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watchOS 6.1.3 brings a heart-related bug fix

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watchOS 6.1.3 update is available now
If you live in Iceland, you need watchOS 6.1.3 right now.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The newly-released watchOS 6.1.3 fixes a significant bug, but only for the residents of Iceland. Still, Apple thinks it’s important enough to put out a software update primarily for this reason.

iOS 13.3 could bring Screen Time improvements this week

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Screen Time Communication Limits
Communication Limits debuting with iOS 13.3 is a boon to digital parenting.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The wait for iOS 13.3 is apparently almost over. A Vietnamese telecom revealed that this iPhone upgrade will be out by the end of the week.

The same source indicates that watchOS 6.1.1 is also imminent.

iOS 13.3 inches closer to launch with new beta

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screen time management
iOS 13.3 brings new features to Screentime.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple developers received a fresh batch of new betas for the first time in over two weeks today with new builds of iOS 13.3, tvOS 13.3 and watchOS 6.1.1.

The new iOS 13.3 beta adds a bunch of new bug fixes and performance improvements to go with a couple new feature additions in Screentime for parents.

Apple Watch owners get Roku controls on their wrist

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Roku-Apple-Watch
Leave that phone in your pocket.
Photo: Roku

Roku just debuted a new Apple Watch app that lets you control its streaming devices from your wrist.

You can use the app to launch your favorite Channels and control media playback. You can also use its voice recognition capabilities to search for movies and TV shows.

Make Apple Watch easier to read with built-in Zoom

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zoom apple watch
Zoooom!
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Even though the Apple Watch is just a tiny little computer on your wrist, it still packs plenty of accessibility options. And one of the most useful — and accessible — of these options is Zoom. This built-in feature lets you hold a virtual magnifying glass over the watch’s display, and then scroll across this expanded view to make reading easy.

Today we’re going to see how to switch on Apple Watch Zoom, how to use it and — maybe most important — how to switch it off again.

Apple expands bug program with monstrous $1 million bounty

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The CIA has a team of more than 5,000 hackers.
Hackers can get PAID for finding bugs now.
Photo: Brian Klug/Flickr CC

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.

Apple Watch’s Walkie-Talkie app disabled over eavesdropping concerns

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watchOS 5
Walkie-Talkie vulnerability allowed users to listen in on each other .
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple temporarily disabled the Apple Watch Walkie-Talkie app after discovering a vulnerability that allowed users to listen in on another person’s iPhone calls without their knowledge.

The app will stay installed on devices, although it won’t work until Apple issues a fix.

Latest watchOS 6 beta lets you delete some Apple apps

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App Home Screen Apple Watch Series 4
Apple Watch Series 4
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple’s latest watchOS 6 beta, released to registered developers on Tuesday, lets you delete stock Apple Watch apps for the first time.

Alarms, Breathe, Timer, Stopwatch, and Walkie-Talkie are just a few of the many that can now be removed. Any deleted titles can later be re-downloaded from the Watch App Store.

Apple Watch will soon let users easily delete Apple’s own apps

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App Home Screen Apple Watch Series 4
With watchOS 6, you’ll be able to clean some of the clutter off your Apple Watch.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Among the big changes coming to Apple Watch this fall is the ability to remove many of the applications that come pre-installed on it. watchOS 6 will reportedly make it as easy to delete Apple’s own apps as third-party ones.

watchOS 6 brings over-the-air updates to Apple Watch

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Apple Watch watchOS 6
watchOS 6 updates and apps can be installed straight onto Apple Watch.
Photo: Apple

Apple Watch is taking a big stride toward independence from the iPhone. It’s possible to install the latest watchOS 6 beta directly to the Apple wearable … sort of.

This is all part of an ongoing move to make Apple Watch a stand-alone computer.

WWDC surprises revealed: iTunes dead, brand new apps, more

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WWDC 2019
It’s going to be big!
Photo: Apple

A new report citing sources familiar with Apple’s plans has revealed a number of WWDC surprises ahead of Monday’s big keynote.

Fans can look forward to software updates that make Apple Watch less reliant on iPhone, and iPad more of a laptop replacement. And a number of brand new apps — one of which will kill off iTunes.

Apple unveils the 8-core MacBook Pro, and our WWDC 2019 predictions, this week on The CultCast

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CultCast 389
Apple finally did it—they put 8 cores in a MacBook Pro.
Photo: Apple

This week on The CultCast: Apple releases the MacBook Pro we never thought possible, packed with Intel’s newest 8-core chip! But can a machine this slim handle the heat? Plus: WWDC 2019 is officially on! We talk our keynote predictions. And even more good news, Apple announces two new warranty repair programs to fix MacBook’s most troubling issues… for FREE.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain..

