Instagram today announced the launch of a new Stories feature called "Close Friends" that allows you to share stories with a select group of people rather than all your followers.
Starting today, you can make a close friends list on Stories and share with just the people you've added. Instagram Stories has become the place to express yourself and share everyday moments, but our community has grown and sometimes what you want to share isn't for everyone. With Close Friends, you have the flexibility to share more personal moments with a smaller group that you choose.
The feature works through follower suggestions based on who you interact with most, or via a contact search, from which you can then build the list for sharing Stories with fewer people.
You can find the list by going to your Instagram profile and tapping Close Friends in the side menu. When you go to share a Story, a new option appears to share it with only the people on your close friends list.
It's worth noting that Close Friends is a private list, so other users can't see it in your profile or request to be added to it, so you can switch up your selection at any time without the risk of retaliatory unfriending.
The only indication that your part of someone's Close Friends list is that you'll see a green badge when viewing stories shared to the list. There's also a green ring around the user's profile in the Stories tray.
As TechCrunch notes, the feature plays on the idea of "Finstagrams," or fake Instagram accounts that teens sometimes create to share posts to select friends without having to worry about about being judged by their wider peer group.
This latest addition to the Facebook-owned photo-based social network comes at a time when more and more people are moving from Facebook, which has come in for sustained criticism for its poor user privacy safeguards as well as a perceived lack of effort to protect user data, combat social media addiction, and prevent the spread of fake news.
Close Friends is rolling out globally today on the latest version of the Instagram app for iOS. [Direct Link]
In the last installment of our regular how-to series, we showed how you can set up an iOS device to get unique alerts when emails are received from your VIP contacts. In this article, we're going to show you how to do the same thing on your Mac.
In the native Mail application in macOS, the standard way of ensuring you receive new message notifications from VIPs is to go into Mail's Preferences and select VIPs in the New message notifications dropdown list.
Setting up VIP alerts this way is all well and good, but it prevents you from receiving notifications for all other messages coming into your inbox.
A better solution would be to set up a rule in Mail that plays a specific sound or bounces the Dock icon when a message is received and the sender is in your VIP list. Here's how to do it.
How to Get a Unique Alert for VIP Emails
Launch the Mail app on your Mac.
Select Preferences... from the Mail menu bar.
Select the Rules tab.
Click Add Rule.
Give your rule a name in the Description field.
For If, select Any.
For the first condition, select Sender is VIP from the first dropdown list.
Under Perform the following actions: select Play Sound from the first dropdown list. (Another option available here is Bounce Icon in Dock.)
Under Perform the following actions: choose a sound to play from the second dropdown list.
Click OK.
Click Apply.
With the rule set up, you'll now get a unique alert for every VIP mail you receive that you'll be able to distinguish from regular new message notifications as they come through.
Earlier this month, Financial Times reported that Apple had held talks with U.S. radio company iHeartMedia regarding the possibility of Apple taking a financial stake in the struggling radio company that filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. Despite its financial troubles, iHeartMedia remains the largest radio station owner in the country with over 850 AM and FM stations.
Financial Times has followed up with a new report today outlining some additional details on the negotiations between Apple and iHeartMedia, and while no deal has been struck, it appears Apple is considering several options that would help it leverage iHeartMedia's expertise in terrestrial radio and promote Apple Music and Beats 1 to millions of potential customers.
According to people familiar with the negotiations, Apple has considered buying a stake in the radio group, as well as signing a marketing or promotional partnership.
Another option under consideration is for Apple to acquire iHeartRadio’s streaming platform, which would be a relatively cheap way to reach the service’s 120m registered users.
One unnamed music executive quoted in the story notes that the millions of radio listeners around the world will "inevitably migrate" to online options over time, and Apple undoubtedly would love to make Apple Music the destination for those users as it continues to compete with the likes of Spotify.
The report also notes that Apple Music's user base has grown to 56 million subscribers, up from 50 million as of May. While the increase has pushed Apple past Spotify to become the largest music streaming service in the U.S., Spotify is still growing at a faster pace globally, adding 12 million users over the past six months to reach a total of 87 million subscribers.
