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How to back up your iMessages (and why it’s essential)

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Never lose your old messages again.
Never lose your old messages again.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Why would you bother to back up your iMessages? After all, they’re all stored in iCloud these days, right? Well, yes your messages are all stored in iCloud, but they’re not backed up up there. They’re synced, which means that if you delete a message thread, it’s gone forever. The answer is to make a local backup, which requires a Mac. Which is ridiculous in 2019, but there you go.

Here’s how to back up your iMessages in case the worst happens.

New Apple Watch videos highlight fall detection and heart notifications

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Fall detection ad from Apple
Fall detection could be a lifesaver for some Apple Watch wearers.
Photo: Apple

Apple came out with two new how-to videos for the Apple Watch today, showing customers how to take advantage of some of the new features introduced last year.

The two videos cover how to turn on heart health notifications and fall detection. Each video is only 30 seconds long and shows how to activate each feature in just three or four easy steps.

Watch them both right here:

Do not call Dmitry Markov’s iPhone photos ‘seamy’

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Dmitry Markov
"Time to death." Haircut of 18-year-old teenager before his release from orphanage is one of 80 iPhone photos in #DRAFT #RUSSIA, which runs through June 4 at the agnés b. Galerie Boutique in New York City.
Photo: Dmitry Markov courtesy of agnés b.

Each of the 80 arresting iPhone images in an exhibition entitled #DRAFT #RUSSIA are a chapter in the life of the photographer Dmitry Markov.

The pictures may feel like a hard, unpleasant view of a fringe existence in a Russian province far removed from the economic bustle of Moscow, but Markov makes no apology.

Should you use the EQ in the iPhone’s Music app?

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How low can you go?
How low can you go?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The quick answer is “Yes, of course you should.” The more complex answer is “But only if you need it.” Your iPhone has an equalizer built in, although it’s not exactly easy to find. Annoyingly-hidden-yet-essential interface elements aside, there’s usually not much point in tweaking the EQ of your Apple Music library unless you have a problem in your setup.

But if you do want to use it, here’s how.

Chris Evans spotted on set of upcoming Apple TV show

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Chris Evans
Chris Evan and his beard on the set.
Photo: Patriot Pics/Backgrid

Captain America star Chris Evans is already hard at work on his next project now that Avengers: Endgame is nearly ready to hit theaters.

Evans was spotted on the set of his upcoming TV series, Defending Jacob, which is being made for Apple TV+. Evans shaved his beard for Endgame but it looks like it’s making a comeback in the Apple TV series.

Terry Gilliam still hasn’t signed contract to remake Time Bandits with Apple

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Time Bandits
The time-traveling dwarves of Time Bandits.
Photo: Handmade Films

Terry Gilliam’s 1981 movie Time Bandits is set to get the TV series treatment by Apple, but in a recent interview, Gilliam revealed he’s still not sure how involved he will be in the project.

Despite already getting an executive producer credit for the series, Gilliam says he still hasn’t signed his contract for the show. Even though he claims he’s delighted that Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi is taking the lead on the pilot episode, Gilliam is concerned about the overall tone of the show.

Sharp’s clamshell folding smartphone actually looks good

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Sharp
Sharp’s folding phone looks pretty cool.
Photo: EngadgetJP

Every Android smartphone maker has a concept folding smartphone that turns into a tablet, but what if manufacturers used folding screens to make our smartphones smaller?

That’s exactly what Sharp has proposed with its first folding smartphone concept that turns a regular-looking smartphone into a clamshell phone kind of like the popular Motorola Razr.

Check it out in action:

How Ops operates back at Apple HQ [Cook book outtakes]

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Apple leases new offices near to Apple Park
Apple leases new offices near to Apple Park
Photo: Duncan Sinfield

Tim Cook book outtakes: How Apple's Operations department works This post was going to be part of my new book, Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level, but was cut for length or continuity. Over the next week or so, we will be publishing several more sections that were cut, focusing mostly on geeky details of Apple’s manufacturing operations.

As iPhone growth exploded, Apple struggled to keep up with demand. Every year, the number of iPhones sold would double, which meant that Apple kept adding new suppliers and assembly operations to keep up. It was a monumental struggle.

Apple doubles the number of suppliers committed to green energy

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Apple supplier 2
Apple has worked hard to cement its environmental cred.
Photo: Apple

Apple shows an impressive commitment to sustainability, particularly when it comes to clean energy.

Today, it revealed that it has almost doubled the number of suppliers committed to running their Apple production on 100% clean energy. This brings the total number to 44. It means that Apple will exceed — by 1 gigawatt — its goal of bringing 4 gigawatts of renewable energy into its supply chain by 2020.

