Spotify today shared its Q4 2018 earnings report, detailing a 36 percent growth in Spotify Premium subscribers from the year-ago quarter. Specifically, Spotify now has 96 million paid subscribers around the world as of the end of 2018, compared to Apple Music's over 50 million paid subscribers.
According to Spotify, there were a few factors that bumped up subscriber numbers in 2018, including a promotion where Family Plan account holders in the United States were able to claim a Google Home mini free of charge. The company also pointed towards its year-end "Spotify Wrapped" event as a major factor for its Q4 subscriber boost.
In December, we also launched our annual Wrapped Holiday brand campaign where existing users were able to explore stats about their listening habits throughout the year. The campaign saw the highest traffic ever to the Wrapped site spotifywrapped.com, with 28 million users visiting the site in just one week (up from 20 million last year total.)
The Holiday campaign became the #1 trending topic on Twitter globally and generated over 5 billion streams of the “Your Top Songs 2018” playlist, now the fastest growing personalized playlist in Spotify history.
In total, Spotify has grown to 207 million monthly active users (also counting those on its ad-supported tier), a growth of 29 percent year-over-year. Thanks to all of this, Spotify had major milestones in Q4 2018, reporting operating income, net income, and free cash flow as all positive, marking the first time that Spotify has operated at a profit in its history. The company said that operating expenses of €305 million were down by 17 percent compared to the year-ago quarter, resulting in an operating profit of €94 million.
Spotify today also announced that it has acquired two podcasting companies: Gimlet and Anchor. Spotify first announced its strong push into podcasts in July 2017, when a Bloomberg article claimed that the streaming music company was "coming after" Apple Podcasts. It has since added more and more podcasts into its catalog, and will now gain the advantages of the shows and technology offered by Gimlet and Anchor.
Gimlet is a content creation company that is the home to notable podcasts like Homecoming and Reply All (Homecoming was recently adapted into an Amazon Prime original series starring Julia Roberts). Anchor focuses more on the technical side of podcasts, offering users a place to record, host, distribute, and monetize their podcasts, with full analytics on each episode once they go live.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said that with the acquisitions, Spotify will focus on the curation and customization aspect of the service that it already uses for music streaming. "These acquisitions will meaningfully accelerate our path to becoming the world's leading audio platform, give users around the world access to the best podcast content, and improve the quality of our listening experience while enhancing the Spotify brand," Ek explained.
Apple has added a listing for a new custom-designed pair of Beats Studio3 Wireless headphones that celebrate the 27th birthday of Brazilian soccer star Neymar Jr.
The Neymar Jr. Custom Edition headphones feature graffiti-style decals over the outside of the ear cups and headband that hark back to the soccer player's childhood roots in the streets of São Paulo and pay homage to his famous "Shhh..." tattoo.
The headphones also feature a number 10 inside the headband, representing the Paris Saint-Germain player's shirt number and 10-year professional soccer career.
Inspired by the graffiti-writing style from the São Paulo streets where it all began, the Beats Studio3 Wireless – Neymar Jr. Custom Edition honors Neymar’s strength of character. The design is a tribute to his famous "Shhh…" tattoo, representing his ability to adapt to anything, on and off the field, staying true to himself.
Priced at $349.95, the new Beats Studio3 custom-designed headphones are listed by Apple as "coming soon," but anyone interested in picking up a pair shouldn't have to wait too long, as Neymar Jr's birthday was just yesterday.
Following the release of iOS 12.1.3 on January 22, Apple has stopped signing iOS 12.1.1 and iOS 12.1.2 the previous versions of iOS that were available to consumers.
iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners who have upgraded to iOS 12.1.3 will no longer be able to downgrade to iOS 12.1.1 or iOS 12.1.2.
iOS 12.1.3, available for all iOS devices able to run iOS 12, was a minor bug fix update that addressed issues with the HomePod, iPad Pro, CarPlay, Messages, and more.
Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date.
iOS 12.1.3 is now the only version of iOS that can be installed on iPhones and iPads, but developers and public beta testers can download iOS 12.2, a major update that's currently being beta tested.
Transit directions for Apple Maps have recently expanded to encompass the entirety of multiple states and countries, Apple today confirmed in an update to its Feature Availability page.
Transit directions are now available across all of Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Dakota, New York, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Texas.
In many of these locations, transit information has been available for a few weeks, but Apple is often slow to confirm with updates to its Feature Availability page. Several of the above-listed locations also had transit directions in a few major cities, but transit information is now available statewide.
Transit directions have also expanded to encompass all of Australia, and as was discovered in January, transit information is available in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
Apple has introduced indoor maps three new airports, including Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Newcastle International Airport (NCL), and Milano Linate Airport (LIN).