Apple today quietly released new iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max silicone cases, as well as Apple Watch Sport Bands, in three new colors: Hibiscus, Mellow Yellow, and Pacific Green. In addition, Apple has begun selling the new Nike Sport Loop and Sport Band options that debuted on nike.com earlier this month in Celestial Teal, Olive Flak, and Smokey Mauve.
At the time it was first introduced, the listing for the new eGPU said that it would be released in late November, but as pointed out by 9to5Mac, the listing now says that the device won't be coming until December.
Priced at $1,199, the Blackmagic eGPU Pro features a Radeon RX Vega 56 graphics processor with 8GB MBM2 memory, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, four USB 3 ports, an HDMI 2.0 port, and a DisplayPort 1.4 port. It offers 85W of power delivery.
Like the prior non-Pro Blackmagic eGPU, the new version features an all-in-one aluminum enclosure. Apple's Thunderbolt 3-enabled Macs, including the Mac mini, the MacBook Air, and the MacBook Pro, work with the Blackmagic eGPU Pro.
Apple today shared its latest Apple Pay promo, which will provide Apple Pay customers who make a purchase through the Panera Bread app or the Panera Bread website with a $2 credit for a future order.
According to Apple, to get the deal, customers will need to use Apple Pay for an online Panera Bread order through the app or website. The Panera Bread app and the website can be used to order Panera Bread food for either delivery or pick-up.
To get the $2 credit for a future order, customers will need to spend $10 or more, exclusive of taxes and delivery fees. The offer is available from November 29 through December 5, and customers must be members of the MyPanera rewards program to receive the credit.
Apple's latest promo email also highlights Peet's Coffee, Jamba Juice, and Whole Foods, all of which accept Apple Pay.
Apple in October released completely redesigned 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models with edge-to-edge displays, no Home button, Face ID for authentication purposes, super fast processors, and slimmer, smaller bodies.
For people who are new to iPad or who are upgrading from an older model, we've compiled a list of some of the best iPad-related tips and tricks that are well worth checking out if you want to get the most out of your tablet. While some of these tips are specific to the iPad Pro, many are relevant to customers who own other iPad models as well.
Keyboard Flicking - As of iOS 11, Apple has offered a special keyboard feature on the iPad that's designed to let you use a flick gesture to quickly type letters and numbers without having to lift your fingers from the keys. A "flick" is a downward swiping gesture that brings up an alternate keyboard view.
Text Selection - To quickly select text on an iPad, tap the screen with two fingers and then swipe upwards or downwards to select several paragraphs of text at one time. You can also hold your two fingers on the screen to be more selective with the amount of text that you're highlighting.
Cursor Adjustment - If you want to change the location of your cursor, you can hold two fingers on the display of the iPad and move them around to adjust where your cursor is located, useful for making quick edits in a document. You can achieve the same effect by holding a finger down on the spacebar.
External Keyboard Shortcuts - When you're using an external keyboard with the iPad, such as the new Smart Keyboard Folio, there are a number of keyboard shortcuts that are worth knowing. You can use Command + Tab, for example, to switch between open applications, Command + Space to bring up Spotlight search, and you can use the spacebar to scroll through long webpages in Safari. You can see all of the available keyboard commands by holding down the Command key on an external keyboard.
Spacebar Wake Up - On the 2018 iPad Pro models, if you have an external keyboard attached, you can double tap on the spacebar to wake the iPad up and activate Face ID. This gives you a way to get into the iPad without having to touch the screen.
Animoji and Memoji - New 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models have Face ID, which means you can use Animoji and Memoji in the Messages and FaceTime apps.
Apple Pencil 2 Customization - If you want to customize the double tap gesture on your Apple Pencil 2, you can go into the Settings app under Apple Pencil to adjust it.
Instant Notes - With either the Apple Pencil or the Apple Pencil 2, you can tap the device on the screen of an iPad to wake it up and launch right into the Notes app, which is handy for starting a note right away. You don't even need to unlock the iPad first. Instant Notes can be customized in the Settings app under "Notes."
