MacRumors

Instagram today released a new Data Download feature which is designed to let Instagram users download a copy of their photos, videos, stories, profile info, comments, and messages to comply with the European Union's upcoming GDPR privacy law.

While the privacy law is only applicable in Europe, Instagram has made the new download tool, accessible here as long as you're signed in to an Instagram account, available to all of its users.

An Instagram spokesperson told TechCrunch that while the Data Download tool is "currently accessible to everyone on the web," access via Android and iOS is still rolling out.

Once a data download request is submitted to Instagram, it takes some time for the data to be prepared. The company asks users to input an email address, with a download link set after the data is gathered. Instagram says data requests can take up to 48 hours to be fulfilled.

This is the first time that Instagram has offered users an option to download all of their data, including their photos that have been uploaded to the social network.

Instagram parent company Facebook has had a download data option for quite some time, and people have been surprised to find what kind of data Facebook is collecting. It appears the Instagram tool will be more limited in scope, but it will include all of a user's personal information.

Spotify held an event in New York City today, unveiling a new version of its free music streaming tier that introduces a few new features for those users not paying for Spotify's $9.99/month main subscription plan.

The new free tier allows users to pick and choose which music they want to listen to on-demand, but only if the tracks appear within one of the 15 curated discovery playlists. These include Daily Mix, Discover Weekly, Release Radar, and more. Previously, free tier users were limited to shuffling songs at random.

According to TechCrunch, "that's around 750 tracks (>40 hours of music) that Spotify is serving up to users for on-demand listening." Additionally, users on the free service will get recommendations based on their own playlists, with machine learning taking into account songs in the playlists and even the name of the playlists. Spotify calls this "assisted playlisting."

CNET reporter Joan E. Solsman also mentioned that free users will have access to podcasts and vertical videos. Curated playlists, like RapCaviar, will also "stay the same across both tiers" of free and premium users.

There is also a new low-data mode that aims to cut data consumption "by up to 75 percent." In total, Spotify head of product development, Babar Zafar, said Spotify's free tier is "becoming much more like Spotify premium" with this update. As a note, the free tier will still have advertisements between songs.

In the past, Spotify didn’t allow offline listening for free, meaning that users were somewhat tethered to wifi if they needed to conserve data.

With the new data consumption system, which caches music ahead of time to stream via 3G, users can actually listen to much more music with wireless data. Alongside utilizing 3G, Spotify is also optimizing the streaming itself as well as the app (including imagery and other UI elements) to save data and power.

As Spotify expands its free service, Apple Music still only offers new subscribers a chance to try things out for three months at no cost. Afterwards, users must pay for a subscription or cancel their plan.

When asked whether the company is worried about losing paying subscribers to the newly expanded free tier, chief product officer Gustav Söderström said that it wasn't in Spotify's plans to make a free experience feel worse in order to get them to become paid subscribers. Still, over time the streaming service hopes a more robust free tier turns users into paid subscribers. "The more you play, the more you pay," Söderström said.

Apple wants to reduce the price it pays Samsung for OLED displays used in current and future iPhone X models, according to DigiTimes.

The report, citing industry sources, claims Apple is requiring Samsung to lower its price to $100 per panel, down around 9.1 percent from the $110 that research firm IHS Markit estimated the iPhone maker paid in 2017.

Rather confusingly, the report first says Apple is negotiating with Samsung about the revised price, but later says it is a requirement.

If the price cut is indeed being forced upon Samsung, then Apple likely feels confident in its ability to secure OLED displays from LG as a second supplier, and is thereby benefitting from diversifying its supply chain and making its suppliers compete against each other on price in an effort to win millions of orders.

LG is widely considered to be ramping up its OLED display production capabilities in hopes of securing orders for Apple's next-generation iPhone lineup, but a recent report claimed mass production challenges have caused the company to fall behind schedule. It's unclear if those issues have been resolved.

Apple is expected to purchase up to 100 million OLED displays from Samsung in 2018, to be used for the current iPhone X, in addition to a second-generation iPhone X and so-called iPhone X Plus expected to launch in 2018.

Price cuts to the display and other components would help Apple lower its bill of materials for the iPhone X and future models, and the savings could potentially be passed on to customers. RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani, for example, believes the second-generation iPhone X will start at $899, down from $999.

No doubt, Apple's own bottom line also stands to benefit from reduced production costs, so these negotiations are most likely par for the course.

After first launching the "Amazon Key" service for users to allow delivery people to enter their home and drop off packages, Amazon today has revealed the expansion of the platform into "Amazon Key In-Car." Now, when Prime members in select cities checkout on Amazon, they will be able to choose an in-car delivery option.

The company says that the service is available at no extra cost for Prime members, and it is limited to certain vehicle brands: Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and Volvo. Users can check their vehicle's eligibility on Amazon.com, and then download the Amazon Key iOS app [Direct Link] to complete setup.