Indoor maps have also expanded to quite a few malls in the cities listed below:
Bellingham, WA
Bloomington, IN
Boulder, CO
Brookvale, Australia
Burwood, Australia
Carindale, Australia
Cheltenham, Australia
Chermside, Australia
Castel Guelfo di Bologna, Italy
Chiyoda, Japan
Denver, CO
Eastgardens, Australia
Edinburgh, IN
Evansville, IN
Greenwood, IN
Hoover, AL
Hornsby, Australia
Hurstville, Australia
Jonesboro, AR
Lakewood, CO
Littleton, CO
Liverpool, Australia
Lone Tree, CO
Lynnwood, WA
Manchester, NH
Merrimack, Australia
Miranda, Australia
Minato-Ku, Japan
Moline, IL
North Little Rock, AR
Parramatta, Australia
Penrith, Australia
Rogers, AR
Salem, NH
Seattle, WA
Shibuya, Japan
Spokane Valley, WA
Spokane, WA
Suita-Shi, Japan
Sydney, Australia
Toshima, Japan
Upper Mount Gravatt, Australia
Vancouver, WA
Vicolungo, Italy
Indoor maps for malls and airports were introduced in iOS 11, providing full layouts of each mall or airport location with icons for restaurants, elevators, bathrooms, shops, and other notable landmarks. Different floors are clearly marked, making it easy to navigate through unknown areas.
A full list of all of the airports and mall locations where the Apple Maps indoor mapping feature is available can be found on Apple's Feature Availability website, which also houses a list of all of the locations where transit directions are available.
For the last few years, Razer, known for its gaming PCs and accessories, has been making the Razer Blade Stealth, an ultrabook that's quite sleek and snazzy.
We went hands-on with the latest version of the Razer Blade Stealth, released in 2019, to see how it compares with Apple's MacBook options.
The Razer Blade Stealth, for those unfamiliar with it, is a 13-inch ultrabook offering solid performance in a slim, compact package. It has an aesthetic reminiscent of the MacBook Pro, which is also super slim, but it looks quite a bit different with a black aluminum unibody and squared edges.
Most notably, the Razer Blade Stealth has an option for a 4K display, which is the version we have on hand. You might think a 4K display would look way better than the the lower-resolution displays on Apple's Retina MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, but on such a small machine, it's not as noticeable as you'd expect.
The display is touch sensitive, which is not a feature on Apple's laptops, and it has super narrow side bezels so it has a clean, modern look. The keyboard has more travel than the butterfly keys of the MacBook line, but not as much clickiness, and there's a full set of physical function keys instead of a Touch Bar.
This is Razer we're talking about, so naturally there's customizable RBG backlighting for the keyboard that can be set to different colors and themes. There's a much smaller trackpad, but it's still nice to use and one of the better non-Apple trackpads we've tried. There's no fingerprint sensor like on the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, but there is a Windows Hello facial recognition option.
When it comes to ports, the Razer Blade Stealth has two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack. Just one USB-C port is Thunderbolt 3 capable, compared to four on all of Apple's USB-C MacBook Pro models.
The Razer Blade Stealth is equipped with 16GB RAM, a quad-core 1.8GHz 8th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, and a dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX150 graphics card. Apple's 13-inch MacBook Pros, the closest in form factor to the Razer Blade Stealth, have an integrated GPU.
Benchmarks indicate the Razer Blade Stealth outperforms the 13-inch MacBook Pro, especially when it comes to the GPU. That's not unexpected, though, because Razer is a gaming company. Razer also sells the Razer Blade Stealth alongside the Razer Core X external GPU to offer desktop-quality gaming.
In our testing, the Razer Blade Stealth did well with everything we threw at it, including browsing the web, watching videos, editing video with Adobe Premiere Pro, and some light gaming. Unigine Heaven benchmarks required us to drop the resolution to 1080p from 4K to get 60 to 70 frames per second, though, and it struggled at the full 4K resolution for gaming.
On an OpenCL test, the Razer Blade Steath scored 47,237 with the GeForce MX150 and 36,488 for the integrated Intel Graphics 620. For comparison's sake, the built-in GPU in the 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro scored 23,624, and the AMD Radeon Pro 555X scored 50,257. That's a little bit like comparing apples to oranges, though, as the 15-inch MacBook Pro is a bigger machine and the 13-inch model, which is a closer comparison to the Razer, has no dedicated graphics.
Battery life in the Razer Blade Stealth is okay. It's lasted for about six hours for tasks like web browsing and emails, but for more system intensive tasks, it can drain in less than three hours because of the power draw of the 4K display.
When it comes to price, Razer is charging a premium for its ultrabook, much like Apple does with its notebooks. The 4K 13-inch model we have on hand with the MX150 graphics card is priced at $1,900, though Razer offers lower tiers priced at $1,600 (no 4K) and $1,300 (no 4K and integrated graphics).
Given these price points, the Razer Blade Stealth is tough to recommend over other PC options, but it's powerful, portable, and gorgeous. What do you think of the Razer Blade Stealth? Let us know in the comments.
The U.S. Committee on Energy & Commerce is now seeking answers from Apple over the Group FaceTime flaw that allowed people to eavesdrop on conversations.
Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) and Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Chairwoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today sent a letter [PDF] to Apple CEO Tim Cook questioning the company about how long it took Apple to address the Group FaceTime flaw, the extent to which the flaw compromised consumer privacy, and whether there are other undisclosed bugs in existence.
"While these are wonderful tools when used right, the serious privacy issue with Group FaceTime demonstrates how these devices can also become the ultimate spying machines. That is why it is critical that companies like Apple are held to the highest standards," Pallone and Schakowsky wrote to Cook. "Your company and others must proactively ensure devices and applications protect consumer privacy, immediately act when a vulnerability is identified, and address any harm caused when you fail to meet your obligations to consumers."
