Rather than just live-blogging today’s WWDC 2019 keynote, we’re throwing a watch party for our closest friends: you.

It’s all going down this morning in the CultClub’s Governor’s Lounge, the Discord channel we set up for our weekly podcast, The CultCast. All your favorite Cult of Mac staffers will be watching the Apple keynote live. And this time, we won’t be the only ones sharing our instant reactions. You can get in on the action, too.

While becoming a CultClub member is totally free, it’s usually quite exclusive. But we’re handing out passes like candy today so every Cult of Mac reader can join the party.

Samsung now sells a MacBook Pro powered by Windows.

It’s not actually a MacBook Pro, of course, but it’s so similar to Apple’s machine that some consumers won’t be able to tell the difference. It doesn’t have a Touch Bar — but it does have a fingerprint scanner.

Phones have become a part of our everyday lives. That includes driving, so a good solution is just to keep the information you need in view. One way of doing that is to borrow tech from fighter pilots.

iOS 13 leaks continue to trickle in ahead of today’s big reveal at WWDC. The latest shows Apple’s revamped Reminders app for iPhone for the first time — and it’s in dark mode.

iOS 13 will finally bring a revamped volume indicator to iPhone and iPad.

One of Apple’s designs for the less intrusive overlay has been revealed in a new leak — but the final result will likely be a little different.

Today Apple will announce iOS 13, possibly the new Mac Pro, plus a slew of Mac and Apple Watch-related news. Cult of Mac will not be live-blogging the action — instead you can join our WWDC 2019 watch party or follow along on Twitter. And as always, you can watch the show live.

We’re expecting to learn all about the incredible new iOS 13, which many expect will turn the iPad into some kind of Mac Pro-beating powerhouse¹. Also expected is a Marzipan update, and perhaps our first peek at the real new Mac Pro.

Whether you’re watching on your Mac, your iPhone or iPad, or your Apple TV, we’ll show you how to tune in.

You can even show up at an Apple Store and watch it on the big screen!

A decision by the Trump Administration forced Google to revoke Huawei’s Android license, and a respected analyst says that could cause millions of buyers around the world to get iPhones instead.

Reports of significant changes in iOS 13 have been popping up for months, but there are plenty of minor modifications that would enhance day-to-day use of the iPhone and iPad.

Here are half a dozen we think Apple should include in the next iOS version when it debuts this fall.

This week we find nearby friends with Yoke, count our steps with Pedometer++, add lights and shadows to our photos with Apollo, and enjoy Ulysses’ superior split view on the iPad.

Hanging an air conditioner half-way out the window is an effective, if noisy way to keep a room cool. But it’s also a technology that goes all the way back to 1902. This is the future after all, so now the air conditioner gets the smart home treatment.

WWDC is less than a week away and there are already plenty of rumors doing the rounds on what new features Apple has in store for iOS and watchOS. Dark mode, a refreshed Reminders app and a new Find My app all look set to make an appearance.

But will Apple also be giving its operating systems a shot in the arm to improve their health and fitness as well?

Find out what’s going on in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine for iOS.

Or read on to get the rest of the week’s best Apple news, reviews and how-tos in your browser.

Back in 2014 – long before the AirPods – I picked up what would become my go-to fitness earbuds – the PowerBeats2. A year and a half later, the AirPods came out, replacing my PowerBeats2 that were literally falling apart.

Fast forward to now, and I’ve been using my AirPods – both my first gen, and more recently, my second gen – in almost every situation. I use them all the time and carry them almost everywhere I go. But sometimes I hate my AirPods. No matter how simple and convenient they are, they insist on slipping just a little when I wear them while exercising. And if there’s any background noise or wind, even the loudest volume is inaudible while wearing the AirPods.

Even with those minor drawbacks, they were my favorite headphones. Then I got the new Powerbeats Pro.

With smartwatches, wireless earbuds and the like, we carry around more gear than ever. So the need for power is also greater than ever.