WWDC 2019, revealed! This week on The CultCast

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CultCast 387
WWDC is right around the corner....

This week on The CultCast: WWDC 2019 is right around the corner, and a new report sheds light on everything Apple’s prepping to reveal. We discuss! Plus: The magic of Corning glass, and how making your iPhone just slightly thicker would make it indestructible. And we reveal how (and why) Jony Ive created the massive mystery rainbow stage now present at the heart of Apple Park.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain..

Here’s what’s new in today’s iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS updates

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News+ magazines
Apple News+ is included in the iOS 12.2 update.
Photo: Apple

Today we see updates for all your Apple devices — Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and even Apple Watch.

Almost all of Apple’s big announcements today were software-based — the titanium Apple Card and the new TV shows were the exceptions — but very few of those announcements will be available today, or even soon. In the U.S. and Canada, you’ll be able to sign up for the new Apple News+ subscription today, but that’s about it.

Let’s see what else is new.

All the ways Apple locks us into iPhone [Opinion]

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iPhone survey
I wanted a Galaxy S10, but I'm stuck with iPhone.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

It’s not easy to give up your iPhone. Even if you’ve already decided you want to switch to another handset, it’s going to be incredibly difficult to let go. Apple has you locked in. And for some iPhone owners, there is no way out.

That’s because it’s not just your iPhone that you’d be saying goodbye to. Many other apps and services you use every day — some without even thinking about it — make switching to another platform nearly impossible.

Here are all the ways Apple makes it hard to jump ship and switch to Android.

Apple’s historic 2018 by the numbers [Year in Review]

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Apple Year in Review 2018 By the Numbers: Some of these Apple numbers are just huge.
Some of these Apple numbers are just huge.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac Year in Review 2018: best Apple ads of 2018 2018 has been one of the best years ever for Apple. Looking at some of the company’s most popular metric shows that the numbers are up across the board (stock price excepted).

Never before have there been more developers making more money off iOS while Apple extends its ever-growing reach. Revenue hit an all-time high. And the next big thing feels like it’s just on the horizon.

Here’s Apple’s 2018 by the numbers.

Apple seeds first iOS 12.1.2 beta to developers

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iOS 12 and Siri make finding photos a breeze.
There's a new iOS 12 beta out for iPhone.
Photo: Apple

Developers received a fresh batch of new beta updates this morning, just in time for the holidays.

iOS 12.1.2 beta 1 was made available today, bringing a host of new fixes and improvements to the iPhone and iPad. Apple also came out with the first betas of macOS Mojave 10.14.3, watchOS 5.1.3 and tvOS 12.1.2.

Spotify could finally be on its way to Apple Watch

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Apple Watch Series 4 Music App
It's about time!
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

It seems Spotify is finally gearing up to deliver the one feature iPhone fans have been calling for: Apple Watch support.

Screenshots from a preview version of the app have been posted online ahead of its official release. They suggest the wearable component will allow users to navigate their playlists, control music playback, and even stream to other devices.

Apple pulls new watchOS 5.1 update

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watchOS 5 Face
Is your Apple Watch still running with watchOS 5.1?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has pulled the watchOS 5.1 update just hours after making it available to the public.

The move came after reports that the release was “bricking” Apple Watch Series 4 units. Apple has advised those who are experiencing a constant boot loop to contact AppleCare.

Face off! Developers cook up custom Apple Watch faces

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watchOS 5 Face
Apple's new watch faces are great, but we want more!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The pressure is building on Apple to finally add third-party watch faces to the Apple Watch after a couple of developers have shown how easily they can be made.

Custom watch faces have been the most-requested feature for the Apple Watch since the original version came out in 2015. Nike and Hermes have been the only sources for third-party watch faces, but iOS developer Steve Troughton-Smith has found a hack around that. If you’re curious about the best Apple Watch face options available, there are some fantastic choices.

LG’s horrible hybrid watch shows how bad Apple’s competition is

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lg
LG's smartwatches have always been bad, but the W7 is even worse.
Photo: LG

Apple has quickly become the world’s biggest watch company and based on its latest competition from Android smartwatch maker LG, the company’s not in danger of losing its title anytime soon.

LG’s new Watch W7 was unveiled today with a hybrid design that makes it half smartwatch, half mechanical watch. The watch face has mechanical hands so that you can always see what time it is. To keep them from blocking the display, LG put a little feature in it that makes the two hands fold horizontally but the execution of the idea is quite atrocious.

Look at how dumb this thing is: