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WhatsApp plans emoji message reactions for iPhone

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WhatsApp message reactions
It looks like users will have six emoji to choose from.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

WhatsApp is readying message reactions on iOS and Android that will roll out in a future app update. Screenshots of the feature have appeared ahead of its release, showing the ability to react to messages with select emoji.

It’s much like the message reactions feature already available to iPhone users inside iMessage. WhatsApp seems to be following Apple’s lead by only making certain emoji available, rather than allowing all of them, like Instagram.

Snarky Carrot Weather app’s storm of updates includes new maps

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Carrot Weather can give you global view. You don't want to miss anything.
Carrot Weather can give you global view. You don't want to miss anything.
Photo: CARROT Weather

The award-winning app Carrot Weather, known for a touch of the snark in its forecasts, rolled out a series of major updates in version 5.5 Wednesday. Set to launch at 7 a.m. PT, they include rebuilt weather maps and some firsts for a general-purpose weather app, creator Brian Mueller told Cult of Mac.

“The maps have been completely rebuilt from the ground up to make them more readable and faster to load,” he said. “I also added a ton of major new features, some of which have never appeared in a general-purpose weather app like Carrot before.”

Learn valuable new skills (and up to 6 languages) with this bundle

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Learn important new skills with this language bundle.
Develop new skills with this deeply discounted educational bundle.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Want a great way to learn something new and advance your career without take a traditional class? This Language Learner Lifetime Subscription Bundle featuring uTalk includes “forever” subscriptions to a skills-based educational platform and an intuitive language-learning platform.

It’s the ideal way to learn a new language, take a marketing course, understand how to run your own business, bring your design ideas to life, and more. Basically, wherever your intellectual curiosity directs you, this bundle can guide you there.

Universal Control on Mac and iPad is one of Apple’s most magical features yet

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Universal Control
It "just works," and it does so magnificently.
Photo: Apple

Universal Control, which is finally in testing ahead of its public debut, lets you control a Mac and an iPad with the same keyboard and mouse, bringing the two computers closer together than ever before. It’s particularly handy if you rely on both macOS and iPadOS apps and find yourself regularly switching between them.

The feature looked pretty ambitious and exciting when Apple previewed it during its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote back in June. And now that it’s here (mostly) and we’ve had the chance to try it out, we firmly believe it is one of Cupertino’s most magical features to date.

Here’s why Universal Control will knock your socks off.

watchOS 8.4.1 is out with Apple Watch bug fixes

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watchOS 8.4.1 is out with mystery Apple Watch bug fixes
Get some bugs out of your Apple Watch with the watchOS 8.4.1 update.
Photo: Cult of Mac/Brandon Phan /Pexels

Apple introduced watchOS 8.4.1 on Wednesday, and promised that it offer “bug fixes.” It didn’t reveal what these are, but Apple Watch users are hoping it takes care of a nasty problem with the Wallet app.

The update definitely includes no new features.

Bilingual thriller Now and Then premieres in May on Apple TV+

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Bilingual thriller ‘Now and Then’ premiers in May on Apple TV+
What a cute group. One of them is about to die.
Photo: Apple TV+

The lineup of Apple TV+ shows coming in the near future now includes Now and Then, which just got a May debut date. The thriller series is about a group of college friends who reunite 20 years after one of their group was killed.

The show is set in Miami, and was shot in Spanish and English.

Use this robust web hosting subscription for your site launch

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Host unlimited domains with this robust platform.
This web hosting subscription is a no-brainer choice for your site.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you’ve been shopping around for the ideal web hosting platform, look no further than this Bono Host Unlimited Plan: Lifetime Web Hosting Subscription. It offers a comprehensive way to host unlimited domains, with a feature-rich control panel that offers the most robust capabilities while also providing the best bang for your buck.

Content creator? Try Joby’s 5 new Wavo microphones.

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Joby's new Wave Pro microphone offers
Joby's new Wave Pro microphone offers "broadcast-caliber audio."
Photo: Joby

Known for its flexible tripods and mobile lighting, Joby is now covering the content creator market for audio recording like a blanket. It rolled out five new microphones in its Wavo lineup to take on rivals like Rode, Shure and Sennheiser at several different price points.

