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

Niantic, the company behind Pokémon Go, has been developing a new Harry Potter augmented reality game in partnership with Warner Bros, which is called Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. Today, Niantic shared some new details on the upcoming game in the form of a teaser trailer that gives a first look at gameplay. Niantic first announced Wizards Unite in November 2017, but we've heard little...

Nomad, a company that makes various cables, chargers, cases, and other accessories for Apple devices, recently came out with an updated version of its Base Station charger. While the original Base Station is designed to wirelessly charge two iPhones at once, the updated Apple Watch version is able to charge an iPhone and an Apple Watch. The Base Station Apple Watch Edition features a...

After debuting a few new Apple Watch band colors following the September keynote event, Apple today updated its website with a new (PRODUCT)RED Sport Loop. The $49.00 accessory is available in both 40mm and 44mm, and it will also fit previous Apple Watch generations with 38mm and 42mm measurements. This marks the first time that a Sport Loop band has gained the (PRODUCT)RED color option....

As Netflix tries to grow subscriber numbers outside of the United States, TechCrunch reports today that the streaming video company is testing out a subscription model where users are only able to watch on a phone or a tablet. With this stipulation, the cost of Netflix is cut by as much as 50 percent from the "Basic" tier, down to around $4/month from $8/month. Right now, the test appears to ...

Since the iPhone X, 8, and 8 Plus introduced Qi wireless charging into Apple products for the first time last year, more and more users have begun hunting for the best wireless charging pad out there. We've detailed this topic in numerous posts over the past year, and in the end, many buying recommendations for Qi mats come down to support for Apple's 7.5W fast wireless charging and overall...

Withings today announced the Pulse HR, the first all-new addition to its health and fitness tracker range since the French company relaunched two months ago. Reviving the classic design of Withings Pulse – the first tracker Withings ever launched in 2013 – Pulse HR matches an OLED display in stainless steel casing with a silicone wristband that comes in several optional colors....

Kano today announced that its Harry Potter Coding Kit is now available for purchase via the Apple online store and in Apple retail locations across the United States, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Priced at $100, the Harry Potter Coding Kit is designed to teach beginning coders of all ages how to program. The Coding Kit includes a build-your-own Harry Potter wand that's used in...

Stardew Valley for iPhone and iPad received a major update today, introducing several new, improved control options. There are new options for a virtual joystick or invisible joystick, along with the option to add an action/attack button. A joypad adjuster tool lets you customize your onscreen controls, and there's now support for Made for iPhone Bluetooth controllers. The auto attack...

Lifeprint recently came out with its newest product, the Harry Potter Magic Photo and Video Printer, a Harry Potter-themed version of its standard Lifeprint photo printer that connects to the iPhone. The Harry Potter version of the Lifeprint printer is identical in function to the regular Lifeprint printer options, but it has a unique Harry Potter design and the branding is a clever way to...

Following its acquisition by SiriusXM in September, Pandora today announced that it will begin offering specialized podcast curation under the Podcast Genome Project. Similar to its Music Genome Project, the PGP will launch in a public beta format and combine human curation with advanced machine learning to offer users specific podcast recommendations, "down to the episodic level." Pandora...

Waymo's commercial driverless car service is set to launch in early December, according to someone familiar with the company's plans (via Bloomberg). The service won't be branded as a "Waymo" platform, however, and will receive a new name and compete directly with car-hailing apps Uber and Lyft. The launch will be small, with only a couple hundred authorized riders in the suburbs around...

Apple today updated its Swift Playgrounds app for the iPad to version 2.2, introducing a number of improvements. Third-party content is easier to discover and download within the Swift Playgrounds app, and Apple has made touch gestures for selecting code both more precise and easier to use. The What's Next feature that's designed to suggest new playgrounds for users to try is now smarter...

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is home to a number of vehicle brands, including Dodge, Jeep, Ram, and of course Chrysler and Fiat. All of these brands include FCA's Uconnect infotainment system, the most recent version of which, version 4, began making its way into vehicles for the 2017 and 2018 model years. Vehicles with Uconnect 4 support both CarPlay and Android Auto, and I recently had an...

Apple's HomeKit platform has expanded to support a variety of device categories since its launch in 2014, now including lights, thermostats, ceiling fans, sprinklers, outlets, and humidifiers. Although close in style to humidifiers, one specific accessory missing from HomeKit has been an essential oil diffuser, and now connected smart home brand Vocolinc has introduced the FlowerBud Smart...

Lyft today revealed that a loyalty program for its customers, "Lyft Rewards," will begin rolling out for select passengers in December, allowing these users to be rewarded for using the service. The program will work by tracking each time you use Lyft to get around, netting you points for every dollar that you spend on the ride-hailing service. With enough points, you'll earn rewards like an...

Volkswagen today announced that subscribers of its Car-Net service can now use the iOS app and Siri to lock and unlock their car. The Siri command for this will be, "Hey Siri, lock my car." With the feature, Volkswagen owners can also start and stop a charging session for electric cars, set a specific temperature in the car, locate the car, turn on the defroster, check estimated mileage, check ...

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo published a new report over the weekend, related to the introduction of new antenna technology that could be coming in next year's iPhone lineup. According to the analyst, Modified PI (MPI) will replace Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) to become the mainstream antenna technology for the 2019 iPhones, but LCP will still be found in the smartphones. Kuo says that...

As information on Black Friday sales continues to grow, Sam's Club is planning a one-day-only sale for tomorrow, November 10, and it includes a few Apple items. The focus is $30 off Apple's AirPods, which will mark the wireless headphones down to $117.00, from their current price of $147.00 for Saturday only and available online only. This is the lowest-ever straight discount from a major...