United Kingdom

In iOS 17.1 and later, iPhone users in the UK can now view banking information like account balance when using Apple Pay and viewing bank cards and credit cards in the Wallet app. Keep reading to learn how it works. Apple's Wallet app on iPhone has been able to display Apple Pay transactions made using your bank and credit cards for a while now, but if you are a Wallet app user in the United ...

If you live in the United Kingdom, there's a good chance you enjoyed yesterday's first official bank holiday of the year with your feet up. But if all you'd done was rely on the Calendar app on your iPhone, you may never have even known you were due a day off. That's because a persistent bug that has plagued the app for months still prevents Apple's UK bank holidays subscription option from...

Apple Intelligence is now available with iOS 18.1, exclusively in U.S. English – so what do users in the UK need to know? Apple Intelligence is Apple's upcoming artificial intelligence system that offers personalized, context-aware features, such as notification summaries, writing tools, image and emoji generation, Visual Lookup, and a revamped version of Siri that integrates ChatGPT and...

The UK's NHS has confirmed plans to use Apple's contact tracing technology in an upcoming app that will warn users if they've recently been in contact with someone suspected to be infected with coronavirus (via BBC News). Britain's health secretary Matt Hancock, who announced the move at the government's daily pandemic press briefing, said the NHS was "working closely with the world's...

Streaming device maker Roku has launched its free ad-supported Roku Channel in the UK, offering access to over 10,000 movies, TV shows, and documentaries at a time when stay-at-home entertainment is in high demand. The Roku Channel can be accessed on Roku devices and – thanks to exclusive UK partnerships – Now TV sticks and Sky Q set-top boxes via the dedicated Roku app. If you're...

Britain's big telecoms providers have agreed to lift the data caps on all fixed-line broadband services to help people isolated at home following the coronavirus epidemic, reports Reuters. The companies, which include BT, Virgin Media, Sky, O2, Vodafone, Three, and TalkTalk, committed to support and protect vulnerable customers during the pandemic following talks with the government and...

U.K. iPhone and iPad users who open the App Store this morning are being met with a COVID-19 public service announcement from the British government, signaling an expansion of Apple's efforts to prominently display official coronavirus alerts on its devices. Tapping on the prioritized card takes users to an NHS app link and a video containing coronavirus protection guidance from the UK...

The U.K. spending limit for contactless card payments is to increase from £30 to £45, meaning iPhone users will soon be able to pay for more expensive shopping bills using their smartphones in stores where limitless Apple Pay transactions aren't supported. The increase in the upper limit on contactless payments is set to roll out nationally beginning from April 1, UK Finance today announced. ...

Disney+ today officially launched in the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, and Austria. The premium streaming service is accessible via web browser, on Amazon Fire devices, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV (4K or HD), iOS devices, Android, Google Chromecast, Xbox One, PS4, and smart TVs from LG, Sony, Samsung, and Vizio. You can download the iPhone and iPad apps her...

Long-standing mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse has announced that it will close all 531 of its standalone stores on Britain's high streets next month, with around 60 percent of staff (2,900) set to lose their jobs. As part of the same company that owns Currys PC World, Carphone Warehouse has 350 mini-shops inside 305 of those stores, but these will not be affected by the changes....

With a week to go before Disney+ launches in the U.K., the streaming giant has partnered with mobile provider O2 to offer two exclusive deals to customers on the network. New and upgrading O2 monthly customers can get six months of free access to Disney+ when it launches in the U.K. on March 24. The offer is open to anyone who orders a new (or upgrades to a new) handset, tablet, or SIM-only...

Apple's Victoria Square retail store in Belfast, Northern Ireland reportedly closed its doors early on Wednesday to undergo a deep clean, following suspicions of a coronavirus contamination in the local area. Video shared on Facebook appeared to capture a clean-up operation taking place at the store. In the clip, two people wearing breathable isolation suits can be seen wiping the Sequoia...

The director general of Britain's Security Service is arguing for "exceptional access" to encrypted messages, in the ongoing battle between authorities and technology companies, reports The Guardian. MI5 head Andrew Parker MI5's director general has called on technology companies to find a way to allow spy agencies "exceptional access" to encrypted messages, amid fears they cannot otherwise...

Apple has been offering certified refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pro models in the United States for a couple of weeks now, but today it started selling refurb 16-inch models through its international online stores for the first time since the notebook was released in November 2019. All of the refurbished configurations are discounted by 15 percent compared to the equivalent brand new models....

Google-owned Fitbit is activating blood oxygen monitoring (sp02) in more countries, following the feature's U.S. launch for some of its smartwatches and fitness trackers last month. Now the company has released it for users in the U.K., Canada, and possibly other countries, with blood oxygen saturation data appearing in the Fitbit app. Tech blog Tizenhelp.com confirmed the feature's...

Apple has confirmed that the iPhone XR is not working as it should on the O2 network in the U.K., reports BBC News. "We are aware of an issue causing intermittent network connectivity effecting [sic] some O2 customers, and we will have a fix in an upcoming software release," the company said.The statement from Apple comes after reports emerged yesterday of multiple ‌iPhone‌ XR users who have...

The iPhone XR is not properly functioning on the O2 network in the UK, according to the BBC. Based on multiple reports on Twitter, XR users who have O2 as a mobile provider have been experiencing multiple signal outages per day. Customers have been unable to make and receive calls and send and receive text messages, as well as maintain a reliable LTE connection for using apps. An O2...

U.K. telecoms regulator Ofcom has drawn up plans to ban the sale of locked smartphone handsets that can't be used on other mobile networks until the owner pays for them to be unlocked. The proposal is part of a consultation document published today that aims to achieve fairer treatment and easier switching for broadband and mobile customers in the U.K. The document reads: Some providers...

Last week, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that Disney+ will launch in the United Kingdom and other select European countries on March 31, 2020. Iger didn't mention how much European customers would have to pay to access its 500 feature films and over 7,500 shows, including the entire Pixar library and a raft of original content. However, one MacRumors reader appears to have discovered the...

BritBox, a streaming service offering shows from ITV, the BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5, has launched in the United Kingdom (via BBC). Priced at £5.99 a month, the joint-venture between ITV and the BBC is being pitched as an additional streaming service for viewers who want to view classic British television programs and films, rather than as a direct competitor to Netflix. BritBox will...

Apple has been rolling out HomePod support for live radio requests to Siri over the last few months, and now users in several countries are reporting success when asking their Apple smart speaker to play live radio stations. After announcing the feature at WWDC in June, Apple said it would launch on September 30, but the company recently removed the date from its HomePod product page,...

The BBC has announced its intention to launch its own voice assistant next year to help users find their favorite programs and interact with online services hosted by the public broadcaster. The voice assistant's working title and wake-word is currently "Beeb," and it will be built into the BBC's website, its iPlayer app and other mobile apps, and made available to manufacturers who want to...

From this week, users of Alexa devices in the United Kingdom will be able to get expert health advice from the voice-activated smart speakers, thanks to a partnership between Amazon and the National Health Service. When health-related queries such as "Alexa, how do I treat a migraine?" or "what are the symptoms of flu?" are put to the devices, Amazon's algorithm will use information from the ...