Apple denied late Monday that it has not cooperated with U.S. federal authorities to help unlock a pair of iPhone’s believed to have belonged to a Saudi aviation student that killed three people at a Florida Navy base in December, saying it always works with law enforcement in their investigations and directly contradicting claims by the U.S. Attorney General that it had not given “substantive assistance.”
US Attorney General demands Apple unlock Pensacola shooter’s iPhones
Apple could be headed for another collision course with U.S. federal law enforcement, similar to the spat it had with the FBI over creating backdoors into iOS.
Attorney General William Barr has asked Apple to provide access to two phones used by the gunman at the Pensacola Naval Air Station shooting last month. Barr said this morning that Apple has provided no “substantive assistance” so far and indicated that he’s ready for a fight regarding the issue.
Apple scans photos uploaded to iCloud to check if they contain child abuse
Apple’s chief privacy officer says that Apple scans photos uploaded to iCloud to check whether they contain child abuse. Jane Horvath discussed the use of the technology during a Tuesday panel on user privacy at CES.
Horvath didn’t reveal exactly how Apple carries this out. Many companies — including Facebook, Twitter and Google — already use a Microsoft-developed tool called PhotoDNA. This checks images against a database of previously identified pictures.
2019 the best year yet for Apple’s growing Services business
Apple today marked the close of an historic 2019 for its Services businesses following its biggest ever year so far.
The introduction of Apple Arcade, Apple Card, News +, and TV+ helped ensure Services continued to reach new heights. They also mean Apple goes into 2020 with “incredible momentum.”
Apple promises to fix big bug in iOS 13’s new parental controls feature
iOS 13.3 dropped this week, bringing a brand-new parental controls feature called Communication Limits. But it comes with a serious flaw that allows kids to bypass any rules set by adults.
Apple says a workaround is available, and it is working on a fix that will be included in a future software update.
No longer receiving App Store and iTunes receipts? You’re not alone.
Some Apple customers have stopped receiving email receipts for their App Store and iTunes transactions.
The issue appears to have arisen in late October, and it affects all purchases made through Apple’s digital storefronts — including subscriptions. But there is a way you can request receipts manually.
US Senator proposes new law aimed at limiting Apple data flow to China
One of tech’s biggest opponents in Washington D.C. proposed a new bill this week that could have huge implications on Apple and TikTok’s business operations if put into law.
GOP senator Josh Hawley from Missouri introduced legislation today that would prevent the Chinese company that owns TikTok from collecting information on American users and sharing it with the Communist Party of China. The bill would also stop American companies like Apple from storing user data in China.
The best alternatives to Apple’s disastrous MacBooks
Apple’s current line of MacBooks is probably its worst laptop lineup in years. The keyboards are so broken that even the newest MacBook Air is covered under Apple’s keyboard repair program. There are too few ports, and too much heat. And if you want to upgrade any internal parts? You’ll have to buy a new MacBook. But what are the best MacBook alternatives?
If you want to ditch the MacBook, you will find plenty of options. However, none of them offer one essential element: macOS. Switching to another operating system is like moving house and having to leave everything but your clothes behind. But there are workarounds even for that. Let’s check out the best alternatives to the MacBook in 2019.
How to give away your old AirPods
You’ve got your amazing new AirPods Pro, and now you have a set of perfectly good (if a little waxy) AirPods Normal just taking up mental space.
Should you keep them as spares? I guess that’s the safe route (just in case you misplace the Pros). But how about giving them away to a friend or family member? Today we’ll see how to unpair AirPods from your iCloud account so you can do just that. (Plus how to clean them before you pass them along.)
With the holiday season approaching, maybe you could make someone very happy.
Apple tells iPhone 5 owners they must update to iOS 10.3.4
You must update to iOS 10.3.4 if you want to continue using your iPhone 5.
Apple says the handset’s GPS location and features that rely on the correct date and time — like iCloud — will stop working properly on November 3 if the update is not installed.
Why can’t you turn off Personal Hotspot in iOS 13?
iOS 13 isn’t just about exciting new bugs. Apple did a lot of cleaning up and moving things around in its latest mobile operating system. One big, behind-the-scenes feature change comes in the iPhone’s Personal Hotspot. You can no longer turn it off. Or rather, you haven’t been able to turn it off for a while now. It’s just that iOS 13 finally makes it explicit.
However, this doesn’t mean your iPhone will constantly broadcast its hotspot status, or that it will run down your battery. In fact, this feature is now easier to understand, and more sensibly described, than ever. Here’s what the Personal Hotspot changes in iOS 13 mean.