The two representatives ask Apple to be transparent about the investigation into the Group FaceTime vulnerability, and the steps that are being taken to protect consumer privacy going forward. Apple has not been as transparent as "this serious issue requires," according to the letter.
Pallone and Schakowsky ask Apple a number of key questions, including the following:
When did your company first identify the Group FaceTime vulnerability that enabled individuals to access the camera and microphone of devices before accepting a FaceTime call? Did your company identify the vulnerability before being notified by Mr. Thompson's mother?
Did any other customer notify Apple of the vulnerability?
Please provide a timeline of exactly what steps were taken and when they were taken to address the vulnerability after it was initially identified.
What steps are being taken to identify which FaceTime users' privacy interests were violated using the vulnerability? Does Apple intend to notify and compensate those consumers for the violation?
When will Apple provide notification to affected consumers?
Are there other vulnerabilities in Apple devices and applications that currently or potentially could result in unauthorized access to microphones and/or cameras?
Apple CEO Tim Cook will be expected to provide answers to the questions provided in the letter.
The FaceTime vulnerability came to light last Monday after details spread across social media and news sites quickly picked it up. The bug allowed a person to force a FaceTime call with another person, giving them access to the audio (and sometimes video) from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac without the person ever accepting the FaceTime call.
Apple disabled Group FaceTime on its servers to prevent the bug from being used, and the company is still working on an iOS 12.1.4 update that we are expecting to see this week.
While Apple addressed the bug after it went viral on social media, the company was informed of the issue at least a week before when a teenager discovered it and his mother attempted to contact Apple. Though she sent in multiple reports, they did not go to the right people, and Apple has since apologized and said it is committed to improving the bug reporting process.
Apple's retail chief, Angela Ahrendts is set to leave Apple in April after spending five years at the company, Apple announced today.
Deirdre O'Brien, Apple's current "Vice President of People," is set to take Ahrendts' place. O'Brien will be taking on new responsibilities for Apple's retail and online stores in her expanded role as Senior Vice President of Retail and People, reporting directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
That's not quite the same role that Ahrendts currently holds as Apple's Senior Vice President of Retail. O'Brien will focus on the connection between the customer and the people, and the processes that serve them.
In her new role as retail leader, she will also lead the People team and will oversee all People-related functions, including talent development and Apple University, recruiting, employee relations and experience, business partnership, benefits, compensation, and inclusion and diversity.
"At Apple, we believe our soul is our people, and Deirdre understands the qualities and strengths of our team better than anyone," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "For more than three decades, she has helped keep Apple focused on serving customers and enriching lives. She's an exceptional leader and she's been a vital partner to our retail teams around the world since the very beginning. I am thrilled to work alongside Deirdre in her new role, and I know our 70,000 retail employees will be, too."
In a statement, O'Brien said that she is looking forward to working with Apple's retail teams moving forward.
"People come to Apple to do the best work of their lives, and our retail teams show their passion every day, in every interaction, all around the world," said Deirdre O'Brien, senior vice president of Retail + People. "It is the opportunity of a lifetime to work with, and learn from, such a talented, diverse and imaginative team. I am looking forward to this journey, and to continuing the important work of the People team in supporting all of Apple's amazing employees."
According to Apple, Ahrendts is leaving the company for "new personal and professional pursuits." She first joined Apple in 2014 and has headed up Apple's retail initiatives since then, overseeing the launch of redesigned Apple Stores and customer experiences that have been rolling out across the world over the course of the last few years.
Ahrendts was formerly the Chief Executive Officer of well-known fashion company Burberry, and prior to that role, she held positions at Liz Claiborne and Donna Karan. Cook said that Ahrendts has been "inspiring and energizing" for Apple's retail teams, and that Apple wishes her the "very best."
Ahrendts said that the five years she spent at Apple were the most "stimulating, challenging, and fulfilling" of her career.
"The last five years have been the most stimulating, challenging and fulfilling of my career. Through the teams' collective efforts, Retail has never been stronger or better positioned to make an even greater contribution for Apple," said Angela Ahrendts, senior vice president of Retail. "I feel there is no better time to pass the baton to Deirdre, one of Apple's strongest executives. I look forward to watching how this amazing team, under her leadership, will continue to change the world one person and one community at a time."
As O'Brien takes over for Ahrendts, Apple has more than 35 online stores around the world and 506 retail locations across five continents. Apple recently rolled out an expanded series of "Today at Apple" workshops and classes, another initiative begun under Ahrendts.
Update: Here is Cook's internal memo about the announcement, obtained by Business Insider's Kif Leswing:
Team,
I'm writing to let you know about an important leadership change. Today we're announcing the promotion of one of Apple's most passionate and experienced advocates for our customers and employees — and the departure of a much-loved and accomplished leader who has played a transformative role in shaping Apple's retail experiences.
After five years leading Apple's retail and online stores, Angela Ahrendts is planning to leave Apple in April for new personal and professional pursuits. Angela has inspired and energized our retail teams with the vision of stores as a place where the best of Apple comes together to serve customers and communities. During her tenure, the in-store experience has been redefined with programs like Today at Apple, and our relationship with customers is stronger than ever.
This transition gives us an opportunity to reinforce and carry forward the values that make our retail and online stores the best in the world — and our mission to enrich the lives of others. As I've said many times, Apple's greatest asset is its people. And with that in mind, the best choice to lead our team became clear very quickly.
