Zoom might be the best video-conferencing app, but that’s a bit like saying Facebook is the best social network. It might be true ¹, but that doesn’t mean you won’t feel dirty if you use it. Despite a seemingly never-ending stream of privacy violations, security holes and utter disregard for its customers, Zoom is still being used as the de facto standard video conferencing and broadcasting tool during the COVID-19 crisis.

We’ve already seen the problems with Zoom. And we’ve also shown you how to protect yourself if you choose to use Zoom despite the company’s many privacy missteps. (Zoom pledged to do better this week.) But what about other services you could rely on during the coronavirus shutdown? Read on. We have five great Zoom alternatives you can use.

Being stuck at home with nothing to do but watch the world collapse around us is kind of a downer, but there are some upsides. One is that people are getting creative. Like, literally creative — making more music, writing and sharing videos. The other silver lining is that app-makers are offering big discounts and extended trials for some amazing apps.

For instance, Apple now offers a free, three-month trial of its music-production app, Logic Pro X. And Ableton just matched this offer with its Live Suite.

Apple has stopped signing iOS 13.3.1 after the release of iOS 13.4, stopping people who have upgraded to the latest version from going back again.

Every iOS update Apple introduces is designed to be speedier, more stable, and more secure than its predecessor. As a result, Apple blocks downgrades soon after its latest release has rolled out to everyone. This was the turn of iOS 13.3.1 to go to the big software graveyard in the sky!

Need a new MacBook Pro? You won’t want to miss Woot’s brilliant deal on 13-inch models, refurbished by Apple, which are now available for as little as $679.99. Or pick up the brand-new 2020 Mac mini from $699 — $100 off its usual price tag.

That’s just some of the awesome offers in today’s Deals & Steals roundup that will help you tackle self-isolation and working from home during the COVID-19 crisis. Other highlights include:

• Sims 4 for Mac — from $4.99
• Beats Solo3 wireless headphones — save $140
• iPad Air with 4G — save $130

Find all these discounts and more in today’s Deals & Steals roundup.

A Russian law requiring all phones and computers, including iPhone and Mac, sold in that country come bundled with third-party software localized for Russia won‘t go into effect July 1, as had been originally planned. Instead, implementation won‘t occur until early next year.

This comes as a temporary reprieve for Apple. The company has such privacy concerns over this legislation it might withdraw from the country rather than comply with the law.

A photographer claims the production company behind the Apple TV+ series Amazing Stories committed “flagrant copyright infringement” by re-creating an image of his for the show’s intro.

Adrian Murray, of Louisville, Kentucky, alleges an image of two boys opening a glowing chest at about the 45-second mark of the intro is derivative of a work he created with his two sons in 2018.

The original Monument Valley was a huge hit in 2014, and its 2017 sequel carried on the legacy. ustwo Games has now made the iOS and Android versions of Monument Valley 2 free for a short time, a move the developers call a virtual hug.

If you use (or plan to use) a trackpad with your iPad, you definitely need to know these six handy gestures. From the three-finger swipe to the slammer, they will transform the way you use your tablet.

Get the lowdown on those essential iPad gestures, plus the rest of what’s new in iPadOS 13.4, iOS 13.5 and macOS Catalina 10.13.4, in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Download it for easy reading on your iPad or iPhone. You’ll also get the rest of the week’s top Apple news, reviews and how-tos.

After a bumpy start, the Apple TV+ reboot of Amazing Stories headed off in an agreeable direction. Between its heart-on-the-sleeve emotional core and the very modern, depressive look at the deflation of the American dream, this is a show that understands why people need to believe in the impossible today.

Episode 4, titled “Signs of Life,” might not be a perfect hour of television. However, it’s got its heart in the right place. And a host of excellent elements make its story beats hit with extra force.

The Disney+ mobile app is off to a roaring start in Europe and the UK just days after it launched earlier this week.

Third-party app analytics firm App Annie revealed that the Disney+ app has been downloaded over 5 million times on launch day, possibly thanks to millions of residents having to shelter-in-place due to the coronavirus pandemic.