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Apple can now repair Face ID on iPhone X without replacing the device

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face id
Easier and more affordable for everyone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Store technicians and Authorized Service Providers can now repair Face ID issues on iPhone X without replacing the entire handset.

Apple last month began performing Face ID repairs on newer iPhone models, but iPhone X was excluded from the list of supported devices. A leaked internal memo reveals that the 2017 flagship has now been included.

Get the best night’s sleep of your life with this anti-snoring gadget

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Get 15% off this anti-snore gadget and sleep better than ever.
Banish snoring with this easy-to-use and unobtrusive device.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you or your partner snore, you’ll know that it can leave you sleepless and exhausted. While a gadget that stops snoring for good may sound like magic, it’s actually real. And today, you can grab the Snore Circle YA4200 Electronic Muscle Stimulator Plus on sale for $99.99.

That’s a 15% discount off the regular price of $119.

Cash App breach compromises up to 8.2 million user accounts

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Cash App suffers data breach
A former employee downloaded reports after leaving Cash App parent company Block.
Image: Block

Block, the parent company of Cash App, has confirmed that user accounts have been compromised by an internal data breach. It has 8.2 million current and former customers.

The incident, which involved a former employee who downloaded reports after leaving the company, was reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on April 4. Block said it has begun notifying Cash App users.

Twitter confirms it really is working on an edit button

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Twitter is working on an edit button
Twitter Blue subscribers will get to test it first.
Image: Twitter

Twitter is officially working on an edit button that will give users the ability to tweak tweets after they’ve been posted. It said Wednesday that the feature has been in development since last year — long before Elon Musk’s involvement.

Testing of the edit button will begin with Twitter Blue subscribers in the coming months before eventually rolling out to everyone.

Cut the repetition and learn something new with this Mac app bundle

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Get more from your day with these apps and courses.
Eliminating annoying repetitive tasks will free up time to do interesting things.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s hard to squeeze the most out of your day when you’re just trying to get through it. Optimizing your productivity takes work and thought, and sometimes all you can manage is maintenance instead of learning and growing from your experiences.

This bundle can turn that around. The Mac Productivity App Bundle & Lifetime Access to StackSkills gives you tools and courses that can change how much you can get done in a day. And for a limited time, it’s on sale for $49 (regularly $1,511).

Google Maps improves iOS navigation and adds Apple Watch support

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Google Maps improves navigation for iOS and adds features for Apple Watch.
Google Maps improves navigation for iOS and adds features for Apple Watch.
Photo: Google

Google is making improvements to its Google Maps for iOS app, including new features and updates intended to make navigation easier on both iPhone and Apple Watch.

Changes to the Google Maps for iOS app include a more-detailed navigation map that shows enhanced building outlines as well as streetlights and stop signs. It’s designed to help users traveling in unfamiliar locations.

Laut Huex case with MagSafe keeps iPhone protected and looking good

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Laut Huex case for iPhone
Extra grip and ample protection means your iPhone will always look good.
Photo: Laut

With its silky-smooth rubber coating and advanced impact technology, Laut’s brilliant Huex case is all you need to keep your iPhone 13 protected and looking pretty. It’s tested for drops up to 13 feet, but still surprisingly slim.

What’s more, the Huex is fully compatible with MagSafe. Bag yours today in one of four great color options from the Cult of Mac Store.

Unreal Engine 5 launches to make games more awesome

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Unreal Engine 5 launches to make games more awesome
This is what games can look like with Unreal Engine 5.
Image: Epic Games

Epic Games gave developers access to Unreal Engine 5, the next generation of its tool for creating 3D games. It offers “a collection of groundbreaking features for rendering real-time worlds in incredible high-fidelity detail.”

The new version of this software-development environment released Tuesday replaces Unreal Engine 4, which has been around since 2014. It’s used in many Mac, iPhone and/or iPad games, including Injustice 2 and Darkness Rises.

AirPods Pro 2 may replace current model to avoid Apple’s AirPods 3 problem

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When AirPods Pro 2 come out later in 2022, they might be the only 'Pro' model.
When AirPods Pro 2 come out later in 2022, they might be the only 'Pro' model.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple will release AirPods Pro 2 in the second half of 2022, according to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. And when it does, the new buds will replace the current AirPods Pro rather than joining them in the lineup. That would signal a strategy change, Kuo said.