I am thrilled to announce that Deirdre O'Brien will be taking responsibility for our retail teams in a new role as senior vice president of Retail + People. Deirdre brings insight and experience gained over 30 years at Apple — decades spent focusing on the connection between customers and the people and processes that serve them. Working collaboratively across Apple, Deirdre and her teams empower people to lead with purpose and humanity.
Deirdre was part of the team that planned and launched Apple's very first online and retail stores. She has been a part of Retail's exciting expansion and every product launch since. She knows the value of the deep human connections that retail experiences make possible — and she knows this is where Apple shows its heart and soul.
In her capacity as vice president of People, Deirdre and her team have brought elevated focus to how Apple inspires, connects, develops and cares for its employees — essential efforts that she will continue companywide through the People team in her new and expanded role.
As we look forward, finding new ways to elevate our in-store and online experiences, forging deeper relationships with the customers who love our products, I believe that our team, at every level, is the best in the business. I am grateful to Angela for all she's done for Apple, and I'm looking forward to what Deirdre will bring to her new role.
To everyone in Retail, and our employees worldwide, thanks for all you do to help dreamers become doers, to expand human potential and to do the best work of our lives.
iPhones are lost and stolen every day, but luckily Apple has robust tools built into iOS that will keep your data safe and your device unusable if it's misplaced or snatched by a thief.
With Find MyiPhone, you can locate lost devices, disable them, and even fully erase them, but unless you've been in a situation where you've needed these services, you may not know exactly how they work, what they do, or what information someone can access when they have your device.
This guide covers the ins and outs of losing your iPhone (or iPad), including settings that should be enabled beforehand for security purposes, how to use Apple's tools to look for your device, and what happens when it's in someone else's hands.
Before You Lose Your iPhone
To cut down on iPhone theft, Apple implemented a tool way back in iOS 7 called Activation Lock that renders an iPhone unusable without the owner's Apple ID or password. What that means is even when a thief or a third-party has your iPhone, it's still tied to your Apple ID and can't be used with any other account. Your iPhone can even be wiped completely and it will still be locked down, making it almost useless to anyone but you.
Activation Lock, available on devices running iOS 7 or later, is tied to Find My iPhone. When Find My iPhone is turned on, Activation Lock is on. When setting up a new device, Find My iPhone is automatically enabled, but you can check to make sure it's turned on by following the below steps.
Make sure Find My iPhone is toggled to the on position (in green).
At this screen, enable "Send Last Location" for extra security. If your battery is critically low, it'll send its last known location to Apple. If your iPhone is lost and your battery dies, this is a feature you'll want to have. It's also useful to turn on the Find My network, which allows your iPhone to be located even if it's offline or powered off by leveraging the devices of other people.
In addition to inextricably linking your Apple ID to your iPhone, Find My iPhone also lets you locate your devices at any time, remotely erase them, and remotely put them into a "Lost Mode" to lock down your data.
Find My is the most important feature to have turned on in the event a device is lost, but there are other key security options -- a passcode and two-factor authentication. With a passcode, no one can access personal data stored on your iPhone, and with two-factor authentication, your Apple ID will be safer from hacking attempts, something a thief or person with malicious intent might try to get access to a stolen device.
Two-factor authentication will require an extra verification code to be entered before your Apple ID and iCloud account can be accessed.
Set Up Separation Alerts
If you have a newer iPhone running iOS 15 and an Apple Watch running watchOS 8, you can set up separation alerts that will let you know if you leave your iPhone behind, preventing it from getting lost in the first place.
Here's how to enable it:
Open up the Find My app.
Tap on the Devices tab.
Tap on your iPhone in the list.
Tap on "Notify When Left Behind."
Tap to toggle on the "Notify When Left Behind" feature.
With this feature enabled, you can get an alert if your iPhone is left somewhere when you leave. This also works for all of other Find My devices and AirTags.
Steps to Take When Your iPhone is Lost or Stolen
Logging into Find My through iCloud.com on any smartphone, computer, or tablet is the first step to take when you can't find your iPhone. Whether it's been lost or stolen, if it has power and is connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network, the approximate location of the iPhone will show up on a map.
With the latest versions of iOS, Find My can even find your iPhone when it's powered off, has no WiFi connection, or after it's been erased, but if it runs out of battery, Find My iPhone will show the last known location for 24 hours. After that, it can't be located again until functionality is restored.
Activate Lost Mode Along with establishing a location for a lost device, Find My iPhone can be used to lock that device down through Lost Mode. Lost Mode displays a phone number and a message on the iPhone's screen, leaving everything else inaccessible. If you didn't have a passcode set up, Lost Mode will prevent your iPhone from being used. Lost Mode can be turned on by following the steps below.
Go to iCloud.com. Sign in with your Apple ID. Alternatively, use another one of your devices and access the Find My app.
On the web, click on "All Devices" and find the missing device in the list. On iOS, tap on the "Devices" tab and select the missing device and tap it.
On the web, a menu will pop up with the option to play a sound, erase the phone, or enable Lost Mode. On the iPhone, tap "Mark as Lost."
If activating Lost Mode on a device without a passcode, you will be prompted to create one.
