MacRumors

File sharing service WeTransfer today announced a new version of its mobile app called Collect, billed as "the best way to organize ideas".

The file-sharing app has been redesigned to enable users to build ideas together in a visual way, allowing multiple people to add photos, videos, articles, notes, songs, and links to one unified place.

Users can save any type of media to boards, which can then be edited collaboratively and shared with others. The new app also features instructive illustrations that walk users through all of the app’s features for collecting, sharing, and collaborating.

Essentially, Collect offers the ability to quickly collect and share content in a visual way, while also allowing users to share a quick link to a single large file. Gordon Willoughby, CEO of WeTransfer, offered these comments:

"Collect by WeTransfer solidifies our evolution from a simple file-sharing service to a wider set of beautifully obvious digital tools that encourage creation and collaboration. Following our recent acquisition of Paper & Paste, this couldn't be a better time to introduce the Collect experience to a wider group of users and build on our commitment to creating products that make sharing ideas effortless."

Collect by WeTransfer is a free download for iPhone and iPad, available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Noted leaker Evan Blass this morning tweeted a render of an iPad Pro that features slimmer bezels, no Home button, and what looks like an inline TrueDepth camera system that does away with the need for a notch.

Blass did not offer any information on the render, apart from the cryptic message "Of course I just bought a Pro not too long ago," which suggests that he received the render from a case maker. Blass typically only shares leaks that he believes are from credible sources.

Face ID on the new iPad Pro will reportedly allow users to unlock a device when it is held at a horizontal angle, rather than limiting unlocking to the vertical orientation. However, initial setup of Face ID is said to be performed in portrait orientation.

The new iPad Pro models should be available in 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch sizes, both powered by Apple's faster A12X Bionic processor. The Lightning port on the devices is expected to make way for USB-C, which would allow for faster charging and new functionality not possible via Lightning such as the ability to drive a 4K monitor.

In addition, rumors suggest Apple could be about to announce a new Apple Pencil 2 with support for tap and swipe gestures, a new design, and a new charging method. It's possible the accessory will charge wirelessly when docked to the iPad Pro, with Apple eliminating the Lightning port, although no further information is available at this time.

It's not long to go before we'll know for sure. Apple's October 30 event takes place today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (that's 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time and 2:00 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time) with Apple planning to live stream the event on its website and through the Events app on the Apple TV.

Apart from new iPad Pros, we'll expecting a new Mac mini, a low-cost Retina Notebook, and possibly more. MacRumors will have live coverage of all of Apple's announcements, both here on the site and on our MacRumorsLive Twitter account.

Update: It appears the "rendering" is a fake photoshopped image of a UAG case marketing shot, as shown here with the original wallpaper.

Popular Reddit app Apollo was removed from the App Store this afternoon after developer Christian Selig released an update that adds push notifications as a premium feature, Selig explained on Reddit.

After introducing the latest version of the Apollo app, which has a paid feature enabling push notifications, Apple informed Selig that he was in violation of rule 3.2.2 that prohibits apps from monetizing Push Notifications and other iPhone and iPad capabilities provided by the hardware or operating system. The email Selig received from Apple:

Hello,
We are writing to let you know about new information regarding your app, Apollo for Reddit, version 1.3, currently live on the App Store.
Upon re-evaluation, we found that your app is not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines. Specifically, we found:

Business - 3.2.2 We noticed that your in-app purchase auto-renewable subscription product provides access to built-in Push Notification capabilities, which is not appropriate for the App Store.
For this reason, your app will be removed from sale on the App Store at this time.

Deliberate disregard of the App Store Review Guidelines and attempts to deceive users or undermine the review process are unacceptable and is a direct violation Section 3.2(f) of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement. Continuing to violate the Terms & Conditions of the Apple Developer Program will result in the termination of your account, as well as any related or linked accounts, and the removal of all your associated apps from the App Store.

Future submissions of this app may require a longer review time, and this app will not be eligible for an expedited review. If you have any questions about this information, please reply to this message to let us know.

Selig said that he's "quite confused" by Apple's decision, as he had worked with Apple on the implementation of the premium service after the app update was previously rejected for the same reason.

For background, several weeks ago, Selig said that the 1.3 update of Apollo had been rejected by Apple because it included the in-app purchase for unlocking push notifications. Selig explained at the time that he needs to charge to add push notifications due to the server costs associated with implementing them.

In an update earlier this month, Selig said he was able to develop a workaround with Apple by bundling the feature with other premium options like app theming and custom icons for an "Apollo Ultra" service, and the update was released on Saturday.

It's not clear why Apple pulled the Apollo app after telling Selig that it was appropriate to implement push notifications as part of a paid bundle of features, but Apple has been known for making confusing App Store decisions in the past. It's likely the issue will be solved quickly, and Selig says he will keep Apollo customers updated on the status of the app.

Update: Apollo is back in the iOS App Store and the app will be able to keep the Apollo Ultra in-app purchase option with push notifications as a paid feature.