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference is just days away and it’s shaping up to be one of the most software-packed events in the company’s history.

New software for the iPhone, iPad, Mac and more will be shown off for the first time when Tim Cook takes the stage on June 3rd. Most of the event will be focused solely on Apple’s biggest software updates of the year, but there’s a chance we could see some new hardware too.

Spotify is about to make it possible to listen along to music with your friends, no matter where you’re at.

The new feature, called Social Listening, will allow users to connect to friends and listen to the same thing they’re playing. You’ll also be able to add your own tracks to the queue and control playback from your phone.

Background refresh is what lets your iPhone and iPad download your email while your iPhone is sleeping, to update your weather app while you are sleeping, and to grab all kinds of data so that it’s ready before you need it — news feeds, notes-app syncing, and pretty much anything else.

However, as revealed this week by the Washington Post, plenty of bad apps are abusing the background refresh mechanism. They are using it to send your private data — you location, your email address, your phone number, and much much more.

It’s likely that this is happening to you, because background refresh is enabled by default for newly-installed apps. Fortunately, it’s an easy problem to fix. Today we’ll see how.

iTunes isn’t the only Mac app Apple plans to kill this summer.

Apple updated its support document for Back to My Mac today revealing that it will be removed from all version of macOS starting on July 1, 2019.

Over 25% of phones can be cracked just by using one of the top 20 most used four digit PINs.

Cyber security expert Tarah Wheeler shared a list of the most popular PINs based on the findings of the folks at the SANS Institute, which is one of the largest cyber security organizations in the world. Some of the passcodes on the list aren’t surprising but there are a couple combinations that we didn’t expect to see.

Make sure your PIN didn’t make the list:

Forking over $200 for new AirPods that you’re probably just going to lose anyway seems like a bad investment. A 15-year old boy found a brilliant and cheap work around though that turns Apple’s wired EarPods into AirPods for just $4.

After seeing one of his friends get gifted a set of AirPods, Sam Cashbook decided to make his own. Using a cheap bone conduction headset he found on eBay, Cashbook managed to hot glue together his DIY AirPods.

They’re ugly, but they work:

Apple’s own Smart Keyboard is one of the best keyboards you can buy for iPad. It snaps on in an instant, doesn’t require pairing, and never needs charging. It’s even better when it’s half price. Get yours today for just $79.50.

That’s just one of the awesome offers in today’s Deals & Steals roundup. You can also save a whopping $470 on the Mac mini, and $600 on the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display. Plus, you can get the Netgear Orbi while home Wi-Fi system for under $200.

A new report citing sources familiar with Apple’s plans has revealed a number of WWDC surprises ahead of Monday’s big keynote.

Fans can look forward to software updates that make Apple Watch less reliant on iPhone, and iPad more of a laptop replacement. And a number of brand new apps — one of which will kill off iTunes.

OmniFocus is now available anywhere in your web browser.

The new web app makes it possible to access your tasks on Windows and other operating systems for the first time. It is designed to work alongside OmniFocus for Mac and iOS.

Sadly, it doesn’t allow you to use OmniFocus if you don’t own an Apple device at all.

There are plenty of ways to upgrade your iPhone, but not so many offer both expanded connectivity and improved grip.

This week on The CultCast: Apple may be prepping the Mac Pro for its big reveal … don’t miss our WWDC 2019 hardware expectations! Plus: The pros and cons of the 2019 MacBook Pro … we discuss. And did you know all the best Get a Mac ads never actually aired? We’ll tell you the odd reason why. All that and soooo much more.

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..

Target is recalling around 90,000 Lightning cables over concerns they could cause fires or electric shocks.

The “heyday” branded cables, which feature a nylon braided cable and metal connectors, “can become electrically charged,” according to a recall notice.

Target has so far received 14 reports of the cables “smoking, sparking or igniting.”