You'll be asked to enter a phone number or email address where you can be contacted. Enter the number or choose "Next" to skip the option.
At the next screen, you can write a message that will be displayed on the iPhone, such as an email address or a reward offering.
Choose "Done" to activate Lost Mode and then check "Notify if Found." The iPhone is now locked and can only be accessed using the passcode you designated when turning on Lost Mode or the passcode that was already on the device. If it's offline and later located, you will get an email when it connects to the Internet and can convey its location.
With Lost Mode activated, the iPhone's screen will display the phone number and the message you set. On a device with a cellular connection, there will also be a "Call" option to call the specified number. Emergency phone numbers are still able to be called as well.
Activating Lost Mode immediately disables credit or debit cards associated with Apple Pay, activates Low Power mode for maximum battery life, and renders all features on the iPhone, such as Siri, inaccessible.
The two other options in the Find My app are "Play Sound" and "Erase This Device," both of which are straightforward. "Play Sound" causes a loud beeping to occur, which can be turned off by hitting the power button on the iPhone. It's useful for an iPhone that's been misplaced nearby.
Erase This Device will delete all of the data on the iPhone remotely. It should be used as a last resort because if there's a chance of finding your iPhone, you don't want to lose all your data. With Activation Lock, a passcode, and Lost Mode, an iPhone is essentially locked down, but erasing data can give peace of mind if you lose a device you don't expect to get back. If you do have to erase your iPhone, it may still be locatable through Find My even after it's wiped because of Activation Lock.
Lost Mode and Erase iPhone only work when the iPhone is turned on and has a cellular or Wi-Fi connection. If it is off or unable to connect to the Internet, these actions will be queued and activated as soon as a connection is available. Lost Mode combined with "Notify if Found" will send you an email when a misplaced iPhone that is offline can connect to the Internet. Note that while initiating Lost Mode or erasing a device requires an internet connection, your lost iPhone can be found even without a cellular or Wi-Fi connection through the Find My network, so long as the Find My network is enabled as described above.
If Lost, Use the Find My iPhone Map If your iPhone has been left behind in a restaurant or store and you're not sure where it was misplaced, Find My iPhone gives a close approximation of its location. If it's in an apartment building or other dense urban area, it might not be able to pinpoint the exact spot where it is, but it can get close. As long as your iPhone is on and has a cellular or Wi-Fi connection, its location will be continually updated in the Find My iPhone app so it's easy to track down.
With a phone number and other contact information available through Lost Mode, someone who finds it can easily contact you.
If Stolen, Contact the Police If your iPhone has been stolen, Find My iPhone can help law enforcement ascertain its location. It can be tempting to go to the location of a stolen iPhone on your own, but doing so can be dangerous. When dealing with an unknown criminal element, getting the police involved is the safest move.
Report Lost iPhone to Carrier The three major carriers in the United States, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, have tools for reporting a smartphone as stolen to suspend service and in some cases, block the device from being used on the carrier's network.
Suspending cellular service will prevent your iPhone from connecting to a cellular network. It ensures a thief cannot use the device to make phone calls or rack up service charges, but in many cases, those features will be unavailable anyway.
What's Accessible on a Lost iPhone?
Most people probably don't think about the extent of the information stored on an iPhone until it falls into the wrong hands, but there's a lot of data that's potentially accessible. In the event your iPhone is stolen, there's likely enough detail about you to make you vulnerable to phishing attempts and malicious social engineering.
Below is a list of what someone can find out about you and what remains hidden behind a passcode. If you don't have a passcode, your iPhone is an open book.
Before Turning on Lost Mode With a passcode on, whatever is available through the lock screen can be used. If you have Notification Center, Control Center, and Siri access enabled, all of those features are available to a stranger. Anything you can access from the lock screen, a stranger can access.
Siri can answer personal questions about who the iPhone belongs to and offer up contact information. Asking "Whose iPhone is this?" or "Who am I?" gives a name and a phone number. Apple Music can be turned on, and Siri can be used to make phone calls to contacts based on commands like "Call mom."
Siri won't give more detailed contact information like your email address without a fingerprint, apps can't be opened, and settings can't be changed.
In Control Center, all features are accessible. The flashlight can be turned on, the calculator can be opened, alarms can be set, and the camera can be used. Pictures can be taken, but the Camera Roll can't be opened to display existing images.
Some of the information a stranger can learn about you before Lost Mode is enabled on a lost device
Notification Center has the most potential to divulge personal information. Depending on what's enabled, previews of emails and messages might be displayed, calendar events are visible, recent Apple Pay transactions are listed, and many third-party apps, like Evernote, will show previews of content in the Today view. On an iPhone with Face ID, some of these previews are disabled by default so you may not need to worry quite as much.
If you have the Medical ID feature set up through the Health app, all of that information is available, including emergency contacts, height, weight, blood type, allergies and health conditions.
All of these lock screen features are optional and can be disabled through the Settings app if desired.
After Turning on Lost Mode Activating Lost Mode locks the iPhone down, which is why turning it on right away is imperative. Lost Mode prevents all of the above listed features from being used. Siri is inaccessible, as is the Control Center, the Notification Center, and Medical ID information.
All someone can do with your iPhone when it's in lost mode is call you, turn it off, or make an emergency phone call.