USB-C - Apple's new iPad Pro models are the first to use USB-C, which means you can do new things that you couldn't do before. The iPad Pro models can be plugged into a 4K monitor and connected directly to some cameras, drones, and other devices. You can't connect external storage, though, and you can't use the USB-C cable that ships with the iPad to connect to a 4K monitor. You'll need Apple's Thunderbolt 3 cable for that or USB-C to USB-C cable like this one from Belkin.
Charging Your iPhone - With a USB-C to Lightning cable, which Apple sells for $19, you can plug your iPhone into your iPad Pro, which will allow the tablet to charge the iPhone.
Do you know some other super useful iPad tips and tricks? Share them in the comments below.
Ikea's much-anticipated Trådfri smart outlets are now available for purchase in both the UK and the United States, providing a super affordable soon-to-be HomeKit-compatible smart plug solution for those who want to take advantage of HomeKit without spending a lot of money.
The Trådfri smart plug can be purchased for just $9.99 (or GBP9.99 in the UK), which is much cheaper than other HomeKit-enabled smart plug options on the market.
Unfortunately, while HomeKit support is in the works for the Trådfri smart plug, it isn't available just yet. An Ikea employee on the Trådfri team said yesterday on Reddit that HomeKit integration wasn't able to be implemented ahead of when the smart plug was released.
HomeKit support is in the works, however, and in the meantime, the smart plug can be controlled via the Trådfri app.
Using the Trådfri smart plug requires the $30 Trådfri Gateway. The Gateway is needed for all of Ikea's affordable smart home solutions, including light bulbs, dimmers, motion sensors, and more.
There's no word on when HomeKit support will be available for the Trådfri smart plug, but HomeKit was added for Trådfri smart lights connected to the gateway late last year. When HomeKit is available for the smart plug, the Trådfri system will be one of the cheapest ways to get a complete set of HomeKit products even with the expense and inconvenience of a hub.
The Trådfri smart plug was spotted on the Ikea website back in early October, but as Pocket-lint points out, it did not become available for purchase until recently.
Apple, a longtime supporter of AIDS research through its (RED) partnership, today shared some details on the work (RED) is doing to put an end to AIDS in Africa with the money it raises for the Global Fund.
Since its founding in 2006, (RED) has raised more than $600 million to support the Global Fund, $200 million of which has come from Apple.
Apple sells a selection of exclusive (PRODUCT)RED branded merchandise, and when customers purchase a (PRODUCT)RED device or accessory, a portion of the proceeds is donated to (RED). Apple has been selling (PRODUCT)RED merchandise for years now, and its most recent release is the red version of the iPhone XR.
Apple is (RED)'s largest corporate donor, and in its release today, Apple shared some stories of the HIV-positive caregivers who benefit from the money donated to the Global Fund, and the full article is well worth a read.
The Global Fund has provided money to thousands of facilities in Kenya and seven other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and it's made a huge impact cutting down on the spread of the disease. In 2017, there were 53,000 cases of HIV in Kenya, a major improvement over the number of HIV cases back in 2000 when 9.3 percent of all adults in the country were HIV-positive.
With improved access to HIV treatment through the Global Fund, which provides 17.5 million people with life-saving antiretroviral treatments at the moment of diagnosis, just 4.8 percent of adults in Kenya were HIV-positive in 2017.
"The Global Fund and (RED) have made a huge impact in the lives of HIV-positive patients," says Robina Anene Muli, who runs the Embakasi Health Centre. "Especially when it comes to testing kits, ARVs and other drugs -- they provide 80 percent of our supplies and funding."
Apple is planning a major fundraising effort in honor of World AIDS Day, set to take place this Saturday. From December 1 to December 7, $1 of every Apple Pay purchase made at an Apple Store, through the Apple Store app, or on the Apple website will be donated to (RED).
Apple will also turn the Apple logos at many of its retail stores red to raise AIDS awareness, as it has done in past years.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming tvOS 12.1.1 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the third tvOS 12.1.1 beta and a month after releasing tvOS 12.1.
