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WhatsApp finally adds support for stickers

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WhatsApp stickers
It's time to upgrade if you haven't already.
Photo: WhatsApp

WhatsApp is one of the biggest messaging platforms on the planet, and it has somehow gone without support for stickers — until now!

Some users now have the ability to send and receive stickers, and the rest will be able to enjoy the same functionality on both Android and iOS in the coming weeks. A selection of sticker packs from WhatsApp own designers are available, and third-party packs are coming soon.

$150,000 worth of Apple devices stolen from Best Buy

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Best Buy 1
Robbery comes shortly after massive crime spree targeting Apple Stores.
Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr CC

Upwards of $150,000 worth of Macs, iPads, and Apple Watches was stolen this week from a Best Buy stores in Peoria, Illinois. The theft took place overnight on Wednesday.

It was noticed by the manager early the following day, who filed a report with the Peoria Police Department. The theft is described by Lt. Mike Boland, who leads the department’s detective bureau, as one of the largest heists in terms of dollar value in recent memory.

iPhone XR camera gives some iPhone XS users buyer’s remorse

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iPhone XR portrait mode
Thinking the iPhone XR would have been worth the wait?
Photo: Apple

The early reviews for the camera on the iPhone XR have been impressive – and that has a few who purchased the iPhone XS wishing they had waited a few weeks.

Apple, trying to accommodate more budget-minded consumers, announced the mid-range iPhone XR for $799 at the same time it unveiled the more expensive iPhone XS and XS Max.

The XS line was available on Sept. 21 while the XR, not quite ready for shelves then, went on sale today.

Connect a color-sensing eye to your iPhone [Deals]

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Easily scan and define any color on any surface, to be used for paint or digital applications.
Easily scan and define any color on any surface, to be used for paint or digital applications.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Color is easy to appreciate, but tough to identify precisely. Is that midnight blue or navy blue? Or if you’re working on a computer, is that shade of red more firebrick (#B22222) or strawberry (#BE2625)? It’s ok, you don’t have to know the answer.

Larry Ellison doesn’t agree with how Apple handled its FBI standoff

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Larry Ellison
Larry Ellison was one of Steve Jobs' best friends.
Photo: Oracle Corporate Communications

Oracle founder Larry Ellison may have been Steve Jobs’ BFF and even considered buying Apple at one point, but he doesn’t agree with everything the company does. In a recent interview, Ellison criticized Apple’s refusal to help hack an iPhone belonging to a shooter in the 2015 San Bernardino attack.

The case blew up into a massive standoff between Apple, in favor of privacy, and the FBI. Speaking on Fox, Ellison called Apple’s behavior, “bizarre.”

iOS 12.1 beta confirms improved Face ID for iPad Pro

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VCSEL
Face ID should work in any orientation on the new iPad Pro.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Code discovered in Apple’s latest iOS 12.1 beta confirms its next-generation iPad Pro lineup will pack Face ID — and it will work in both portrait and landscape mode.

Users will be asked to set up the facial recognition system in portrait mode, but once this process is complete, the new iPad Pro can be unlocked in either orientation.

10 reasons iPhone XR is the one to buy, this week on The CultCast

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CultCast 357 MacBook Pro
Tim Cook's magic pipeline is about to deliver!
Photo: The CultCast

This week on The CultCast: With iPhone XR finally here, we’ll give you 10 reasons why it’s the best iPhone you can get. Plus: How iOS 12.1 solves “Beautygate”; new Macs leak ahead of Apple’s big October hardware event; Ming-Chi Kuo says new iPad minis, AirPods and the AirPower mat are finally on the way. Finally, we wrap up with our iPhone XS cases and a superb Thunderbolt 3 dock in an all-new Under Review.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first hosting plan or domain.

Snapchat’s number of daily users continues to tumble

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Snapchat
Forget disappearing messages; Snapchat is suffering disappearing users.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Snapchat isn’t having a good time right now. The company just released its third quarter results, and once again suffered a decline in daily active users.

That number fell by 2 million to 186 million people, marking the third straight quarter of user declines. However, Snap seems confident it can break the losing streak in 2019.

Apple’s colorful iPhone XR now available for sale

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Nearly every configuration of the Apple's latest handset is still available hours into launch day. What does this say about iPhone XR sales?
Which color would you go for?
Photo: Apple

The iPhone XR is officially available for sale. Those who pre-ordered the device have began receiving their orders, while Apple Stores are also stocking the new phones.

With the iPhone XS and XS Max out as well, that means that Apple’s complete 2018 iPhone range is now available for you to purchase. Well, provided you can find the handset you want, that is!

How to download and visualize your Apple Music listening habits

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Apple Music Analyser
Analyze this.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

You know how you can download a copy of all the data Apple holds on you? For many folks, this is an academic issue — it’s interesting to know about, but of little practical value. But a tool from developer Pat Murray lets you visualize your Apple Music listening habits, using a browser-based tool.

All you need is one small file from your Apple data dump — and Murray’s Apple Music Analyser.

Tim Cook’s Madrid vist highlights HomePod launch in Spain

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Apple's CEO and Spanish singer Rosalía take a selfie with Madrid Apple employees.
Apple's CEO and Spanish singer Rosalía take a selfie with Madrid Apple employees.
Photo: Tim Cook

The Apple CEO’s tour of Europe continued today with a visit to sunny Spain. He’s there to promote tomorrow’s launch of the HomePod in the country. He’s also talking up the release of the iPhone XR, which will debut around the world on Friday.