The new mics mean more options for vloggers and audio streamers of all stripes. Four of the mics are available now and one, the Wavo Pro DS, comes out in March.

Joby’s deeper embrace of the microphone market doesn’t come as a complete surprise. After all, its parent company, Vitic, recently bought two microphone brands — Rycote in 2018 and Audix in January.

YouTube picture-in-picture may finally be close to full iPhone support

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YouTube picture-in-picture may finally be close to full iPhone support
The long, long wait for YouTube picture-in-picture support for iPhone could be near its end.
Graphic: YouTube

YouTube might be about to follow through on its promise to allow all iPhone users to watch video from its application in a small window while another app is open. The feature is already available for YouTube Premium subscribers, but the testing period expires soon. That suggests picture-in-picture is about to become available for all iPhone users.

When it finally launches, PiP will make YouTube videos easier to enjoy because they’ll allow people to use their iPhone to multitask while also watching.

Super-rare Steve Jobs business card heads for auction

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Very early Steve Jobs business card heads for auction
Although Steve Jobs co-founded Apple, he didn’t run it. And you can own a business card that proves it.
Screenshot: Alfred DiBlasi

In the very early days of Apple, co-founder Steve Jobs was VP Operations. And Alfred DiBlasi has one of Jobs’ business cards to prove it.

The card will soon go up for auction. You can own this bit of Apple history if you’re willing to put down enough cash.

Silky silicone case protects iPhone 13, plays nicely with MagSafe gadgets

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SwitchEasy MagSkin Silicone Case for iPhone 13
Get yours in one of four color options.
Photo: SwitchEasy

SwitchEasy’s new MagSkin case protects your new iPhone 13 with silky smooth silicone to keep it in pristine condition while adding extra grip that’ll stop it from slipping out of your hands. It also plays nicely with all your MagSafe accessories.

Get yours in one of four color options from the Cult of Mac Store today.

New Chord Mojo 2 headphone amp promises to make your cans sing

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If you're an audiophile, the Chord Mojo 2 may provide the boost you need for your wired headphones or speakers.
If you're an audiophile, the Chord Mojo 2 may provide the boost you need for your wired headphones or speakers.
Photo: Chord

Following up on its popular and pricey Mojo portable digital-to-analog (DAC) converter and headphone amp, Chord Electronics now claims a world-first “lossless DSP” (digital signal processor) with zero sound-quality degradation in its new Mojo 2.

If you really want your wired headphones or speakers to sound amazing when paired with a digital audio source like an iPhone or MacBook, you might even pay the new gadget’s hefty $725 price.

Apple sues indie director over Apple-Man film title

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The movie is a super-hero satire about a guy who can levitate apples (the fruit).
The movie is a super-hero satire about a guy who can levitate apples (the fruit).
Photo: Apple-Man-Vasyl Moskalenko

Apple is no stranger to aggressive legal actions meant to protect the company’s image. In its latest move, the company filed a lawsuit against Ukrainian indie film director Vasyl Moskalenko, who wrote a comedy film titled Apple-Man.

And no, the film, currently in production, does not talk about the Cupertino tech giant or its products. It’s a superhero satire about a guy who can levitate apples. You see, in a bit of classic superhero movie plotting, his DNA got blended with DNA from the fruit.

Don’t install the macOS 12.3 beta if you use Dropbox or OneDrive

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Get OneDrive for M1 Macs
You need to wait for Dropbox and OneDrive updates.
Image: Microsoft

Think twice about rushing to install macOS 12.3 if you use Dropbox or Microsoft OneDrive for cloud storage. Both services use kernel extensions that Apple is deprecating in its next Monterey update.

Dropbox and Microsoft are working on updates that will eliminate this problem. However, those are also in beta and could come with issues of their own.

