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WhatsApp is dropping support for iOS 8 in early 2020

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Facebook messaging apps
Coming soon to an iPhone near you?
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

WhatsApp today confirmed it will drop support for devices running iOS 8 early next year.

You’ll need to update to iOS 9 or later to continue using the app. WhatsApp warns that some features could stop working at any time after support ends in February.

Swype kills its virtual keyboard for iOS

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Swype iOS
Swype is no longer available on iPhone and iPad.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Nuance has confirmed that it has killed off its Swype keyboard with Dragon Dictation for Android and iOS.

Swype is no longer available to download from the App Store, and existing users won’t receive any new features or updates.

Apple confirms it bought Shazam

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Shazam
Shazam, an essential iPhone app for years, just got better.
Photo: Shazam

One of the most popular third-party apps on the App Store has officially been purchased by Apple.

London-based Shazam has long dominated the App Store charts with its ability to recognize any song, movie or TV show. Now Apple is bringing that tech in-house by purchasing the startup for nearly half a billion dollars.

The evolution of iOS: From iPhone OS to iOS 11

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Original iPhone running iOS 1
A lot has change since 2007.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iPhone turns 10 The operating system that powers the iPhone has undergone radical changes since Apple launched the device 10 years ago.

As part of Cult of Mac’s collaboration with Wired UK to mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, we took a look at the evolution of iOS, from a simple touchscreen operating system lacking key features into a true computing behemoth with more tools than any one user could possibly need.

New iMessage hack lets you crash friends’ iPhones via text message

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iPhone
It's really easy to crash other people's iPhones.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A new nefarious text message has been discovered that has the power to completely crash iPhones, even those running the latest version of iOS 10.

Instead of using infected links or weird text like previous iMessage hacks, this new one allows attackers to disable a person’s Messages app by simply sending a large contact file. When iPhone users tap on the file, it’s so big and complicated that it overloads the CPU and crashes the app.

Watch the hack in action:

iOS bug exposes photos and messages on locked iPhones

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photos in ios 10
It's shockingly easy to get into someone's photos.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Hackers have discovered a new method to unlock photos and messages on any iPhone, thanks to an iOS security flaw that utilizes Siri and VoiceOver.

iPhones running iOS 8 software and newer are vulnerable to the flaw, which was discovered by EverythingApplePro and iDeviceHelp. The group revealed the hack in a new video that shows you don’t need any coding experience or special hardware to pull it off. All you need is a few minutes alone with a victims iPhone and some help from Siri.

iOS 10 won’t be compatible with all iOS 9 devices

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otherfeatures
You might need a new iPhone to get iOS 10.
Photo: Apple

Tim Cook called iOS 10 “the mother of all releases” during today’s keynote in San Francisco, but Apple doesn’t plan to share iOS 10’s greatness with all the devices that are currently running iOS 9.

Apple made iOS 9 supported on more devices than ever last year by pushing it to all iPhones and iPads running iOS 8. This year though it appears that some users will be left out of the update, including iPhone 4s owners.

Here’s which devices will be compatible with iOS 10:

TrackR’s new app can find lost iOS devices even without GPS

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The iPhone 6s is selling like hotcakes.
We found your lost iPhone...
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Finding your iPad or iPhone is about to get a whole lot easier, even under the worst circumstances, thanks to a new app from TrackR that can locate your lost iOS devices regardless of whether or not its connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data.

The new free app called TrackR tablet, runs on both iPhone and iPad, and simplifies the way you find lost iDevices. There’s no sign in process to get into the app. Just open it up and ring your lost iPhone.