Work, dating, Craigslist deals, there are plenty of occasions to feel a little uneasy about giving out your phone number. So instead, why not have a burner phone number that keeps your real digits private?

Xiaomi has a history of shamelessly ripping off bigger brands, and nine times out of ten, its chosen target is Apple.

The Chinese company has previously cloned the iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and more — without a single shred of fear that it might one day feel the wrath of Apple’s legal department.

Xiaomi’s latest ripoff is its own version of Memoji, and it brazenly stole Apple’s own commercials to promote it on a number of retail channels this week.

Here’s how Xiaomi gets away with it.

Xiaomi’s new Memoji clone isn’t the first product it has shamelessly stolen from Apple. But it might just be its worst ripoff to date.

That’s not because Mimoji and Memoji sound exactly the same, or because the character designs are nearly identical. It’s because Xiaomi brazenly stole Apple’s commercials to promote it.

Apple’s COO Jeff Williams won’t take on the departing Jony Ive’s title of Chief Design Officer but he’s nevertheless stepping into the role.

A new profile in The Wall Street Journal quotes sources who question whether Williams has the vision to take Ive’s place. Even so, some are looking at this executive to someday replace CEO Tim Cook.

Sony’s new wireless earbuds are ready to take on AirPods.

The horribly named WF-1000XM3 promise the same impressive audio quality as Sony’s best-selling headphones — but in an earbud form factor. And they boast one big advantage.

Here’s why you might want to avoid Apple’s hottest accessory and pick up these instead.

Apple’s planning the biggest design change to the iPad in its near-10 year history, a new report claims.

According to a report from IHS Markit, Apple is developing a folding iPad. This future tablet will boast a MacBook size screen, but foldable into something a fraction of the size. Oh, yes, and it’ll supposedly have 5G capabilities, too.

July 4th has come and gone. The tanks are back in their garages. But the deals roll on at the Cult of Mac Store. We’ve got big discounts on a 3-in-1 charging pad, a five-part course in Microsoft Excel, and a powerful, intuitive photo editing app. Most are discounted by about half or greater, read on for more details:

This week on The CultCast: A new report details why Jony Ive is departing Apple, and it paints a troubling picture. Plus, Leander tells us about the “fiddle factor,” the unique quality that made Ive our time’s greatest designer.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain..

The first official Stranger Things skins are finally available from Fortnite’s in-game item shop. Chief Hopper and a terrifying Demogorgon are currently on offer, along with a new weapon wrap. But we expect to see more soon.

In an age of open-world sandbox titles, many games try to get you playing for hours on end. That’s not the case with Minit, an adventure game which just arrived in the App Store.

As its name implies, Minit is a title in which each game lasts, well, one minute. That means that you’ve got just 60 seconds to try and complete each stage. Check out the trailer below.

A Team Rocket hot air balloon flown over Dortmund, Germany, this week all but confirms the evil gang’s imminent arrival in Pokémon Go.

Emblazoned with a Team Rocket logo, the balloon appeared on day one of Europe’s first ever Pokémon Go Fest. It’s the latest in a number of teasers Niantic has put out to signal Team Rocket’s introduction.

But what will it mean for Pokémon Go?

Apple’s much-delayed dreams of opening an official Apple Store in India may finally be close to coming true.

In Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s maiden budget speech, the minister announced the relaxation of laws concerning single brand stores. These rules stated that 30% of goods sold in these stores had to be sourced locally. However, it seems they may no longer apply.

Apple paid Samsung 800 billion won ($683 million) during the second quarter of the year. The payments covered the cost of display panels after Apple missed a sales target both companies had agreed on.

The cash influx represents a rare bright spot during a three-month period in which Samsung’s profits are forecast to plunge an overall 56%.

Adonit actually found a way to make taking vacation pictures with your iPhone easier. The PhotoGrip Qi turns your phone into an old-school point-and-shoot. Plus it includes a tripod with a remote shutter button. On top of that, its flexible iPhone clamp wirelessly charges the handset.

I still remember the days before phone cameras. Come see how well Adonit did re-creating that experience.

Stranger Things season three is finally here, and according to early impressions, it might just be the best one yet. It’s also going to mean big things for Fortnite Battle Royale fans.

The hit Netflix show has already started making its mark inside the game, with portals to the Upside Down recently appearing in Mega Mall. And now we’ve got our first glimpse at new Stranger Things skins.

It’s impossible to create smart Apple Music playlists directly on the iPhone. Or rather, it was impossible. Previously, you had to fire up iTunes on your Mac or PC, create a smart playlist there, and then let it sync to your iPhone over iCloud.

Even in iOS 13, this is still the case. But now there’s another way. A new iOS app called Miximum can create smart playlists, and even sync them to the regular Apple Music app. It is, as they say, a game-changer.

Apple reports that every iCloud service is currently experiencing problems. This affects users of iCloud Drive, Keychain and many more.

However, this doesn’t seem to be cropping up for every user. And many of this company’s other online services are running fine.

Update (3:40pm): All today’s issues with Apple services have been cleared up.

The USB port on your iPad has gotten a massive update in iOS 13/iPadOS. You can now plug in pretty much everything except a printer, and have it Just Work™. We already know this from Apple’s own PR and WWDC announcements. But what exactly does work when you plug it in? I decided to try it. I took my old test iPad (a 1st-generation iPad Pro) on a tour around various friends’ homes, and plugged stuff in. Here’s what happened.

Apple has come up with a proposal that would end a dispute with South Korea’s antitrust regulator.

Apple stands accused of abusing its dominant position in the marketplace. It reportedly did this by requiring phone carriers in the country to pay for the cost of iPhone ads on TV.

The escrow fund containing the massive $16 billion fine Apple was commanded to pay by the EU declined by $18 million last year.

The funds are being held in an escrow account while appeals by Apple and Ireland make their way through the court. In the meantime, the money is invested — but, at least based on last year, not as successfully as hoped.

For most people, July 4th is a time to relax, barbecue, and watch some fireworks. Here at Cult of Mac, it’s a time to share the best deals of the summer so far. This go-around, we’ve got a set of workout-ready wireless earbuds, a powerful PDF editor, and a certification course in product management. There’s plenty here to enjoy, and more to come, so read on:

Samsung has been charged by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for allegedly making false promises about its incredibly popular Galaxy S smartphones.

The watchdog says Samsung marketing made misleading representations about smartphone water-resistance.

The South Korean company depicted its devices being used in swimming pools and on the beach — then reportedly turned down warranty claims from customers who suffered water damage when using their phones in similar environments.

While Apple has introduced all kinds of fancy new screensavers for platforms like Apple TV, the Mac doesn’t get all that much love.

However, Apple has made an exception with its latest macOS Catalina beta. As uncovered by Twitter user J Bank, it features an attractive new screensaver to join the other default ones already found on Macs.

Samsung’s newest wearable will steal some of Apple Watch Series 4’s hottest features. The upcoming Galaxy Watch Active 2 is expected to get an ECG app as well as fall detection.

The device will be capable of detecting atrial fibrillation — a common heart condition — and of sharing heart data with physicians and other health professionals, a new report claims.

Customers spent a massive $25.5 billion globally in the iOS App Store during the first half of 2019. That represents an increase of 13.2% compared to the same period one year ago.

While Android devices considerably outnumber iOS handsets, Apple still raked in the majority of profit. Total app spending through Google Play hit just $14.2 billion. That means that the amount generated by Apple’s App Store was around 80% greater than Google Play’s estimated gross revenue.