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Automatically make websites faster, easier to read in Safari [Pro tip]

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How to enable Safari's Reader mode automatically
Don't let online bloat weigh you down.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Safari pro tips bugWe want to help you master Safari. Cult of Mac’s Safari Pro Tips series will show you how to make the most of Apple’s web browser on iOS and Mac.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could strip out all the unnecessary bloat from your favorite websites so that they’re easier to read and faster to load? Well with Safari’s built-in Reader mode on Mac, iPhone, and iPad, you can.

What’s more, you can have Reader mode load automatically on every website you visit with a simple settings change. We’ll show you how in this Safari pro tip.

Prioritize wellness in 2021 with this comprehensive health and fitness app

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This all-in-one health and fitness app is what you need to accomplish your new years resolutions
This all-in-one health and fitness app is what you need to accomplish your goals in 2021.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

There’s plenty of ways you can take care of your health in 2021. You could start a steady workout regimen with Apple Fitness+. You could begin being more mindful about nutrition and what you consume. Or you might set aside time in your week to meditate and get away from your iPhone.

While some apps will help you accomplish these things individually, there isn’t a more comprehensive wellness app on the market than Verv Premium Home Workout Planner.

HomePod mini music handoffs just got better

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HomePod Software Version 14.4 debuted January 26.
The littlest HomePod isn’t being overlooked.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The recently released HomePod mini got a raft of new features in a software update released Tuesday. The process of handing off songs from an iPhone to the smart speaker now comes with some visual, audio and haptic effects. And media controls automatically appear on the iPhone when it nears the diminutive HomePod.

iOS 14.4 brings improvements to QR codes and Bluetooth audio

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iOS 14.4 debuted to the general public on Tuesday.
iOS 14.4 isn’t a substantial update, but it does include new features.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple released iOS 14.4 to the general public on Tuesday, along with the iPad equivalent. According to their developer, these allow users to scan smaller QR codes, and to classify their various Bluetooth devices so audio notifications can be routed correctly.

It also closes a security hole that hackers might have actually used to break into iPhones.

Tim Cook will talk restoring faith in online advertising this week

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Apple Q4 2020 earnings on Oct. 29: When it comes to Apple earnings, CEO Tim Cook seems to have a reality-distortion field of his own.
Tim Cook will talk privacy matters this week.
Photo illustration: Cult of Mac

Apple CEO Tim Cook will give a pro-privacy speech during the Computers, Privacy and Data Protection conference in Brussels this Thursday.

Cook will deliver his speech virtually from Cupertino. The talk will cover “enforcing rights in a changing world,” and will deal with boosting user confidence in online advertising, among other topics.

Save $100 on Sony’s terrific noise-canceling wireless headphones

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Sony WHXB900N headphones
Bag yours before the discount disappears.
Photo: Sony

If you want headphones that offer noise cancellation and outstanding sound quality, but you don’t want to pay AirPods Max prices, check out Sony’s brilliant WHXB900N. They look great, have Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant built-in, and are now $100 off on Amazon.

Get yours before the discount disappears!

Taron Egerton will likely star in upcoming serial-killer drama for Apple TV+

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Egerton
Taron Egerton is bringing his talents to Apple TV+.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Wikipedia CC

Apple TV+ is reportedly gearing up to buy a new serial-killer series called In With the Devil, starring Taron Egerton (Rocketman) and Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell).

The six-part series will be based on James Keene and Hillel Levin’s 2010 book of the same name. It tells the story of Keene, a convicted drug dealer, who was asked to befriend a murderer in prison in order to link him to a series of unsolved killings. In exchange for taking on the undercover assignment, Keene was promised that he would be released.

Start a thriving Amazon dropshipping business in 2021

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Learning this skill will help you earn more in 2021
Learning this skill will help you earn more in 2021.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you want to make the most out of your time online and have made your way through productivity and fitness classes, why not consider starting your own online business?

