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Spotify plans to put ‘sponsored songs’ in your playlists

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Spotify
You won't have to listen to music you don't like.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

In its quest to turn a profit, Spotify is searching for new revenue streams and it may have just found a winner: sponsored songs.

The streaming service began testing its new Sponsored Songs feature, which lets record labels promote tracks by automatically adding them to listeners’ playlists, this week. The feature is supposed to only affect users of Spotify’s free tier, but some paying subscribers report that it’s happening to them too.

Leaked recording reveals Apple’s plan to stop leakers

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Photos of alleged glass panels for the iPhone 8, 7s and 7s Plus.
Apple's on a mission to keep iPhone 8 parts like these from leaking.
Photo: Reddit

Tim Cook’s mission to double down on secrecy at Apple is producing results that even Steve Jobs would be envious of, based on a new report that details the extreme lengths Apple has gone through to stop leaks.

Ironically, a recording of Apple’s security team discussing leaks has been leaked online, giving all-new details on how Apple prevents employees and factory workers from leaking information and parts to the public.

iPhone ‘melts’ during U.K. heat wave

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iPhone hot temperature warning
Don't leave your iPhone in the sun!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

If you’re enjoying the rare sunshine gracing the U.K. this week, it might be best to leave your iPhone indoors.

Leaving it in the heat while you catch some rays could cause its internals to melt, as one unlucky owner discovered in Cornwall.

Armani is latest designer brand to take on Apple Watch

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Armani Connected Watch
One of Armani's upcoming Connected watches.
Photo: Emporio Armani

Emorio Armani is the latest designer fashion brand that fancies its chances against the Apple Watch.

The Italian company unveiled its first smartwatch collection, powered by Google’s Android Wear platform, at Milan Fashion Week over the weekend — but neglected to mention any prices.

Name your price for this massive pack of premium Mac apps [Deals]

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Pay What You Want- The World's Biggest Mac App Bundle
This bundle of almost a dozen premium Mac apps will upgrade the creativity, productivity, and entertainment value of your prized machine.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

You’ve got a Mac, which is one of the finest computing machines money can buy. But it’s really only as useful as the applications you put in it. When you’ve already dropped serious coin on a new computer, it can hurt to fork out even more for a bunch of apps.

Rivals suffer as Apple sucks up smartphone component supplies

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iPhone 8 facial recognition
The iPhone 8 isn't a phone you want to be competing against.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 8 is set to be a monster seller for Apple, and that’s not so good if you’re a rival handset vendor in China, where smartphone component inventory levels are at an all-time low.

Currently in demand parts include smartphone memory, camera sensors and batteries. And high-volume production of new iPhones in the third quarter is likely to affect availability of fingerprint sensors, metal cases and assorted display components.

Apple asks court to block Qualcomm double-dipping

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Qualcomm patents
Apple doesn't want to pay twice for Qualcomm chips.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s ongoing legal battle with Qualcomm just got even more interesting after the iPhone-maker branded its partner’s license agreements invalid.

Cupertino is fighting to prevent Qualcomm from taking a cut of every iPhone sold, and to prevent the chipmaker’s alleged double-dipping to maximize revenue it earns from its modem chips.

Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow for iOS gets a star-studded teaser trailer

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futurama
Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Stephen Hawking, George Takei and Bill Nye will all feature in the game.
Photo: Futurama

A new Futurama iOS game is set to land in the App Store this month and, based on the trailer, it looks to be a star-studded affair.

The Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow ad features the brainy voice talents of no less than Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Stephen Hawking, George Takei and Bill Nye. Check it out below.

Steve Jobs demanded Android-style back button for iPhone

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iPhone could have looked a lot different had Steve Jobs had his way.
iPhone could have looked a lot different had Steve Jobs had his way.
Photo: Apple

Since it made its debut in 2007, the iPhone has relied on just one physical button for returning to the Home screen. But if Steve Jobs had his way, it would have had two.

