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Woman uses Apple Watch to prevent sexual assault

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Woman uses Apple Watch to prevent sexual assault
Apple Watch was used to call for help.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

A woman’s Apple Watch may have helped save her from an assault from a would-be rapist, a recent court case revealed.

The woman, whose identity has not been released, was in her apartment in Calgary when criminal John Joseph Macindoe broke in. He had a bag containing implements for use in a sexual assault. However, the would-be victim used her Apple Watch to send an emergency SOS message.

AT&T subcribers suffering lengthy voicemail outage

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AT&T-trucks
Are you getting your voicemails?
Photo: AT&T

Many AT&T customers in the U.S. are experiencing voicemail issues amid a lenthy outage. Some customers say they have been unable to access messages since September.

AT&T is aware of the issue, but there’s no clear explanation of what’s causing it — or how long it will last.

CNN’s ‘NewsCo’ will take on Apple News+

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CNN logo
CNN’s NewsCo will go head to head-with Apple’s news service, as well as ones from Facebook and others.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

CNN is creating a news aggregator that will collect content from a variety of sources, with some portion of the service requiring a subscription. If this sounds familiar, it’s because that’s exactly what Apple News is.

There’s no coincidence — CNN thinks Apple and other big tech companies have too much control over the news.

Gorgeous Apple Watch band makes canvas look better than ever

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Monowear-Urban-Canvas-Apple-Watch
The Urban Canvas is smart but stylish.
Photo: Monowear

No one considers canvas to be an obviously attractive material. Not unless you have an unhealthy relationship with tents. But pair it with leather and slap it on an Apple Watch and, boy, does it look good.

Case in point: Monowear’s terrific Urban Canvas band. It’s immensely durable, comfortable all day long, and surprisingly beautiful. And it costs just $38.

One month in, I’m hooked on Apple Arcade [Review]

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iPad browsing Apple Arcade games catalog with iPhone and Xbox Controller
I was sure I was going to cancel, but I'm actually enjoying Apple Arcade games quite a bit!
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

I don’t consider myself much of a gamer, but the idea of games always seems to appeal to me. That’s why, when Apple Arcade launched, I activated my subscription to test the waters. My hope was that I’d get some clarity before it cost me anything to try.

Now, a month has passed, and I’ve got some mixed feelings about the service. Should I keep paying for it? Are its 100-plus games worth the monthly fee? Can I play it when and where I want? Get the lowdown in my Apple Arcade review.

3 companies could take over Apple Watch production

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watchOS 5 Face
Your next Apple Watch could be made by Foxconn, who also assembles iPhone and iPad.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch might go through a big change behind the scenes. Until now, this wearable has been assembled mostly by Quanta, but that’s reportedly going to change next year. No less than three companies are going to take on the job.

This app puts a multitrack recorder inside almost any music app

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MultiTrack Recorder Plugin
This is how we recorded multiple tracks in the olden days, kids.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

4Pockets’ MultiTrack Recorder Plugin is an audio-recording app that can be loaded inside other music apps. If you’ve ever seen an app like GarageBand or Logic in action, you’ll be familiar with the layout of multiple tracks on a horizontal timeline. MultiTrack Recorder Plugin offers exactly that, only it’s designed to be used inside other music apps. Apps that don’t have their own recording functions.

Mophie’s beefy iPhone 11 battery case adds hours of life

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Mophie Juice Pack Access iPhone 11 battery case
The Mophie Juice Pack Access is a powerful iPhone 11 battery case.
Photo: Zagg/Mophie

The latest Mophie Juice Pack Access both protects and extends the battery life of any of the new iPhone 11 models without blocking the Lightning port.

It’s available today, even before Apple can produce its own battery case for these recently-released handsets.

Adonit Note+ does nearly as much as Apple Pencil but costs far less

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Adonit Note+ iPad stylus
The Adonit Note+ iPad stylus is designed for artists and note takers.
Photo: Adonit

Adonit’s second-generation iPad stylus offers many features not in the original, including including tilt detection and pressure sensitivity. The Note+ also adds shortcut buttons for quick access to erase, redo, or other functions.

It has nearly the same feature set as the Apple Pencil while costing significantly less.

How to use iOS 13’s new ‘Remind me when messaging’ feature

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Remind when messaging
Remember things, when you need them.
Photo: Estée Janssens

The Reminders app got a total revamp in iOS 13, making it way quicker and easier to add due dates, alerts and location-based notifications to new reminders. But it also added one killer new feature: Remind me when messaging.

This lets you add a contact to the reminder, and the next time you’re messaging that person, a notification will pop up.

iOS 13.2 inches closer to launch with latest bug-squashing beta

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ios13emoji
These are just a few of the new emoji coming.
Photo: Apple

Progress on iOS 13.2’s public release has hit a blistering pace after Apple seeded the fourth beta build to developers today.

iOS 13.2 beta 4 arrived one week after Apple seeded beta 3 to developers. Apple’s website hinted that the public release could come by the end of the month, bringing new emoji, Siri features and more to iPhones and iPads very soon.