Why? After Apple added AirPods 3 alongside AirPods 2 in its earbuds lineup, it noticed a lot of people stuck with the less-expensive product rather than going with the upgrade. Apple wouldn’t want that to happen again.

WWDC22 starts June 6, will be ‘online-only’ (with a twist)

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Mark your calendars! WWDC 2022 happens online on June 6, 2022.
Mark your calendars!
Image: Apple
WWDC22 - Brought to you by CleanMyMac X

The 2022 iteration of Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference will start June 6. Apple promised Tuesday the event will showcase the latest innovations in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS — which is code for unveiling the next major upgrades for these operating systems.

WWDC22 will be online-only for most people, but a fortunate few developers and students will be able to watch the keynote from Apple Park.

Credit card-size item tracker supports Apple’s brilliant ‘Find My’ network [Review]

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Credit card-size item tracker supports Apple’s brilliant ‘Find My’ network [Review]
The Chipolo Card Spot is the size of an Apple Card, and helps you find you misplaced wallet.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Think of the Chipolo Card Spot as a very flat AirTag. Put either device into something valuable and you’ll be able to locate it with your iPhone, whether it’s lost in your home or out in the world. But the Card Spot is slim enough to go into your wallet — don’t attempt that with an AirTag.

I tried out Chipolo’s latest item tracker with support for the Find My network to see how well it survives daily use. And it came through with flying colors.

Ubisoft is bringing popular shooter Rainbow Six to iPhone and iPad

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Rainbow Six Mobile
An alpha test will begin soon.
Image: Ubisoft

Popular tactical shooter Rainbow Six is on its way to mobile devices, publisher Ubisoft confirmed on Tuesday. The game, which will be somewhat similar to Siege, will see teams battling it out in familiar locations.

Rainbow Six Mobile is being built “from the ground up with mobile usability in mind,” its developers said. It will feature a new control system specifically for touchscreens, and “extensive” optimizations for smartphones and tablets.

Learn to use Adobe Photoshop and get custom brushes with this deal

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Save big on this Photoshop course + brush bundle.
Brush up on your photo-editing skills with this Photoshop bundle.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Adobe Photoshop is one of the most popular photo editors in the world. With 10 million users, it’s everywhere. But it is a complicated program to master.

Learning Photoshop — and turning it into a tool instead of a challenge — isn’t easy. But this Adobe Photoshop Course + Brush Bundle makes mastering the program manageable. And for a limited time, it’s on sale for $29 (regularly $300).

Elon Musk bags a seat on Twitter’s board and teases an edit button

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Elon Musk joins Twitter's board
Musk paid almost $3 billion for a 9.2% stake in the social media company.
Image: Twitter

Elon Musk this week earned himself a spot on Twitter’s board after becoming the social media giant’s largest shareholder. It was revealed on Monday that the Tesla CEO purchased a 9.2% stake in the company, worth almost $3 billion.

Musk also teased an edit button for tweets, which has been one of the most-requested features among Twitter users for many years.

Hulu adds SharePlay support on iPhone and iPad

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Hulu adds SharePlay support
Enjoy Hulu content with your friends, wherever they may be.
Image: Hulu/Cult of Mac

Hulu today joined the list of third-party video streaming services that offer SharePlay support on iPhone and iPad.

Its latest app update gives viewers the ability to enjoy movies and TV shows with their friends over FaceTime while everyone stays in sync. It also adds the ability to easily switch between channels for Live TV users.

Apple realizes no one wants small phones, increases iPhone 13 orders

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Consumers don't want the new iPhone SE, but they can't get enough of iPhone 13.
Photo: Apple

Apple reportedly increased iPhone 13 orders after coming to the realization that there’s not enough demand for smaller smartphones.

Both iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini experienced “dismal” sales performance, according to an analyst. And Apple already cut orders for its revised iPhone SE due to weaker-than-expected demand.

Apple TV+ pulls out of bidding war for Will Smith biopic after Oscars slap

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Apple TV+ drops its bid.
Apple TV+ drops its bid.
Photo: Apple TV+

Both Apple TV+ and Netflix pulled out of a bidding war over a movie about Will Smith’s life amid controversy following the actor slapping comedian Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars.

In addition, Apple TV+ owns a $120 million film starring Smith entitled Emancipation. Already shot and being readied for release in time for next Oscars season, the movie could become a problem for Apple TV+.