Apple’s newest services lack ‘depth,’ analysts warn

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Apple TV+ could have 26 million paying subs by 2025; 2.6 million currently
Apple TV+ could have 26 million paying subs by 2025; 2.6 million currently
Photo: Apple

Apple’s newest services don’t deliver the “depth” investors want to see as iPhone sales fall for the Cupertino company.

Some analysts are particularly disappointed with the upcoming Apple TV+ video streaming service. They don’t believe Apple has any hope of competing with Netflix.

German finance minister blasts tech giants which ‘pay taxes nowhere’

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Cash app with cash money
Apple has previously battled the EU over tax avoidance.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Germany’s finance minister Olaf Scholz has slammed tech giants that “pay taxes nowhere.”

It’s the latest shot at tech giants such as Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon which have previously clashed with the European Union on tax issues. In an interview with CNBC, Scholz argued that “we should find a global agreement” to shut tax avoidance loopholes.

Netflix’s next big original? A comedy radio station

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Netflix Is A Joke Radio
Tune in on April 15.
Photo: Netflix

Netflix has confirmed plans to launch its first comedy radio station.

Netflix Is A Joke Radio, which is being launched in partnership with radio streaming service SiriusXM, will go live on April 15. It will feature “highlights from top Netflix talent,” including Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, and Ricky Gervais.

Apple Podcasts now offers web playback feature

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Apple's podcasts app is deeper than you might imagine.
Podcasts just got an overhaul.
Photo: Incase/Flickr CC

Apple has overhauled the web interface for podcasts hosted on its platform. The refresh means that Mac users can now stream episodes directly from the podcasts.apple.com website, instead of being redirected through iTunes.

The change comes at a time when Apple is reportedly moving to break up iTunes, which has been bloated and increasingly un-user-friendly for years.

Apple’s share of global computer market grows

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Phil Schiller: Nope, Apple still isn’t planning to make a touchscreen Mac
Sales of Macs didn’t have a stellar quarter.
Photo: Apple

Global shipments of laptops and desktops were on the decline in the first three months of this year, and Apple also saw a drop in Mac shipments. But there is a silver lining: the company did better than some of its rivals so its share of the global PC market actually increased.

The same was true for Mac sales in the United States.

Apple throws a wrench in iPhone throttling lawsuit

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Apple could debut iPhone SE successor as soon as March
Apple could debut iPhone SE successor as soon as March
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is asking a judge to boot the lead attorneys in a class action suit that accuses the iPhone maker of throttling older phones to force users to buy new handsets.

Apple claims opposing counsel with Cotchett Pitre & McCarthy discussed and quoted confidential documents in a public hearing last month.

YouTube TV costs App Store subscribers extra

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YouTube
YouTube TV has new content but also a higher price. Especially for those who subscribe through the App Store.
Photo: YouTube

The monthly YouTube TV subscription fee is going up to $49.99. And it will be even higher for those who pay for this streaming video service via the Apple App Store.

This is apparently YouTube’s way of partially offsetting the cut Apple takes from all subscription fees. And it’s something other companies might emulate.

How to restart your Apple TV without leaving the couch

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Oh man, who wants to walk all the way over there? Reset Apple TV
Oh man, who wants to walk all the way over there?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Maybe you need to restart your Apple TV. Perhaps something didn’t load right, or the whole thing is acting screwy. It happens. The Apple TV is just another iOS computer after all. And while unplugging your Apple TV is one valid option, that means getting off your couch. And what do TV lovers hate more than unnecessary exercise? Nothing, that’s what. Happily for you, my lazy friend, you can restart the AppleTV using the remote. If you can find it.

Apple teams up with NHL stars for new ‘Shot on iPhone XS’ ad

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shot iPhone XS
There’s a lot of this in the new ad.
Photo: Apple

Two of the biggest stars of the NHL teamed up with Apple for the company’s latest ‘Shot on iPhone XS’ ad.

Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews steps behind the lens in the new ad that shows what a typical day in the NHL looks like for his teammate, Mitch Marner. The short ad takes viewers from the streets to the rink giving fans a a personal look at the hockey players’ lives.

Atom Piano Roll is an iOS MIDI-lover’s dream

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Atom piano roll
Atom is a like a player-piano for your iPad
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

 

Atom is a “piano roll” sequencer for making music on iOS. A piano roll is named for the software used to run olde worlde player pianos. It’s a roll of paper with holes punched in it. As the roll moves through the piano, the holes are read by a “tracker bar,” and the corresponding notes are played.

Imagine such a sheet of paper in the digital realm. That’s a modern piano-roll sequencer, and it’s a commonplace way to control software instruments. Atom brings some amazing tricks to the piano roll. It’s also an Audio Unit (AU) app, which means it can work as a plug-in inside your favorite iOS Music apps, like Cubasis and GarageBand.