Apple patches iCloud, iTunes for Windows to plug malware hole
Apple’s latest patches for iTunes and iCloud for Windows are out to block potential ransomware attacks.
The software previously contained a vulnerability that allowed malware to piggyback on Apple’s digital signatures and go undetected by antivirus software.
And don’t assume you’re safe if you’ve already uninstalled Apple’s apps.
Ex-Big Pharma exec joins Apple in a non-healthcare role
The Chief Information Officer for AstraZenica jumped ship to Apple. David Smoley is now a vice president for the iPhone maker, but reportedly hasn’t joined any of this company’s healthcare-related projects.
Apple launches new beta version of its iCloud web portal
Apple has launched a new beta version of its iCloud web portal. It includes a new background, revamped Reminders app, and new launch screen.
The change ditches the bubble-filled blue backdrop the iCloud web portal had before. Instead, there’s now a simple minimalist white background.
Apple sued for alleged lack of transparency over iCloud data
A class-action lawsuit filed this week takes aim at Apple for storing some iCloud data on third-party servers.
The company is accused of breaching consumer trust to sell iCloud subscriptions. It states iCloud data will be “stored by Apple,” but offloads some of it to Amazon and other companies.
Apple expands bug program with monstrous $1 million bounty
Apple is ready to pay a bigger bounty than any other tech company when it comes to finding bugs on the iPhone or other Apple products.
The iPhone-maker revealed today at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas that it will now pay up to $1 million for some discovered vulnerabilities, up from the $200,000 it offered when the bug bounty program began three years ago.
How to send a green-bubble SMS from your iPad
Did you know you can send regular old green-bubble SMS (and MMS) messages from your iPad? And even from your Mac? Well, you can, and it is dead easy. It’s called Text Message Forwarding, and it works by using your iPhone as a conduit to the cellular phone network.
Let’s set it up and see how it works.
How to stop your Photos library from taking over your Mac
The Photos app on the Mac has two options for storing your photos. You can tell it to keep the full-size originals of everything, or you can have it self-manage, keeping your master library in iCloud and storing a mixture of full-resolution and low-res versions locally to save space.
The trouble is, even when you choose the “Optimize Mac Storage” option, the Photos app’s storage can metastasize and take over your whole drive. Today we’ll see how to cap this storage, giving Photos a hard limit on how much space it can use. For instance, if you have a MacBook with a 128GB SSD, you could choose to only use 30GB for Photos — and it will never, ever use more.
Beta users can now sign into iCloud using Face ID or Touch ID
Users running the latest iOS 13, iPadOS 13 or macOS Catalina betas can now sign into iCloud using either Face ID or Touch ID.
If you’re using these beta versions, visiting iCloud in Safari will present a pop-up asking if you want to log in using biometrics.
Need to drastically speed up an iCloud restore? Use ice, ice, baby!
If you’ve ever restored an iPhone or iPad from an iCloud backup, you’ll know it’s a long, mundane process. But there is an incredibly simply trick you can use to make it faster.
All you need is plenty of ice.
How to create smart playlists in Apple Music on iOS (finally)
It’s impossible to create smart Apple Music playlists directly on the iPhone. Or rather, it was impossible. Previously, you had to fire up iTunes on your Mac or PC, create a smart playlist there, and then let it sync to your iPhone over iCloud.
Even in iOS 13, this is still the case. But now there’s another way. A new iOS app called Miximum can create smart playlists, and even sync them to the regular Apple Music app. It is, as they say, a game-changer.
It’s not just you, Apple online services hit with multiple problems [Updated]
Apple reports that every iCloud service is currently experiencing problems. This affects users of iCloud Drive, Keychain and many more.
However, this doesn’t seem to be cropping up for every user. And many of this company’s other online services are running fine.
Update (3:40pm): All today’s issues with Apple services have been cleared up.
iCloud for Windows offers less-terrible PC file access
Apple fans who also use Windows can download an updated version of iCloud from the Microsoft Store today. This brings an improved iCloud Drive experience for Windows 10 users.
It follows on the heels of iTunes for Windows appearing in the Microsoft Store this spring.
iOS 13 wish list: Giving health & fitness a workout
WWDC is less than a week away and there are already plenty of rumors doing the rounds on what new features Apple has in store for iOS and watchOS. Dark mode, a refreshed Reminders app and a new Find My app all look set to make an appearance.
But will Apple also be giving its operating systems a shot in the arm to improve their health and fitness as well? Here’s my top-ten wish list of announcements I’m hoping to hear during next week’s keynote. These features will get my pulse racing so fast it’ll trigger a heart rate warning on my Apple Watch.
How to use Apple Pay for App Store and iTunes purchases
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.