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Microsoft Family Safety for iOS helps protect and monitor loved ones

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Share locations, track driving stats, and more.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft on Tuesday revealed its brand-new Family Safety app designed to make it easier to protect and monitor your loved ones.

Family Safety will be part of the upcoming Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) overhaul, and will include features like location sharing, driver safety stats, activity reporting, and more.

Russia delays forcing government-approved apps onto iPhones and Macs

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Putin adds power to your iPhone case.
Apple now has until 2021 to decide if a Russian law forcing apps onto the iPhone is enough for it to pull out of the country.
Photo: Caviar

A Russian law requiring all phones and computers, including iPhone and Mac, sold in that country come bundled with third-party software localized for Russia won‘t go into effect July 1, as had been originally planned. Instead, implementation won‘t occur until early next year.

This comes as a temporary reprieve for Apple. The company has such privacy concerns over this legislation it might withdraw from the country rather than comply with the law.

No, you shouldn’t try to decontaminate N95 masks in your oven

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decontaminate n95 masks
Do not put used N95 masks in your oven.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, N95 filtration masks are in short supply worldwide. It remains unclear whether wearing a mask as a prophylactic is necessary, but that isn’t stopping people from strapping them on when they venture outside their homes. And if you are infected with the COVID-19 virus, or you are working closely with infected people, then you probably do want a mask.

Can these masks be reused? New guidance from Stanford Medicine says yes, you can sterilize N95 masks — by “baking” them in a low-temperature oven. However, you should definitely not do this at home.

Apple surprises devs with new beta software for iPhone, Mac and more

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Even Apple’s update screens are beautifully minimal.
Apple is back with some new beta updates.
Photo: Apple

Just a week after Apple released iOS 13.4 and other big software updates to the public, the iPhone-maker is back with a big batch of beta builds for developers.

The first beta builds for iOS 13.4.5, iPadOS 13.4.5, macOS 10.15.5 and tvOS 13.4.5 were seeded to developers this morning, bringing a bunch of bug fixes to the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.

Apple will pay hourly contract workers during COVID-19 shutdown

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Apple Park
Apple HQ is a ghost town during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo: Duncan Sinfield

Janitors, landscapers, bus drivers and other contract hourly workers at Apple’s campus in Cupertino and other buildings will still get paid during work stoppages related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Apple CEO reassured retail employees earlier this month that they would still get paid while stores are closed, but there was some concern that other hourly workers’ pay would be eliminated. That’s not true though according to an Apple spokesperson who said the checks will still be flowing.

Apple supposedly pencils in April 15 launch for iPhone 9

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iPhone-9-concept
A reported iPhone 9, similar to this conceptual design, could arrive any day now.
Photo: ConceptsiPhone

Apple has supposedly penciled in an April 15 launch date for its low-cost iPhone 9.

New claims that surfaced Tuesday indicate the company held an internal briefing this week to decide “tentative” announcement and shipping dates for the new device. Those claims remind us, however, that “we’re in the middle of a pandemic, and things could change.”

Using Zoom? Take these steps to protect your privacy [Updated]

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yoga class zoom
Zoom lets you keep attending your local yoga class, but at what cost?
Photo: Anupam Mahapatra/Unsplash

Video-conferencing tool Zoom is seeing a surge in use during the coronavirus pandemic, due to people being stuck at home and unable to meet in meatspace groups. I’ve read about people using Zoom to drop in on yoga and pilates classes, as well as for more usual business-related activities.

Spotify Kids launches in the U.S. and Canada

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Spotify Kids
New kid-friendly app is perfect for children stuck at home right now.
Photo: Spotify

Spotify Kids, a standalone app focused on kid-friendly musical content, made its debut in the U.S., Canada, and France on Tuesday.

The app, which requires a $14.99 per month Premium Family Plan to use, highlights curated material aimed at kids of various ages. It won’t include any inappropriate lyrics, features no ads, and offers age-suitable content ranging from audiobooks to lullabies and nurseries rhymes.