What Happens When a Lost iPhone is Turned Off?
If a thief turns off your iPhone, it used to mean that your iPhone wouldn't be locatable. That changed with iOS 15 and the Find My network. If you have an iPhone that's running iOS 15 or later and that has Find My turned on, you can get pings with its location thanks to other nearby Apple devices even when your iPhone is off.
For this to work, an iPhone does need to be within range of other Apple devices and it does also need to have some battery life remaining, so this is not a foolproof solution for finding a stolen or lost iPhone.
What Happens When a Lost iPhone is Wiped?
Lost Mode locks down the iPhone and prevents it from being accessed in iTunes when plugged into a computer, but it can't stop someone from wiping an iPhone via iTunes using recovery mode or DFU mode.
Even if your iPhone is fully erased, the person who has it can't use it. Activation Lock stays on and there is no way to bypass it. As soon as the iPhone boots up, it asks for an Apple ID and password and it won't go past the activation screen without the information. As of iOS 15, an erased iPhone can still be located using Find My.
Beware of Phishing Attempts Your iPhone is essentially useless without your Apple ID and password. Some thieves may make an attempt to get that information through phishing attempts like fake emails or messages, so it's best to be aware of this possibility should your iPhone be stolen.
iOS 6 and Earlier
Find my iPhone can no longer be downloaded on devices running iOS 6 or earlier, but older iPhones and iPads that had the app installed prior to the launch of iOS 7 will still be able to use it to locate a lost device. Find My iPhone is available on iOS 5 and iOS 6.
Pre-iOS 6 devices do not include Activation Lock, but devices running iOS 6 have access to Lost Mode, which is the operating system where the feature was introduced. Devices running iOS 5 or earlier cannot use Lost Mode, but there is a feature called "Lock" for rendering a device inaccessible.
With no Activation Lock feature, an iPhone with iOS 6 or earlier installed can be wiped by a thief and set up as a new device. For that reason, if you have a device that can run the latest version of iOS, it's always better to update.
No Find My iPhone
Without Find My iPhone enabled, there is no reliable way to track an iPhone that's been lost as it won't be accessible in iCloud. Not having Find My iPhone installed also means Activation Lock is turned off, meaning a thief can wipe an iPhone and set it up as a new device. For that reason, it's a good idea to make sure that Find My is always enabled.
More than 200 new emojis will be coming to iOS later this year, with the Unicode Consortium officially approving the final 2019 emoji list.
Emojipedia has a full list of all the emoji we can expect to see in 2019, including flamingo, otter, waffle, sloth, white heart, people holding hands, ice cube, snorkel, orangutan, juice box, falafel, and more.
The 2019 emoji lineup will introduce new emojis to represent people with disabilities, such as person in wheelchair, guide dog, service dog, and deaf person. It will also include support for mixed race couples.
There are 59 new emoji characters, 75 with gender variations, and 230 total emojis when both gender variations and different skin tones are counted.
Now that the Unicode Consortium has finalized the list of 2019 emojis, smartphone makers, social media networks, and others are free to implement the new characters, but must design the new icons first.
The emoji in the Emojipedia images are just representations of the new emoji characters and do not reflect the design that Apple and other smartphone makers will use.
It typically takes Apple several months to introduce support for new emoji characters. In 2018, for example, Apple did not add the new 2018 emojis until the October iOS 12.1 update. Apple is likely to do something similar for iOS 13, so we could see the new emoji come as part of an iOS 13 update after the new operating system is released.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming macOS Mojave 10.14.4 update to its public beta testing group, one day after seeding the second beta to developers and a week after releasing the first macOS Mojave 10.14.4 public beta.
The macOS Mojave update can be downloaded using the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store after downloading the appropriate profile from Apple's beta testing website. Apple's beta testing site gives users access to iOS, macOS, and tvOS betas.
macOS Mojave 10.14.4, along with iOS 12.2, introduces support for Apple News in Canada for the first time, allowing Canadian users to read the news in French or English.
The update also includes support for Touch ID-enabled Safari AutoFill and automatic Dark Mode themes in Safari. That means if you have Dark Mode enabled on macOS Mojave, when you visit a website with a dark theme, it will be activated automatically. You can see a demo of the feature here.
macOS Mojave 10.14.4 will likely be in beta testing for the next several weeks as Apple refines features and works out bugs. After that, it will see a release alongside iOS 12.2, watchOS 5.2, and tvOS 12.2.
The tvOS 12.2 public beta can be obtained by going to the Settings app on the Apple TV and navigating to the Software Updates section under "System." "Get Public Beta Updates" will need to be toggled on, and once it is, the Apple TV will download the beta software.
tvOS 12.2, paired with iOS 12.2, lets users ask Siri to play specific media on an Apple TV from an iOS device. You can, for example, ask Siri to play Modern Family on the TV in the living room. This works for music and TV content.
No other new features were discovered in the tvOS 12.2 beta as of yet, and it's often difficult to determine what's new because Apple does not provide release notes letting us know what's changed.
Apple today released the second beta of an upcoming iOS 12.2 update to its public beta testing group, one day after seeding the second beta to developers and a week after releasing the first public beta.
Beta testers who have joined Apple's beta testing program can download the iOS 12.2 beta update over-the-air after installing the proper certificate on an iOS device.
