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Apple accused of using app-tracking crackdown to sell ads

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Apple stands to increase ad revenue from recent changes.
Photo: Josh Davidson/Cult of Mac

Apple is being accused of engaging in sneaky behavior when it comes to its advertising strategy. According to a Wall Street Journal report, advertisers who are targeting iPhone users say they will “get more data about ad performance if they buy Apple’s ad space than if they buy through third parties.”

iOS 14.5 offers new privacy oriented features that let users opt out of tracking for personalized ads. However, Apple also sells ads itself in the App Store, News, and Stocks. It has recently been bolstering its efforts in this department.

Make iPhone’s Calculator app easy to access with Control Center [Pro tip]

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Add the Calculator app to Control Center
There's no need for the Calculator to take up Home screen space.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Control Center Pro Tips WeekWe want to help you master Control Center, one of the most powerful and underutilized features on Apple devices. Cult of Mac’s Control Center Pro Tips series will show you how to make the most of this useful toolbox on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac.

You don’t need to keep the Calculator app on your iPhone’s Home screen just to make it easy to find when you need it. Add it to Control Center instead and you’ll be ready to do math anywhere, anytime with just a swipe and a tap.

We’ll show you how.

Toggle Dark Mode with a tap using Control Center on iOS and Mac [Pro tip]

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There's no need to dig around inside the Settings app to activate dark mode on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
There's no need to dig around inside the Settings app.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Control Center Pro Tips WeekWe want to help you master Control Center, one of the most powerful and underutilized features on Apple devices. Cult of Mac’s Control Center Pro Tips series will show you how to make the most of this useful toolbox on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac.

There’s no need to dig around inside the Settings app to activate Dark Mode on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. Simply add the Dark Mode button to Control Center and you can quickly toggle it on or off in just a tap.

We’ll show you how in this Control Center pro tip.

This Mac data-recovery app can retrieve lost files for just $50

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data recovery
This amazing Mac app is a top-notch data-recovery tool.
Photo: Disk Drill Pro

If you’ve ever accidentally deleted some of your most important Mac files, keep reading. This data-saving app might just change your life.

Disk Drill Pro is an easy-to-use data-recovery app that allows you to recover documents, music, photos, videos or even whole partitions that have gone missing from your computer. That’s right: Those accidentally deleted files may not be lost forever as you feared.

While recovering your most precious files is priceless, Disk Drill Pro 4 is available now for just $49.99, making data retrieval easier and cheaper than ever before.

EU could soon confirm antitrust charges against Apple

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European Commission trustbuster Margrethe Vestager has Siri in her sights.
European Commission trustbuster Margrethe Vestager, center, thinks Apple may be breaking the rules.
Photo: ECR Group/Flickr CC

European Union competition chief Margrethe Vestager is reportedly set to this week issue charges against Apple suggesting that its control of the App Store violates EU rules.

According to the Financial Times, the announcement will be made late this week. This is based on conversations with “several people with direct knowledge of the announcement.”

Quickly scan a QR code from inside Control Center [Pro tip]

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Add a QR code scanner to Control Center
The dedicated Code Scanner app is ready when you need it.

Control Center Pro Tips WeekWe want to help you master Control Center, one of the most powerful and underutilized features on Apple devices. Cult of Mac’s Control Center Pro Tips series will show you how to make the most of this useful toolbox on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac.

Need to scan a QR code in a jiffy? Add a handy code reader to Control Center on iPhone and iPad that’s quick and easy to find in just a swipe. We’ll show you how.

Identify any song in an instant using Control Center [Pro tip]

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Identify a song with Control Center
And follow along with real-time lyrics.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Control Center Pro Tips WeekWe want to help you master Control Center, one of the most powerful and underutilized features on Apple devices. Cult of Mac’s Control Center Pro Tips series will show you how to make the most of this useful toolbox on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac.

When you’re listening to a song you dig, but you have no idea of its name or the artist who recorded it, you can use Control Center on your iPhone or iPad to identify the track in an instant.

It’s the simplest way to invoke Shazam, the powerful music-recognition tool built into iOS, aside from asking Siri to name that tune (which you probably don’t want to do in certain situations). We’ll show you how.

Redesigned MacBook could arrive in July with next-gen M2 chip

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Apple silicon will power future Mac desktops and laptops
Apple Silicon: The Next Generation.
Screenshot: Apple

The M1 chip just made its way to the new iMac and iPad Pro, but Apple’s already hard at work on its successor. According to a new report from Nikkei Asia, mass production of the M2 chip is already underway.

It is expected to debut as soon as early July, initially for use in a redesigned MacBook arriving in the second half of the year. Like the M1 chip, the M2 is being made using the 5-nanometer process developed by TSMC, the company that makes Apple’s A-series chips.

Apple donates money to battle COVID-19 in India

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Apple is donating funds to help battle coronavirus around the world.
Photo: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Apple is donating money to support relief efforts in India as the country grapples with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, CEO Tim Cook said.

“Amid a devastating rise of COVID cases in India, our thoughts are with the medical workers, our Apple family and everyone there who is fighting through this awful stage of the pandemic,” Cook wrote in a tweet sent to his 12.8 million Twitter followers.

Why Apple Watch’s iPhone unlock changes your freakin’ face-mask life

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Why Apple Watch’s iPhone unlock will change your freakin’ life
Being able to to unlock your iPhone while wearing a face mask is the best reason yet to get an Apple Watch.
Photo: Ivan Samkov/Pexels CC

iOS 14.5 is the best update of the pandemic era because it works with your Apple Watch to remove the hassle of unlocking your iPhone while wearing a face mask. You don’t have to type in your passcode every single damn time. The phone just unlocks. Like it’s supposed to.