The new tvOS 12.1.1 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode. Subsequent betas can be downloaded over-the-air.
We're not yet sure what fixes and changes the tvOS 12.1.1 update might bring, but it's likely to focus on bugs that were not able to be addressed in the tvOS 12.1 update.
Apple provides little information on its tvOS software and tvOS updates have historically been minor in scale, so we may not know what's included in this update. Despite the lack of info Apple offers, we continue to share updates on tvOS beta releases so that developers and public beta testers are aware when new content is available to download.
Nothing new was discovered in the first three tvOS 12.1.1 betas, but we'll update this post if any new features are found in the fourth beta.
Update: Apple has also made a new beta of tvOS 12.1.1 available to public beta testers.
Apple today shared a new ad that focuses on the recently introduced Group FaceTime feature, designed to allow iOS and Mac users to chat with up to 32 people at one time.
The video, entitled "A Little Company," features a bunch of different Elvis impersonators on a Group FaceTime call singing the song "There's Always Me" by Elvis Presley.
The video shows off the tiled interface that's used with Group FaceTime, designed to highlight the person who is speaking at the current time.
Group FaceTime also has a feature that lets you use Animoji, Memoji, and filters during your video chats, but that option is not shown off in today's video.
Group FaceTime was introduced as a main feature in the iOS 12 beta, but it was not ready for iOS 12's September launch so Apple temporarily removed it. Group FaceTime was re-released in iOS 12.1, which Apple launched in late October.
Apple today announced that it will be attending the 2018 Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems, aka NeurIPS, in Montréal, Canada from December 2 through December 8. Apple will have a booth staffed with machine learning experts and invites any conference attendees to drop by and chat.
NeurIPS is in its 32nd year and is said to be the world's largest and most influential machine learning and artificial intelligence conference. Apple is likely there to showcase its machine learning technologies and recruit new employees.
Machine learning algorithms play a role in virtually every Apple product and service, ranging from Apple Maps and Apple News to Siri and the QuickType keyboard on iPhone and iPad. Apple has machine learning jobs available in areas such as artificial intelligence, computer vision, data science, and deep learning.
Despite the lack of a big design refresh in iOS 12 this year, Apple recently updated Apple Music with new features like revamped artist pages, coming soon albums, and UI fixes to the way albums and singles are displayed. One of the features that remains unavailable to Apple Music subscribers, however, is a way to view a history of your listening statistics on the streaming music service.
Following Apple's recently launched Data and Privacy portal, which lets customers download a copy of their Apple-related data, developer Pat Murray has built a browser-based app aimed at visualizing your Apple Music activity. With the download of one file on Apple's Data and Privacy portal, Murray's app organizes your complete Apple Music listening history since you first started using the service.
The developer promises that none of your data ever leaves your computer in the process, and explained to me that once it's loaded, the web app will even work offline and still be able to run all computations and present users with their data. The full source of the app is available to read on GitHub, and it's worth pointing out that Murray's app is only asking for access to a single CSV file related to your Apple Music activity, and nothing else.
Follow the steps below to get your Apple Music-related data from Apple:
Navigate to Downloads and in the search field, search for "Apple Media Services Information" and double click on it
Find the "App_Store_iTunes_Store_iBooks_Store_Apple_Music" folder, and underneath that find "Apple Music Activity"
Find "Apple Music Play Activity.csv" and open it
With your Apple Music data open in Murray's web app, you'll be presented first with your most played song overall on Apple Music, including the number of times you've listened to it, hours spent listening to it, and hours spent skipping it. Below that, you'll be able to find your most played songs of each year that you've been subscribed to the service, the total amount of time you've spent listening to music, the day you've listened to the most music, and total library song/artist count.
Murray also presents your most played artists in descending order, detailing the number of plays and total time spent listening to each. Below that are a few interesting charts and graphs. The first shows the "Playing Time by Month," allowing you to visualize the months you listened to Apple Music the most versus ones with lower activity.
