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How to stop Apple Card from bombarding you with notifications

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Apple Card with iPad
Switch off those pesky Apple Card notifications
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Are you enjoying your new Apple Card? Isn’t running up debt great when it is accompanied by a titanium card and a stylish app? But what you might not be enjoying are the Apple Card notifications that started to pop up on your iPhone.

Here’s how to stop them. But beware: It’s an all-or-nothing proposition that clearly illustrates an annoying problem with iPhone notifications.

Mobile-first e-signature service DottedSign makes paperwork a breeze

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With a focus on mobility and ease of use, this eSign platform verges on being a team task manager.
The DottedSign e-sign service boasts a friendly UI for people who rely on smart devices and travel a lot.
Image: Kdan Mobile

This post is presented by Kdan Mobile.

Keeping everyone in a team on the same page is complicated on paper and in the cloud. For startups, small- to medium-size businesses and even individual freelancers, staying on top of contracts while on the move can prove overwhelming.

That’s why a good electronic signature service can be a powerful ally for any digital pro. A new e-sign service, DottedSign, just launched for iOS, Android and web. It’s a complete system of e-signature solutions that expedite your business flow with a legal and secure signing process.

iOS 13 inches closer to launch with new beta [Updated]

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Buggy iOS 13 made Apple rethink how it develops software
Apple has made great strides in debugging iOS 13.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple just seeded the seventh Developer beta of the next iOS and iPadOS version. This is the latest stage of a debugging process expected to end in September.

UPDATE: iOS 13 Public beta 6 just launched as well, so anyone who wants to try this new version can. The same goes for iPadOS Public beta 6.

Distraction-free apps won’t help you focus. Here’s what will.

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Like a Vegas casino carpet, our devices overstimulate our brains. Distraction-free apps won't help.
Like a Vegas casino carpet, our devices overstimulate our brains.
Photo: Michael Winters/Flickr CC

“Distraction-free” apps are ridiculous. They don’t help at all. In fact, if you have trouble focusing on the task on hand, then the problem isn’t the app. The problem is you.

Removing clutter from an app’s interface won’t stop you from flipping to Twitter every five minutes. A carefully chosen font won’t stop you from whipping your iPhone from your pocket every time a question pops into your head.

The problem is not even distraction. The problem is overstimulation, and it’s going to take some effort for you to fix it.

Fake AI skies look amazing, but not everybody’s thrilled

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sky replacement tool in Luminar 4
Pick a sky that wasn't there when you took the photo.
Photo: Skylum

Imaging software company Skylum markets its photo editing tools as huge time savers. Just click a preset look or move a few slider bars and you have a beautifully styled final image within minutes.

Skylum was on message when it announced an upcoming AI tool for instantly replacing the sky. The company declared, “The days of spending a lot of time manually creating a complicated mask to replace skies in an image are over.”

Yet the debate over artificial intelligence’s role in photography is only beginning. In the week since Skylum announced and demoed AI Sky Replacement, photographers have spent considerable time in online forums drawing lines between ethics and creativity.

Apple Watch rules the wearables roost in North America

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Apple Watch Series 4 Infogram Watch Face
Apple Watch is dominating in the United States.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch continues to storm ahead of the competition in the North American wearables market. In the second quarter of 2019, it carved a 37.9% market share, according to new figures released by Canalys.

The market research firm claims that Apple shipped 2.9 million units during the quarter. That’s considerably more than those shipped by Fitbit, Samsung, Garmin, or others.

Apple racked up almost 6 patents per day in 2018

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Apple waveguides patent
Apple had quite the industrious year.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple was granted the equivalent of almost six patents per day in 2018, racking up more than 2,000 over the year.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ranks Apple No. 11 on a list of companies awarded the greatest number of patents. So, who beat Apple at the patent game in 2018?

Apple Music playlist transports you to the hottest Ibiza clubs

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Ibiza club
Drinks are a whole lot cheaper, though.
Photo: XXNU/Flickr CC

Apple Music boasts some 50 million songs in its catalog. That’s the equivalent of almost two miles if it was a heap of CD-based albums piled on on top of the other.

To help make sense of all of this, Apple hosts a wide variety of hand-selected playlists. Now, thanks to two of the hottest clubs in EDM capital Ibiza, they’ve gotten some more. It’s like a vacation in your pocket!

Get fluent in Photoshop, After Effects and the rest of Adobe Creative Suite [Deals]

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The Complete Adobe CC Training Bundle
This massively discounted tutorial bundle covers all of Adobe's industry standard Creative Cloud apps.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Adobe’s creative apps are the industry standard for all kinds of visual creative professionals. But being so powerful, they’re also super-complex. And they can be pretty intimidating to learn. That makes this massively discounted bundle of Adobe Creative Cloud lessons extremely enticing.

Apple readying up to 80 million iPhone 11 units for next month

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iPhone 11 Max on colorful background
Apple's got a whole heap of iPhones ready to unleash on customers.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple is readying 75 million 80 million iPhones ahead of next month’s iPhone 11 launch, says Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives.

Despite some of his gloomier peers “yelling fire in a crowded theater” about Apple, he’s confident about Apple’s future. That’s even with the ongoing U.S. vs. China trade tensions looming menacingly in the background.

Creators of Shantae 5 spill more details on Apple Arcade game

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Shantae screen
It's like Mario with more belly-dancing. Well, kind of.
Screenshot: WayForward

Shantae 5, the latest installment in the popular platform video game series, is an eagerly anticipated title for Apple Arcade.