Twitter is reportedly planning to remove "likes" from the social media platform as its CEO Jack Dorsey told employees at an in-house event last week that he was "not a fan of the heart-shaped button," and that it would be eliminated "soon" (via Variety). In a Tweet, the Twitter Communications team said it is "rethinking everything" about the platform to incentivize healthy conversation, neither confirming nor denying the rumor.

The removal of the like button is said to be aimed at improving the quality of debate on Twitter, preventing people from showing favoritism in a tweet thread by liking the comments they agree with. Everything else in terms of tweet interaction appears to be staying intact, however, so users can expect retweets and replies to look the same as they currently do if the like button disappears.

It has now been three years since Twitter first rebranded "stars" and "favorites" to "hearts" and "likes." At the time, the company said that the original star system was "confusing" for new users and that hearts would be more straightforward. Since then, Twitter has come under fire for its lax responses to certain user harassment claims and safety practices in its tweet threads, leading to privacy updates and reporting features.

More recently, the company confirmed that it will bring back the classic reverse chronological timeline as an option for users. Over the years, Twitter has introduced a curated timeline that mixes in ads, Tweets liked by friends, follower recommendations, and more, instead of the original and simple reverse chronological list of tweets. The return of the reverse chronological timeline will kick off as a test for some users this fall.

Just prior to rebranding as Eve Systems to focus on HomeKit devices in late June, Elgato launched its Eve Aqua water controller, a HomeKit-enabled device that attaches to an outdoor water faucet to control and monitor water usage.

While Eve Aqua can be used with any hose connection, it's primarily intended for use with sprinklers, which can be set to run automatically on a schedule for optimal watering. I've been testing out an Eve Aqua at my home over the past few months, and I've found it to be a helpful automation tool to assist with irrigation needs.

Installation

Installation of Eve Aqua is simple, as it comes with two AA batteries needed for power and simply screws onto your existing exterior water faucet. The bottom of the Eve Aqua has a male connector that allows you to screw a hose with female connector directly on, or the Eve Aqua comes with an adapter that can be screwed on to support quick connections.

I did have initial issues with some water leaking around the top connection, but after several attempts and making sure things were screwed together quite tightly, I was able to mostly eliminate the problem. I've retightened it a couple of times over the past few months after slight drips have appeared, and that's kept things under control.

Once you have the Eve Aqua installed, the Eve app walks you through the rest of the setup process: scanning the HomeKit code, assigning it to a room, giving it a name, and configuring options such as schedules. If you need to change the unit settings such as liters to gallons, you'll find that in the Eve section within the iOS Settings app, which can be a bit tricky to discover.

Controls

With schedules, Eve Aqua can run your sprinkler automatically at the optimal watering times, but you can also control things on demand through a number of methods. The Eve app and Apple's Home app both offer manual control, while Siri lets you turn things on and off with just your voice. And if you prefer not to use a device or someone else needs to control things, there's a button on the Eve Aqua itself that will start and stop the water flow. A "child lock" option in the Eve app settings can disable the button to prevent kids or others from manually turning on the water.

Schedules are stored locally on the Eve Aqua, so they will run automatically regardless of whether it has a wireless connection. A connection is of course required to add or modify schedules or to control Eve Aqua on demand. Notably, the schedules used for Eve Aqua are limited to the Eve app, so you won't be able to use the Home app to set them up.

Beyond controlling watering schedules, Eve Aqua is also able to estimate water usage, which can be handy if you want to keep tabs on how much water is going into maintaining your lawn or garden. Eve Aqua doesn't measure water flow directly, but if you use the Eve app to input the flow rate for your sprinkler attached to the Eve Aqua, the app will calculate your estimated usage based on the duration of your watering sessions. It does, of course, mean that you need to know the flow rate for your irrigation device.

Similar to how Scenes work in Apple's Home app, the Eve app also supports Scenes, and Eve Aqua can be used as either a trigger or as a part of a scene if you wish to automate multiple aspects of your home simultaneously.

Connectivity

Eve Aqua connects wirelessly over Bluetooth Low Energy, allowing you to control it via the Eve app, Apple's Home app, or Siri right from your iOS devices. If you have an Apple TV, iPad, or HomePod, you'll also be able to remotely access Eve Aqua.

Siri and Home app controls generally work well, although I did have a couple of instances where it failed to connect to Eve Aqua. It wasn't a consistent problem, however, and most of the time the Eve Aqua responded to my Siri commands within a few seconds.

I'm not sure how long to expect the batteries in the Eve Aqua to last, as the Eve app is still reporting a 100 percent battery level even after three months of occasional use. Obviously the more often you access Eve Aqua wirelessly, the faster the batteries will run down. But once they do get low, it's a simple process to swap in new AA batteries, and it's a good idea to remove batteries anyway while storing it over the winter.

Weather resistance

As an accessory that will likely remain mounted on the outside of your home for weeks or months at a time, the Eve Aqua needs to stand up to the elements, and Eve Systems has done that, with the device carrying an IPX4 water resistance rating. That means the Eve Aqua can stand up to splashing water from any direction, which is what you'd expect with exposure to the elements. The rating doesn't cover exposure to forceful water jets or immersion, both of which your Eve Aqua is very unlikely to encounter in normal use.

