MacRumors

Google is rolling out an update to its Gmail app for iOS devices so that users can upload attachments from Apple's native Files app.

When the new feature becomes available, tap the paperclip icon when you're composing or replying to a message in the Gmail app. This will bring up a sheet with carousels for "Camera roll" and "Attachments" (formerly named "Recent attachments").

This new Attachments section will feature a special folder icon for directly accessing the contents of the Files app on your iPhone or iPad, including access to the native search and selection tools of the Files extension.

As for the rollout timeline for the Files integration, Google says there will be an extended rollout which may take longer than two weeks for "feature visibility." Whether that means this is a server-side change or requires an updated version of the app is unclear.

The Gmail app is a free download available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Feral Interactive today announced the release of World War II real-time strategy game Company of Heroes on iPad.

Originally developed for Windows by Relic Entertainment, the critically-acclaimed RTS has been specially designed and developed for the ‌iPad‌ by Feral, and on first look the results are very impressive.

Command two crack companies of American soldiers and direct an intense campaign in the European Theater of Operations starting with the D-Day Invasion of Normandy.

Fully tailored to and optimized for tablet, Company of Heroes features a sophisticated user interface that makes it intuitive for players to execute real-time tactics, adapt to constantly shifting environments, and ultimately overcome ferocious opposition to secure the liberation of France.

Company of Heroes requires iOS 13.1 or later and supports the iPad mini (5th generation), iPad Air (3rd generation), ‌iPad‌ (5th generation), ‌iPad‌ (6th generation), ‌iPad‌ (7th generation), iPad Pro (1st generation: 9.7-inch, 12.9-inch), ‌iPad Pro‌ (2nd generation: 10.5-inch, 12.9-inch), and ‌iPad Pro‌ (3rd generation: 11-inch, 12.9-inch).

Strava for iOS was today updated with improved HealthKit integration, allowing users to import Apple Watch workouts into the Strava app.

Prior to today's update, Strava users had to rely on third-party solutions like the Healthfit app to share workouts between the Apple's Health records and Strava. Now they can import workouts recorded on iPhone or Apple Watch directly into the app.

To enable the Apple Health import feature, users should go to the Settings in the Strava app and select Applications, Services, and Devices. Then choose the Health app and any workouts recorded through Apple's native app should be available to upload to Strava.

In addition, today's update adds the ability to crop user activity recorded on ‌iPhone‌, which is useful if GPS tracking has been left running for too long. Summit members can also now see their heart rate, power, and Grade Adjusted Pace on Segments.

Strava: Run, Ride, Swim is a free download for ‌iPhone‌ and iPad available on the App Store. A premium Strava membership costs $7.99 per month.

Following the release of iOS 13.3.1 on January 28, Apple has stopped signing iOS 13.3, which means downgrading to that version of iOS is no longer possible.

iOS 13.3 was a major update that included Communication Limits for Screen Time, support for NFC, USB, and Lightning FIDO2-compliant security keys in Safari, 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 13.3.1 is the current publicly available version of iOS, with the update introducing a toggle for the U1 Ultra Wideband chip in the newest iPhones along with various bug fixes and improvements.

Developers and public beta testers can also download iOS 13.4, an upcoming update that includes a new toolbar in the Mail app, iCloud Folder Sharing, new Memoji stickers, and more.

Darkroom today announced that it has switched to a subscription-based business model for new users, with pricing set at $3.99 per month or $19.99 per year. A one-time $49.99 purchase option is also available. A subscription provides access to all of Darkroom's filters and tools, plus any new features added later.

In a blog post explaining the move, Darkroom says existing users will continue to have access to all of the app's premium features for free. For new users, Darkroom is hopeful that the subscription model will increase its revenues so that it can hire more people and invest more heavily in its infrastructure.

The popular photo editing app for the iPhone and iPad has also been updated to version 4.4 with new features, including a watermarking tool, a selection of custom app icons, and a photo export summary:

- Icon Picker:

It doesn't hurt to have a bit of fun now and then :) Those who have been following us for a while know that every year or so we tend to give our brand a big overhaul to reflect major changes to the app. Now you can pick from old favorites or fun new interpretations of our icon.

