iTunes - page 6

iOS 11 is available on Tuesday September 19th, and if your device is compatible, you can go ahead and update, by just tapping the button in Settings>General>Software Update. If all goes well (and it should), then you will wait for a while as the update downloads and installs, then your iPhone or iPad will restart into the new version of iOS, with all the cool goodies it brings.

But things sometimes can go wrong, so it pays to take a few precautions. You might also like to take the opportunity to clean up your device a little. Here’s how to prepare your iDevice for iOS 11.

The latest version of iTunes — 12.7 — removes the App Store. That’s bad news for folks who like to keep backups of old iOS apps around, but good news for people who have bloat and clutter. But the update also removes all your custom ringtones, so you can’t manage them from your Mac.

Don’t despair. You can still download purchased ringtones, and copy your own tones across from the Mac. It’s just not obvious how to do it any more.

Apple has eliminated the ability to browse the App Store from within iTunes on a Mac or PC.

Its latest update is focused on “music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and audiobooks,” Apple says. This means app management can only be done on an iOS device.

As Florida braces for one of the biggest hurricanes ever recorded, Apple is reaching into its wallet to help provide aid to victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

The iPhone-maker revealed today that it is donating $5 million to boost relief efforts for hurricane victims. The company is also making it easier for iTunes users to pitch in.

According to the studio head of 20th Century Fox, a deal allowing customers to watch movies in their own home just weeks after they’ve debuted in theaters is likely to be finalized in the next 6-12 months — with prices set at “less than $50.”

Up until now, media companies like Apple have been pushing for some kind of premium on-demand deal, but negotiations have been slow due to studios dragging their feet. However, at this week’s Bank of America Merrill Lynch media conference in Los Angeles, Fox studio boss Stacey Snider says that finally talks, “have started to coalesce around a concept.”

Apple has reportedly signed its first major music streaming deal since launching Apple Music in 2015.

Sources “familiar with the matter” say it has signed a new, cut-rate agreement with Warner Music Group, and is on the verge of reaching a similar deal with Sony Music Entertainment.

4K video is likely to be the big update for this year’s Apple TV, and to mark the occasion Apple has been trying to finalize deals with movie studios to begin offering 4K movies to accompany it.

The only problem? According to a new report, both parties are struggling to meet when it comes to pricing.

Apple has updated its iTunes desktop and mobile storefronts to start accepting American Red Cross donations for the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. Tim Cook asked users to join the relief effort in a post made on Twitter over the weekend.

Apple is giving users the option of donating to the cause in $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, or $200 increments.

Apple has updated its iTunes desktop and mobile storefronts to grant users the ability to donate money to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a U.S. nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation.

Users have the option of donating in $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, or $200 increments. Apple states that 100 percent of donations will be transferred to the Southern Poverty Law Center, and that it won’t share user information with the organization.

Hollywood is pushing for iTunes to show the latest blockbuster movies just weeks after they hit the theater.

Sources say a deal between Apple and a number of major studios could be signed as early as next year without the blessing of theater chains. However, talks are currently held up over the price that Hollywood wants to charge for new rentals.

Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed to employees in an email this week that Apple will make $2 million worth of donations to organizations “who work to rid our country of hate.”

The donations come as a response to the tragic events of Charlottesville which Cook told employees have been deeply troubling for him personally. Cook, who has first hand experience with the devastating impacts of the KKK, took aim at President Donald Trump in his letter for supporting the white supremacists and says that Apple plans to play an important role in bringing about positive change.

Services have become such an important revenue stream for Apple in recent years that the company decided to update its official business strategy today reflect its expanding money making machine.

In a filing with the SEC, Apple made a couple of changes to the description of its business. It’s the first time a major change has been made to the strategy since around 2014.

Spotify has extended its lead on Apple Music when it comes to paid subscribers, according to a new report that claims the streaming music service has broken the 60 million threshold.

Apple is set to unveil its latest earnings report on Tuesday, and Wall Street analysts predict it will probably be the most boring earnings call of 2017.

This will likely be Apple’s last public announcement before it unveils the next generation of iPhones. Apple CEO Tim Cook might drop some hints on what to expect, and when, as investors look forward to Apple’s next big blockbuster quarter. As usual, Cult of Mac will be here liveblogging the entire event with all the analysis and wit we can muster.

Watch for these five things during the call:

Ahead of launching Splatoon 2 this Friday, Nintendo has published its Nintendo Switch Online app in the iOS App Store.

While the features won’t be available prior to July 21, the app will allow users to carry out voice chat and access the SplatNet 2 portal, where it will be possible to view your game stats, buy extra gear, and invite friends to compete in battles.

This post is brought to you by iMobie, maker of PhoneRescue.

Our iPhones carry all our important info, which makes them something of liability. Losing or breaking one is painful enough, but often the loss of personal data is even worse. Recovery services like Time Machine and iCloud make this less of a worry. But limits remain about what you can retrieve and how.

You can now pay for App Store, iTunes, and Apple Music purchases using PayPal.

The new payment option is already available in Canada and Mexico, and will make its way to the U.S. and other countries “soon.”

It’s not just music downloads where iTunes is struggling. According to a new report, Apple’s share of the digital home video movie market has also been falling precariously in recent years — largely thanks to the rise of companies like Comcast, Amazon Video and Netflix.

From a high of over 50 percent in 2012, market share has now fallen to between 20-35 percent, with various Hollywood studios reporting a decline in iTunes’ leadership position.

Jay-Z’s latest album is now available on Apple Music and iTunes. Tidal, the rap star’s own music streaming service, had exclusivity over 4:44 at launch — but that lasted just one week.

It’s not good news for Spotify subscribers, however.

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.

It might be the most successful smartphone on the planet, but the iPhone didn’t become what it is today without some failures along the way.

Even before the device made its much-anticipated debut in 2007, Apple overcame big missteps and mistakes. It tried putting iTunes on other phones. It believed we didn’t need native apps. It entered into embarrassing partnerships with big bands.

As Cult of Mac looks back over the iPhone’s history to celebrate the device’s 10th anniversary, in collaboration with Wired UK, 10 big failures stick out like a sore thumb.

Negotiations for new Apple Music deals are currently underway with record labels and this time around Apple wants to come away with a much bigger cut of the revenue after overpaying for the last two years.

The company is likely to get its wish too, according to a new report that reveals the labels are supposedly open to the possibility of taking a smaller share as long as Apple Music is able to continue growing.

Apple is finally ready to give music fans a killer deal on the Apple Music streaming service with an all-new option that lets you pay for a full year’s subscription at a discounted rate.

Backing up your iOS devices can be a pain — but not if you have iMazing Mini, a smart yet simple new tool from DigiDNA that makes backups a breeze.

It not only gives you more control over your data, but it can perform backups wirelessly on a schedule that suits you. It also has a whole bunch of other awesome features, and it’s completely free — without any pesky ads.

The internet is furious at Apple Music boss Eddy Cue after the exec was supposedly spotted heckling singer Rihanna last night during Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Oakland, California.

Video of Cue at the game appears to show the Apple VP telling Rihanna to sit down. Rihanna had been doing a bit of heckling herself during the game, yelling at Warriors superstar Kevin Durant. Twitter immediately went in on Cue for going at Rihanna, but most people thought he was just your average court-side rich white guy.