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How to convert any video (or song) into an MP3

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convert MP3 iPhone workflow
With a couple of taps, you can convert any audio or video file to MP3
Photo: Cult of Mac

Converting an audio track to MP3 on the Mac is dead easy. Just open it with iTunes, and choose the File > Convert option from the menu bar. On iOS, though, there’s no native way to do this. There are lots of shonky-looking apps in the App Store that offer to create MP3s for you, but it’s likely that you already have the answer installed on your iPhone or iPad.

That’s right. Apple’s own WorkFlow app can quickly and easily convert any audio (or video) file to MP3.

Apple’s next AirPods may pack health sensors

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Apple AirPods
AirPods could soon do more than just play music
Photo: Apple

Your next set of Apple earbuds might be about to get some serious health upgrades.

Tracking your heart rate while jogging soon may only require using earbuds, as a new patent filing show that Apple seems very serious about adding biometric sensing to its AirPods.

Moby doesn’t want to brag, but he totally invented the iPhone

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Moby
Move over Jony Ive!
Photo: Apple

World-famous DJ Moby may have an estimated net worth of around $32 million, but it could’ve been a whole lot more. You know why? Because according to a new interview with the musician, he helped Apple come up with the idea for both the iPod and the iPhone.

And to think we figured his biggest contribution to the world had been “Southside.”

Apple Pay can save you money at the movies this weekend

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Apple Pay can earn you $5 off your movie tickets.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Pay users can save $5 off movie tickets when they pair two from ticketing company Fandango.

The offer expires this Sunday, March 4. It is tied in with the forthcoming 90th Academy Awards which takes place on that day. Here is how you get to take advantage of the discount.

Galaxy S9 pre-orders may have disappointed on Samsung’s home turf

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Galaxy S9
Samsung Galaxy S9 may struggle against last year's model.
Photo: Samsung

Initial pre-orders of the Samsung Galaxy S9 are proving to be disappointing in Samsung’s home turf of South Korea, a new report claims.

The new handset was only made available for pre-order on Wednesday, but — at least in the first few hours — initial demand seems not to be matching that of last year’s handset. Samsung itself has not yet revealed any figures.

This app rewards you with discounts for not looking at your iPhone

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iPhone Hold
Hold gives discounts on products if you put down your iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Not looking at your smartphone is the new looking at your smartphone. Or, at least, that’s the idea driving an intriguing app which aims to reward students with discounts on movie tickets and other services if they don’t keep checking their iPhones.

Here’s how it works, and why its creators think it matters.

Developer demos ‘portable hole’ augmented reality effect with ARKit

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TheParallaxView
A portable hole made with ARKit and an iPhone X
Photo: Peder Norrby Peder Norrby

 

Taking a journey down virtual rabbit holes may not be far away.

With the Pokemon Go craze now a thing of the past, developers are looking for other uses for augmented reality. Peder Norrby has created an app that shows off some of the possibilities of Apple’s ARKit and the iPhone X: a portable hole.

Spotify is finally going public

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Spotify
The Spotify IPO is finally here.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Music’s biggest competition is about to get an influx of Wall Street cash.

Spotify finally filed documents for an initial public offering, after rumors of going public had been floating around for years. According to reports, the company could be worth as much as much as $23 billion, but it’s still not profitable.

Remaster music on your iPhone or iPad with Grand Finale

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mixer
Mastering music mixes makes musicians mad.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Mastering is the final stage of making a record. After all the playing, recordings, and mixing is done, you send the stereo track off to the best mixing guru you can afford, and they work their special magic, probably surrounded by all kinds of fancy machines.

And while you probably don’t have the experts’ golden ears, or their golden years of experience, now you can have a crack at mastering right there on your iPad (or even iPhone), with Klevgränd’s new mastering app, Grand Finale.

Cool new HealthKit gadgets can measure practically anything

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Cool new HealthKit-compatible gadgets at MWC
New HealthKit gadgets make health and fitness easier than ever.
Photos: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Mobile World Congress 2018 BARCELONA, Spain — Smart sperm testers, body cavity inspectors, Bluetooth pillows, holographic jump ropes and contactless thermometers. It’s all just another day at Mobile World Congress, where more and more companies show off their new HealthKit-compatible gadgets.

