MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

Japanese electronics maker Yamaha has announced that it will be rolling out AirPlay 2 support to 15 of its current home audio products, including a sound bar, wireless speakers, and receivers, starting later this month. The rollout will begin in late April and includes the following products: MusicCast 20 and MusicCast 50 wireless speakers MusicCast BAR 400 sound bar RX-Ax80 series AV...

Huawei said on Tuesday it has not held talks with Apple about supplying 5G chips for future iPhones, just a day after its founder admitted it was "open" to doing so (via Reuters). "We have not had discussions with Apple on this issue," Huawei's rotating Chairman Ken Hu said on Tuesday, adding he looked forward to Apple's competition in the 5G phone market.Last week we covered a report...

Facebook will discontinue its peer-to-peer payments feature for Messenger users in the United Kingdom and France on June 15, the company announced on Tuesday (via TechCrunch). The social network sent out notices to users of the service in the two countries informing them of the decision, adding that they would continue to be able to make charitable donations through Facebook itself. A note...

Every year, Apple provides free scholarships to students and STEM organization members who don't have the $1,599 necessary to purchase a ticket to the Worldwide Developers Conference. For Apple's 2019 WWDC event, scholarship applications were accepted from March 14 to March 24, with Apple promising to notify winners on April 15. April 15 has rolled around and emails are going out to those who...

Amazon is in talks to launch a free, ad-supported music service, reports Billboard. Amazon currently offers an Amazon Music Unlimited service with 50 million songs and a Prime Music service, which offers up around 2 million songs to Amazon Prime members. Amazon Prime costs $119 per year, while Amazon Music Unlimited is priced at $9.99 per month. Prime Members have low-cost access to Amazon...

Apple this afternoon shared a new video in its ongoing "Shot on iPhone XS" series, this time focusing on the Maldives Shark Research Programme, a charity focused on whale shark research and community-focused conservation efforts. The eight minute long video features underwater shots of whale sharks and the researchers that are studying them, as well as providing insights into how researchers...

Apple appears to be updating the "For You" section of Apple Music to provide ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers with more customized suggestions and music recommendations based around different themes. The updates to the ‌Apple Music‌ app's "For You" section appear to be rolling out starting today, and we're seeing the new recommendations on devices running both iOS 12.2 and iOS 12.3 According to 9to5Ma...

Apple has hired Molly Thompson, founder of A&E Indie Films, as its new head of documentaries, reports Variety. A&E Indie Films is the film production unit of A+E networks, where she also served as head of documentary films. She has produced recent documentaries that include "The Clinton Affair," "Studio 54," and "City of Ghosts," as well as well-known documentaries like "Life, Animated,"...

Apple will be adding all iPad 2 models to its vintage and obsolete products list on April 30, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors. Apple defines vintage products as those that were last manufactured more than five years ago. The ‌iPad‌ 2, originally released in March 2011, lived on as a lower-cost option until March 2014, complete with a 9.7-inch display with just 132 PPI, an ...

Facebook today activated its Dark Mode feature, which has been available as an "Easter Egg" setting since early March. According to a blog post on Facebook's Messenger site, a ‌Dark Mode‌ toggle is rolling out globally starting today. ‌Dark Mode‌ can now be enabled by tapping on your profile photo in Messenger to get to the Messenger settings where ‌Dark Mode‌ is now an available option....

MacRumors has partnered with popular accessory maker Anker this week, offering our readers the chance to save on a collection of Apple accessories with some exclusive discount codes. Items in the sale include multiple Lightning cables, a USB-C cable, a USB-C hub, and a USB-C wall charger perfect for fast-charging an iPhone. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a...

It's been a few months since the last sale on App Store and iTunes gift cards, but this week both Costco and Sam's Club have debuted new sales for anyone who has been waiting to save on iTunes credit. In each sale, you can get the $100 iTunes gift card for just about $85, which matches the solid 15 percent discount on iTunes gift cards occasionally seen at other retailers. Note: MacRumors is...

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Jackery to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Honda 290 Power Station, which provides 292Wh of power for camping, emergencies, outdoor activities, and more. The HLS 290 Portable Power Station is a Honda licensed product that's been designed with outdoor enthusiasts in mind, but it's also super useful to have on hand for power outages....

Eight years after separating its Messenger service into a standalone app, and five years after removing messaging functionality completely from the central app, Facebook might be gearing up to reintegrate Messenger into the main Facebook app (via The Verge). The news comes from app researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who found a rudimentary "Chats" section in the Facebook mobile app. Whereas before...

Skype has begun testing a feature on the iOS and Android beta versions of the company's app, allowing users to share their screens during a call (via The Verge). According to Microsoft, this will let users share a PowerPoint presentation with coworkers, browse dating apps with friends, or go online shopping with a family member. To see the new addition, you must be part of the Skype Insider...

Ikea's affordable Trådfri smart plugs that first debuted in November are now able to connect to HomeKit after an update to the Trådfri firmware that was released yesterday. After installing new firmware, Trådfri outlets can be added to the Home app and controlled alongside the rest of your ‌HomeKit‌ products. Ikea sells the Trådfri smart plugs for just $9.99, which is much cheaper than...

YouTube TV today announced a price hike for all users, first hitting new subscribers immediately and then arriving for existing subscribers beginning with billing cycles after May 13. The price hike will be a $10 increase on the monthly cost of the live TV streaming service, boosting the price of the platform to $49.99/month. The cost of YouTube TV will be even more if you subscribe to the...

Apple today released tvOS 12.2.1, the sixth update to the tvOS 12 operating system designed for fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models. tvOS 12.2.1 comes a little over two weeks after the release of tvOS 12.2. tvOS 12.2.1 is a free update that can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌ by going to System --> Software Update. ‌Apple TV‌ owners who have...