- Export Watermark:

Full-featured watermarking tool that allows you to set a text or image watermark, and control its size, location, opacity, and even typeface. More explicit form of protection, particularly in a world dominated by social media where images are often reshared without credit.

- Export Summary:

Now you can see a short summary of your most important options when exporting a photo, such as export file type and quality, is watermark or copyright metadata protection added etc.

Darkroom is available on the App Store for the iPhone and iPad.

Microsoft in September introduced Project xCloud, a service designed to allow gamers to play games on any device, from PCs to consoles to mobile devices.

Project xCloud for mobile devices has been available on Android for a few months now, but as of today, Microsoft is expanding it to the iPhone and iPad through a limited TestFlight beta test.

The Project xCloud beta test is available in the United States, UK, and Canada, and due to TestFlight restrictions, it is limited to a total of 10,000 testers.

The iOS TestFlight preview is kicking off with a single game, "Halo: The Master Chief Collection" and while the Android test version also includes Xbox Console Streaming, that feature is not available on iOS at this time.

Microsoft says that it anticipates demand will exceed capacity, and that it will be unable to accommodate all applicants. Invites will be provided on a first-come first-served basis.

Participating in the preview requires a Microsoft account and associated Xbox gamertag, a Bluetooth-enabled Xbox One Wireless Controller, an iPhone or iPad running iOS 13 or later, and access to a data connection that supports 10Mb/s down bandwidth.

iOS users who want to sign up for the beta test can do so by signing up on the Project xCloud website.

Microsoft says that it wants to work with Apple to bring the full preview of xCloud to more iOS customers in the future, and that it plans to use the feedback to improve the technology.

The Pokémon Company today announced the launch of its "Pokémon Home" cloud service, which is available on iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch. Pokémon Home is designed to allow users to transfer a Pokémon from one game, upload it to a Pokémon Box in the cloud, and then send it to another compatible game.

By linking the same Nintendo Account to Pokémon Home on the Nintendo Switch and an iOS device, Pokémon players can access the same Pokémon boxes from both platforms.

The Nintendo Switch version of Pokémon Home works with Pokémon Sword, Pokémon Shield, and Pokémon: Let's Go, while both the Switch version and the mobile version offer connectivity with the Nintendo 3DS software Pokémon Bank for transferring Pokémon from older games. In the future, the software will support Pokémon GO.

Along with transferring Pokémon between games, the Pokémon Home app also supports trades, and there are several trading methods available. Pokémon can be placed in a Wonder Box, traded via the GTS for specific Pokémon trades, added to a Room Trade event with up to 20 people, or traded with a friend.

Pokémon placed in Pokémon Home will be registered in the National Pokédex, including Mega Evolve or Gigantimax forms. The iOS version of Pokémon Home includes information on Pokémon abilities and the moves each Pokémon is able to learn.

Pokémon Home can be downloaded and used for free, but without upgrading to the premium tier, functionality is limited. Moving Pokémon from the Pokémon Bank, for example, is a premium feature, and the number of Pokémon that can be deposited or traded is also limited.

The Pokémon Home premium plan is priced at $2.99 for one month, $4.99 for three months, and $15.99 for a year. The Pokémon Home app can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]

MacMall today is discounting Apple's 64GB cellular 11-inch iPad Pro to $749.00, down from an original price of $949.00. This same iPad Pro is priced between $825 and $925 on competing retailer websites like Best Buy and Adorama, and this $749.00 price tag represents the best-ever price that we've tracked among the major Apple resellers online.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with MacMall. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

MacMall offers free two-day shipping and free returns on certain high-priced items, and the iPad Pro is eligible. The tablet is in stock, so if ordered today it will arrive by Friday, February 14. During checkout, you can also choose to change the storage size and color of the iPad, add AppleCare, or add accessories, but of course that will raise the price of the order.