Protect hundreds of photos with just a click with Mass Watermark

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This watermark app is on sale for a limited time.
This app makes it simple to add watermarks to all your images.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Adding a watermark to your photos is a great way to avoid running into your work under another person’s name. The problem is that manually marking every one of your finished photos takes a lot of work.

Luckily, a Mac and PC app called Mass Watermark simplifies the watermarking process and massively cuts down on the time it takes to claim your photos. And right now, you can get a lifetime subscription for just $9.99 (regularly $30).

Trailer for Apple TV+ Prehistoric Planet dinosaur documentary looks stunning

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Trailer for Apple TV+ ‘Prehistoric Planet’ dinosaur documentary looks stunning
The five-episode Prehistoric Planet dinosaur documentary will premiere on Apple TV+ in late May.
Graphic: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ on Monday gave the first glimpse at Prehistoric Planet, its highly anticipated series of documentaries focusing on dinosaurs and other ancient animals. It’ll be narrated by Sir David Attenborough, and produced by Jon Favreau and Mike Gunton.

The eye-popping trailer shows off the series’ photorealistic visual effects from MPC (The Lion King, The Jungle Book).

Hefty iPhone 14 Pro Max camera hump could nearly double its thickness

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Hefty iPhone 14 Pro Max camera hump could nearly double its thickness
The iPhone 14 Pro Max could end up much thicker than its predecessor.
CAD drawing: ShrimpApplePro

A previous leak had already indicated that the iPhone 14 Pro Max will have a sizable hump, but new specs show the entire device is going to be… well, huge. But it’s all supposedly part of a significant improvement in camera specs.

These leaked specs also reveal other iPhone 14 Pro Max details, like the size and positioning of the new “hole and pill” design allegedly replacing the notch.

New Vivid app doubles brightness of mini-LED screens for Mac

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The new app Vivid can just about double screen brightness on mini-LEDs for Mac (but not iPad).
The new app Vivid can just about double screen brightness on mini-LEDs for Mac (but not iPad).
Photo: Jordi Bruin

When you watch HDR videos on the mini-LED screens of a Pro Display XDR or a 2021 MacBook Pro, the displays can crank out up to 1,600 nits of brightness. But under most conditions, they’ll emit about 500. So a new app called Vivid, by developers Jordi Bruin and Ben Harraway, now offers to double usable screen brightness under all conditions.

“Full Brightness, System-Wide,” reads the app’s tagline.

Stylish MagWallet keeps cards attached to iPhone, costs a lot less than Apple’s

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SwitchEasy MagWallet for iPhone
Slim, attractive, and just $34.99.
Photo: SwitchEasy

SwitchEasy’s new MagWallet carries up to two credit cards and snaps onto the bag of your iPhone so that it’s always with you. It’s a lot like Apple’s MagSafe Wallet, only considerably more affordable.

The MagWallet’s stylish design is available in three attractive color options, all made from genuine leather. Bag one from the Cult of Mac Store today for just $34.99.

iPhone saves snowboarder after plunge into icy crevasse at 10,000 feet

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Tim Blakey takes a selfie high in the Alps.
Tim Blakey takes a selfie high in the Alps.
Photo: Tim Blakey

Here’s a word to the wise: Always carry your charged iPhone, and don’t ski or snowboard “off-piste” in the Alps at 10,000 feet by yourself. Tim Blakey got the first part right, just barely, and that’s why he’s alive today.

The British personal trainer was snowboarding solo off of marked trails near Zermatt, Switzerland — on a glacier — when he plunged about 15 feet down into a crevasse and got stuck. He couldn’t scale its icy walls. He was alive for the moment down there, but he was alone.

Alone, that is, except for an iPhone clinging to 3% battery life and a weak 3G signal.

New iPad Air dresses up festive ‘pink’ MacBook Air workstation [Setups]

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The iPad Air on the left is the new addition to this computer setup.
The iPad Air on the left is the new addition to this computer setup.
Photo: FoxyFreckles1989

Apple’s newest iPad Air has received some stellar reviews, though murmuring from some quarters claims it’s a bit on the flimsy side. But the owner of today’s featured setup seems over the moon about the new addition to her workstation, centered by an M1 MacBook Air and an LG display.

And she’s eager to get going with the new, much-ballyhooed Universal Control functionality using the new tablet, despite challenges.