Those who want to download the new beta can do so after signing up for the beta program, which gives access to iOS, macOS, and tvOS betas.
The iOS 12.2 update expands Apple News to Canada for the first time, with Canadian iPhone and iPad users able to access news stories in English, French, or both. It introduces infrastructure for AirPlay 2 and HomeKit on third-party TVs, a feature announced in early January.
The TV remote feature in Control Center has been redesigned to take up the full display of an iPhone, and there are tweaks to the Wallet app with a refined interface and a new look for Apple Pay Cash. Changes have been made to Safari with warnings about unsecured websites and new search arrows, and there's now a setting to set Downtime for apps on a day by day basis.
Apple is improving Safari's privacy in iOS 12.2 through a new Motion & Orientation toggle located under Settings --> Safari --> Privacy & Security, which is disabled by default. The setting needs to be enabled on to allow websites to display content that relies on motion data from the accelerometer and gyroscope in the iPhone and iPad.
There are new Animoji in the second iOS 12.2 beta, including a boar, a shark, a giraffe, and an owl. Animoji can be used within the Messages and FaceTime apps. For some AT&T users, there's a new "5G E" icon for the cellular signal, replacing the standard LTE icon. This is a bit misleading of AT&T, because the iPhone does not support 5G, nor is the network AT&T calls 5G E actual 5G. Instead, it's an upgraded version of LTE, with more info available here.
A full list of the new feature changes we've found in iOS 12.2 can be found in our iOS 12.2 tidbits post.
iOS 12.2 confirms Apple's plans to release second-generation AirPods with "Hey Siri" support, thanks to a hidden AirPods setup screen in the beta. The inclusion of the AirPods setup option in the beta indicates that Apple could perhaps be planning to release new AirPods when iOS 12.2 is released.
The update also features hints of an upcoming Apple News subscription service, which could see Apple News offering a Texture-like paid magazine service.
The iOS 12.2 update will likely see several rounds of beta testing over the course of the next month or so before it launches to the public.
Fuse, the company that came up with the Side Winder cable organizer for wrangling the extension cord of a MacBook, is today out with its newest product, the Side Kick, which can be pre-ordered via Kickstarter.
The Side Kick is designed for the MacBook Pro's USB-C power adapter and is for those users who don't need or want the extension cable. It's able to wind up the USB-C cable in a useful way that's perfect for when you need to travel with your MacBook Pro.
We normally shy away from promoting crowdfunded products on MacRumors, but Fuse has a track record of creating Mac products and was able to send me a prototype to test out ahead of time.
The prototype version of the Side Kick is similar to the Pop Sockets designed for the iPhone. It has a collapsible base that sticks onto the side of the MacBook Pro charger, which, when you pull it out, extends so that you can wrap up your entire USB-C cable neatly.
Both the adhesive that sticks to the Side Kick and the popping mechanism work well even on this early version that I have, so Fuse seems well on the way to a completed product.
Size wise, the Side Kick does take up most of the space on the MacBook Pro power adapter, so it may interfere with some other products that use the extension portion of the charger. It's also designed solely for the USB-C cable -- if you use an extended cable (which no longer ships with the MacBook Pro) you'll need the Side Winder instead.
The cable wraps around neatly with the Side Kick extended, and it adds about an inch of additional real estate to the power adapter on the right side. When popped in without the cable wrapped, it's not too bulky, but it would be nice to see it slimmed down a bit more. There are two cable catches at the end so you can keep the USB-C connector in place once it's wound up.
I was still able to use my power adapter as normal with the Side Kick attached, and it fit well both in a standard outlet and a power strip with no serious hindrance.
The Side Kick will work well for people who use just the plain USB-C cable with their standard MacBook Pro power adapters. It is limited to the USB-C 61 and 85/87W power adapters for the 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pro models right now because of size constraints. Fuse says that it's working on a version for the MacBook and MacBook Air, which will come out in the future.
My prototype version of the Side Kick is unfinished and isn't the best looking accessory at this point in time, but Fuse tells me that the final product will include sturdier cable notches, a whiter finish for the rim and socket, and an embossed logo for an all-around nicer design.
Fuse is using Kickstarter to fund the Side Kick, and the first few hundred backers will be able to order it at a 40 percent discount. A single Side Kick is available for $12, while two are available for $20. After the early bird pricing is gone, the Side Kick will be priced at $15 for one or $26 for two.
Apple Music has recently launched a new advertising campaign in Los Angeles, showcasing the Memoji versions of musicians including Shawn Mendes, Ariana Grande, and Kacey Musgraves. Apple put up the billboards ahead of the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, which take place on February 10 at the Los Angeles Staples Center.
I love this! Shawn Mendes: The Album has been made into an emoji! It’s on a billboard at Hotel Figueroa in LA ❤️ pic.twitter.com/SfKHGI157e
— Shawn Mendes (@shawnsmutual) February 4, 2019
Apple has placed the billboards at the Hotel Figueroa in LA, which is down the street from the Staples Center. It appears there are multiple billboards in the city, however, including some that are dedicated specifically to each of the three artists and highlighting their Grammy nominations.