11-Inch iPad Pro Sale

• 64GB Cellular - $749.00, down from $949.00 ($200 off, lowest ever)

The new lowest-ever discount on the 64GB cellular 11-inch iPad Pro comes after a round of markdowns hit Apple's entire iPad lineup earlier this week. If you visit our article on the sales, you'll find lowest prices on the iPad mini 5, 10.2-inch iPad, and a few other iPad Pro models, in addition to up to $50 off the iPad Air.

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

Reuters reports that Apple's main iPhone assembler Foxconn aims to reopen half of its manufacturing facilities in China by the end of February. The move would allow production lines to be phased back into action following the extensive lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Taiwan's Foxconn hopes to resume half of its production in China by month-end, a source told Reuters on Wednesday, as the supplier to tech giant Apple and others reopens plants shut over a coronavirus outbreak.

The world's largest contract electronics maker also aims to resume 80 percent of production in China in March, added the source, who has direct knowledge of the matter, citing internal targets set by Chairman Liu Young-Way.

Foxconn was originally planning to reopen its factories on February 10 to begin production on Apple devices after the Lunar New Year holiday, but the company's plans were put on hold due to the ongoing viral outbreak while facility inspections were performed. Local governments are concerned the virus will spread quickly in a labor-intensive working environment.

Foxconn this week got the go-ahead to reopen some major plants in China, and its plant in the eastern city of Kunshan was also approved on Tuesday to resume production. However, only around one tenth of the workforce had returned to two key plants in southern Shenzhen and central Zhengzhou as of Monday, a source told Reuters.

Apple has also extended the shutdown of its own retail stores in China. Stores were supposed to open on Monday, but Apple has decided to wait until February 15.

Apple typically sources components from multiple suppliers, mainly to diversify local production risks, and Apple is mulling shifting more assembly orders for its new models slated for launch in the first half of 2020 to factories in Taiwan, according to DigiTimes.

Last month we reported that Samsung was working on its own AirDrop killer for Galaxy devices, called Quick Share. On Tuesday, the Korean company unveiled its new trio of Galaxy S20 phones, and we finally got a better idea of what the local file-sharing feature can do.

On the face of it, Quick Share works just like Apple's AirDrop, in that if you're near another user with a supported device, they will show up on your screen and you can share a picture, video, or file with them. Similarly, Galaxy users can also choose to receive files from anyone or only people in their contacts.

However, Quick Share has an added feature that AirDrop lacks – it allows you to share files with up to five people simultaneously. With AirDrop, you can only send to one recipient at a time.

It'll be interesting to see if Apple develops AirDrop further in response to Samsung's Quick Share feature, given that we already know Apple is continually looking to improve its ad-hoc file sharing service. The most recent addition to AirDrop's capabilities is "directional AirDrop," which allows users to point an iPhone 11 at another ‌iPhone‌ user to instantly share files with them.

The feature was made possible by the U1 Wideband chip included in ‌iPhone‌ 11 devices that allows the distance between two Ultra Wideband devices to be measured precisely by calculating the time that it takes for a radio wave to pass between the two devices.

Apple says that the directional AirDrop feature is "just the beginning" of what is possible with Ultra Wideband, and says that "amazing new capabilities" are coming later.

The first Android smartphones with Ultra Wideband technology are expected to be released starting later in 2020. Meanwhile, Google is also working on its own AirDrop-like feature called Nearby Sharing for Pixel phones.

• How to Use AirDrop on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

In addition, China's big three mobile vendors are working collectively on an AirDrop-style peer-to-peer transfer protocol that is expected to launch this month. All of which suggests the development of new close-proximity file-sharing features could well hot up between the big players in the coming years.

Android used to have an NFC-based AirDrop equivalent called Android Beam, but it was discontinued with Android 10. Users have had to resort to third-party alternatives like Google's Files Go app since.

Quick Share is currently only available for the new Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra 5G, but Samsung says support for other devices is coming soon.