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Spotify’s free users will soon be able to skip ads

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Spotify app now playing screen
Spotify has a new plan for getting more information on customers.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Spotify is exploring new ways to let users on its free tier skip audio and video ads whenever they want.

The feature gives listeners the chance to get back to their music more quickly by skipping ads they’re not interested in. The company is currently user-testing the feature in Australia, with plans to later roll it out elsewhere.

Fortnite challenge guide for season 5, week 5

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Fortnite Fly Explosives game mode
It’s your turn to make the rules.
Photo: Epic Games

Just days after rolling out its latest Fortnite update, Epic Games has issued its complete list of challenges for season five, week five.

There are seven to complete altogether for a total of 50 Battle Stars. Three of them are available to all, while the other four require a Battle Pass.

Here’s our guide to finishing each one!

Taiwan lets Qualcomm off majority of big $773 million fine

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Qualcomm patents
Qualcomm just scored a lucky break in feud with regulators.
Photo: Qualcomm

Qualcomm just saved itself the best part of $700 million , due a settlement with Taiwan’s antitrust regulators.

Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission had accused Qualcomm of abusing its position in the marketplace by refusing to provide products to clients who would not agree to its terms and conditions. Qualcomm was issued a record $773 million fine last year, but most of that has now been reversed.

Face ID can’t stop boom in fingerprint-scanning displays

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iPhone Touch ID
And you thought the days of fingerprint sensors were coming to an end!
Photo: Apple

Apple may have opted for Face ID over in-display Touch ID for the iPhone X, but plenty of lower cost handset makers aren’t in a position to use facial recognition in their handsets — and they’re embracing in-display fingerprint sensors as a result.

According to a new report, global shipments of in-display fingerprint sensors are expected to top 42 million units in 2018. And that number will more than double in 2019.

Ex-New York transit official charged in $60,000 iPhone scam

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France fines Apple $27 million for intention iPhone 'throttling' controversy
Ex-Metropolitan Transportation Authority official sold taxpayer-funded iPhones.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A former official with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority official has been indicted in an apparent scam in which he purchased almost $60,000 worth of iPhones with taxpayer money — and then sold them for personal gain.

Apple Pay usage grows strongly outside the U.S.

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Apple Pay iPhone
The number of Apple Pay users almost equals the entire population of the US. But most users live somewhere else.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Most people are still leery about giving up their wallet. Only a small percentage of smartphone owners use their mobile to make purchases at brick-and-mortar stores.  But attitudes are starting to change.

As a result, Apple Pay is growing strongly. Surprisingly, most of that growth is outside of the U.S.

Former Tesla VP returns home to work on Apple Car

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Here's how Apple Car might eliminate blind spots
The Apple Car project just got another valued team member.
Photo: Aristomenis Tsirbas/Freelancer

Doug Field, a former Vice President of Mac Hardware Engineering at Apple, has returned to the company after spending several years at Tesla.

The interesting part? At Tesla, Field was employed as the Vice President of Vehicle Programs with a role overseeing development of new electric vehicles for the company. Now that he is back at Apple, he is reportedly working as part of the “Project Titan” Apple Car group.

Samsung’s AirPower knockoff might be ready to ship before Apple’s

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Samsung is knocking off the AirPower.
Samsung is knocking off the AirPower.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung might finally beat Apple at its own game when it comes to wireless charging.

During its Galaxy Note 9 keynote today, Samsung revealed that it has created a knockoff version of Apple’s AirPower charging mat. Even though Apple revealed AirPower last year its release is nowhere in site while Samsung is ready to pounce on the opportunity to ship first.

Video game developers are set to shine in Apple comedy show

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Rob McElhenney, one of the writers of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, has teamed up with an old partner on a new Apple TV show.
Rob McElhenney, one of the writers of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, has teamed up with an old partner on a new Apple TV show.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

Another day, another Apple TV series. The company continues to build a library of shows, despite having announced no plans what it will do with them.

The latest is a comedy set at a video game development studio. It’s reportedly being created by the team behind It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

How Apple’s AI gurus made Siri an expert in local businesses

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Siri Alexa in voice report
Siri knows the name of your local pizza joint, making it much easier to get directions when you have a craving.
Photo: Apple

Siri is quite good at recognizing what we say, but used to run into difficulties with the names of small businesses. That was until Apple developers found a way to make her much better at this task.

In fact, the new system is more than 40 percent less likely to come up with the wrong business name. 

Brand new Macs at risk of hacking during setup process

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macOs Mojave
Your brand new Mac can be hacked really easily.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s rock-solid supply chain might be churning out new Macs that are already hacked.