These days, resources abound for starting a successful e-commerce business. Loads of lessons can free you from much of the typical legwork, and set you up for success. One of these programs is the Amazon FBA program, and The 2021 Complete Amazon Dropshipping & Private Label Master Class Bundle includes 97 hours of content taught by some of the top FBA instructors and multimillion-dollar dropshippers. It’s the ideal way to start a successful business online, at home.

Corellium makes its iOS virtualization tool available to individual customers

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Company that ported iOS to browsers hits back at Apple
Corellium creates useful testing tools for developers.
Image: Corellium

Corellium, a company that makes virtualization testing products for iOS devices, is opening up its offering to include individual plan subscribers. Before this, its tools were only available with enterprise accounts.

This should make its products available to more developers than ever. In a blog post announcing the change, Corellium said that this also brings about a change in pricing. It notes that:

Lawsuit slams Apple for profiting from casino apps

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Slot machine image
Lawsuit seeks damages from Apple.
Photo: Carl Raw/Unsplash CC

Is Apple helping facilitate an illegal gambling den by running the App Store? That’s the accusation made by a new lawsuit, claiming that freemium casino apps are running wild in the App Store — and Apple’s taking a piece of the action.

The plaintiffs in the case are two social casino app users. Each has spent upward of $15,000 on casino app in-app purchases.

Highway to the streaming zone? Apple TV+ bid for Top Gun: Maverick was rejected

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Top Gun Maverick
Not buzzing the Apple Park tower any time soon.
Photo: Paramount Pictures

Apple TV+ executives felt the need. The need for Top Gun: Maverick, the long-awaited sequel to 1986’s classic blockbuster, Top Gun. Unfortunately, Paramount Pictures wasn’t selling.

That’s according to a new report, claiming that Apple tried to pick up the rights to the new Tom Cruise-starring movie, after coronavirus scuppered original theatrical plans.

Top Apple engineer moves to mysterious new project

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What is top Apple hardware engineer Dan Riccio up to now?
What is top Apple hardware engineer Dan Riccio up to now?
Photo: Apple

Dan Riccio, one of Apple’s top designers, is moving to a mysterious new role in Cupertino.

After joining Apple in 1998, Riccio worked on loads of groundbreaking products, from the first iMac to last year’s AirPods Max and the M1-powered Macs. Now, he’s become Apple’s “vice president of engineering.”

Going forward, Riccio says he will be “focusing all my time and energy at Apple on creating something new and wonderful that I couldn’t be more excited about,” according to a press release Monday.

Sing your heart out with this karaoke-on-demand app

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Bring the karaoke bar to your phone with this amazing app
Bring the karaoke bar to your iPhone with this amazing app.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

There are only so many starter sourdoughs and online courses you can take before you start considering other options to keep yourself entertained. Once you’ve powered through your book list, you need to do something else to keep your imagination occupied.

Why not imagine you’re singing to your adoring fans on a stage with this Karaoke on Demand: Lifetime VIP Subscription?

Coronavirus game dev blasts Apple’s blanket ban of COVID-19 apps

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Corona Control Game
Too hot for the App Store? That's what temperature checks are meant for.
Photo: Florian Mueller

When Florian Mueller submitted his latest game to the App Store, he didn’t think it would end with him filing a complaint against Apple with the European Union, the U.S. Department of Justice and other antitrust authorities around the world.

But that’s exactly what happened after Apple rejected his Corona Control Game due to its COVID-19 theme. Google, which barred Mueller’s game from the Google Play store, is also named in his complaints.

Germany-based Mueller, who has another career as a blogger on legal issues, is not happy with how Apple and Google handled his game submission.

“When [Apple and Google] rejected the game at the beta-testing stage, I was indeed surprised that they took issue with it in such a fundamental way they wouldn’t even let us distribute it to testers,” Mueller, 51, told Cult of Mac.

