Mobile menu toggle

How to turn off sound in Facebook News Feed videos

By

facebook-news-feed
Some Facebook users now have a second News Feed.
Photo: Facebook

Facebook is making big changes to the way it approaches video. Videos in the Facebook News Feed previously played silently unless users turned sound on. Now if you want to keep the sound off, you’ll need to dig through your Facebook settings.

Turn off the annoying new feature with these steps.

Facebook is making a video app for Apple TV

By

Facebook
Facebook is coming to Apple TV.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Mark Zuckerberg wants to take over your television.

Facebook revealed today that it is planning to build an all-new video app for set-top-box devices like Apple TV and Amazon Fire. And if it’s successful, it could cause big problems for YouTube.

A comprehensive guide to the best dating apps on iOS

By

Best Dating Apps
Don't spend another Valentine's Day alone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Spending Valentine’s Day on your own isn’t all bad (just think of the money you’ll save), but you probably don’t want to do it every year. And you don’t have to! There’s now a large and ever-increasing library of dating apps that can help you find the perfect mate.

With our comprehensive guide to the best dating apps on iOS, you’ll have no trouble finding love on your iPhone. We’ve got apps for mainstream dating, LGBT dating, casual hookups, and niche dating for those who have a strong interest in salad, marijuana, dead bodies, and more.

How to unlock your iPhone’s secret LEGO Batman Movie Easter egg

By

Call Siri
Call Siri "'Puter" and see what happens.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Apple hid a delightful Easter egg on iPhones for The LEGO Batman Movie, the new animated film that is dominating the box office this week.

In the new film, the Dark Knight has his own helpful digital assistant that responds to voice commands. The voice for the computer is the same one as Siri on iOS, but when Bruce Wayne needs help he just says, “Hey ‘Puter” instead of “Hey Siri.”

Apple quietly updated Siri so that she responds to the command. Here are some of the hilarious replies.

Nostalgia fuels these wacky Apple Car concepts

By

iCar concept
The color iMac G3 is classic, but could it be a classic car?
Photo: NeoMam Studios

Part of you wishes you still had a blueberry iMac G3 sitting on your desk. But would you buy a car that looked just like it?

A marketing company, joining in on the excitement surrounding longtime rumors of an Apple car, came up with five concepts that are inspired by landmark Apple products.

Planet of the Apps trailer is a prototype for bad TV

By

Planet of the Apps
Reality show Planet of the Apps is coming soon to Apple Music.
Photo: Apple

Prepare yourself for Apple’s first teaser trailer for Planet of the Apps, because it’s a total cringe-fest.

Billing Jessica Alba and Gwyneth Paltrow as some of “the world’s most culturally influential entrepreneurs,” the Shark Tank ripoff pairs budding app developers with tech luminaries and venture capitalists who can help make their App Store dreams a reality.

Back up all your devices’ data for life [Deals]

By

IDrive Unlimited Mobile Backup- Lifetime Subscription
Your mobile data is valuable and vulnerable, which is why backup is key.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It only takes one glitch to wipe away all the important information we keep on our digital devices. That’s why having a solid backup plan is key.

iDrive Unlimited offers backup in spades. With this secure and versatile backup option on all your devices, you’ll be covered in case of the sudden death of one of your mobile devices. And right now you can get a lifetime of IDrive Unlimited Mobile Backup for just $19.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Samsung’s heir faces new arrest warrant on bribery charges

By

samsungs-new-galaxy-s7-and-s7-edge-bring-better-designs-incredible-specs-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads2016024_vr-homepage-desktop-size-a-letterbox-v1-780x390
Samsung's de facto boss is (potentially) in trouble.
Photo: Samsung

South Korean prosecutors are taking a second go at gaining an arrest warrant for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, the heir apparent to the Samsung Group.

Lee Kun-hee, the only son of Samsung’s incapacitated chairman, has been accused of using Samsung subsidiaries to make possible bribery-related payments of millions of dollars as part of a scandal involving South Korea’s impeached president Park Geun-hye and a confidante.

Gory puzzle game Slayaway Camp stalks onto iOS

By

maxresdefault
That weird place where Minecraft-type graphics meet slasher movies.
Photo: Blue Wizard Digital

Slasher movies and Apple were two of my favorite cultural entities to come out of the 1970s and 80s, which is why I’m so happy to see Slayaway Camp — a loving ode to the former — arrive in the App Store.

Previously available on PC via Steam, the game is a sliding puzzle game which owes more than a passing nod to the heyday of Friday the 13th, The Prowler, Prom Night and other legendary teen slashers.

Check out the suitably retro trailer below:

Glass iPhone 8 redesign will only be available on larger-size models

By

iPhone8
Don't expect to get the new glass enclosure on Apple's smaller iPhones.
Photo: Imran Taylor

Size won’t be the only thing separating Apple’s next-gen 4.7-, 5.5-, and 5.8-inch iPhones, claims a new report.

According to sources in Apple’s supply chain, the rumored glass exterior form factor will only be available on the larger of Apple’s new iPhones. The smaller sized iPhone will meanwhile continue using an aluminum-alloy chassis, while the mid-sized 5.5-inch iPhone (the current iPhone Plus size) has yet to be determined.

Eddy Cue promises Apple will fight fake news

By

Eddy-Cue-Recode
Apple doesn't have a fix, Cue says, but it is working on it.
Photo: Recode

Eddy Cue has promised that Apple is working on a solution to keep fake news out of the Apple News app for iOS.

During an interview on Monday night, Cue said companies in the technology industry are responsible for ensuring their services are free from hoax stories.

