Mobile menu toggle

How (and when) to use Apple Watch ECG feature

By

Apple health care
Apple's health-tracking features have been a game changer.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

watchOS 5.1.2 launched to the public this morning and finally activated the ECG feature on Apple Watch Series 4.

For now, the ECG app can only be used in the US and US territories, but it gives wearers the ability to take an electrocardiogram to see whether your heart rhythm shows signs of atrial fibrillation. Using the ECG only takes about 30 seconds and it could save your life.

Here’s how to master the ECG:

Best gifts for iPhone fans [Gift Guide 2018]

By

iPhone gift guide 2018
Buying for an iPhone fan? Start here!
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

With the holidays right around the corner, you should have started your shopping by now. And if you’re anything like the rest of us, you’re already fed up of it. That’s why Cult of Mac is here to help.

Gift guide 2018 bugOur handy holiday gift guides will help you pick out the perfect present for friends and loves ones. We’ve hand-picked all kinds of awesome accessories and gadgets that are worthy of your hard-earned cash — and guaranteed to fetch a smile.

This guide is for the iPhone fans in your life, and it includes something to suit every budget.

New Apple Watch videos will melt your heart

By

Apple Watch
Michael shares his story of how Apple Watch saved his life.
Photo: Apple

Apple shared two videos on YouTube this morning highlighting the life-saving power of the Apple Watch and its heart rate sensor. In one of the videos, numerous Apple Watch owners share their stories of how Apple Watch alerted them to a serious heart condition.

The videos come on the same day that Apple’s ECG feature on Apple Watch Series 4 was finally made available to the public. Tim Cook said in an interview today that improving people’s health will be Apple’s greatest contribution to mankind. After watching the two new videos, it’s easy to see that he’s probably right.

You might want to grab a tissue:

Boosting users’ health is ‘Apple’s largest contribution to mankind,’ Tim Cook says

By

Apple Watch Meidcare
The ECG could save your life.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s Electrocardiogram (ECG) feature on the Apple Watch Series 4 is finally launching to the public today and according to Tim Cook, it could be one of the most important things his company ever does.

Tim Cook and Apple COO Jeff Williams are putting on a full-court media press today doing interviews with TIME and CBS This Morning. With hundreds of millions of iPhones in pockets around the world and watches on tens of millions of wrists, Apple says it has a responsibility to empower people with more information about their health.

Turn an iPhone or iPad into a remote control for your Mac

By

Take remote control of your Mac with handy app Remote for Mac.
Take remote control of your Mac with this handy app.
Screenshots: Remote for Mac

This post is presented by Remote for Mac.

Your Mac or MacBook is a modern media hub. It’s your source for movies, music, podcasts, games, apps and plenty more. But to use it, you’ve still got to walk up and tap at the keyboard and mouse. So in that sense, it’s like a step back to the bad old days of dialing in radio and TV stations.

Remote for Mac adds the convenience that we expect from our devices in the 21st century. It turns your iPhone or iPad into a fully loaded remote control for all kinds of functions on your Mac. It brings full trackpad and keyboard control to your phone, so you can use your Mac without leaving the couch.

Luminar 3 imaging app gives photogs more time to shoot

By

Luminar 3
Luminar 3 adds image libraries.
Photo: Skylum

Luminar, Skylum Software’s all-in-one photo editing program, will soon add more tools so photographers spend less time using it.

That may sound strange, but photographers would rather spend time behind the camera than in front of the computer. Skylum, formerly called Macphun, exists to make the complex tools for editing user-friendly.

If you picked Apple’s IPO over Microsoft’s, you can start crying now

By

Microsoft Windows
Apple may be the cooler company, but Microsoft's where the money is.
Photo: Microsoft

If you’d had the foresight to invest in Apple and Microsoft back when they first went public, it’s no secret that you’d be sitting on a big old pile of cash today.