“Since launching Amazon Key last November, we’ve safely delivered everything from cameras to collectable coins inside the home. Customers have also told us they love features like keyless guest access and being able to monitor their front door from anywhere with the Amazon Key App,” said Peter Larsen, Vice President of Delivery Technology, Amazon.

“In-car delivery gives customers that same peace of mind and allows them to take the Amazon experience with them. And, with no additional hardware or devices required, customers can start ordering in-car delivery today.”

Afterwards, customers shop as normal on Amazon.com or in the Amazon mobile apps, select an eligible address, and then choose in-car delivery at checkout. The app gives customers a 4-hour time window for delivery, and requires the car to be parked within two blocks of the selected address.

Then, as the delivery arrives, Amazon says that it authorizes the delivery driver prior to unlocking the vehicle, and that "no special access or keys are given to the driver." The app then alerts customers that the package is in their car and their vehicle is relocked.

In a frequently asked questions section of the Amazon Key In-Car page, Amazon explains how the platform uses an active connected car service plan (OnStar or Volvo On Call) to communicate and lock/unlock a vehicle:

Amazon Key enables in-car deliveries by linking your Amazon Prime account with your Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac Owner Center account and active connected car service plan. If you do not currently have an active connected service plan, just push the blue OnStar button inside your vehicle to activate service. Services vary by model, and most 2015 model year and newer retail Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles qualify for a standard connectivity plan at no additional charge.

Amazon says this process is secure thanks to multiple layers of verification in the in-car delivery process. Each time a driver requests access to a vehicle, the company verifies that an authorized driver is at the designated location with the correct package, "through an encrypted authentication process." After that's complete, Amazon unlocks the car, sends customers a notification, and relocks the car after the package is secure.

There are some limits to the location of the parked car, with Amazon stating that in-car deliveries can only be made to a vehicle in an "open, street-level, and publicly accessible area," so no parking garages. Still, customers can order "tens of millions" of items on Amazon and deliver them to a vehicle, according to the company. Amazon Key In-Car launches today in 37 cities and surrounding areas across the United States.

Apple is launching the Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE in at least four more countries next month. The company plans to launch the cellular version of the smartwatch in Denmark, Sweden, India, and Taiwan on May 11, with pre-orders starting on May 4.

Network operator "3" is currently the sole cellular provider option at the point of sale on Apple's Danish and Swedish websites, while regional operators Reliance Jio and Airtel appear to have exclusive rights to sell Apple Watch LTE models and provide cellular connectivity for customers in India.

As part of its LTE deal, Jio is offering a new JioEverywhereConnect service, which allows customers to use the same Jio number on both their iPhone and Apple Watch at no extra cost. Airtel is also offering a special introductory cellular trial. Customers can pre-order from either company in-store or online from May 4.

Apple Watch Series 3 models with LTE launched September 22 in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, and the UK, with more countries to follow this year.

(Thanks Jonas, Martin, and Handlaren!)

Apple today won an auction for world screen rights to "Songwriter," a documentary about popular singer Ed Sheeran, reports Deadline.

Apple paid "low to mid-seven figures" for the rights to the documentary, and the company plans to make it an event release that will include a theatrical component along with a debut on Apple platforms.

"Songwriter" was directed by Murray Cummings, Sheeran's cousin, and it is said to be an "intimate, beautifully photographed" documentary that covers the creation of Sheeran's best-selling "Divide" album.

The film offers a glimpse inside the "intense collaborative process" that resulted in some of Sheeran's biggest hits, and it provides a look back at Sheeran's childhood through never-before-seen footage.

Along with Sheeran, the documentary will feature legendary producer Benny Blanco and musicians that include Amy Wadge, Johnny McDaid, Ryan Tedder, and Julia Michaels.

The documentary first premiered in Berlin, and tonight, will be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

Apple this afternoon shared several new iPad ads on its YouTube channel in the United Kingdom, all of which are designed to highlight the addition of Apple Pencil support to the low-cost tablet.

Each short video ranges in length from 12 seconds to 17 seconds and focuses on a different iPad and Apple Pencil feature or supported app. The Notes app is demonstrated in the first video, for example, while the drawing app Tayasui Sketches Pro is shown off in the second.

A third video highlights Apple Pencil integration in Keynote, a new feature that was announced alongside the debut of the new iPad, and the fourth video covers the Markup feature that can be used to edit screenshots, photos, images, and more.

All of these videos will likely be used both in TV spots and across social media sites, like Instagram. Apple has only shared these videos on the UK YouTube site so far, but they may shared in the U.S. at a later date.

Apple has already shared several tutorial-style videos to promote its new iPad with Apple Pencil integration, and it has been sharing the "Homework" ad that was first introduced at the March 27 event where the new tablet debuted.

Apple's latest 2018 iPad offers Apple Pencil support and a faster A10 processor at a price point of $329, making it Apple's most affordable tablet that works with the Apple Pencil.

Amazon's Kindle app for iOS was today updated to version 6.6, introducing a handful of useful new features to those who read Amazon books on their iPhones and iPads.