If you want your iPhone to know absolutely everything about what’s going on with your body, these handy medical devices are for you. Here’s what they do — and why they’re cool.

This could be the best Mac cleaner for your money

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Dr. Cleaner Mac cleaner will get the cruft out of your Mac.
Dr. Cleaner will get the cruft out of your Mac.
Photo: JÉSHOOTS/Pexels CC

This post is presented by Trendmicro, maker of Dr. Cleaner.

Spring is coming, and the urge to tidy up follows close behind. Of course, our computers can get just as cluttered as our homes. We use all kinds of cleaning supplies for tidying up our homes easily and effectively. It’s also a good idea to get the right tools for cleaning your Mac.

Musicians: Here’s how to lock down your iPad to prevent accidents on stage

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guided access ipad
Stage performers don't want their iPads launching Facebook mid-show.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple’s iOS accessibility features might be hidden away in the Settings app, but they are useful for everyone. For instance, Guided Access lets you lock your iPhone or iPad so it can use only one app, and you can even disable parts of the screen just by drawing on them. If you’re looking for a feature similar to iPad guest mode, Guided Access can be a great way to limit app access for kids or individuals with specific needs. This is handy for giving the iPad to kids, or to people with impaired motor skills, but it is also fantastic for stage performers.

A musician, for instance, might be using the iPad to produce or process their sound. The last thing you want to do in the heat of a performance is to accidentally do a four-finger swipe and end up on your Facebook page.

Today, then, we’ll see how to use Guided Access to keep your iPad safe on stage, but the same tips apply if you’re deploying an iPad as a cash register in your coffee shop, or as an information point at an exhibition.

Pro Tip: How to use Safari’s super-quick pop-up tab history shortcut

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Safari pop-up tab history
Here's Safari's pop-up tab history
Photo: Cult of Mac

Pro Tip Cult of Mac bug When you want to get back to a previously viewed page in Safari on your iPhone, what do you do? Do you keep tapping the back button until you find the page you want?

If so, you can forget that nonsense right now, because there’s a super-quick way to see a list of all the web pages you’ve recently viewed in a Safari browser tab.

6 things Apple should do to fix Siri

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Siri display
"I don't have these features. Would you like me to search the web for you?"
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Siri kind of sucks, despite its increasingly prominent role in the Apple ecosystem.

With the general verdict on the HomePod being “great speaker, shame about Siri,” what does Apple need to do in order to catch up with its rivals? Here are six Siri improvements we’d love to see Apple implement as soon as possible.

Worries arise as Apple hands over iCloud accounts to China

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Apple Store
Apple has had a number of challenges growing its market in China.
Photo: Apple

Apple has completed the transition of iCloud accounts registered in China to state-run Chinese servers, and privacy and human rights advocates are (rightfully) worried.

In addition to transferring the accounts to state-run servers, Apple may have also transferred the digital keys to Chinese jurisdiction, although Apple says it retains control of them. Nonetheless, it’s a concerning event — especially at a time when people are already worried about Xi Jinping, ruler of the Communist Party of China, ramping up censorship as part of the bid to establish himself as president for life.

4 tools that make iPhone a better road warrior [Deals]

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Auto Roundup Collage
Perfect for those long commutes or road trips, these four gadgets will make driving a bit more fun.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Your iPhone makes daily life a lot easier. But when driving, the most you can expect is getting directions. That’s why we’ve rounded up four awesome iPhone car accessories. From smart license plates to wireless charging, speed trap detectors and more, there’s something in here for anyone who wants their phone to be a true road companion. Read on for more details.

Apple Watch can now track snowboarding and skiing activities

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Skier
The Apple Watch is an incredibly versatile fitness tracker.
Photo: Apple

The Apple Watch continues its mission to become the most versatile fitness trackers around, with Apple today introducing the ability for Apple Watch Series 3 wearers to track detailed information about both snowboarding and skiing runs.

Skiers and snowboarders running watchOS 4.2 can now use their Apple wearable to measure these activities, via new updates to apps available in the App Store. Users can record runs, see vertical descent and other stats, and contribute active calorie measurements directly to the Apple Watch Activity app.