Getting a brand new Mac usually means you’re getting the freshest, most bug-free system possible, but security researchers have discovered that there’s a way to hack brand new Macs before they’ve even been turned on.

Samsung preps rivals for Apple Watch and HomePod

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Samsung Watch and Samsung Home go up against Apple equivalents.
Samsung Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Home go up against Apple equivalents.
Photo: Samsung

Along with its newest smartphone, Samsung just unveiled two more products designed to take on some of Apple’s. The Galaxy Watch isn’t the Korean company’s first Apple Watch competitor, but this is the first time it’s unveiled a HomePod rival.

Apple dominates smartwatch sales, so Samsung faces an uphill battle. Amazon has the lead in smartspeakers though, and Apple has shown it’s not an easy market to break into.

Write catchy songs in your browser with Hookpad 2

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Anyone can compose a hit song in Hookpad 2
Anyone can compose a hit song in Hookpad 2
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Hookpad is a web app for music composition, and it’s also a killer way to learn about music theory. Hookpad and its companion theory app/book have been around for a while. The problem was, it only worked on the desktop. Hookpad 2 is a complete rewrite, and it works just great in mobile Safari. You can even save it to your home screen.

Google’s new Cameos app gives celebs a bigger voice on the internet

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Google Cameos
Google's Cameos app focuses on celebrities.
Photo: Google

Google is giving celebrities a new way to answer some of the most popular questions asked by fans thanks to a new app called Cameos.

The search giant launched Cameos on the iOS app store this morning. Created for public figures, celebrities and sports teams, Cameos is an extension of the Posts on Google platform that allows some people and organizations to post directly to Google’s search result pages.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 prepares to face the 2018 iPhones

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The Galaxy Note 9 will have to face not just the iPhone X, but also the models Apple will launch next month.
The Galaxy Note 9 will have to stand up to not only the iPhone X, but also the models Apple will launch next month.
Photo: Apple/Samsung/MobileFun

This spring’s Galaxy S9 hasn’t sold all that well, so Samsung is pinning its hopes on the Galaxy Note 9, just announced this morning.

This 6.4-inch Android device will have to compete with the iPhone X, and also the new smartphones Apple will introduce in a few weeks. Let’s see how it compares.

Apple is cracking down on gambling apps

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Coronavirus could have a surprisingly positive impact on App Store revenue
Trouble is, not all the apps removed are actually gambling apps!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is cracking down on gambling content in the App Store. The problem is that some of the apps caught in the crossfire don’t have very much to do with gambling at all.

Several developers have noted on social media that their apps — ranging from a Polish magazine to a game that lets you send Xbox game clips to buddies — have been removed from the App Store as part of the purge.

Apple may be forced to back down in India privacy clash

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Apple supplier is increasing its ability to build masses of iPhones in India
This could be one fight Apple won't win.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple may have “won” its standoff with the FBI over privacy, but it’s unlikely to be able to repeat the same feat in a clash with the Indian government on the same topic.

A new article published by Reuters runs down the various obstacles Apple faces in its battle with India’s telecom regulator over an anti-spam app, which Apple believes infringes on user privacy. And while nothing is settled yet, this looks like one fight Apple won’t be winning!

iOS 12 brings big improvements to iPhone’s Portrait mode

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truedepth iphone x camera portrait lighting
Portrait mode never looked so good on iPhone.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

iOS 12 packs a whole host of significant improvements that Apple didn’t get a chance to showcase during its WWDC preview. One of those, according to one developer, is a greatly-enhanced Portrait mode for compatible iPhone models.

The image below highlights the impressive difference between a Portrait photo taken with iOS 11 and another taken with iOS 12.

You can now enjoy Roku’s free channel on your iOS devices

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Roku
A new way to watch free movies.
Photo: Roku

Want to give the Roku experience a go, but don’t own a Roku TV streaming device? Today may be your lucky day, since Roku has announced that its free, ad-supported streaming service, the Roku Channel, is now available for people to watch, via the internet, on your smartphone, tablet, or personal computer.

To access the content — which includes plenty of good, albeit slightly older movies like The Matrix trilogy, in addition to other content — you’ll simply need to create a Roku account.

iPhone supplier sees increasing Face ID orders ahead of new devices

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Face ID attention awareness
Face ID can now recognize a second person.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

One of Apple’s manufacturing partners is enjoying a sizable boost in revenue off the back of increased orders for Face ID components.

Lumentum’s vertical-cavity-surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), a key component of the flood illuminator and dot projector inside iPhone X, is in high demand as Apple prepares its next-generation iPhone and iPad lineups for a fall debut.