Eve Aqua also has UV protection under an Australian certification program, assuring that the device will stand up to sun exposure for an extended period of time without being damaged. I've had mine attached to an external spigot for three months, and aside from some dirt and leaf matter it's picked up over time that can be easily cleaned off, it's still in great shape.

While Eve Aqua can stand up to sun and rain, it is not protected from frost or freeze exposure, so you will need to remove it and bring it indoors for the winter, depending on your location. That's to be expected, as any freezing of water inside the device could easily damage the internals, and homeowners in colder areas should generally be turning off water supplies to their exterior faucets for the coldest parts of winter anyway in order to avoid frozen faucets and potentially burst pipes.

Wrap-up

Eve Aqua is a handy accessory if you want to regularly schedule sprinkler watering sessions, and if you're a data geek you might appreciate the estimated water consumption graphs provided within the Eve app. The conveniences come with a price tag, however, and $100 is a bit of an outlay, so you'll need to consider whether the cost is worth it for your specific situation.

Connectivity can occasionally be spotty, but for the most part, the controls work well and even when connections aren't working, the issues seem to resolve fairly quickly and already-set schedules will continue to run thanks to the onboard memory. And hopefully, Eve will be able to address some of the connectivity issues in future firmware updates.

If this is the sort of accessory you're interested in, it's Eve or nothing, and the Eve Aqua is the only HomeKit product we've seen in this niche. Rachio's irrigation controller has recently gained HomeKit support, but that device is for controlling dedicated irrigation systems rather than traditional spigot-and-hose systems.

Eve Aqua is priced at $99.95 and is available from Amazon, Apple, and other select retailers.

Note: Eve Systems provided the Eve Aqua to MacRumors free of charge for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon and may earn commissions on purchases made through links in this article.

Apple revealed the Apple Watch Series 4 during an event in September, highlighting a new electrocardiogram (ECG) app that will be coming to users in the United States through a watchOS software update later in the year. Regulatory clearance is required for the ECG feature, and because of this it will be limited to the U.S. at launch, although the company is working on approval for other countries.

In a new post by 9to5Mac today, code found within iOS related to the ECG feature suggests that the ECG limitation is based on software, not hardware. This means that gaining access to the ECG app in a non-U.S. territory will be as simple as changing the region of the Apple Watch Series 4 and connected iPhone to the United States.

iPhone region can be changed by going to the Settings app > General > Language and Region, and then selecting the Region of your choice. Those who switch regions should note that the time, date, currency formats, and more will be affected by the change.

The ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 works by placing a finger on the Digital Crown while wearing the watch. The electrodes in the Apple Watch detect the electrical impulses from your heartbeat and route the data to the S4, where it is converted into a signal for Apple's algorithms. This results in a heart rhythm classification that can vary between a normal rhythm to an atrial fibrillation. All of your ECG results are stored in the Health app in PDF format and can be easily shared with your doctor.

While the FDA has granted de novo clearance for the ECG feature, that's not the same as FDA approval and the agency does not recommend that the ECG feature be used by those under 22 or those who have already been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. The FDA warns that Apple's ECG app is not designed to replace traditional methods of diagnosis or treatment and is intended for informational use only. The Series 4 is the first ECG product being offered over the counter directly to consumers.

Developers behind iOS camera app Halide say that they are planning to ship a version of the app that enables Portrait Mode on iPhone XR for "all sorts of things," and not just people (via Reddit). Because the iPhone XR has a single-lens rear camera (and not a dual-lens like iPhone XS), the cheaper smartphone doesn't capture as much depth information and the Portrait Mode bokeh effect in Apple's own Camera app only works on people.

We think with some more tooling, we'll be able to ship a version of our app that enables portrait mode for all sorts of things. It seems it'll be a bit more 'temperamental'; in some settings it won't work if there's not enough variance in relative distance of objects, but a can of soda water on my desk worked just fine.

Still, as Halide's Reddit post explains, this means that third-party camera apps on the iOS App Store will be able to provide users with a form of Portrait Mode on iPhone XR that enables bokeh effects around more than just people. Halide mentions that the iPhone XR's depth map is "way lower resolution" than the dual cameras on the iPhone XS, "but it seems usable."

iPhone XR launched a few days ago on October 26 and was met with positive reviews from the media, which praised its LCD display, bright colors, and iPhone XS-level performance. Thanks to the smartphone's lower price tag in comparison to the iPhone XS and XS Max, most outlets agreed that the iPhone XR will be the smartphone that most people will want to choose when looking at the new 2018 lineup of iPhones.

Update 12:00 p.m. PT: Halide has submitted version 1.11 to the iOS App Store, which unlocks the ability to take photos with Portrait Mode effects on pets and objects using iPhone XR. Now that it's been submitted, Halide says the update will be out soon, once it passes App Store review. More information can be found in the company's blog post.