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

Blizzard this week introduced an all-new Apple TV app that will allow fans to stream content from BlizzCon 2018 on their 4th or 5th generation Apple TV. For those who can't make it to the Anaheim, California event in person, Blizzard has always provided numerous ways for users to watch panels and videos live (on mobile and BlizzCon.com), but this marks the first year the company has built an app...

WhatsApp is about to introduce support for stickers in the massively popular chat app, an official blog post revealed today. Stickers have been available on rival messaging platforms including Apple's iMessages and Telegram for some time, so today's announcement isn't a surprise as WhatsApp tries to cement its position as the most popular messenger app globally. To begin with, WhatsApp...

Anker announced several new hardware devices at an event in New York City today. Best known for its quality mobile charging accessories, the company continued its push into other consumer electronics markets by unveiling a pocket cinema, a premium smart speaker, and a new line of minuscule USB-C wall chargers. Starting with the chargers, the PowerPort Atom PD 1 is the smallest 27-watt USB-C...

Apple's latest Apple Pay promotion, which is Halloween-themed, offers Apple Pay users three free bonus credits when making a purchase of $10 or more in the TouchTunes jukebox app on iOS devices. TouchTunes is designed to let users play the jukebox at more than 65,000 bars and restaurants across the United States. To get the credit, users will need to download TouchTunes and make a $10+ credits ...

In an upcoming update, popular augmented reality game Pokémon Go will gain support for the Apple Health app, developer Niantic announced today. Adventure Sync, a new feature, will use walking distances pulled from Apple Health to let you earn candy and hatch eggs even when the Pokémon Go app isn't running. Niantic says Adventure Sync will also provide Pokémon Go users with a weekly...

At IFA Berlin in August, ZENS revealed three new Qi-compatible wireless chargers, including a Single Aluminum Wireless Charger, Dual Aluminum Wireless Charger, and Dual + Watch Wireless Charger. ZENS sent me the MFi certified Dual + Watch charger for the purpose of this review, and I've been using it as my main iPhone X and Apple Watch charging dock for the past week. The charger has a mat...

Nearly one year after Apple announced its acquisition of music recognition service Shazam, and one month since the acquisition was completed, Shazam has now begun informing users of Apple's plans with their data (via iGeneration). You can see the new splash screen if you have a Shazam account and open up the app. If you've created a Shazam account in the past, which allows you to share Shazams ...

A few notable sales have kicked off today, starting with eBay's latest sitewide coupon that's offering shoppers 10 percent off nearly everything on eBay, excluding as usual: warranties and protection plans, coins and paper money, gift cards and coupons, and real estate. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small ...

Apple today provided updates on a few retail stores opening soon, including locations in Thailand and Texas (via Storeteller.de). In Thailand, Apple will open a store in the Iconsiam mall, which is described as a mixed-use development that will include two malls, multiple hotels, and residences when it opens on November 9. Apple Iconsiam will open one day later on November 10 at 10 a.m. local...

Apple has updated its Maps app to include transit information for Switzerland, including indoor maps for the country's busiest airport in Zurich. 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. Switzerland is renowned for its integrated country-wide transport...

The Siri Remote that comes with the Apple TV certainly has its critics. Some users find the glass Touch surface over-sensitive in the way it registers directional taps and swipes, which can make navigating onscreen menus a slalom-like experience where you're constantly having to correct for overshoot. Not only that, the minimalist design of the Siri Remote isn't very tactile and there's no...

The data breach that affected all 3 billion Yahoo accounts beginning in 2013 is getting a bit of closure this week, with a settlement agreement between Yahoo and the Northern District Court of California (via Engadget). In the settlement, Yahoo has agreed to put $50 million into a fund for victims of the breach, provide two years of credit monitoring from AllClear, and a few other benefits for...

Google this week announced that it will now automatically upgrade all previously purchased films from participating Hollywood studios to 4K, even if those movies were originally bought in SD or HD. The company is also reducing the price of new 4K movies on its Google Play store to match SD/HD prices of $19.99 and below. Previously, 4K films on Google Play rose to as much as $30. These new...

Several iCloud services are experiencing problems this afternoon, according to Apple's System Status Page. iCloud Drive, iCloud Mail, iCloud Keychain, iCloud Contacts, iCloud Calendar, Mail Drop, Find My iPhone, and more are performing "slower than normal" for some users. The problem has been ongoing since 8:51 a.m. Pacific Time this morning, and there's no word on when it might clear up. ...

Facebook today announced that it's rolling out a redesigned, simplified version of the Messenger app on a global basis starting today. Messenger 4, as Facebook is calling it, will refocus on conversations, making it easier to navigate through the app. Instead of nine separate tabs, there will be three tabs, with conversations quickly accessible through the "Chats" tab. Quick access to the...

Following the release of iOS 12.0.1 on October 8, Apple has stopped signing iOS 12, the previous version of iOS that was available to consumers. iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners who have upgraded to iOS 12.0.1 will no longer be able to downgrade to the release version of iOS 12. iOS 12.0.1 introduced fixes for a Lightning charging issue and Wi-Fi problems, improving performance over iOS 12. ...

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming watchOS 5.1 update to developers, one week after seeding the fourth watchOS 5.1 beta and more than a month after releasing the new watchOS 5 operating system. Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by...

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming tvOS 12.1 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the fourth update and over a month after releasing the tvOS 12 update. Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 12.1 beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode. Subsequent betas can be downloaded...