phone

You can record a phone call on your iPhone for future reference using a built-in tool. This feature is a great way to refer back to a previous conversation. Who said what? What date did they say? What exactly did you agree to?

If your device supports Apple Intelligence, you’ll get transcriptions of the phone calls, too. They’ll go in a Call Recordings folder in the Notes app.

If you used a shady call recording app before, you can bid it adieu. There’s a convenient button built right into the Phone app. Here’s how it all works.

Apple will roll out a software update later this year that eases some of the Siri restrictions for third-party messaging and phone apps.

Siri currently defaults to using Apple’s own apps when sending messages and making calls. But it will later default to the services that are used most frequently, based on specific contacts.

iPhone suppliers will reportedly consider moving away from China is U.S. trade tariffs hit 25 percent.

Sources say they will remain even if the U.S. introduces a 10 percent tax on smartphones, but they could be forced to “reassess the situation” should the Trump administration impose a higher rate on imported goods.

You’ll be able to preorder your shiny new iPhone XR in just a few days, which means it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to pay for it. It might just be easier than you think.

Start by selling your old iPhone to Cult of Mac. It’s quick and easy, and we pay real cash. What’s more, we typically pay more than other buyback services. Get a quote now and you can hold onto your device until your new iPhone XR arrives.

HomePod’s rumored voice calling feature has been all but confirmed in iOS 12 beta 5.

A new “Personal Requests” setup screen now displays an additional icon where the Phone app will sit, and reads “make phone calls” in its list of abilities. It indicates HomePod users will be able to initiate calls for the first time when iOS 12 makes its public debut this fall.

HomePod is expected to get even smarter this fall when Apple rolls out a big software update.

A new report claims the $349 device will be able to handle phone calls, retrieve your voicemail, and run multiple timers. It could also give you the ability to search for songs by using their lyrics, and to translate languages.

Some believe Facebook is already using our smartphones to hear our private conversations. That’s not true, but the social network is certainly considering it.

Facebook has applied for a new patent that describes a method of tapping into our microphones to listen to our reactions to TV ads. It’s just as invasive as it sounds.

Apple’s new HomePod speaker might be the dumbest smart-speaker on the market.

Based on early reviews and leaked info, it appears that Apple has seriously crippled Siri on the new HomePod speaker and removed some features, making it vastly different than the version of Siri that lives on your iPhone.

Here at the Cult of Mac Store, we delight in finding great new deals on tools and tech every week. This go around, we’ve got a gravity-operated mobile car mount, and a super useful writing assistant. Additionally, we’ve got an app to guide you in meditating (really), and a phone plan year of unlimited talk and text. Discounts run from a third to as much as 90 percent off, red on for more details:

If you’ve got a car, you’ve got a hundred ways to integrate your mobile devices with it. We’ve gathered some great deals on essential tech to take on the road with you. Below you’ll find a futuristic phone mount, a 3-port USB hub, a metal-braided Lightning cable, and a tool for wirelessly checking on your car’s health. Everything Is discounted by 25 percent or more, read on for more details:

If you’ve got an iPhone, you have one of the best mobile cameras out there. But having a good camera and a good eye isn’t enough to make the most of your iPhone’s photo potential. That’s why we’ve rounded up these deals on tools for taking your mobile image-making to the next level. We’ve got phone and tablet stands that fold into the size of a credit card, a hand-held stabilizer, a grippy tripod mount, and case that includes a wide-angle lens upgrade. Read on for more details:

Welcome to the new week, same as the last week. Except of course for the great deals in the Cult of Mac Store. This go around, our very best deals include a lifetime of VPN protection, comprehensive training in Microsoft Excel, a powerful alternative to Search and Spotlight, and an anonymous second phone line perfect for first dates or Craigslist deals. Everything is discounted by more than half, read on for more details:

Justin Long, the face of Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaign for three years, is now starring in ads for Huawei phones.