Gucci’s fancy AirPods Max case costs only twice as much as AirPods Max

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Gucci's AirPods Max case
Bag yours for a mere $980.
Photo: Gucci

Do you hate Apple’s own AirPods Max case? Gucci now offers a fancy alternative that costs only twice as much as the headphones themselves.

The Ophidia case brings “vintage and contemporary together through its archive-inspired design elements” — whatever that means. It’s also emblazoned with a pretentious quote (in Latin, of course) on the inside. Order yours now for $980.

Learn from the photographers that captured Hollywood for only $100

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Learn from the best with Photo School.
This $99 photography bundle delivers critical knowledge from world-famous teachers.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Photography is a lot more than pointing and shooting a camera. However, learning everything from staging a shot to editing it in Photoshop can take years if you tackle it on your own.

Photo School: Learn Photography & Photoshop from Hollywood’s Masters will teach you how to work through the entire photography process the way real professionals do. And after a huge price drop, it’s on sale for $99.99.

iOS 15.4 paves the way for web apps to deliver push notifications

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2021 iPad mini packs 5G
A big improvement for mobile apps on the web.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s first iOS 15.4 beta, rolled out to registered developers last week, lays the groundwork for web apps to deliver push notifications.

The feature, long available in Safari for macOS, always stood out as a notable omission on iPhone and iPad. Fortunately for those who use mobile web apps frequently, that looks set to change in the near future.

Dachshunds get their time to shine in Pretzel and the Puppies on Apple TV+

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Dachshunds get their time to shine in ‘Pretzel and the Puppies’ on Apple TV+
Pretzel and the Puppies scampers onto Apple TV+ on February 11 .
Photo: Apple TV+/HarperCollins Productions

Beloved dachshund Pretzel from Pretzel and the Puppies is hopping from the classic book of the same name to an Apple TV+ series. He and his family are set for new adventures!

A trailer released Monday shows how much fun preschoolers will find in the series, which will debut soon on Apple’s streaming service.

This golf simulator lets you play on world-famous courses

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Golf in your pajamas with this realistic simulator.
Golf from home with this true-to-life simulator.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

A bit of rain or snow shouldn’t be all it takes to cancel your golf day. The PhiGolf Golf Simulator with Swing Stick lets you play in realistic conditions, even if you’re in the middle of a thunderstorm.

It also lets you virtually experience playing some of the world’s most prestigious golf courses. And right now, you can get a single or double pack of PhiGolf Mobile for $229 or $498.

Mini-LED iMac Pro launch might slip to summer

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A new 27-inch iMac Pro could look something like this.
A new 27-inch iMac Pro could look something like this.
Concept: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The new iMac Pro with a mini-LED display rumored to launch this-coming spring might not come along so soon. It now looks more likely to show up sometime during the summer, display analyst Ross Young said Monday.

Concept Mac takes you way, way, way back

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Concept Mac takes you way, way, way back
What if the next Mac looked like the original Macintosh?
Concept: Ian Zelbo

Suppose Apple made a Mac that harks back to its early days. A concept designer floated the idea of a computer with the latest tech, including an M2 processor, but in a casing that mimics the original Macintosh from 1984.

It’s certainly a fun idea, especially to those who remember those days. But the practicality is questionable.

Aussie cops bust teen for allegedly stealing $42,000 in Apple computers

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Canberra Centre
The Apple Store in Canberra Centre was burglarized by some fairly incompetent thieves.
Photo: Apple

A couple of scofflaws broke into an Australian Apple Store and made of with thousands of dollars in computers. But the hapless burglars — allegedly including a 16-year-old boy — were soon tracked down by police.

They got caught because they apparently made nearly every possible mistake.

Apple pushes new activity challenge and resources for Heart Month

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Apple celebrates Heart Month across an array of products and services.
Apple celebrates Heart Month across an array of products and services.
Photo: Apple

In recognition of Heart Month, aka February, Apple is rolling out a series of new activity challenge and heart-health resources to support users’ efforts to stay healthy.

Also toward that end, the company hopes you’ll learn a thing or two from preliminary trends shown in the Apple Heart and Movement Study.