But which company would have made you more money? CNBC recently crunched the numbers and, well, the results are somewhat surprising.

Apple Pay teams up with retailers to offer festive discounts

By

Apple Pay holidays 1
Here are some of the holiday savings you can make!
Photo: Apple

‘Tis the season to be jolly — and, if you’re Apple, to try and pick up a few more Apple Pay stragglers before the year ends.

With that in mind, Apple has launched its special Apple Pay holiday offers, granting users an assortment of festive discounts from 19 different retailers. The discounts are available when you use Apple Pay in certain retailers’ apps or on the web, through December 19. Here’s what’s on offer:

Apple Watch’s amazing ECG app arrives today

By

Apple Watch ECG
And it might just save your life!
Photo: Apple

The long-awaited ECG app is almost available on Apple Watch Series 4 (if you live in the U.S.) with watchOS 5.1.2.

It is the first wearable of its kind to offer this functionality, which promises to help uses detect atrial fibrillation — the most common form or irregular rhythm. Irregular heart rhythm notifications have also landed on Series 1 devices and later.

Fortnite season 7 brings planes, zip lines and lots of snow

By

Fortnite season 7
It's going to be a wonderful winter.
Photo: Epic Games

Grab your scarf and gloves because winter has arrived in Fortnite season seven.

The massive update brings big changes to the Battle Royale map, including zip lines that help you travel to and from high terrain. It also adds Stormwing planes, weapon and vehicle wraps, Creative Mode, and a brand new Battle Pass with more than 100 new rewards.

Handwritten Steve Jobs document fails to sell at auction

By

Jobs document
A section of the Steve Jobs Apple-1 spec sheet, with two Polaroids.
Photo: Bonhams

A vintage handwritten spec sheet in which Steve Jobs called the Apple-1 motherboard a “great deal” has failed to sell at auction.

The document, written in the mid-1970s, was up for auction as part of Bonham’s “History of Science and Technology, Including Space History” collection. Its asking price was $60,000. However, the bidding “only” reached up to $28,000, thereby failing to meet its reserve. A couple of historical Apple items did sell, but for less than expected.

Aquarium calls out Apple’s incorrect squid emoji

By

Squid 1
We don't want to get graphic, but Apple's squid emoji would poop out of its face.
Photo: Apple

The national nightmare that was “bagelgate” may be over, but Apple is apparently swimming into more controversial emoji territory. This time, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is pointing out that Apple’s squid emoji is physiologically incorrect.

Essentially, Apple’s lack of biological accuracy means that its squid emoji would, among other things, poop out of its face. For shame!

You can now use Siri to check up on your Apple Store orders

By

Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
"OK, Siri, where's my new iPhone?"
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

You can now use Siri to check up on product availability or the whereabouts of your latest orders, courtesy of the official Apple Store app for iOS.

Version 5.2 of the app adds new Siri Shortcuts support, letting you create custom voice commands to carry out these tasks without having to open the app.

Apple’s little-known sleep tracker could get big update soon

By

Beddit 3 sees you when you’re sleeping; it knows when you’re awake.
Beddit 3 sees you when you’re sleeping; it knows when you’re awake.
Photo: Beddit/Apple

The FCC granted its approval for Apple to make a “Sleep Monitor.” This is almost certainly an improved version of the Beddit, a product the company acquired last year.

It will apparently join Apple’s growing lineup of health-tracking products.

Get a second iPad Pro USB-C power charger for $29

By

The power charger from the 2018 iPad Pro isn’t well suited for travel.
The power charger from the 2018 iPad Pro isn’t well suited for travel.
Photo: Apple

The 2018 iPad Pro comes with an 18W power adapter. Apple just began selling this as a separate item.

Having a second charger for your tablet when you’re on the go is convenient, but Apple’s $29 offering might not be the best choice.

