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

Just ahead of when Apple plans to launch a new subscription video service that will give customers access to bundled cable channels, Comcast has introduced Xfinity Flex, a streaming service that combines video on demand content, ad-supported, free live streaming content, and access to add-on subscription apps. Xfinity Flex is priced at $5 per month and is available to customers who subscribe...

Apple today updated its Apple Store app to version 5.3, introducing a redesigned Sessions tab at the bottom of the app that houses dozens of new Today at Apple sessions that Apple users can sign up to attend. Apple says that it's also now easier to check the trade-in values of your devices when using the ‌Apple Store‌ app. You'll see trade-in options when purchasing a new iPhone, iPad,...

With Apple Pay's latest promotion, you can get free delivery through Instacart when you use ‌Apple Pay‌ to checkout. To get the free delivery, you'll have to spend $35 or more on your order. This promotion lasts through March 27, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. PT, and is subject to availability as Instacart is not available in all zip codes. Apple's new promotion is themed around grocery shopping,...

Apple in March debuted second-generation AirPods, featuring several updates over the original massively popular wireless earbuds of the same name. So what's improved in the new AirPods compared to the older model, and what's stayed the same? Read on to find out. Price of New AirPods vs. Old AirPods Buying Apple's original AirPods was straightforward as they came with a single $159 price ...

Michelle Dockery, best know for her role as Lady Mary Crawley in PBS's "Downton Abbey," has signed on to star in "Defending Jacob," one of the TV shows Apple has ordered. "Defending Jacob" is a thriller based on William Landay's bestselling novel of the same title. The book covers the murder of a 14-year-old boy and his friend Jacob, who may have committed the crime. Image credit: ...

Apple today announced that all new and updated iPhone and iPad apps submitted to the App Store on and after March 27, 2019 must be built with the iOS 12.1 SDK or later and support the ‌iPhone‌ XS Max and/or the latest 12.9-inch iPad Pro. ‌App Store‌ screenshots for those devices will also be required. Likewise, all new apps and app updates for Apple Watch will need to be built with the...

T-Mobile kicked off a new promotion today that lets new and existing customers get the 64GB iPhone XR at no extra cost when they add new voice lines and trade in a qualifying device. Specifically, the promotion is for up to $750 off the iPhone XR over 36 monthly bill credits at $20.84 per month. You can also put the $750 credit towards an ‌iPhone‌ XS or ‌iPhone‌ XS Max to reduce the price...

Satechi, known for its line of accessories for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, today announced the launch of two new USB-C accessories designed for Macs and iPads. The Type-C Headphone Jack Adapter plugs into the USB-C port on an ‌iPad‌ to allow ‌iPad‌ users to listen to music using standard headphones with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The adapter features USB-C Power Delivery so listening to music...

Whenever you add a HomeKit accessory to Apple's Home app, a default icon is assigned to it. Smart lights, for example, are given the default bulb icon, but if you have various types of light fittings, that's not very helpful for identifying them in the app at a glance. What you may not know is that you can change the icons of many third-party ‌HomeKit‌ accessories to something that lets you...

In Apple's Home app, you can set particular HomeKit scenes and accessories as "Favorites" so that you can access them quickly and easily from the app's Home tab and in Control Center on your iPhone or iPad. Once you've added some ‌HomeKit‌ accessories and/or created some scenes, follow the steps below to start adding them to your Favorites. The second set of steps shows you how to access...

If you have a second home outfitted with HomeKit devices, you can easily add it to Apple's Home app and keep all of the device settings you own in that location completely separate from your primary home. Once you've set up a second home in the Home app, you can set up rooms and zones in it and control any device remotely, just like you can in your main home. To add a second home to ‌HomeKit‌...

If you don't have a vehicle with CarPlay installed natively, there are a number of third-party aftermarket ‌CarPlay‌ receivers from companies like Alpine and Pioneer, which can be an affordable way to get ‌CarPlay‌ integration in your car. Boss Audio, known for its range of car speakers and accessories, recently launched a new ‌CarPlay‌ receiver, the BVCP9685A, and its $250 price tag makes it...

Apple today announced the launch of a new media literacy initiative that's designed to encourage critical thinking and empower students to be better informed. Apple is teaming up with several nonprofit nonprofit organizations in the United States and Europe that offer nonpartisan, independent media literacy programs, including the News Literacy Project (NLP) and Common Sense in the U.S. and...

Amid the launch of brand-new iPads this week, there are quite a few deals on older models for users who don't mind purchasing previous generation devices. Along with these sales, you can also save a bit of money when pre-ordering the new iPad mini and iPad Air at Best Buy this week. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may...

Instagram today is rolling out a new shopping feature within its iOS and Android apps, allowing users to complete purchases without having to leave Instagram (via The Verge). Before the update, shopping links on Instagram opened up a pop-up web window on the retailer's site, which lacked stored payment information and likely caused many people to close the window. Now, Instagram users will be...

Google will shut down its "Inbox by Gmail" app on April 2, the company has confirmed to users of the email app. Google announced in September that it would be shuttering the app toward the end of March 2019, but didn't give a set date for when that would happen. However, as noted on Reddit, users of the app yesterday began being notified that the app would be "going away in 15 days,"...

Following the release of iOS 12.1.4 on February 7, Apple has stopped signing iOS 12.1.3, the previous version of iOS that was available to consumers. iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners who have upgraded to iOS 12.1.4 will no longer be able to downgrade to iOS 12.1.3. iOS 12.1.4, available on all devices able to run iOS 12, was a bug fix update that addressed a serious Group FaceTime...

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Aramark, a food and beverage vendor, today announced a new Apple Business Chat feature that will allow Cleveland Cavaliers fans to order drinks from their seats through iMessages. Fans who attend games at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland and sit in designated sections of Cavs and Cleveland Monsters games can use the Messages app to access a menu, order beer and...