4-in-1 charger will help you get over AirPower

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Pitka's Air Quad wireless charger for Apple devices
The Air Quad wants to bring the family of Apple together for charging.
Photo: Pitaka

Apple’s effort to give its multi-device users a reliable charging pad failed. But other companies have stepped up to bring an all-in-one wireless charger and one currently on Kickstarter looks promising.

The Air Quad from Pitaka provides dedicated charging positions for the iPad, iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch.

Apple wraps up first Entrepreneur Camp after helping 42 companies

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Apple-Entrepreneur-Camp
It's off to a great start.
Photo: Apple

The first year of Apple Entreprenuer Camp today wraps up after its fourth cohort of 2019. It has helped more than 42 companies, all led by women, since it kicked off last November.

Apple is now inviting others to sign up for next year’s cohort, which runs from January 28 to February 5. You have until November 15 to submit your application.

Apple Pay finally overtakes Starbucks in mobile payments

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Apple Pay finally overtakes Starbucks in mobile payments
Starbucks' mobile app was previously the no. 1 mobile payments app.
Photo: Nicky Colman/Flickr CC

Apple Pay is the most popular mobile payment system in the U.S., finally overtaking the Starbucks mobile app to take the crown.

According to eMarketer, 30.3 million users are currently using Apple Pay. Meanwhile, Starbucks’ mobile payment system has around 25.2 million customers.

Take a deep dive into coding for iOS 13 with this complete bundle [Deals]

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The Complete iOS 13 & SwiftUI Developer Bundle
These courses will teach you to use the latest iOS developer tools, at a discount of 99%.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Another year, another round of updates from Apple. That includes a bunch of renewed development tools and platforms for iOS. So, if you want to develop software for iPhone, the time has come to get up to date. With this bundle of four massively discounted courses, you can do just that.

iPhone 11 boosts Apple’s market share (but not in U.S.)

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iPhone 11 continues to shine while iPhone 11 Pro Max sales flatten out
Don't believe the scaremongers.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Strong demand for the iPhone 11 lineup has boosted Apple’s market share in several regions around the world.

Cupertino made gains in Europe, Australia, and Japan last quarter, according to new figures. But iPhone suffered a market share decline in China — and on its home turf.

Mario Kart Tour‘s Halloween update brings Luigi to the party

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Mario Kart Tour's Halloween update brings Luigi to the party
Luigi wants to get a piece of that sweet in-app purchase money.
Photo: Nintendo

Mario Kart Tour is finally bringing Luigi to the game with its Halloween update.

The seasonal upgrade will also introduce the characters of Rosalina, Waluigi and King Boo to the racing game. Finally, there’s a newly launched Halloween Tour, which is available from now through November 5.

Ex-student sentenced to 3 years in prison for massive iPhone scam

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Ex-student sentenced to 3 years in prison for massive iPhone scam
Scam cost Apple up to $1.2 million.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

An ex-Oregon engineering student from China who plead guilty to a scam involving counterfeit iPhones has been sentenced to more than three years in prison.

30-year-old Quan Jiang and another student imported fake iPhones. They swapped these out for legit devices under Apple’s warranty scheme. The working iPhones were then sent to China, and they were rewarded with a cut of the profits. The scam reportedly cost Apple up to $1.2 million.

Apple is paying up faster to help struggling display-maker

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iPhone XR
Apple won't give up on JDI.
Photo: Apple

Apple has reportedly agreed shorter payment terms with struggling display-maker Japan Display (JDI). It is part of a plan to help stabilize the company following years of financial troubles.

The deal comes after Apple agreed to cough up as much as $200 million as part of bailout to keep JDI afloat.

Selena Gomez’s latest music video was shot on iPhone 11 Pro

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Selena Gomez's latest music video was shot on the iPhone 11 Pro
It's the latest showcase of Apple's "Shot on iPhone" campaign.
Photo: Selena Gomez

The director of Selena Gomez’s latest music video used an iPhone 11 Pro to shoot the stylish black-and-white video. The video debuted Wednesday.

Director Sophie Muller filmed the video for song “Lose You to Love Me” on one of Apple’s new handsets. Muller is a renowned director of music videos who has previously shot videos for artists including Beyoncé, Coldplay, and others.

Brilliant iPhone XS case creates a cheapskate’s iPhone 11 Pro

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iPhone XS case simulates iPhone 11 Pro
This simulated iPhone 11 Pro case appeals to those who think technology is only skin deep.
Photo: digital_buyer/TikTok

Anyone who wants to look like they have the latest and greatest Apple handset without putting down the cash to replace their iPhone XS might be able to use a case that only simulates the appearance of an iPhone 11 Pro.

Apple hints iOS 13.2 launching before Oct. 30

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You can no longer turn back from iOS 13.2.3
You can no longer turn back from iOS 13.2.3
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

The next iPhone update will be iOS 13.2, and it might be out before the end of this month. A feature of the recently-announced Beats Solo Pro headphones requires this version, and the accessory debuts next week.

Version 13.2 brings dozens of additional emoji, and also adds Deep Fusion camera technology to the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro series.