Apple’s “walled garden” approach to the App Store improves quality control — but it doesn’t filter out all of the spammy, scammy content. According to a report by the Washington Post, scam apps represent close to 2% of the App Store’s top-grossing apps.
While that might not sound like all that much, it’s a sizable amount when you consider that the App Store hosts approximately 1.8 million apps. These scam apps reportedly have cost users in the vicinity of $48 million.
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Apple has switched out the photos for its leadership team for Memoji versions on its website ahead of today’s WWDC keynote. Apple did this once before in July 2018, when it adopted the cartoon avatars to celebrate World Emoji Day.
This time, it’s likely a preview of one of the things users can expect as part of the WWDC keynote. Apple has utilized Memojis as part of the advertising aesthetic for the virtual, developer-focused event. Apple is expected to show off iOS 15 today. One of the rumored features for iOS 15 is an upgraded Messages app, which will — by the look of things — lean into Memoji.
TikTok has completed yet another victory lap as the most downloaded, non-gaming title in the App Store, this time for the month of May. According to app analytics platform Sensor Tower, TikTok enjoyed more than 80 million monthly installs across both iOS and Android that month. This time, Brazil was the no. 1 market for TikTok, followed by China, where the app is called Douyin.
On iOS, TikTok was followed by YouTube in second place, then Instagram, then video editing app CapCut, then WhatsApp, Facebook, Zoom, Messenger, Google Maps, and Gmail rounding out the rest of the top 10.
Apple has reportedly paid out millions of dollars in compensation to a woman for a traumatic experience in which personal explicit media on her iPhone was uploaded to her Facebook account during a routine device repair, The Telegraph reports.
The incident took place in June 2016 at an authorized Apple repair shop in California, operated by Apple manufacturer Pegatron. In a statement, Apple said that when it “learned of this egregious violation of our policies … [it] took immediate action and [has since continued to strengthen [its] vendor protocols.”
The iPad software upgrade expected to be unveiled Monday will improve the way users work with multiple on-screen applications, according to a last-minute report from a reliable source. iPadOS 15 also will include widget improvements and other changes.
Apple devices simplify our lives with user-friendly software and cutting-edge hardware — but keeping these devices charged all day isn’t so simple. If you only have one charging port, you have to choose between devices, meaning you may have to tuck your AirPods into your pocket or leave your phone dead a little bit longer. And if you lug around various charging cables or add in any other accessories, the bulk grows unnecessarily and inconveniently large.
This power station post is brought to you by Bluetti.
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This week, we are giving away three stylish stretch-link Apple Watch bands from our friends at Rilee & Lo. Each lucky winner will receive one Rilee & Lo stretch-link Watchband and one coordinating stacking bracelet of their choice.
If you want a unisex Apple Watch band that is super-cool and easily transitions from day wear to evening, be sure to enter this giveaway.
Are you ready for the Worldwide Developers Conference? Apple’s biggest keynote of the year happens Monday, and it will give us our annual look at Cupertino’s road map for the future.
In the run-up to WWDC, Apple did a pretty good job of keeping its software secrets under wraps, but our top story will give you an idea about what to expect.
Elsewhere in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine, we’ve got some the latest rumors about upcoming Apple hardware, along with a passel of how-tos to help you get the most out of all your gear.
And don’t miss this week’s reviews of the latest Apple TV+ shows to catch our interest. The new Stephen King miniseries Lisey’s Story just landed on Apple’s streaming service. And The Mosquito Coast just wrapped its first explosive season, so you can binge the whole thing while you wait for WWDC.
Not everyone has the nerve to crack open their 2021 iPad Pro, but an iFixit teardown reveals the interesting bits inside.
It’s not just for fun — taking the tablet apart is necessary to find out the exact battery capacity because Apple doesn’t share that detail.
Plus, iFixit took a magnifying glass to the mini-LED display in the 12.9-inch version.
It’s incredible when you get to make a career out of something that you love, especially if that passion is an artistic or creative one. If the thing you love is video games, there’s actually a great way to get an exceptional, creative career from playing all day long.
The Unity Game Developer Bundle featuring PlayStation Plus includes 10 different courses that show you how to develop your own games — all while you enjoy a one-year subscription to PlayStation Plus.
Apple is the world’s most valuable public company, days from unveiling new software and hardware at WWDC, in the middle of its hottest iPhone cycle in years, and having just debuted its biggest iMac redesign in years. So all is good, then?