The updated version of the app features a new mobile-friendly format that's designed for magazines, and this new option comes shortly after rumors suggesting Apple is going to debut a subscription news service that would include magazines.

For background, Apple recently purchased Texture, a service that provides unlimited access to more than 200 digital magazines for $9.99 per month.

Amazon says that its new magazine-reading format is available for popular titles like Food Network, Cosmopolitan, Life & Style, Us Weekly, and 15 others to start with.

Today's update also allows Prime Reading and Kindle Unlimited books to be returned using the Kindle for iOS app. A book can be returned by long pressing on a book cover from the bookshelf interface and choosing the "Return book" option.

Kindle Unlimited is a subscription service that costs $9.99 per month and provides unlimited access to more than a million books, audiobooks, and magazines. Prime Reading, meanwhile, is a service that offers a smaller selection of content for free to Amazon Prime subscribers.

Along with the new options for Kindle Unlimited and the magazine format, the new Kindle app update also includes a setting to allow you to enable the highlight menu so it displays whenever text is highlighted.

The Kindle app for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Best Buy is back today with a refresh of deals on Apple and Apple-related products and accessories, this time including a deal on the iPhone X. With the sale, you can save up to $200 on Apple's iPhone X, when purchasing and activating the smartphone on Sprint's 24-month installment agreement.

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

The sale brings down the cost of the 256GB iPhone X to $949.99, from $1,149.99, with the savings reflected in reduced monthly payments over the life of the smartphone. There are also a few sales on accessories like the Powerbeats3, Ultimate Ears BLAST, and numerous discounts on 4K televisions. Check out more details on these deals in the list below:

• iPhone X - Save up to $200

• 2017 MacBook Pro - Save up to $200 / as low as $1,099.99 with Student Deals

• Powerbeats3 Wireless Headphones - Save up to $65 / as low as $134.99 in Break Blue

• Ultimate Ears BLAST - Save $50 / as low as $179.99

• Select 4K Ultra HD TVs - Save up to 30 percent

• Insignia Smart Home Products - Save between $5 and $15 on select devices

If you're looking at the Apple Watch Series 3, Best Buy also still has a trade-in offer going on in-store only: if you trade in any working Apple Watch, you can get $70 or more to put toward a new Apple Watch Series 3. Another ongoing offer from Best Buy that's stuck around since the retailer began its spring savings event is for an iPad mini 4 Wi-Fi + Cellular model on Verizon. With the discount, the iPad mini 4 is $329.99 paid upfront on a two-year contract, down from $529.99.

For the 2017 model of the 9.7-inch iPad, Walmart today has marked the 32GB tablet down to $249.99 from $329.99. The Wi-Fi model is available in both Space Gray and Silver, and Walmart's sale for the tablet beats the $280 price tag currently seen at Target and Best Buy.

As a reminder, anyone looking to add some color to their Apple devices should head over to ColorWare and take advantage of a MacRumors exclusive 30 percent discount. With the offer, our readers can save on all iPhone, iPad, and Mac skins, which are cut to fit precisely on each device, providing extra durability and protection against daily scratches and scuffs.

Lastly today we've rounded up the latest promotional code offers that Anker is running on Amazon:

• PowerLine+ II Lightning to USB 3.0 Cable (all colors) - $12.99 with code ANKER453, down from $17.99 (exp. 4/30)

• PowerLine+ Lightning Cable (10ft, all colors) - $12.59 with code ANKER823, down from $17.99 (exp. 4/30)

• PowerPort Qi-Certified Wireless Charger - $12.99 with code ANKER258, down from $19.99 (exp. 4/30)

• SoundBuds Slim Wireless Headphones - $21.99 with code ANKER411, down from $29.99 (exp. 4/30)

• Powerline+ USB C to USB 3.0 Cable (3ft, red and gray) - $7.69 with code ANKER868, down from $10.99

Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest sales happening this week, so be sure to head over to it if you're interested.

GE has a new HomeKit-enabled single-room air conditioner available for purchase, which is the first HomeKit-compatible GE product that's launched so far.

The GE Energy Star 115 Volt Electronic Room Air Conditioner (model number AHP08LX) can be purchased exclusively from Lowe's for $319. Though Lowe's is charging $319, the GE site says the MSRP for the device is $269, so it may be prudent to wait for a sale.

According to GE, the Window Air Conditioner offers 8,000 BTUs sufficient for cooling medium-sized rooms of 250 to 350 square feet. It comes equipped with a WiFi Connect feature, designed to allow the unit to be controlled via a smartphone.

WiFi Connect supports HomeKit, allowing the device to be monitored and accessed through the dedicated Apple Home app and through Siri commands. HomeKit compatibility also lets it be incorporated into scenes and automations.

There are few HomeKit-enabled air conditioning units on the market at this point in time, with the only other HomeKit air conditioner available from Haier in a limited number of markets.