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Today in Apple history: iOS 4 brings FaceTime and multitasking

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Next year's iPhone could resemble the classic iPhone 4.
iOS 4 brought important new features to iPhones and the recently released iPad.
Photo: Yutaka Tsutano/Ste Smith

June 21: Today in Apple history: Apple releases iOS 4, which brings multitasking and FaceTime June 21, 2010: Apple releases iOS 4, which introduces a range of productivity features as well as the FaceTime videotelephony service.

iOS 4 represents a big step forward for Apple’s flourishing mobile devices. Due to the arrival of the first-gen iPad earlier in the year, iOS 4 also brings a transition from the mobile operating system’s original name, “iPhone OS.”

How to set up Game Center to pwn your friends

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Game On With Game Center
Set up Game Center and you can compete with friends in the games you both play.
Image: Apple/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Apple’s Game Center service lets you compete with friends and unlock achievements in the games you play. You can see where you rank among your friends — and globally. Achievements will give you a list of missions to accomplish to prove your mastery of the game. You can even play live multiplayer games on all your separate devices using SharePlay.

Up until iOS 10, Game Center existed as a separate app on iPhone and iPad, which made this all easier to manage. How do you manage your Game Center account now? What options do you have? How do you add friends?

10 new iOS 16.2 features to try right away

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Try out these 10 new iOS 16.2 features on your iPhone ASAP.
Try out these 10 new iOS 16.2 features on your iPhone ASAP.
Image: Cult of Mac

iOS 16.2, which Apple released Tuesday, brings many new features that make it a must-have update for all iPhone owners. From security advancements and productivity boosters to cosmetic tweaks and other fun stuff, it’s positively loaded with upgrades.

Here are the top new iOS 16.2 features you should try right now. (Note: Many of these features also appear in iPadOS 16.2, which Apple also released today.)

Xbox Live is finally available on iOS and Android

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Xbox live
This could be a game changer. Literally.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft’s Xbox Live network is officially making its way onto iOS and Android.

The company revealed today that it is launching a new SDK that will allow mobile developers to add Xbox Live functionality to their games, giving gamers the ability to score achievements on the go.

Apple quietly killed Game Center app today

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Game Center is causing some problems for iOS 9 updaters.
Farewell, Game Center. We hardly knew (or used) you.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Game Center finally met its demise this morning with the unveiling of iOS 10, which effectively kills Apple’s attempt at creating a gaming social network.

Starting with iOS 10, the Game Center app will no longer be found on iPhones and iPads, after having been preinstalled on devices for years. Apple isn’t just adding it to the list of stock iOS apps you can delete, though. It’s actually getting rid of the platform altogether in favor of GameKit.

How to report Game Center cheaters on iPhone and iPad

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If you come across someone cheating in a game that supports GameCenter, you can easily report them.
If you come across someone cheating in a game that supports Game Center, you can easily report them.
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailUp until recently, I almost always accepted Game Center invites from whoever. I like playing games on my iPhone and iPad and always welcome a worthy opponent. However, there are a lot of people out there cheating and faking scores. While I handled some of this by just deleting them, I also realized that there is a way to report these accounts via Game Center.

Beware this ‘fix’ for nasty iOS 9 Game Center bug

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Game Center is causing some problems for iOS 9 updaters.
Game Center is causing some problems for iOS 9 updaters.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

If you’ve been having trouble with Apple’s Game Center after upgrading to iOS 9, you’re not alone.

Read Apple’s discussion forums and you’ll find 14 pages of comments from disgruntled gamers complaining about — and trying to solve — this rather massive issue.