Apple adds new actors to cast of morning TV news show

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The Office
Steve Carell will play a news caster that's becoming irrelevant.
Photo: NBC Universal

The full cast of Apple’s morning TV show comedy is starting to take shape after two more actors have signed onto the project.

Billy Crudup and Gugu Mbatha-Raw have joined the cast for the untitled Apple TV series that lists Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston as both executive producers and stars of the show.

Xiaomi kills the notch with its new bezel-free smartphone

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Xiaomi
No notch to see here.
Photo: Xiaomi

One of the biggest Apple copycats finally found a way to bring some innovation of its own to the smartphone game.

Xiaomi unveiled its new Mi Mix 3 phone today that ditches the camera notch Apple popularized in favor of a front camera array that slides out of the display. The end result is a smartphone with a screen-to-body ratio of 93.4 percent and it actually looks pretty cool.

Check out how the camera slides out:

Linea Go, the iPad’s best drawing app, is now on iPhone

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Linea Go manages to shrink the iPad version and keep it easy and fun to use.
Linea Go manages to shrink the iPad version and keep it easy and fun to use.
Photo: The Iconfactory

Linea Go is the little sister of Linea, perhaps the best pick-up-and-go drawing app on the iPad. And unlike the iPad, where there are a ton of really top-end drawing and painting apps, the iPhone has far fewer, especially if you just want a great way to lay down a quick sketch.

If nothing else, Linea Go shows just how great it would be if the Apple Pencil worked with the iPhone.

Spike Jonze’s stunning HomePod ad dances away with more awards

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2019 Creative Marketer of the Year
Spike Jonze created Apple's most celebrated ad of 2018.
Photo: Apple

“Welcome Home,” a television commercial for the Apple HomePod directed by Spike Jonze, welcomed another slew of advertising awards today.

Apple took home two first-place honors in the prestigious shots Awards. It won three other first-place shots for Best Director (Jonze), Editing house of the Year (Final Cut of Los Angeles) and Production Company of the Year (MJZ of Los Angeles).

New Pokémon Go feature makes exercise enticing

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Pokémon GO is blasting off again with new GO Battle League
Pokémon GO Adventure Sync rewards you for exercising with the Candy needed to Power Up and evolve your pocket monster.
Photo: Niantic

Playing Pokémon GO requires you to get off the couch and explore the world. The game now takes that idea and runs with it (pun intended) by rewarding you for exercising even when not hunting virtual monsters.

Fill the style deficit with Rilee & Lo’s stainless-steel, stretch-link Apple Watch bands

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Rilee & Lo stretch link band
Brilliant stretch-link bracelets that won't break the bank.
Photo: Rilee & Lo

Dress up your dashing new Apple Watch with a smart, stainless-steel watch band from Rilee & Lo — maker of highly stylish stretch-link Apple Watch bands.

Apple Watches are functional, fun and engaging, and now totally fashion-friendly. Rilee & Lo’s exclusive watch bands fuse tech and fashion brilliantly, for both men and women, and we filmed an unboxing video to give you an inside look into what makes these bad boys so special. Grab a band for yourself or as a gift. Check out the full lineup of Rilee & Lo’s stunning bands in our Watch Store.

Why Apple News relies on human curation, not algorithms

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Apple News app
The Apple News app relies less on algorithms than other tech companies in the news business.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Apple products have changed the way we live. Can it save journalism?

If the Apple News app is part of the solution, Apple will be one tech company curating the stories and information the old fashioned way – with human editors.

Apple wants you to be able to use your iPhone when it’s wet

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iPhone XS Max vs. iPhone XS size: Sometimes bigger really is better.
This wouldn't be a problem any more.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has done a great job of making the iPhone more water-resistant over the years, but one thing you still can’t do particularly well is to use your iPhone when it’s wet.

That’s something that Apple wants to change, based on a pair of patent applications published today. They describe technology to allow finger tracking in wet environments, letting users continue swiping and tapping away even if they’re out in the rain.

Spotify Premium subscriptions grow after family plan crackdown

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Spotify app now playing screen
Spotify shows no signs of slowing down.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Spotify has seen a rise in Premium subscriptions after the music streaming service started cracking down on family plan subscribers who aren’t really family.

New data reveals 38 percent of Spotify users in the U.S. now pay for the Premium service — up from 36 percent last quarter. Apple Music remains the only platform that has presented Spotify with real competition, but it still has a lot of catching up to do.

Score top-rated VPN protection for a third the usual price [Deals]

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This top tier VPN offers online anonymity and data security, and high bandwidth on 5 devices at once.
This top-tier VPN offers online anonymity, data security and high bandwidth on five devices at once.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Online life is risky, with countless threats to our identity and data security. That’s why we’re big advocates of connecting to the internet via a virtual private network, or VPN. So we’re excited to share this deal on a subscription to a top-shelf VPN.

China tells Trump to ditch his iPhone for a Huawei

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Chinese company Huawei wants the media buzz that would come with releasing the world's first foldable phone.
Worried about China eavesdropping? Simple: Buy a Chinese smartphone.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns / Flickr CC

A representative for China’s Foreign Ministry says a report in The New York Times about the country possibly eavesdropping on President Donald Trump’s personal iPhone is “fake news.” Spokesperson Hua Chunying does, however, have some advice for the leader of the free world: Switch to a Huawei phone.

Hey, for a company like Huawei that loves celebrity endorsers, Trump would be one hell of a catch!