The Apple co-founder and former CEO tried to convince other executives that the iPhone also needed an Android-style back button for navigation.

Tim Cook pushes Trump for compulsory coding classes for kids

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Tim Cook discusses Apple's enterprise ambitions at BoxWorks in San Francisco, September 2015.
Tim Cook thinks coding is one of today's most important subjects.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

During Monday’s White House meeting with President Donald Trump, Tim Cook pushed for the U.S. government to make coding a required class for kids.

This is something Cook has publicly discussed before. When Apple debuted its kid-focused Swift Playgrounds app, he said, “We believe coding should be a required language in all schools.”

How to automatically save iMessage pictures to the iPhone Photos app

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save iMessage pictures
Easily save lots of iMessage pictures and movies all at once.
Photo: Cult of Mac

You can’t yet automatically save incoming photos and videos from the Messages app in iOS, but there is a way to quickly select a whole bunch of iMessage pictures and movies, and save them all to your Camera Roll.

Why would you want to do this? The main reason is search. Once your media gets inside the Photos app, it can be searched and included in Memories. Plus, all the pictures of people will get scanned and recognized. In short, right now some of your most valued pictures don’t show up in the place you keep all your pictures. Let’s change that.

Apple and Ikea’s AR collab lets you test furniture before buying

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Apple and Ikea are collaborating on artificial intelligence.
Tim Cook has previously said that AR tech makes him "scream" with excitement.
Photo: Ikea

Ikea has revealed a few new details about its augmented reality collaboration with Apple that lets customers test out virtual pieces of furniture in their homes before they buy them.

Tim Cook recently discussed the app briefly in an interview in which he said that, We’ve talked to Ikea, and they have 3D images of their furniture line. You’re talking about changing the whole experience of how you shop for, in this case, furniture and other objects that you can place around the home.”

Apple Watch now available from Sport Chek stores in Canada

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Apple Watch Sport Chek
It's even easier to get your hands on Apple Watch in Canada.
Photo: Sport Chek

Sport Chek, the largest sports retailer in Canada, now stocks multiple models of Apple Watch.

Its selection isn’t quite as big as the Apple’s but its prices are the same, and it’s more convenient for those who don’t live near an official Apple store.

Gear up for better iPhone photos and videos [Deals]

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collage-2017-06-13 (1)
Add new levels of quality and flexibility to your mobile photography with these premium accessories.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you’ve got an iPhone, you have one of the best mobile cameras out there. But having a good camera and a good eye isn’t enough to make the most of your iPhone’s photo potential. That’s why we’ve rounded up these deals on tools for taking your mobile image-making to the next level. We’ve got phone and tablet stands that fold into the size of a credit card, a hand-held stabilizer, a grippy tripod mount, and case that includes a wide-angle lens upgrade. Read on for more details:

Huge Pokémon GO update to bring better gyms, raid battles

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Multiplayer raids are coming to Pokémon GO this summer.
Multiplayer raids are coming to Pokémon GO this summer.
Photo: Niantic

Pokémon GO is getting a massive update this summer that will introduce a number of new features to make the game more accessible, more social, and more exciting.

Players can look forward to revamped gyms that give out gym badges, multiplayer raid battles, and lots more.

E.U. may ban FBI-style iPhone hacking demands

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iPhone hack
Law would undermine attempts to break security.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Attempts to force tech companies in the U.K. to hand over encrypted messages could be scuttled by EU proposals.

European members of parliament for the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee have tabled laws banning countries from seeking to break encrypted messages. It would also force tech companies which don’t use strong encryption for communications to do so.

Tim Cook will meet Trump to discuss government inefficiency

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President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
Tim Cook has a big meeting today.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

President Donald Trump is set to meet with Apple CEO Tim Cook and the heads of other companies at the White House today to discuss ways the government can cut waste and improve its services.

