| Cult of Mac

Samsung’s AirDrop clone will debut with Galaxy S20 next month

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AirDrop-hot-air-balloon
Incoming!
Photo: Marcus Dall Col/Unsplash

Samsung is developing its own AirDrop competitor that will make its debut alongside the Galaxy S20 next month, according to a new report.

Leaked Quick Share screenshots reveal the feature will let users “share instantly with people nearby.” This is separate from the AirDrop rival Google is reportedly planning for all Android devices.

U1-based Apple Tag could be the biggest thing since Apple Watch

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apple tag
Tiles, which are nothing like the Apple Tag at all.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

What happened to the Apple Tag? Rumors pointed toward an imminent launch for Apple’s tracking-tile competitor, and what better place to announce it than along with new iPhones? But the iPhone 11 event came and went without the Tag.

Will we still see an Apple Tag this fall? I hope so, because it could be Cupertino’s most important product since the Apple Watch.

AirDrop flaw makes it possible to gather strangers’ phone numbers

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That's not a great look for AirDrop!
That's not a great look for AirDrop!
Image: Hexway

A Bluetooth LE security flaw could let malicious actors discover people’s iPhone numbers using Apple’s file-sharing AirDrop feature.

An attacker would need to create a phone number database for a specific region. Using a special script, they then could collect information on users who tried to AirDrop a file.

How to use the new iPhone Migration tool

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iPhone migration, now with added cable.
iPhone migration, now with added cable.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Getting a new iPhone set up is already pretty easy. Thanks to iCloud and Apple’s Quick Start (aka automatic setup), you can transfer all the data and apps from your old iPhone to a new iPhone or iPad, all without entering your long and secure iCloud passcode.

Migrating to a new device used to require either an iTunes backup or an iCloud backup. What if you just want to copy everything directly from one device to the other? Kind of like AirDrop? In iOS 12.4, you can do just that. And you can even use a cable! Let’s see how.

Google starts testing AirDrop clone for Android Q

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AirDrop
‘Fast Share’ will roll out later this year.
Photo: Apple

Google is working to deliver an AirDrop clone that will allow Android users to quickly share files with nearby devices.

Its new “Fast Share” feature, which will also make its way to Chrome OS, can be used to send images, videos, links, and other files without an internet connection. It can already be enabled on some Android Q devices.

Use Readdle’s Documents to transfer files between Mac and iOS

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Readdle’s Wi-Fi Transfer gets our ‘stamp’ of approval.
Readdle’s Wi-Fi Transfer gets our ‘stamp’ of approval.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you have an old Mac that doesn’t support AirDrop, or you use a PC with your iPhone or iPad, then getting files from one to the other is a real pain. Readdle’s Documents app fixes this, making it easy to beam anything from one place to the other, wirelessly. Today we’re going to see just how easy it is. And one other neat trick is that you can use this on any computer, not just your own.

Pizza boxes are the new innovative frontier in funny Apple ad

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Apple ad
See what Apple can do for you..
Photo: Apple

Apple’s entire line of products are on full display in the company’s brilliant new ad that also features a patented Apple pizza box.

The new video, which clocks in at just over three minutes long, shows a team of low-level corporate workers using Macs, iPads, iPhones and Apple Watch to execute a moonshot idea that could get them the promotions they’ve been dreaming off. Apple’s software shines just as bright as the hardware while the team races to finish their project ahead of schedule.

Watch the team pull off the impossible!

All the ways Apple locks us into iPhone [Opinion]

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iPhone survey
I wanted a Galaxy S10, but I'm stuck with iPhone.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

It’s not easy to give up your iPhone. Even if you’ve already decided you want to switch to another handset, it’s going to be incredibly difficult to let go. Apple has you locked in. And for some iPhone owners, there is no way out.

That’s because it’s not just your iPhone that you’d be saying goodbye to. Many other apps and services you use every day — some without even thinking about it — make switching to another platform nearly impossible.

Here are all the ways Apple makes it hard to jump ship and switch to Android.

NYC plans to make AirDropping dick pics a crime

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AirDrop
‘Fast Share’ will roll out later this year.
Photo: Apple

My friend Tyler is a world traveler. Tyler has a favorite game he likes to play on his iPhone. When he’s in a busy area like an airport, he likes to AirDrop a picture of his naked ass next to a waterfall to unspecting iPhone users.

The photo is fairly harmless and usually draws some laughs. But the next time Tyler flies through New York City, his favorite game could earn him some jailtime thanks to a newly proposed law that would make it illegal to send sexually explicit images to anyone that doesn’t want to received them (which is pretty much everyone).