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Apple‘s Heart Month incentives keep your ticker healthy

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heart health Apple
Celebrity fitness trainer Jeanette Jenkins co-created a Today at Apple session to bolster heart health.
Photo: Apple

Today is the first day of Heart Month, and Apple is going all in with a special Apple Watch activity challenge and health education sessions at Apple Stores in San Francisco, Chicago and New York.

Apple did not wait for February to help customers understand the health of their hearts. Last fall, the tech giant showcased the Apple Watch Series 4 with an electrocardiogram feature that some customers say alerted them to life-threatening heart conditions such as AFib.

Sell your old Apple devices and get paid fast!

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Apple gadgets
Trade in your old Apple gadgets and get a cheap upgrade.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Don’t miss out on cheap Apple devices in the post-holiday sales.

You can save a pretty penny on a sweet upgrade, whether you need a new iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac — and we’ll help you get the money you deserve for your old gear.

Cult of Mac typically pays more than other trade-in services for aging Apple gadgets, and we won’t leave you waiting weeks for your cash.

Facebook employees considered quitting after iOS apps shutdown

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Facebook employees
Facebook employees went through a tense 24 hours.
Photo: Facebook

Apple’s sudden shutdown of Facebook’s internal apps for iOS created enough chaos this week that some working for the social network company were openly talking about quitting, according to reports.

The Facebook employee apps show shuttle schedules, campus maps, and company calendars. Apple disabled all of them Wednesday after it learned Facebook ran a research app where iOS users could be rewarded for their data, a sideloaded app that violates Apple’s developer rules.

Give your brain a workout with Brilliant [Review]

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Brilliant iOS app on desk with switch and tv remote
Quit wasting time and learn something with Brilliant.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Whether you’re addicted to Twitter, obsessed with Fortnite or wasting the day away on Netflix, you can kill hours on your iPhone without ever doing anything useful or productive.

Instead of mindlessly killing time, Brilliant gives you a way to expand your mind and learn something new every day.

iOS 11 users can’t access the App Store or Apple Music

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iOS 11
Do you have problems with iOS 11?
Photo: Apple

Some iOS 11 users are having trouble accessing the App Store and Apple Music, according to online reports.

The services have been unusable for over a day for a number of users who are yet to upgrade to the latest software — despite being shown as online on Apple’s System Status page. There is a weird workaround that has proven useful for some, however.

Apple apologizes for FaceTime eavesdropping flaw; fix coming next week

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2018 iPad Pro Animoji
Apple's FaceTime bug allowed users to eavesdrop on others.
Photo: Apple

Apple has apologized for its FaceTime bug, and assured customers that an iOS software update is coming next week to fix it.

The FaceTime flaw allowed users to see and hear individuals before they answered a Group FaceTime call. Apple took the Group FaceTime servers offline after the news broke, but from the sound of things, it regrets how long it took to deal with the situation.

Easily capture and convert video for any device [Deals]

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VideoProc makes it easy to download, edit and convert video for perfect playback on any device.
VideoProc makes it easy to download, edit and convert video for perfect playback on any device.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The higher the quality of video gets, the harder it is to make the files work on the variety of devices we use. That’s because all kinds of new formats, codecs and other standards create compatibility issues. Even the sharpest 4K footage ever won’t look its best on your iPhone if it’s not in the right format.

U.K. spy agency wants to listen in on encrypted chats

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iMessages in iCloud is coming in iOS 11.3.
Apple has been a strong proponent of encryption.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The U.K. government has an idea for getting around the thorny issue of tech companies creating a backdoor for encrypted services: just let government agents be able to listen in on encrypted communications.

That’s the so-called “ghost proposal” being put forward by officials from Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), a close surveillance partner of the U.S. National Security Agency. The proposal would make it possible to inject hidden participants into secure messaging services.

What’s next for iPhone, plus our favorite gadgets this week on The CultCast

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CultCast 373 iPhone XS
Where does iPhone go from here?

This week on The CultCast: A new report details what’s (probably) next for Apple’s 2019 and 2020 iPhones. Plus: Apple plans Netflix-for-games subscription service (with Alex E. Heath!); it’s not just you, everyone got way more spam calls in 2018. And we talk a new wireless charging brick for iPhone, a smart outlet with HomeKit support, and the super-smart HomeKit thermostat you’ve never heard of, in an all-new Under Review.

Our thanks to Dashlane for supporting this episode. Dashlane is the official password manager of Cult of Mac. It’s so good, even Leander Kahney’s mommy uses it. Use it for free for one device at Dashlane.com/CultofMac.

Apple passed on share buybacks while they were cheap

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European Commission could get even tougher on tech in 2020
Apple stock tumbled at the end of last year. Apple didn't buy low, though.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

During good times, Apple’s record-breaking share buyback has been credited with helping with a stock market boom.

Something weird happened in December, however. When Apple’s stock price was tumbling from its record high, Apple stopped buying back shares. Clearly the whole “buy low, sell high” thing doesn’t always apply!

Nintendo is bringing Dr. Mario to mobile this summer

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Dr. Mario
He’s got the cure!
Photo: Nintendo

Nintendo has confirmed that Dr. Mario will be its next franchise to make the leap to mobile.

Dr. Mario World is scheduled for a worldwide release in “early summer” on Android and iOS. It will be developed by Nintendo, Line, and NHN Entertainment, and just like the rest of Nintendo’s mobile lineup, it will be free-to-play.