Memojis are animated emoji characters that can take the form of each user's personal appearance, and using the TrueDepth camera system on iPhone X family devices, you can animate the Memojis with your facial movements. Apple has used Animoji in its ads a few times previously, including for last year's Grammy awards. Those commercials had the alien Animoji singing "Redbone" by Childish Gambino and the Animoji dog, fox, and poop singing "Stir Fry" from Migos.
As for the nominations, Shawn Mendes has two, one for song of the year ("In My Blood") and one for best pop vocal album (the self-titled "Shawn Mendes"). Ariana Grande was also nominated twice this year, for best pop solo performance ("God Is A Woman") and best pop vocal album ("Sweetener"). Lastly, Kacey Musgraves received four nominations, for album of the year ("Golden Hour"), best country solo performance ("Butterflies"), best country song ("Space Cowboy"), and best country album.
California resident Monica Emerson has filed a class action lawsuit against Apple this week, accusing the company of releasing iOS updates which were "specifically designed and programmed to reject, starting on November of 2016, old iPhone chargers from properly charging the iPhones."
The complaint, obtained by MacRumors, alleges that Emerson bought an iPhone 7 in September 2016 and charged the device with Apple's power adapter included in the box without issue until around October 2017, when it stopped working alongside the alert "this accessory may not be supported."
In or around October 2017, Plaintiff attempted to use her Apple Charger and received a message that read "This accessory may not be supported." Thus, requiring that people buy a new charger for her iPhone. Upon learning this, Plaintiff felt ripped off, cheated, and violated by Defendant.
The alert is part of Apple's system that aims to protect iOS devices against potentially dangerous aftermarket accessories.
Emerson believes the alert forced her and thousands of other customers in her situation to buy new chargers, with total claims exceeding $5 million. As a result, she is suing Apple for damages, accusing the company of false advertising, unfair business practices, fraud, and other violations of California laws.
Emerson supposedly always used Apple's first-party charger, but it's unclear whether it was connected to the iPhone with an Apple-certified Lightning to USB cable under the Made for iPhone program. If she was using an Apple power adapter with an uncertified cable, then the message was correctly displayed.
While it's hard to believe that Apple released an iOS update that prevented its own chargers from working—it simply doesn't make sense—there have been scattered complaints of the "this accessory may not be supported" system throwing false positives for Apple-certified chargers and cables over the years.
False positives can occur for a variety of reasons, including something as simple as a dirty pin on the Lightning connector.
Emerson is seeking a jury trial in the U.S. District Court for Central California.
Audio company Sonos today announced a new range of speakers called "Sonos Architectural by Sonance," which are a collection of passive speakers that are designed for both indoor and outdoor use. There are three new speakers total: the Sonos In-Ceiling, Sonos In-Wall, and Sonos Outdoor Speaker.
Sonos In-Wall
As their names imply, the first two speakers are designed to be placed within the walls or ceilings of your home, sitting flush with each surface. Sonos says it worked with Sonance to make sure each speaker blends into any space while still providing the clear sound, even coverage, and performance expected of a Sonos device.
“Our goal was to create a solution optimized for installers, bringing the Sonos experience to architectural speakers for the first time,” said Sonos CEO Patrick Spence. “Sonance was the natural partner, sharing our passion for high quality, reliable sound solutions inside and outside the home.”
These connect with Sonos Amp to use the company's "TruePlay" feature that detects the size, construction, furnishings, and more of a room and adjust the EQ for optimal sound. Sonos notes that TruePlay will only be available for the In-Wall and In-Ceiling speakers.
Sonos In-Ceiling
For the Outdoor speaker, Sonos says this is its first device specifically built for outdoor use, featuring a weatherproof build that was engineered to withstand various environmental conditions. The Outdoor speaker can also be installed on walls, but it does protrude from the surface unlike the In-Wall speaker.
The In-Ceiling, In-Wall, and Outdoor speakers all support AirPlay 2 and Apple Music streaming, like existing Sonos speakers.
Sonos Outdoor
The In-Ceiling and In-Wall speakers are priced at $599 for a pair of each, while the Outdoor speaker costs $799 for a pair. The two Sonos Architectural speakers are available for pre-order today and will launch on February 26, while the Outdoor speaker will not be available until April.
Sonos today also announced that the updated Sonos Amp is now available for purchase in Australia, Canada, and Mexico, and it will launch in Europe on February 12. During its original launch last year, the new Sonos Amp was only available in the United States.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Sonos. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Eve, known for its line of HomeKit-enabled smart products, today announced the availability of its newest HomeKit accessory, the Eve Light Strip.
First announced at CES, the Eve Light Strip is advertised as the brightest HomeKit-enabled LED strip to date with 1,800 lumens and support for full-spectrum white and millions of colors.
At 1,800 lumens, the Eve Light Strip will be brighter than the Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus, which is 1,600 lumens, and it will provide enough light to replace a standard room lamp at its brightest levels.
The Eve Light Strip is 6.6 feet long but can be cut at one-foot intervals for use in smaller areas or increased to 32.8 feet by adding 6.6 foot extension strips.
Preset colors are included with the Eve Light Strip, but you can also create your own using the Eve app.
Eve Light Strip connects to a home's WiFi setup and is HomeKit compatible, which means that it responds to Siri voice commands, can be controlled via the Home app, and works in scenes with othe HomeKit products.
Eve is debuting the Light Strip today and it can be purchased from the Eve website for $79.95. Extensions are priced at $49.95.
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