Use Shortcuts to download YouTube Videos on iPhone

By

download youtube videos
Shortcuts has no problem ripping and downloading YouTube videos.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Editor’s note: As of Feb. 10, 2010, the tip outlined below no longer works. However, we published a new post about an iOS shortcut that currently does work: “Finally — a YouTube download shortcut for iOS that actually works.” Enjoy.

Using Apple’s amazing new Shortcuts app, you can rip a video from YouTube, download it, and store it in a folder on your iPhone — all without using a computer.

Maybe you want to watch some clips on your commute without burning through your cellular data. Or perhaps you’re a language or music teacher, and you want to keep teaching materials offline instead of relying on your pupil’s Wi-Fi?

This shortcut can be triggered in Safari, and will save the YouTube video to your Camera Roll, iCloud Drive, Dropbox or other location of your choice. Let’s get started.

macOS Mojave 10.14.2 tweaks Apple News, adds Real-Time Text support

By

Get ready to go dark with macOS Mojave Dark Mode.
Update to macOS 10.14.2 today for a handful of small improvements.
Photo: Apple

September brought macOS Mojave 10.14 with a wide array of new features like Dark Mode. October saw the introduction of version 10.12.1 with Group FaceTime. And today there’s macOS 10.14.2 with… well, what are definitely some very minor improvements.

Apple also just introduced iOS 12.1.1 with improvements for FaceTime and Face ID. In addition, tvOS 12.1.1 was released with some minor bug fixes.

Macworld mag signed by Steve Jobs goes up for auction

By

Steve Jobs Macworld autograph
Not everyone gets Steve Jobs to give an autograph.
Photo: RR Auction

A piece of a well-known story about Steve Jobs’ disdain for giving autographs goes on the auction block Thursday.

At the 2006 opening of an Apple Store in New York City, the Apple co-founder initially refused the request of a man in a wheelchair who had hoped Jobs would sign his copy of the premiere issue of Macworld magazine.

Jobs, according to witnesses, was joking when he said no. He eventually acquiesced and signed the magazine, “To Matt” followed by “steven jobs.” (He rarely used capital letters when signing his name.)

Google and Amazon plan to copy AirPods in 2019

By

Earphones
AirPods rule the roost now, but serious competition is coming.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has a real winner in AirPods. But the company’s slow pace of updating them is reportedly giving competitors a chance to catch up.

A respected analyst says Google and Amazon will have their own versions out next year.

Tap into the ancient wisdom of the Apple Watch Breathe app

By

Chill out with the Apple Watch Breathe app.
Chill out with the Apple Watch Breathe app.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

In today’s fast-paced, connected world, the demands on our time seem endless. We spend much of our day in a state of constant hyperactivity. Apple Watch and iPhone add to the pressure, with their endless notifications telling us what we should be doing, who we should be speaking to and where we should be going.

Fortunately, Apple also offers an oasis of calm that can help us slow down this frenetic pace. The Apple Watch Breathe app draws on the ancient wisdom of Buddhist monks and yogis who practice a technique called “resonant breathing.”

Luckily, you don’t need to be a master of meditation to use the Breathe app that comes built into your Apple Watch. With clever visuals and smart features, it will guide you through this time-honored method for relaxing your body and clearing your mind. It’s a surprisingly subtle and relaxing experience that you might really enjoy.

In this quick guide, we’ll take a look at the origins of the Breathe app, how it works, what the benefits of resonant breathing are, and how to take advantage of this calming tech. So take a deep breath and let’s get started.

iOS 12.1.1 is out with improvements for FaceTime and Face ID

By

Struggling Apple display-maker secures massive bailout
iOS 12.1.1 makes it easier to expand notifications on the iPhone XR.
Photo: Apple

Apple has come out with a big new update for iOS 12 today that brings a host of new features and bug fixes to the iPhone and iPad.

iOS 12.1.1 is available now as an over-the-air update, adding expanded eSIM support on the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max as well as some changes to FaceTime and fixes for Face ID.