AT&T lays out COVID-19 relief measures; includes extra 15GB for hotspot

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Brace yourself for beautiful pictures. iPhone XS and XS Max pack the best cameras yet.
Helping you stay connected while you're stuck at home.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

AT&T on Monday laid out its COVID-19 relief measures for ensuring that customers can stay in touch with friends, family, and colleagues while they’re stuck at home. Starting April 2, there will be a number of measures in place to keep subscribers connected — including 15GB of additional hotspot data.

Apple rumored to be chipping in $200 million to help struggling display maker

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iPhone XR was India’s no. 1 ‘ultra premium’ smartphone in 2019
Japan Display manufactures LCD displays for Apple.
Photo: Apple

Struggling Apple display Japan Display said Tuesday that it has finalized a deal to raise $200 million from an unnamed “overseas customer.” While the customer is unspecified, Reuters claims that it is Apple.

The $200 million fund will come from the customer buying equipment at Japan Display’s main smartphone screen factory in central Japan. Japan Display owed Apple upward of $800 million last year due to Apple spending $1.5 billion building a plant used for iPhones.

iOS 13.4.1 could come this week with fix for big VPN bug

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Save 88% on comprehensive and essential VPN protection.
It will be essential for those who rely on a VPN.
Photo: VPN Unlimited

Apple will roll out an iOS 13.4.1 update this week to fix a VPN bug on iPhone and iPad, according to a new report out Tuesday.

An earlier investigation revealed a security flaw in Apple’s most recent iOS releases that prevents virtual private networks from encrypting all traffic. The issue can cause data and IP addresses to be exposed.

Learn to become an expert in Excel while working from home [Deals]

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The Premium A to Z Microsoft Excel Bundle offers lifetime access to 43 hours of basic to advanced instruction on functions, formulas, tools and more.
Get lifetime access to 43 hours of basic to advanced instruction on functions, formulas, tools and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

One great way to spend newfound downtime during the coronavirus shutdown is to sharpen your skills. Jobs are growing scarce, so any edge you can give yourself is beneficial. One skill that’s almost universally valuable is a working knowledge of Excel, Microsoft’s industry-standard spreadsheet application.

Apple Music’s ‘Come Together’ playlist will help get you through COVID-19 lockdown

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Come Together 1
Apple realizes that music is more important than ever right now.
Photo: Apple

To help people adapting to life in coronavirus lockdown, Apple Music has debuted a series of playlists under the title “Come Together.”

Covering a range of genres, and including some fun tongue-in-cheek titles like the “Social Distancing Social Club,” the hand-picked (hopefully wearing the necessary sanitary gloves) playlists are sure to entertain those locked in-doors. Which is seemingly everyone right now!

Check out full Windows 10 running on an iPhone X

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Windows-10-iPhone-X-1
It's not speedy, but it works.
Photo: Hacking Jules

Here’s something you probably thought you would never see: Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system running on an iPhone X.

The hack is made possible by an app called UTM, which allows virtual machines to run on iOS devices. And despite some issues — as you might expect — it really works rather well … if you have plenty of patience.

Teamsters want Apple to guarantee shuttle bus drivers’ wages during COVID-19

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Someone is breaking the windows on Apple's buses.
Shuttle bus drivers are worried right now.
Photo: Fränz Bous/Flickr CC

The Teamsters union wants Apple to step up to the plate to keep its contracted drivers protected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teamsters Joint Council 7, representing more than 1,000 shuttle bus drivers for the world’s largest tech giants, want Apple and Tesla to commit to guaranteeing drivers will receive paychecks and healthcare during the pandemic. Other tech companies including Facebook, Electronic Arts, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Salesforce have all committed to doing this. However, it seems that Apple is one of the outliers.

End of an era: Samsung Display will stop making LCD panels this year

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iPhone XR
Apple and others are getting out of the LCD game.
Photo: Apple

Samsung Display, which supplies screens for iPhones, has said that it will end all production of LCD panels in South Korea and China by the end of 2020. A spokesperson for the company made the announcement Tuesday.