With the "Playing Time by Date" tool, Murray has created a miniature calendar that shows your total Apple Music play time for every day you've had the service, and lets you know out of those days how many you didn't listen to any music. Similarly, "Playing Time by Hour of Day" shows the most frequent times on average that you listen to Apple Music based on the time of day.
The Apple Music Analyzer also provides specific sections for each year you've used Apple Music. When you click "Open" on any of these, you'll see your top 20 most played songs for the year with the usual hours listened to and play count stats.
Below this, Murray has created a "Reasons A Song Finished Playing" section, offering the amount of times a song ended normally, a song was paused, skipped, scrubbed to the end, a session timed out, and more. Lastly, the web app provides a simple and straightforward list of all the songs you've ever listened to on Apple Music. With this tool, you can reorganize the list to prioritize listening time or play count in ascending or descending order.
For anyone who has ever been a fan of sites like Last.fm or personal stat breakdowns in general, Murray's web app is a fun and intriguing dive into your Apple Music history. Apple has not indicated if even a rudimentary feature such as listening history will ever come to Apple Music, and in this area some of its rivals do offer at least some form of personalized listening history.
Spotify, for example, creates a mini website towards the end of every year with a breakdown of each user's most listened to tracks, artists, and genre for the past 12 months. Spotify began the 2018 Wrapped campaign today, and will reveal its subscribers' listening stats for the year on December 6. Apple Music users have found creative alternatives to this feature using Smart Playlists and even the new Shortcuts app, but these still only result in a single playlist that usually detail most played songs and not much else.
Earlier this year, graphic designer Álvaro Pabesio envisioned an update for Apple Music that included listening history stats, among many other tweaks to the service. In Pabesio's vision, Apple Music would be able to track your play count, music discovery, play time, and more, and you could break it down by the past week, month, year, etc. This information would also fuel the social aspects of Apple Music, giving you an approximate taste comparison with other people on the service to see if you listen to the same genres and artists.
Apple Music concept by Álvaro Pabesio
If you're interested in reading about your own Apple Music listening history, be sure to check out Pat Murray's web tool and follow the steps above to get your music stats. Murray is the developer behind numerous other projects, including the iOS app Live Memories [Direct Link], which creates a miniature movie from Live Photos, and GitHub projects like Share Your Rings, which lets you export a GIF or video of your personal Apple Watch move rings to send to your friends.
Update 12/12: Murray updated the web app recently with a new card that displays "My Music - 2018", in a similar style to the Spotify Wrapped cards shared across social media. With the information you can see your minutes of music listened in 2018, top artists, and top songs.
To find the new section, follow the above steps and once your Apple Music play activity is loaded into Murray's Apple Music Analyzer, scroll down and below your top artists you'll find the new 2018 card.
Orders placed today are estimated to be delivered in the first week of December. Quantities are limited, however, so we recommend acting fast or using Refurb Tracker to monitor when inventory is replenished.
Apple says certified refurbished iPad models are thoroughly inspected, tested, cleaned, and repackaged in a new white box, with all accessories and documentation included. Every refurbished iPad receives a new battery and a new outer shell, making it virtually indistinguishable from a brand new iPad.
Every refurbished iPad is covered by Apple's standard one-year warranty effective on the date the tablet is delivered. The coverage can be extended to two years from the refurbished purchase date with AppleCare+ for iPad, which costs $69 or $3.49 per month for the the 9.7-inch iPad in the United States.
While certified refurbished iPads represent a decent opportunity for savings, better deals were offered on the sixth-generation 9.7-inch iPad on Black Friday last week. Walmart and Target, for example, offered the Wi-Fi model with 32GB of storage for just $249 brand new, less than Apple's refurbished price of $279.
Those interested in a better deal on the sixth-generation iPad can monitor the price charts in our continuously updated Apple Deals roundup.
Portrait Mode photo editor Focos received an update today that should pique the interest of iPad owners. We've highlighted the iPhone app in the past for its impressive granular aperture and bokeh adjustment tools, but the latest version builds on the existing feature set by adding more extensive support for iPads.
With this latest 1.6 update, Focos brings a new, specially designed interface to iPad that's more convenient to use on the larger screens.