The Chinese Android maker is desperately trying to break into the U.S. market, and it will be hoping Long’s familiar face can raise awareness of the Huawei brand.

No matter how well you take care of an Android phone, the time will come for it to count its last electric sheep. Selling a smartphone, even a functioning one, can be a hassle — and less than rewarding when dealing with the typical Android buyback program or Craigslist buyer.

If you’ve got a Samsung, LG or HTC phone, even one that’s gone completely kaput, Cult of Mac’s buyback program makes it easy to trade it in for the best price.

We’re all expecting Apple to deliver something spectacular for the iPhone’s tenth anniversary next year, but what comes after that? According to some analysts, it will be a “decade-long malaise” that will cause Apple to fall.

After another red letter week at the Cult of Mac Deals Store means we’ve got some select cuts to share this week. There’s something here for everybody — save yourself some cash and a trip to the Genius Bar with a custom set of tools for fixing your electronics. Instantly enhance your iPhone’s pictures with a set of detachable lenses. Get an anonymous second phone number or 10 top tier apps for your iPhone and Mac.

Take a look:

When you think about it, a phone number can be a liability — you can be reached by anyone who punches the right digits into their phone. It’s an identifying number, a source of spam, a potential avenue for identity theft or even harassment. That’s why separate “burner” numbers are gaining popularity. You probably have a junk email address, why not something similar for your phone number? Here are 4 reasons you might consider getting a burner number, followed by a couple ways you can actually get one.

It might be time to think twice about using your smartphone while it is charging.

Suhana Mohamad, a 30-year-old mother of two from Malaysia, was tragically killed by her handset after being electrocuted during a phone call.

Apple has just started rolling out its latest iOS 7.1 update with performance improvements, design tweaks, and more. This is the first major update we’ve seen since iOS 7 made its debut last September, and it’s available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Cell phone numbers are a direct path that often lead straight to us, regardless of where we are or what we’re doing. And once we’ve given someone our number, they have it for good. And if things go south, the only option is to change your number, right?

Pretty much — but that’s easy to do if you used a new app called RingMeMaybe to give them a temporary number in the first place.

The Hulu Plus apps for Android and iOS have today been updated with support for Google Chromecast. You’ll find a new ‘Cast’ button within the app that will stream your favorite shows to your television with the help of the $35 dongle.

iOS 7 is full of huge UI changes and we’re just starting to scratch the surface on all the big changes, but here’s one new little feature that shows Apple hasn’t lost its touch with the little things.

The Phone app for iOS 7 got a big makeover that tossed out the old keypad buttons for a minimalist keypad adorned in white space and large helvetica numbers. The new Phone app UI is pretty plain and boring until you touch a button and watch it quickly morph into the homescreen background before its opacity pops back to white.

The new animation helps users see where they’re pressing, but you can waste tons of time with it playing Bingo or Connect Four too if you’re into that thing. Here’s what it looks like in action:

iOS is a fantastic platform, but as it approaches its sixth birthday, it’s in desperate need of a lick of paint. If you jailbreak your devices, then you don’t need to sit and wait for Apple to administer that, because you can take the design refresh into your own hands by theming.

The only issue with that is finding a theme that’s as beautiful as the hardware it’s running on. There aren’t many out there that fit this description, but iMIUI from Xiaomi is one of them.

Call Bliss is an app with its own, industrial-strength take on the iPhone’s newish Do Not Disturb feature. It takes Apple’s basic concept — blocking calls with the flick of a switch, or only letting through calls from selected contacts — and infuses it with management features and more powerful options. And now the app adds two more tricks.

While most of Apple’s stock iOS apps are pretty handy, there are a few that the large majority of us probably never open. I’m talking about apps like Stocks, Voice Memos, and Weather (which always seems to be inaccurate in the U.K.). Unfortunately, the Cupertino company doesn’t allow us to remove these, so the only way to do it was to jailbreak. Until now.

Thanks to a nifty new web app, you can temporarily remove stock iOS icons from your device without jailbreaking. Here’s how.