Now the game’s developer has released some new information about the new outing. This includes its full name, plot, and new features. Check it out:

New York City is going to be seeing a lot more of Apple

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Apple Maps just got a New York update.
Apple loves the Big Apple.
Photo: Apple

Apple is on the hunt for big new offices in Manhattan, aiming to increase its footprint in the New York City area.

According to a new report, Apple is searching for up to 750,000 square feet of office space. It has already looked at some of the most prestigious locations in the area. As of now, however, it’s not yet locked anything down.

Corning screen protector makes iPhone easier to use in sunlight

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OtterBox Amplify screen protector by Corning
Corning and OtterBox say their screen protector is 5x more scratch resistant than their rivals’.
Photo: Corning/OtterBox

Amplify screen protectors use scratch resistance technology developed by Corning, and the latest version also has this company’s proprietary DX tech to make an iPhone easier to see in bright sunlight.

It’s made by Corning and marketed by OtterBox.

Healthy recipes prove easy with this meal-planning app [Deals]

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eMeals meal planner app
Eating healthy is simple with this straightforward app.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Eating well is one of the best things you can do for your health (not to mention the environment). But it’s also hard for many people. After all, not everybody knows where to find good ingredients, let alone what to do with them. A good meal planner app like eMeals can make it simple to eat clean.

Apple Card is as friendly as a credit card can be [Review]

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Apple Card
Everything about the Apple Card is well designed, even the package it comes in.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A credit card is a departure from Apple’s usual computers and accessories, but the Apple Card is just as gorgeous and the associated software every bit as easy to use as an iPhone or Mac.

I’m among the first cardholders, so here’s what it’s like to carry an Apple Card.

Twist-O-Flex Apple Watch band a brilliant blast from the past

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speidel
Speidel's Twist-O-Flex stretches up to 5 inches, making it easy to get on and off your wrist. Perfect for him or her!
Photo: Speidel

Vintage watch enthusiasts, take heed. The classic Speidel Twist-O-Flex that was all the rage mid-century is now available for Apple Watch.

The twisty, stretchy stainless steel bands you remember dad wearing are now adapted for 21st-century smartwatch wearers — and they’re better than ever.

Check out this modern take on a classic favorite in our Watch Store.

See iOS 13’s best unannounced features [Video]

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iOS 13 on an iPhone X
Have you upgraded yet?
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

After spending time playing with the iPadOS 13 developer beta and iOS 13 beta , it’s clear there are tons of nice changes coming to Apple’s mobile platforms this fall.

Cupertino highlighted the biggest ones at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference. However, there’s a bunch of smaller stuff they didn’t tell us about. While there are hundreds of “under the hood” changes, these are the best iOS 13 features Apple didn’t announce.

Best unannounced iOS 13 features

Apple claims scary iPhone battery warning is for customer safety

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iPhone batteries
Be careful on who you let replace your iPhone battery.
Photo: iFixIt

Apple confirmed it added a new “feature” to iPhones last year that displays an ominous warning when users get their battery replaced by an unauthorized service provider.

The iPhone-maker drew heavy criticism from right-to-repair advocates last week when the news of the new battery warnings surfaced. Facing claims that it is trying to funnel customers toward more expensive battery repairs, Apple has finally come out with a statement insisting that the change was made with the safety of customers in mind, but not everyone’s buying it.

This is the handiest travel battery you can buy [Review]

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As battery packs go, this one looks pretty good.
As battery packs go, this one looks pretty good.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The ZMI PowerPack 20000 is the most useful backup battery you can buy. It packs a huge, 20,000mAh battery that can power a MacBook and two other devices at the same time. Plus, you can quick charge it via USB. And it can even work as a USB data hub.

This 14.29-ounce (405 gram) brick might be overkill for daily juicing of your iPhone, but for everything else it’s amazing.

AnyTrans makes managing your iOS device a breeze

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AnyTrans interface on Mac
AnyTrans gives you access to the content on your iOS device
Screenshot: AnyTrans

This post is brought to you by iMobie, maker of AnyTrans.

With the iTunes breakup just around the corner, and the rise of cloud-based services, managing the content on your iOS device is getting harder and less accessible. Fortunately, that doesn’t have to be the case with AnyTrans.

AnyTrans for iOS is an all-in-one iPhone manager and file-transfer app for both Mac and PC, as well as a powerful backup utility for all the iOS devices in your life.

5 super-useful Terminal tricks for total noobs

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terminal tricks
Where the hell are you supposed to begin?
Photo: Cult of Mac

The Mac’s Terminal is at once scary and powerful. It’s like a whole other computer living underneath the pretty interface of macOS. Sometimes, it’s convoluted. Other times, it seems laser-focused, offering a much quicker way to get things done. Instead of clicking and dragging your way through multiple screens, you just type a line of text.

However, the Mac Terminal is pretty intimidating if you’re not used to it. Today we will learn five super-useful Terminal tricks that make getting around much easier.

AT&T and T-Mobile join forces to fight robocalls and scammers

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spam-call
Suck it, spammers!
Photo: Icons8/Unsplash

AT&T and T-Mobile today confirmed an unlikely partnership for a wonderful cause. The rival carriers are joining forces to fight robocalls and scammers.

Both will deliver the FCC-recommended STIR/SHAKEN standards to digitally validate calls across their networks. It will make it easier for customers to filter out unwanted calls.