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Venmo privacy flaw reveals users’ sensitive info

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The website Public by Default highlights the weak privacy of Venmo.
The website Public by Default highlights the weak privacy of Venmo.
Photo: Hang Do Thi Duc

Companies don’t always succeed at keeping user data private, but Venmo doesn’t even seem to be trying. This service that allows users to make payments to individuals or merchants has the privacy for transactions set to public by default. 

A researcher found that with very little effort she could track the purchases made by most of the 7 million active Venmo users. That includes everyone who installed Venmo from the App Store.

Walmart plans to take on Netflix with its own streaming service

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75% of Netflix users have no plans to jump ship to Apple TV+ (right away)
75% of Netflix users have no plans to jump ship to Apple TV+ (right away)
Photo: Stock Catalog/Flickr CC

Netflix and HBO might be getting some fresh competition soon and we’re not talking about Apple’s growing TV streaming ambitions.

Walmart is supposedly planning to get into the streaming game and it hopes to beat the competition by making the cheapest priced TV streaming service available.

iPhone vs. Android could be ruining your dating life

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Florence
50% of women say old phones are a turn off.
Photo: Annapurna Interactive

Do you find it hard to score a hot date? Well, using an Android phone could be one of the reasons your dating life is in the trash.

A recent survey of U.S. singles found that 70 percent of eligible people prefer to date an iPhone owner over an Android user. Many of those surveyed said the iPhone is a more sophisticated and high-quality option. For them, Samsung puts off the wrong vibe.

Discover new music you’ll love with Spotify [50 Essential iOS Apps #39]

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Spotify app now playing screen
Spotify and Siri are finally a team.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Spotify Streaming music has revolutionized the way we listen to music on the go. Starting with streaming radio, and quickly evolving to carrying millions of songs in your pocket (thanks to cellular data), streaming services have enabled incredible access and discovery of great music.

With Spotify, you can experience your favorites and discover great new music better than ever, thanks to algorithmic intelligence and some genius features.

Attaching a tablet to your steering wheel is world’s most idiotic hack

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iPad steering wheel
This isn't smart.
Photo: TheDailyTelegraph.au

The great thing about mobile devices is that you can take them anywhere. The bad things about mobile devices is that you can take them anywhere.

That has the potential to lead to plenty of dangerous situations, as a new photo which has popped up online makes clear. It shows an iPad (or is it another type of tablet?) seemingly attached to the steering wheel of a user in Australia. We guess that’s “thinking different,” alright. Just not in a way Steve Jobs would have ever wanted!

iOS 12 beta 4 fixes Fortnite crashes, adds other new bugs

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notification centre iOS 12
Have you upgraded early to iOS 12?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iOS 12 users can finally enjoy Fortnite again after Apple’s latest beta fixed random game crashes.

A problem with downloading Netflix titles has also been eliminated, but a number of new bugs have been introduced with this release — including on that breaks the new Screen Time feature.

Chinese iCloud data now controlled by state-owned company

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Apple Store
Tim Cook has said that China is Apple's future biggest market.
Photo: Apple

When Apple moved iCloud data for Chinese customers over to Apple partner Guizhou-Cloud Big Data Industry earlier this year, a lot of privacy advocates were worried about the implications.

They might have even more cause for concern now, as Apple’s iCloud data in the country — including users’ emails and text messages — is now being stored by a division of the state-owned China Telecom. Apple confirmed the change late on Tuesday.

Apple’s new fast charger could be exclusively for 2018 iPhones

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iPhone 18W fast charger
Choose your iPhone fast charger carefully.
Photo: Chongdiantou

Apple is expected to ship faster charging adapters with this year’s iPhone lineup to take advantage of newer technology that allows for increased charging speeds. But you won’t be able to get one unless you buy a brand new iPhone.

According to a new report, the charger will be shipped exclusively with Apple’s next-generation handsets and won’t be available separately.

Google slapped with $5 billion fine for Android tactics

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Android P has a similar swipe-based navigation system as the iPhone X, and it supports screen cutouts.
Google's been sneaky, the EU claims.
Photo: Google

Update: The European Commission has confirmed the fine, while also ordering Google make changes to rectify the problem.

Google is bracing itself to be hit with a 4.3 billion euro ($5 billion) fine as a result of its Android operating system strategy, the BBC reports.

The European Commission’s action will mark the conclusion of a three-year investigation into Android’s strategy, which unfairly strengths Google’s dominance as a search engine. The fine will be formally announced later today.

Samsung predictably takes shots at iPhone X in latest Galaxy S9 ad

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Galaxy S9
Seriously, get a new ad strategy!
Photo: Samsung

Apple is known for strikingly original ads which have changed the course of advertising history, and are studied by creatives decades after they first aired. Samsung is known for ads that rip on Apple.

Its latest spot, which pokes fun at the supposedly slow download speeds of the iPhone X, is just the latest example. Check it out below.

9 things you didn’t know about Apple’s new Seattle store

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A look inside Apple's new store.
The Seattle store focuses on education.
Photo: Steve Ringman/Seattle Times

Chamfered edges. Hidden gardens. Bathroom secrets. Apple’s new Seattle store has it all, according to The CultCast host Erfon Elijah.

