, or that 10 billion Siri requests are processed every month?

Here are some fascinating numbers you probably missed during WWDC.

Hey iOS devs, you might be accidentally breaking Apple’s NDA

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iOS 12
Posting iOS 12 screenshots is a big no-no.
Photo: Apple

WWDC 2018 bug Cult of Mac iOS 12 tidbits and screenshots have been flooding the web all week after Apple dropped the first betas for iOS 12 and macOS Mojave. But there’s a small problem with all that.

It turns out that posting screenshots from Apple’s unreleased software is a total violation of the NDA developers agreed to before becoming iOS developers.

Anti-racism advocacy group is upset at Apple’s location for new HQ

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Color of Change
North Carolina has a history of controversial laws.
Photo: Color of Change

Apple’s announcement about its proposed North Carolina East Coast headquarters is supposedly “imminent,” but not everyone is happy about it. Last month, activists were reportedly “livid” about the location due to its history of LGBT-unfriendly laws. Now another advocacy group is accusing the region of racism, related to the state’s new voter ID proposal.

The advocacy group in question is a civil rights group called Color of Change. It is upset about North Carolina’s voter ID bill on the grounds that it allegedly discriminates against African-Americans. This bill was announced by the state’s House Republicans on Thursday.

macOS developer explains why App Store trials are flawed

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App Store
Apple's trial solution just won't work for some developers.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s updated App Store guidelines finally give developers the ability to offer free trials for all apps — not just those that require a subscription. It’s a great move for users and creators, and something we’ve been demanding for a long time, but it has its problems.

Daniel Jalkut, developer of the MarsEdit blogging app for Mac, lists eight reasons why Apple’s approach to app trials is flawed.

We tell you all the best stuff announced at WWDC ’18, this week on The CultCast

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lisa cultcast lisa
Catch our WWDC '18 reactions and best-of-show picks on our newest CultCast.

It may not have been action-packed, but this week’s WWDC was bursting with great stuff. Don’t miss our WWDC 2018 reactions on this week’s episode of The CultCast. Then stick around for our list of all the best new iOS 12, watchOS, and macOS features announced at the keynote.

Our thanks to Casper for supporting this episode. Learn why Casper makes the internet’s favorite mattress, and get $50 toward select mattresses at casper.com/cultcast.

Apple share price falls as iPhone component orders decline

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iphone x
Don't be quite so quick to judge, though!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has reportedly warned its supply chain of plans to cut 20 percent of new iPhone component orders. This news triggered a drop in Apple’s valuation, with shares falling 2.1 percent in U.S. pre-market trading.

Shares in Apple suppliers including AMS AG, Dialog Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics and Infineon Technologies also fell as a result of the news.

Apple boosts pay for writers on its original TV shows

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apple tvPIC
Apple is continuing to invest in original TV content.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

As part of its push into original video content, Apple signed a Writers Guild of America master contract promising writers greater benefits.

The deal means that scribes employed by Apple to work on its growing list of projects will receive script fees, weekly payments and residuals on shows that air for free. This is a better deal for writers than the current baseline agreement on offer.

Small company claims Apple stole Shortcuts logo

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Apple Shortcuts vs. the Sift logo
Is the Apple Shortcuts logo a ripoff of this company's corporate one?
Graphic: Apple/Shift

Shortcuts is a cool feature in iOS 12 that carries out a collection on actions with a single Siri command. But a startup accuses Apple of stealing its logo.

The company’s name is Shift, and both it and the Apple Shortcuts app have logos that are stylized versions of the letter ‘s.’ Additionally, both use similar colors: blue and magenta.

Apple’s next TV series will take you inside India’s slums

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Apple TV+ series Shantaram seeking incentives in India
Apple TV+ series Shantaram seeking incentives in India
Photo: St. Martin's Griffin

Apple’s original TV content team is revving on all cylinders this week after ordering a second TV series this week.

Gregory David Robert’s novel “Shantaram” will be developed into an original drama series by Apple. The iPhone-maker reportedly had to beat out a number of competitive bidders on the project which has been kicking around Hollywood for a few years.

Alexa will now take your questions on Apple Watch

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Alexa App
Voice in a Can lets you talk to Alexa on your Apple Watch.
Photo: Atadore/Apple App Store

Amazon has not launched an Alexa app for watchOS, but new third-party software lets you sideline Siri on your Apple Watch should you prefer the voice of Alexa.

The app, Voice in a Can, will also work on iPhone and iPad, though the voice assistant won’t do all the things it does on the Amazon Echo.