Second The Snoopy Show trailer delivers the burst of optimism we all need

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‘The Snoopy Show’ debuts on Apple TV+ on February 5, 2021.
The Snoopy Show begins with the beloved beagle meeting Charlie Brown for the first time.
Photo: Apple

The Snoopy Show, coming to Apple TV+ in February, puts the focus on Charlie Brown’s irrepressible beagle. A new trailer for the series dropped Monday, and it demonstrates the show is going to come crammed with lighthearted fun.

Watch the just-released trailer now.

Keep your iPhone 12 away from implanted medical devices

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How it works
Magnets in the back of the iPhone 12 series should be kept away from implanted pacemakers and defibrillators.
Photo: Apple

Magnets and implanted medical devices don’t mix. Apple warned users of the iPhone 12 and MagSafe accessories that these devices all have built-in magnets, and therefore should be kept away from pacemakers and defibrillators that have been surgically implanted in someone’s body for safety reasons.

Snatch a stainless steel Apple Watch Series 4 for less than $235 today only

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Apple
Don't miss out!
Photo: Apple

Want an affordable Apple Watch that has (almost) everything? Check out Woot’s deal on refurbished stainless steel Series 4 units, which pack an edge-to-edge display, built-in ECG, and more for under $235.

This sale is good for today only, so enjoy it while you can!

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

Palmer is here for your tears. Better just hand them over. [Apple TV+ review]

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Justin Timberlake and Ryder Allen in Palmer
Justin Timberlake is a star, but Ryder Allen steals the show in Palmer.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ makes an awards bid with the well-meaning Palmer, a drama of recovery, change and tolerance. It might not set the world on fire, but the film proves uniquely difficult to resist.

Justin Timberlake is in fine form as a hardened convict who grows soft and open to love thanks to the charms of a little boy. His accent might not last the whole movie, but his commitment to the part is nevertheless most endearing.

Apple Watch Series 7 could pack game-changing blood sugar sensor

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Apple Watch Series 6
This year's Apple Watch upgrade could have a pretty massive new feature.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

This year’s Apple Watch upgrade will reportedly add another potentially transformative medical feature: a blood sugar sensor.

That’s according to a new report from ET News, which says both Apple and Samsung will bake the feature into their respective smartwatches — the Apple Watch Series 7 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 — later in 2021.

This streaming service will soothe you to sleep

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This streaming service will help you develop better sleep habits
Restflix will help you develop better sleep habits.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

There’s a lot going on in the world today that can keep you up at night. Whether you’ve been doom-scrolling the news or just have trouble shutting down after work, it can be exhausting to spend long hours awake, only to start the cycle over again the next day.

When all the old tactics — like meditation apps, white noise gadgets, and good old-fashioned sweat sessions — fail to work, try this Restflix subscription.

Batterygate strikes again: Consumer group sues Apple over planned obsolescence

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iPhone camera
Batterygate issue has been raging for a few years now.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Italian consumer association Altroconsumo launched a massive class-action lawsuit against Apple on Monday, seeking 60 million euros ($73 million) for the alleged planned obsolescence of iPhones.

Specifically, the suit mentions the iPhone 6 and 6s generation of devices. Apple used a software update to slow down these phones’ performance, resulting in the “Batterygate” controversy.

“Planned obsolescence is a deliberate unfair practice to consumers that causes frustration and financial harm,” Els Bruggerman, head of policy and enforcement for consumer right’s group Euroconsumers, told Cult of Mac. (Altroconsumo is a part of Euroconsumers.) “In November 2020, Apple ​announced that it will pay $113 million to settle allegations that it slowed down iPhones to mask battery issues. That settlement clearly demonstrates that Apple resorted to planned obsolescence as a deliberate attempt to increase renewal of phone, hide issues and deceive consumers.”

Apple says it slowed down the iPhones to preserve battery life and avoid crashes of older devices. Between 2014 and 2020, Apple sold approximately 1 million of iPhone 6 and 6s models in Italy alone.