| Cult of Mac

Not just you: Apple Weather is mucked up [Updated]

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Not just you: Apple Weather is mucked up
Is this happening to you, too?
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

If the Weather widget on your iPhone says, “No weather available,” you’re in good company. Apple reports that its weather service has been having a problem since Monday.

It’s affecting some but not all users.

Update: Apple says the problems were resolved early Wednesday morning.

Sketchy rumor claims iOS 16 will bring interactive Home screen widgets

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iOS 16 interactive widgets
It could be a massive Home screen upgrade.
Image: LeaksApplePro

Apple could finally make widgets interactive in iOS 16, allowing you to control music playback, toggle your flashlight, adjust display brightness, and lots more right from your Home screen.

The new widgets are codenamed “InfoShack” internally, according to a sketchy new rumor that promises more details are on the way.

Get 10 useful iPhone tips and tricks straight from Apple

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Get 10 useful iPhone tips and tricks straight from Apple
Even long-time iPhone users might discover something new in this list of tips and tricks.
Photo: Apple

Apple Support premiered on Wednesday a video with helpful iPhone tips. Sit back, take a few minutes and learn something new you can do with your handset.

With ten tips — plus bonus ones — there’s sure to be something here you didn’t know.

Home Widget is the HomeKit widget Apple doesn’t make [Review]

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Home Widget review
Home Widget lets you make your own HomeKit widgets.
Photo: Clément Marty

With Home Widget, it’s now possible to control your HomeKit accessories directly from your iPhone’s Home screen. Turn on and off lights or even run automated scenes with the quick push of a button. With the new app, you can make a bunch of HomeKit widgets to meet your needs.

I put Home Widget to the test in my smart house. I’m generally pleased with its usability.

iOS and iPadOS 15 let devs hide sensitive info in lock screen widgets

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iOS 15 lets devs hide lock screen widgets
Keeping your data safe.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

iOS and iPadOS 15 give app developers the ability to hide sensitive information in lock screen widgets until a device has been unlocked.

The change is part of an upgrade to the WidgetKit framework, first introduced in iOS and iPadOS 14 last year, and will be particularly useful for things like banking and budgeting apps.

iOS 14 widgets changed the way I use my iPhone

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iOS 14 widgets changed the way I use my iPhone.
With iOS 14, my iPhone home screen is primarily a place to put widgets.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

After a decade with an iPhone, I didn’t expect anything could come along to transform the way I use my phone. iOS 14 widgets proved me wrong. They have me interacting with the handset in a way I never have before.

Spotify gets an iOS 14 widget that lets you access recent listens

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Spotify
Spotify makes it easier to access your music and podcasts.
Photo: Spotify

If Spotify remains your main streaming music listening platform, there’s some good news: the streaming giant has finally released an iOS 14 widget that lets you quickly access recently played artists, podcasts, and albums in a single tap.

There are both small and medium-sized versions of the widget. The smaller of these shows your most recently listened to item. Meanwhile, the medium-sized widget offers a more luxurious, five most recent items array.

Concept shows how cool iPhone widgets would look on iPad

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iPad widgets deserve the freedom to move.
iPadOS limits Home screen widget placement. A concept artist shows there’s no reason for this limitation.
Photo: A Better Computer Trailer

While Home screen widgets came to iPad first, the release of iOS 14 offered iPhone users much more flexibility in widget placement. A concept designer showed what iPadOS 15 could look like with the same flexibility.

How to use some of the best new features in iOS 14

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How to use the best features in iOS 14
Learn how to use widgets, the App Drawer, and more.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

iOS 14 is finally out and packed full of awesome new features that make being an iPhone user even greater. We’ve got real Home screen widgets, a useful new App Drawer, Picture in Picture, and more!

If you were able to avoid the iOS 14 beta and all these things are still brand-new to you, you might be wondering how some of them work. Well, don’t worry — Cult of Mac has how-to guides on all of them.

Find out how to use some of the best new features in iOS 14 right here.