Well, apparently not. In fact, a report Friday notes that Apple stock is currently on track for its longest weekly losing streak in more than two-and-a-half years. Because the stock market works in mysterious ways.
Update: AAPL closed at $125.89 Friday, up $2.35 (or 1.9%). So much for the losing streak.
June 7 will be the single most important day of 2021 for Apple. It’s the start of the annual Worldwide Developers Conference where the company will ceremoniously unveil fresh operating system updates for iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch and more.
Big changes are anticipated for iPadOS 15, and some nice enhancements are also predicted for iOS 15. The improvements in macOS 12, watchOS 8 and tvOS 15 are likely to be more modest.
But the show won’t stop there. While WWDC is supposed to be about software, there’s a good chance we will see new MacBooks announced Monday as well.
Amazon plans to combine every Echo speaker and Ring security camera in the United States into a shared “mesh network” to ensure devices stay online even when disconnected from their owners’ home Wi-Fi connection.
The system, called Amazon Sidewalk, faced scrutiny over the lack of transparency with regard to its rollout. Many people also express concerns about the potential privacy issues it could raise.
Not interested in taking part? Here’s how to opt out of Amazon Sidewalk before it goes live on June 8.
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SwitchBot makes about a dozen products. Today we’ll focus on two, the SwitchBot Bot smart switch and the SwitchBot Hub Mini smart remote. They can be used separately or together.
Facebook and Instagram have added the ability to hide likes and view counts — a feature that’s been in the works for a while. You can block counts on your own posts and well as on those from others.
We’ll show you how to enable the setting inside Facebook and Instagram for iPhone and iPad.
The popular Kingdom Rush game is getting rebooted as a medieval fantasy RPG with a storyline. Legends of Kingdom Rush is coming June 11 exclusively to Apple Arcade for iPhone, Mac and more.
Choose your heroes to fight creeps and save the world.
The Mosquito Coast, the bold Apple TV+ potboiler about a family on the run from the law, wraps up its impressive first season this week with the end of the road — a few roads actually — in sight.
It’s a gripping finale that will leave you breathlessly waiting for the show’s just-announced second season.
Whether it’s the classic Peanuts holidays specials or newer series like Snoopy in Space, Apple TV+ is the home of all things Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang these days.
Debuting later this month will be a great new addition to the collection: A star-studded feature documentary that tells the story of Peanuts and its impact. Check out the trailer below.
Redditor StevenJ95 recently moved from an apartment to a house, allowing him to have a new home office. For the first time. He’s got room enough in there for his MacBook Pro, his Samsung curved ultrawide monitor and even his Tesla Model S, Cybertruck and Supercharger.
OK, those last three are two diecast model cars and a cute little desktop Tesla charger for phones and such. But he does have a real Tesla Model 3 — which he sensibly parks elsewhere — as well as a lot of enthusiasm for the brand, judging by how he decorates his setup.
Pick up Anker’s awesome 5-in-1 USB-C hub and charger on Amazon today and get a generous $40 off the usual price.
The PowerPort hub keeps your iPad, MacBook and more topped up while allowing you to connect up to four USB devices and a 4K monitor over HDMI. It’s now at its lowest-ever price for a limited time only.
If you’re always looking for new apps to boost your creativity and improve your workflow, check out Setapp. This service helps boost Mac and iPhone productivity via a curated collection of more than 210 apps that cover nearly every need.
Typically retailing for $119, a year-long subscription to Setapp is now available for just $69 (42% off its normal price). With it, you get full access to all the great Mac apps in Setapp’s impressive library.
Former Apple design boss Jony Ive has hired at least four of his former Cupertino colleagues to work at his LoveFrom design firm, according to The Information.
Since leaving Apple in 2019, Ive reportedly hired Chris Wilson, Patch Kessler, Jeff Tiller and Wan Si. All four worked with Ive in Apple’s design team. Wilson created GUI elements such as icons and menus. Kessler worked in product design and helped create the MacBook Force Touch trackpad. And Tiller is a communications specialist who worked for the Apple design team.
The latest hire is Wan, who designed on app icons, home screens and buttons.
With Lisey’s Story, Apple TV+ officially enters the Stephen King business, a step every streaming service must eventually take. The new miniseries, based on King’s novel of the same name, just so happens to boast an astonishing pedigree. So the inevitable move reads less like calculation and more like certainty for once.
This is a miniseries that, at least initially, looks like it’s firing on all cylinders.