Rome: Total War for iOS gets 8 new playable factions and more

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Rome: Total War
Rome: Total War just got a big update for iOS.
Photo: Rome: Total War

I’m still blown away that the developers of Rome: Total War for iOS were able to take the classic PC strategy game and translate it almost perfectly to Apple’s touch-based mobile operating system.

Well, the game just got even better since its latest update adds 8 more playable functions, and numerous other updates. Check out more details below.

Apple restores functionality to Google and Facebook’s internal apps

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Facebook owns 4 of the top 10 apps of the past decade
Apple broke Facebook and Google's internal apps this week.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Having apparently proved its point, Apple has restored its access to enterprise certificates for both Facebook and Google, essentially un-breaking their internal apps.

In a statement to the New York Times‘ Mike Isaac, Facebook confirmed that Facebook is currently “in the process” of returning its internal apps to working order. Google, meanwhile, confirmed to Bloomberg that it was, “working with Apple to fix a temporary disruption to some of our corporate iOS apps.”

Apple breaks Google’s internal apps for privacy violations

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Google
Apple is on a ban-spree!
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Google’s internal apps have been completely disabled from running on iPhone’s and iPads today by Apple.

The move comes one day after Facebook’s internal apps suffered the same fate when Apple revoked the social network’s enterprise certificates that allowed them to install apps without going through the App Store. Without the certificates, Google is unable to test beta builds of its iOS apps.

Get $100 off the latest 11-inch iPad Pro [Deals & Steals]

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Enough people were willing to pay $1899 for a tricked out iPad Pro that Apple sold out of them very quickly.
Bag yours today and pay $100 less.
Photo: Apple

We’ve seen some terrific discounts on the latest iPad Pro lineup, despite the fact that it hasn’t been out for long, and Amazon’s latest is up there with the best of them. The retail giant has slashed $100 off the 256GB model with cellular connectivity, reducing its price tag to $999.

And that’s just one of the awesome offers in today’s Deals & Steals roundup! We also have refurbished 9.7-inch iPad Pro units for under $300, and $125 off the Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE. Plus, you can save up to 46 percent on some of Logitech’s best accessories for iPad and Mac.

How to make the Calendar app’s timer picker more accurate

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Wait just a minute calendar picker
Wait just a minute…
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Did you ever look at the five-minute intervals on the Calendar app’s time picker and think, “I really wish I could set that appointment at 09:03 and not 09:05”?

No, neither did I (nor did anyone else that isn’t some kind of control-freak psychopath). But that doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Today we’ll see how to tweak the Calendar’s time wheel to show one-minute increments instead of the usual five-minute segments.

Future MacBook keyboards could be dust-proof

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Apple is considering a MacBook with a glass keyboard, not a traditional one.
Apple is considering a MacBook with a glass keyboard, not a traditional one.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple developed a design for a MacBook keyboard that’s slim, lightweight, silent and can’t possibly have problems with grit in the keys. That’s because it consists of a sheet of glass with raised keys.

Obviously there are drawbacks, but this proposal shows the company’s efforts to innovate.

Brilliant hack keeps AirPods in her ears

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AirPods earrings
Gabrielle Reilly embraces form and function with her Airings.
Photo: Gabrielle Reilly

Gabrielle Reilly purchased Apple AirPods because there were no wires for her mischievous cat to chew up.

But AirPods came with a new risk of loss from slipping out of her ears. So Reilly, a paralegal from Virginia, created a set of earrings to hold her AirPods.

iPad Pro’s winning redesign takes sting out of iPhone slump

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2018 iPad Pro Smart Keyboard
The launch of the 2018 iPad Pro gave Apple a stellar holiday season in tablet sales.
Photo: Apple

iPad shipments grew by double digits last quarter, giving Apple its best holiday period for tablet sales since 2015.  Shipments of slates and 2-in-1s had dropped earlier in the year, but analysts correctly predicted this was the result of people holding off for the new iPad Pro.

Some of Apple’s rivals also saw gains at the end of 2018.

Apple’s big glass cube set to light up Fifth Avenue soon

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Fifth Ave store
Angela Ahrendts giving a sneak peek of the new Fifth Ave store.
Photo: Apple

The most iconic Apple store in the world is finally getting ready to reopen its doors.

Apple’s glass cube store on Fifth Avenue in New York City has been temporarily closed for over two years, but according to the property company Apple leases the land from, construction on the store’s expansion is nearly done.

Qualcomm wants Apple to pay dearly for selling iPhones in Germany

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jet black iphone 7 plus
Apple stores are banned from selling the iPhone 7 in Germany.
Photo: Apple

Qualcomm is revving up its legal battle with Apple. In a new court filing in Munich, Qualcomm demanded “significant fines” be put on the iPhone-maker for not complying with a previous court order.

Apple was barred from selling some iPhones in Germany at the end of 2018. The company pulled the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 at its retail stores, but Qualcomm is crying foul that other third-party shops still had units in stock.

Fortnite’s Showtime challenges earn you Marshmello rewards

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Marshmello Fortnite
Earn the first one today.
Photo: Marshmello

Fortnite players can now start earning exclusive new Marshmello rewards ahead of the artist’s in-game concert on February 2.

There are four altogether, but sadly the Marshmello model that leaked in data files earlier this week isn’t one of them. You can look forward to a new spray, emote, and pickaxe, however.