He recently made a journey to the new store and was blown away by the features that make it a place you want to hang out in. Be ready to be impressed with his video tour!

Samsung’s new RAM chip will make future iPhones even faster

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A nw type of Samsung RAM is significantly faster than what's in the iPhone today.
A nw type of Samsung RAM is significantly faster than what's in the iPhone today.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung developed a type of RAM that’s 1.5 times faster than what’s included in smartphones today. And, even though Apple and Samsung are arch rivals, it’s very likely to be in iPhone someday.

The new 8Gb LPDDR5 DRAM boasts a data rate of up to 6,400 Mbps. That’s fast enough to send 51.2 GB, or about 14 full-HD video files, in a second.

Sharecuts will be the place to swap Siri Shortcuts

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Sharecuts
Control your smart home devices with Siri Shortcuts.
Photo: Apple

Siri users looking forward to a new app called Shortcuts will have a place called Sharecuts to suggest and swamp custom voice commands for the Apple-based digital assistant.

Sharecuts creator, Guilherme Rambo, wanted to build a website where people could share shortcuts and suggest ways for fine-tune existing ones. It is currently a black-and-white page, but will be more colorful and robust by the time Shortcuts comes out this fall with the launch of iOS 12.

mophie battery packs ease iPhone, iPad charging with Lightning ports and connectors

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mophie's iPad and iPhone batteries include Lightning ports.
mophie's new iPad and iPhone batteries include Lightning ports, and come in a range of capacities and colors.
Photo: mophie

Accessory-maker mophie launched a family of external batteries designed specifically for iPhone and iPad. They’re among the first to be charged through a Lightning port. Even better, some models have a built-in Lightning cable, and one includes wireless charging.

Apple approves of these new powerstation products so much they are available  exclusively at Apple Stores and Apple.com.

iPhone gains on Android in U.S. smartphone activations

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Samsung
Apple and Samsung are the only ones dominating the market.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple gained ground on its Android competition in the U.S. last quarter when it comes to smartphone activations.

The iPhone accounted for 36 percent of total smartphone activations from April to June, an increase from 30 percent from the same quarter last year. Best of all, Apple’s gains meant Samsung lost market share.

Secret ingredient in new MacBook Pro? Glue. Lots and lots of glue

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A look inside the 2018 MacBook Pro finds lots of bad news, but some good too.
A look inside the 2018 MacBook Pro finds plenty of bad news, but some good too.
Photo: IFIXIT

Apple makes no attempt to have MacBook Pro models easy to repair. The ones released just a few days ago are no exception. We all have to hope that the redesigned key mechanism fixes the previous problems because the keyboard is solidly glued to the battery and speakers. And that’s just the most obvious way that Apple frustrates the do-it-yourself crowd.

But the news isn’t all bad. At least one version of the 2018 MacBook Pro boasts a major battery improvement.

Pocket-sized breath analyzer promises to hack your metabolism

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Lumen
Lumen is a breath analyzer that tells if you're burning fat or carbs.
Photo: Lumen

Figuring out the perfect weight-loss diet might soon become as easy as breathing into a tiny breath analyzer.

Lumen, a digital health and wellness company, revealed its debut product that connects a pocket-sized breathalyzer to your iPhone to see measure your metabolism. The app delivers personalized workouts and meal plans to help you drop pounds in a sustainable way.

Check it out in action:

Ghostek Rapture headphones bring expensive sound at affordable price [Review]

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Ghostek Rapture Bluetooth headphones pack a premium look and feel.
Ghostek's Rapture Bluetooth headphones pack a premium look and feel.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Brooklyn brand Ghostek manufactures some really interesting phone cases, backpacks, speakers and headphones. One of its latest offerings, the Ghostek Rapture Bluetooth headphones, are some of the first to hit the market with graphene drivers.

These lightweight on-ear headphones come in at just $125 (or $99 if you pick them up on Prime Day) but sound a lot better than any other wireless headphones I’ve tried at that price point. Check out my full review below.

Best add-on lenses for your iPhone

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Add-on lens feature image
iPhone add-on lenses are a bonus for iPhonographers who crave creative variety from their iPhone cameras.
Photo: Amir

For a huge percentage of mobile photographers — from amateur snappers to creative artists — the iPhone is the camera you always have with you. Every iPhone packs an undeniably great camera. But, as with DSLRs or mirrorless cams, the more you shoot, the more variety you crave.

Swapping out lenses at will helps you create a vast mélange of visual adventures with your iPhone. Our roundup of the best iPhone lenses shows you how to find the right external lens or lens kit for your needs.

Here’s how Apple execs stack up with their Memojis

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Memoji
From corporate to cartoon, these Apple execs gave themselves Memoji facials.
Photo: Apple

Jony Ive went for that Wanted Poster look for his executive profile picture, but now he looks like an adorable puppy — thanks to Memoji makeovers of Apple execs.

Never has the leadership page on Apple’s website been so fun to peruse as today, when executives used the new Memoji feature in iOS 12 to create the cartoonish avatars to celebrate World Emoji Day.