Apple stock hits all-time high

By

apple stock price
Apple stock prices spent the whole year on the rise and ended trading Wednesday with a $1 trillion valuation.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

It’s a great time to be an Apple shareholder.

Aided by a increased confidence rating from Goldman Sachs, Apple shares hit an all-time high today, with the price jumping to $133.76 per share before closing just above the company’s previous record of $132.54, set on May 17, 2015.

iPhone 7 Plus’ stunning Portrait Mode is ready for its close-up

By

Portrait Mode turns ordinary pics into extraordinary photos.
Portrait Mode turns ordinary pics into extraordinary photos.
Photo: Apple

Apple launched a new ad campaign this week with two new short spots that showcase the superior shooting skills of the iPhone 7 Plus’ new Portrait Mode.

Both of the new ads highlight how to use Portrait Mode to elevate your pictures of people or pets to an all-new level. The new feature is technically still in beta, but it looks like Apple thinks it’s ready for its close-up.

Target thumbs its nose at Apple Pay

By

Antitrust investigators want to know if retailers were compelled to use Apple Pay
You can still use Apple Pay on Target's online store.
Photo: Ste Smith

Target shoppers will have to keep dreaming of the day they’ll be able to pay with their iPhones.

After rumors spread on social media over the weekend that Target planned to finally add Apple Pay to its checkout counters, the company came out with an official statement today saying it doesn’t plan to embrace Apple’s contactless payments anytime soon.

Stagehand flips the platform game formula on its head

By

stagehand-twitter
This ingenious "reverse platformer" is one heck of a game.
Photo: Stagehand

To achieve maximum success, iOS game developers need an idea that’s both reassuringly familiar and strikingly new. That’s exactly what Stagehand delivers: The new platform game employs a clever twist on the popular endless-runner genre, with a sprinkle of ’90s classic Lemmings thrown in for good measure.

Stagehand is a game that looks like a side-scrolling platformer, but instead of controlling the character, you move the stage,” developer Matt Comi told Cult of Mac. “We call it a ‘reverse platformer.’ The protagonist, Frank, runs and jumps all by himself. It’s the player’s job to make sure he doesn’t run into walls.”

Smaller iPhone set to get big battery upgrade in 2017

By

iPhone 7
The iPhone 8 will have killer battery life.
Photo: Ste Smith

Apple reportedly plans to pack a much bigger battery inside the new 4.7-inch iPhone set to be revealed later this year.

In his latest research report, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims the smaller iPhone will be the first device to feature a stacked logic board design to bring better battery performance.

Our iPhone 8 mockup brings every gorgeous rumor to life

By

ceramic iPhone
A ceramic iPhone would look spectacular.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

It’s the iPhone’s tenth anniversary this year, which means there’s no chance Apple is going to deliver another incremental upgrade with an all too familiar design. We’re expecting big things from the so-called iPhone 8 — including a complete face-lift.

Here are our gorgeous concepts for the iPhone 8 based on everything we know so far.

This super-secure VPN will protect you online [Deals]

By

Private Internet Access VPN
This one-click VPN is a powerful way to stay safe and anonymous even on public Wi-Fi networks.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Going online means being exposed to all kinds of hazards and headaches. From data snoops, to identity thieves, location restrictions on streaming content, you’re going to want protection when you hop onto a public or private network. Protection is what a good virtual private network (VPN) offers, and we’ve got a great opportunity for just that. Right now you can get two years of Private Internet Access VPN for just $59.99 at the Cult of Mac Store.

Pay what you want for a dozen premium Mac apps [Deals]

By

Name your price for this bundle of twelve productivity-boosting apps.
Name your price for this bundle of twelve productivity-boosting apps.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Our Macs come out of the box full of capabilities, but there’s a lot more they can do. That means having the right apps. The 2017 Superstar Mac Bundle, containing a dozen apps, will add a wide variety of super useful features to your Mac. It includes apps for visual editing and blogging, trading stocks and taking more effective notes, to name just a few. The best part? Right now you can get the 2017 Superstar Mac Bundle for whatever you’re willing to pay.

Apple orders millions of iPhone 8 displays from Samsung

By

3D Touch app switching
Could OLED displays be coming to all new iPhones in September?
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple has reportedly inked a deal with Samsung Display to supply it with an extra 60 million OLED panels for the upcoming iPhone.

Apple previously agreed a deal with Samsung to produce 100 million OLED panels for the iPhone 8, suggesting that this handset could turn out to be even more popular than Apple originally thought it would be — or that Apple’s planning to expand OLED displays beyond merely its top-line flagship handset.

Apple joins Wireless Power Consortium ahead of iPhone 8

By

iPhone wireless charging
More evidence that wireless charging is on its way.
Photo: Ivo Marić and Tomislav Rastovac

Apple has been added to the Wireless Power Consortium, a group dedicated to developing and promoting mass-market adoption of the wireless charging interface standard Qi.

The addition of Apple to the group, currently consisting of 213 members, is the latest piece of evidence that the company will adopt wireless charging for this year’s iPhone refresh.

Sonos’ latest ad ‘borrows’ from classic Apple commercial

By

Screen Shot 2017-02-13 at 13.00.01
Strangely familiar.
Photo: Sonos

Apple’s iconic “1984” Macintosh ad, directed by Ridley Scott, debuted 33 years ago last month, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still being ripped off by other tech companies.

The latest culprit is Sonos, which just debuted a new 90-second commercial in which a rebel with a cause (and apparently enough money to throw around perfectly good speakers) hurls a hammer… err, we mean Sonos speaker through the windows of her neighbors, who have the audacity to be enjoying a music-free evening.

Fight the power!