“We will supply LCD orders to our customers by end of this year without any issues”, the company said in a statement. However, from the end of 2020 it will make no more LCD screens as suppliers, Apple included, move to embrace OLED and other next-gen display types.

New low-cost iPhone SE successor could launch as soon as next week

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Watch a realistic iPhone 9 concept video.
Here’s what the iPhone 9 — or iPhone SE 2 if you prefer — will probably look like.
Photo: the Hacker 34

The iPhone SE 2, a.k.a the iPhone 9, could debut anytime after next week, a new report claims.

According to the report, case makers for the new low-cost handset have started sending inventory to retailers like Best Buy. However, they have included instructions that the products must not be displayed until April 5.

Apple accused of ignoring ‘massive’ music piracy on iTunes

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100 Greatest Big Hits of the 1920's, Vol. 3 continues multipolar examples of music piracy on Apple iTunes.
100 Greatest Big Hits of the 1920's, Vol. 3 on iTunes allegedly includes seven pirated recordings of songs by one composer.
Photo: Apple

Lawyers representing a group of music composers from the 20th century have accused Apple of being “recklessly indifferent or willfully blind” to the actions of a company that operates a “massive music piracy operation” on iTunes.

PSA: For COVID-19 Disaster Loan applications, use Chrome not Safari

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The SBA's new online COVID-19 loan form doesn't work properly in Safari.
The SBA's new online COVID-19 loan form doesn't work properly in Safari.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Here’s a tip for small-business owners trying to fill out the Small Business Administration’s new online COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program application: Use Google’s Chrome browser, not Safari.

Unfortunately, the online form for the SBA’s COVID-19 loans doesn’t function correctly using Apple’s browser.

iOS 14 remains on schedule despite developers working from home

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iOS 14 on an iPhone 11
Don’t worry that iOS 14 will be delayed.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple employees required to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic supposedly aren’t letting iOS 14 fall behind schedule. The next version of the iPhone and iPad operating system is reportedly on track for release.

And company engineers are also creating new versions of an array of hardware products from their home offices.

watchOS 7 may add kid-friendly Activity rings to Apple Watch

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Apple Watch Activity
Kids will be able to fill their rings to unlock rewards.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is planning to make some big changes to the Activity Rings on Apple Watch so that it’s more kid-friendly.

Leaked code from iOS 14 reveals that Apple plans to tweak how the move ring works when Apple Watch is in Kid Mode, allowing parents to set goals from their own iPhones. Instead of tracking calories burned though, the feature will focus on just movement.

Photog claims Amazing Stories intro contains ‘direct theft’ of his image

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Adrian Murray showing his photo and the one from Amazing Stories
How similar do they look to you?
Screenshot: Andrian Murray/YouTube

A photographer claims the production company behind the Apple TV+ series Amazing Stories committed “flagrant copyright infringement” by re-creating an image of his for the show’s intro.

Adrian Murray, of Louisville, Kentucky, alleges an image of two boys opening a glowing chest at about the 45-second mark of the intro is derivative of a work he created with his two sons in 2018.

10 things you (probably) didn’t know about Apple Watch

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Apple Watch trivia: You can't make this stuff up.
It's time for some trivia.
Photo: Malvern Graphics/Cult of Mac

#10things bug In just a few short years, Apple Watch transformed the smartwatch from pricey novelty to potential lifesaver. But how much do you know about Apple’s breakthrough smartwatch? Is it time (pun intended) to pick up some new Apple Watch trivia? You’ve come to the right place.

Here are 10 things you (probably) don’t know about the Apple Watch.

Meross HomeKit-compatible smart plug adds home automation on the cheap

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Meross Smart WiFi Plug Mini comes in 2-packs
The Meross Smart WiFi Plug Mini can be controlled or scheduled through Apple’s Home app.
Photo: Meross

A HomeKit-compatible smart plug is an easy way to try home automation. And the Meross Smart WiFi Plug Mini is an especially inexpensive option. It enables a lamp or other simple electrical device to be remotely controlled from an iPhone using Siri voice commands.