In addition, Focos now includes support for taking portrait pictures on Apple's latest 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, while for owners of earlier iPad models, it's now possible to edit portrait pictures transferred from a dual-camera iPhone.
Focos users are able to multiple-select and transfer portrait pictures from iPhone to iPad right from within the app for further editing.
Focos also includes Apple Pencil support, making it possible to patch the depth map of a portrait photo more precisely using Apple's latest input device.
Previously the Patch tool was an in-app purchase, but in this latest version it's now free to use, providing photographers with another reason to get the iPad version to edit their portrait pictures precisely.
Focos is a free download for iPads and dual-lens iPhones from the App Store, although several pro features are behind a paywall. It costs $0.99 per month or $6.99 per year to unlock them, but there's also an $11.99 lifetime access purchase option. [Direct Link]
Following yesterday's Apple Pay launch in Belgium, Apple today updated its Maps app to include transit information across the country.
Apple has yet to update its official list of locations for which Maps offers Transit data, but several tipsters contacted MacRumors to confirm the information is already live.
The coverage includes train, tram, and bus routes in the main cities as well as other funicular connections around the country. Belgian connections to nearby connections abroad also feature in Apple's coverage.
Google Maps has supported transit directions for several years now, but Apple Maps has been adding transit data since 2015 and is steadily catching up with detailed routing information.
If you use the VIP feature in the iOS Mail app then you'll already know how they can help you keep track of important messages from your key contacts amid the daily torrent of incoming emails.
Keeping on top of VIP emails can be made even easier by ensuring you receive a specific sound or vibration alert whenever one comes through on your iPhone or iPad. That way you'll know if a new message justifies your immediate attention before you've even looked at your iOS device. Here's how to set them up.
Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap Mail in the list.
Tap Notifications.
Tap VIP.
Tap Sounds.
Choose a unique sound from the list or tap Vibration to select a special vibration. The default sound alert is Ding (Classic), so be sure to choose something different.
With that done, the next time you receive an email from one of your VIPs, you'll get the unique notification alert and immediately know it's an important message.
Apple is facing a class action lawsuit that accuses the company of failing to install vent filters in MacBooks and iMacs, leading to lower processor speeds and screen smudges from trapped dust, which result in expensive repairs for consumers.
News of the lawsuit was published today by Hagens Berman, the firm handling the case.
"Apple is the most valuable company in the world today because consumers trust it to make reliable, quality products, yet it has failed to remedy one of the most simple and well-known problems in the technology community - the accumulation of dust," said Steve Berman, managing partner and co-founder of Hagens Berman. "This filter defect is costing Apple owners hundreds of dollars in repairs, and Apple refuses to take responsibility."
"We intend to hold Apple accountable for this costly defect affecting millions of its computers," Berman added.
According to the lawsuit, some iMac, iMac Pro, MacBook Pro, MacBook, and MacBook Air users have experienced dark smudges and spots on the interior of the screens of their computers as well as excessive slowness due to heating issues because of the lack of a filter in these devices.
The computer intakes air to cool its components, but with no filter, dust gets trapped inside. This affects the screen and logic board of the computer, leading to dust stuck behind the screen and gummed up motherboards, causing the computer to run slow and/or overheat.
Dust accumulating from the air allegedly impacts the screen and the motherboard, causing spots on the display and heat regulation issues.
Hagens Berman says that Apple has been charging customers with machines out of warranty upwards of $600 to fix these problems. The lawsuit says iMac and MacBook models from 2013 to 2018 are affected.
Several plaintiffs are named in the lawsuit, including a photographer who was plagued by dark spots on her Mac's display, a user who had smudges on his iMac who was required to pay $600 for a replacement after five months, and a third iMac owner who saw dark smudges soon after making a purchase and subsequently had his display and motherboard replaced multiple times, leading to high repair bills.
The class action lawsuit is seeking monetary compensation for Mac owners, including compensation for screens that "did not perform as advertised," reimbursement for out-of-pocket repair costs, and compensation for those who sold their computers at a loss due to dark smudges on the display or poor performance.
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