The lack of trial versions on the App Store makes it risky to take a punt on any app that costs more than a few bucks. $50 is a fair price for a pro-level app, but it’s a lot to drop without testing it out first. No amount of videos or reviews will tell you if it’s right for you. Fortunately, there’s a workaround. Kind of. You can request a refund for any app you buy, and often you’ll get it.

Apple’s iPhone sales in the U.S. are starting to flatline, according to data from the Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.

Growth of the iPhone install base in the U.S. has been on a downward trend for years now, but CIRP’s latest report reveals that growth was at its slowest rate ever during the first quarter of 2019.

Find out what’s going on in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine for iOS.

Or read on to get the rest of the week’s best Apple news, reviews and how-tos in your browser.

TikTok may be a bit of a head-scratcher for older users, but there’s no denying its popularity. According to a new report, the video-sharing app was the most popular iOS app for the first quarter of 2019.

That means beating out giants like YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which have the backing of either Google or Facebook. In total, TikTok was downloaded an astonishing 11.7 million times in the quarter.

With its innovative Flyover feature for Apple Maps, Apple gave users an eye-popping way of exploring real life places in three dimensions.

Now it’s reportedly leant its AR expertise to a new iOS app for the new Statue of Liberty Museum. For those visiting the iconic location, the app provides a location-based audio tour. For those elsewhere, it provides a way of checking out an AR recreation of Lady Liberty from the comfort of their couch.

Apple has finally given us the ability to pay for App Store, iTunes, and Books purchases with Apple Pay.

The company’s own mobile payments system can also be used for Apple Music and iCloud storage subscriptions. Here’s how to set it up.

A lawsuit targeting Apple and the App Store will be allowed to proceed, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided.

The case involves whether or customers technically buy apps from Apple, or whether Apple is a middleman connecting app developers with consumers. The Supreme Court ruled against Apple on Monday by 5 votes to 4.

There’s a bit of myth that’s trotted out every now and then suggesting that gaming hasn’t really taken off in the App Store in the way some people hoped.

A look at the top 10 downloads iPhone apps worldwide for the month of April tells a different story, however. It shows that 7 of the top 10 iPhone apps were games. Altogether, these were downloaded a massive 74 million times in April alone.

The official System Status page for all Apple’s services  shows that three of the most important ones are having problems The iOS App Store, the Mac App Store and the iTunes Store are all affected.

Update: Full service has been restored.

For the rest of this week, Apple will chip in an extra 10 percent to funds added to App Store accounts. This is essentially free money for those willing to commit some cash to buying apps or other services at some point in the future.

Apple has booted three dating apps out of the App Store on the advice of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The three apps, all created by the same developer, allowed kids to sign up under the age of 13.

Several people reportedly face criminals charges for contacting kids through the apps.