During a conference call Friday, the Trump administration described an “economic opportunity” to save up to $1 trillion over the course of a decade by reducing government IT costs, better using government spending power, cutting fraud and more.

PayPal boss isn’t scared of Apple Pay’s peer-to-peer payments

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Apple Pay Terminal
iOS 11 features a big Apple Pay update.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iOS 11’s Apple Pay Cash feature will support peer-to-peer payments, but PayPal’s CEO wants people to know that its similar Venmo app hasn’t been “Sherlocked.”

That refers to an app or service that is developed by a third-party, only for Apple to start providing exactly the same functionality in a system update. It’s a devastating move that can have a disastrous impact on companies.

Here’s why PayPal’s CEO doesn’t think Venmo will fall into the same trap.

Forma.8 GO, iMazing Mini, and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Morse Code Messege Generator might misspell its own name, but it’s an intriguing remix of the increasingly-similar messaging app formula: letting you translate messages into Morse Code and then send them using your iPhone’s camera flash.

That’s just one of the brilliant titles we’ve picked out for this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup. We’ve also got a fantastic Metroidvania-style game, an excellent AI-infused photo editing app update, and a nifty way to keep your iOS backups under control. Check out our picks below.

Surf safely and anonymously with a lifelong VPN [Deals]

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CoM - VPNSecure- Lifetime Subscription
This great deal will land you powerful VPN protection for up to 5 devices at once.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

At this point, if you’re not browsing the web through a VPN, you’re doing it wrong. The internet is a scary place after all, full of snoops, data thieves, and headaches like location restrictions on streaming content. One of the first steps to take in protecting against these things is a virtual private network.

Coding classes, wireless earbuds, meditation apps and more [Week’s Best Deals]

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collage-2017-06-13
This week's best deals will turn your phone into a mindfulness tool, make your PDFs more flexible, and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s getting hot out there. But it’s still nowhere near as hot as the new deals coming into the Cult of Mac Store. This week we’ve added an app that’ll change how you work with PDFs, and a set of future-ready Bluetooth earbuds. There’s also a comprehensive set of courses in Apple’s Swift coding language, and an app that turns your phone into a mindfulness tool. Most are discounted by half or more, read on for more details:

Cult of Mac Magazine: 10.5-inch iPad Pro feels like the future, ‘Leaked’ iPhone 8 parts reveal big changes, and more!

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cult of mac magazine
The new 10.5-inch iPad Pro puts monstrous power at your fingertips.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

In this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, we review the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro, which was unveiled at last week’s Worldwide Developers Conference. Also, get a first look at the new iPad in our featured unboxing video.

Check out leaked photos of alleged big changes coming to iPhone 8. Rumors say it will feature an all-glass design in the front and back in order to support wireless charging.

Discover five new ways to extend your MacBook battery life, and get a hands-on look at the new features coming to watchOS 4.

And, save 20 percent off select, name-brand leather bands for Apple Watch through this Sunday at our Watch Store! Featured brands include: Jack FosterArrow & BoardE3 Supply Co.Form Function Form and OleksynPrannyk. Use code FATHERSDAY2017 at checkout.

Click iTunes for a free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine. Here are this week’s top stories.

Why everyone loves the HomePod, this week on The CultCast

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Phil Schiller said Apple won't release the HomePod till it's satisfied with the quality.
Phil Schiller said Apple won't release the HomePod till it's satisfied with the quality.
Photo: Digital Trends

This week on The CultCast: Early reviews for the new iPad Pro and HomePod show Apple’s done it again. Plus: Someone in the Apple supply chain just accidentally leaked some of iPhone 8’s marquee features; speed tests show a big CPU boost in the new MacBook Pro; Apple finally offers us iCloud Storage sharing; our favorite unannounced iOS 11 features; and we’ll tell you what we like (and don’t) about the apps and gadgets we’re currently testing 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.com website. Enter offer code “CultCast” at checkout to get 10 percent off any hosting plan.