But the trick does require an Apple Watch. If you’ve been on the bubble about getting one, this feature should go a long way toward convincing you. It serves as yet another elegant example of how Apple’s ecosystem offers users simple solutions to modern life’s annoyances.

Apple Clips adds new, easy-to-use AR video effects

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Apple Clips adds AR Spaces for augmented reality video recording
Don’t just record your friends’ dance routine. Add augmented reality effects to make it amazing.
Photo: Apple

Apple Clips 3.1, a new version of the free video-creation app, adds fun augmented reality effects that map themselves to a room and the people in it. The goal is unique videos that people can then share on social media.

And Apple promised to start making monthly content releases with new filters, stickers and more.

Automate your marketing design with this powerful, discounted app

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design app
Create stunning marketing materials with one of the best design apps around.
Photo: RelayThat

If you’ve ever messed around with design software like Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign, you know they aren’t exactly intuitive — especially if you don’t have design experience.

However, owning effective marketing and design collateral is essential if you want to grow your brand. Luckily, when you’re short on time (and resources), technology is on your side. This RelayThat Design App: Lifetime Subscription helps you automatically produce the designs you need in just a fraction of the time, for whatever platform you need to publish your fresh new assets on.

New iOS 14.5 emoji will set your heart on fire [Updated]

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Look forward to some fun new emoji in iOS 14.5.
The release of iOS 14.5 gives iPhone and iPad users access to some fun new emoji.
Photo: Emojipedia/Cult of Mac

The fresh emoji appearing in iOS 14.5 will set your heart afire. Or at least let you show that in texts. The new collection of pictographs also includes some new faces, and plenty of additional variations to show how we couple up in the 21st century.

iPad users get the same emoji thanks to iPadOS 14.5 and macOS 11.3, which also launched on Monday.

How to stop apps from tracking you in iOS 14.5

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How to allow/prevent apps tracking you
Thanks to App Tracking Transparency in iOS 14.5, it’s up to your to decide whether third-party applications track you.
Graphic: Cult of Mac

iPhone and iPad just got a significant new privacy protection, preventing third-party apps from tracking you without permission. App Tracking Transparency debuted in iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5.

Here’s how to use it. And what to do about all the popups asking, “Allow [THIS APP] to track your activity?”

iOS 14.5 brings App Tracking Transparency, mask-friendly Face ID

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iOS 14.5 brings App Tracking Transparency, mask-friendly Face ID
Starting with iOS 14.5, iPhone owners can use their Apple Watch to securely unlock their handset when attempting to use Face ID while wearing a face mask.
Photo: Apple

Apple on Monday gave all iPhone users access to iOS 14.5. And iPad users can install iPadOS 14.5  Today’s updates bring a ton of new features, including unlocking an iPhone with an Apple Watch while wearing a mask.

The OS updates also bring App Tracking Transparency, a controversial change that makes it harder for apps to track users for targeted advertising. Other upgrades include new emoji, fresh Siri voices, additional features for Apple’s news and map apps, support for the just-announced AirTag trackers and a wholesale redesign of the Podcasts app.

watchOS 7.4, which is necessary for the new mask-friendly Face ID feature, and tvOS 14.5 also became available today, along with macOS Big Sur 11.3.

Ad companies argue App Tracking Transparency will drive up cost of apps

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App Store image
Could privacy feature be ultimately bad for users?
Photo: James Yarema/Unsplash CC

A group of media, tech, and ad companies in Germany have made an official antitrust complaint about Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature.

The group, which represents Facebook among other companies, is concerned about the effect the new privacy feature will have on the ad business. It also claims that the feature could wind up hurting users by making apps more expensive.

Enjoy sweet savings on Mac mini, MacBook Pro refurbs today only

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Save on 13.3-inch MacBook Pro from 2020
Get yours for as little as $589.99.
Photo: Apple

Need an affordable Mac that can handle all your everyday tasks? Order a powerful Mac mini or MacBook Pro refurb from Woot and save hundreds. Prices start at just $589.99, but the sale is good for today only.

Don’t miss out!

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

Apple ramps up US investments in 5G, AI, and chipmaking

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Apple billions
Apple plans to make new contributions of more than $430 billion in the US and add 20,000 jobs across the country over the next five years.
Photo: Apple

Apple is ramping up its investments in the U.S., announcing Monday its plans to make “new contributions of more than $430 billion” as well as adding 20,000 new jobs across the country within the next five years.

According to Apple, it has breezed past its original five-year-plan, laid out in 2018, for investing $350 billion in the U.S. economy. It is now increasing this — with a particular focus on next-gen chip development, AI, and 5G innovation.

Tim Cook’s privacy prescription for Facebook: Delete tons of user data

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By running anti-Apple ads in major newspapers, Facebook's taking its battle with Apple to the next level.
Cook is no big fan of Facebook.
Photo: Thought Catalog/Unsplash CC

Tim Cook reportedly shocked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg when, during a July 2019 meeting, he told the social media magnate that he should delete all user data Facebook had gathered outside of its core apps.

According to The New York Times, the meeting between the two had been called to try and restore peace between the Silicon Valley tech giants. Zuck had asked cook how he should respond to the then-current Cambridge Analytica scandal, during which many users had had data gathered about them without express permission.

Change system text size on the fly using Control Center [Pro tip]

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Change system text size in Control Center
Don't squint to read text on your iPhone and iPad.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Control Center Pro Tips WeekWe want to help you master Control Center, one of the most powerful and underutilized features on Apple devices. Cult of Mac’s Control Center Pro Tips series will show you how to make the most of this useful toolbox on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac.

Left your reading glasses at home? Switch system text sizes on the fly using Control Center to make text messages, emails, websites, and more easier to read on iPhone and iPad. We’ll show you how.