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

The European Commission hit Google with a $5.1 billion fine today, stating that the tech company broke EU antitrust laws by striking deals with Android phone manufacturers to favor Google's services over rival services (via The New York Times). Android P is the newest version of the software, set to launch this fall Specifically, the European Commission pointed towards the Google search bar...

Apple's Chinese iCloud operator has agreed a deal with state-owned China Telecom to transfer local customer data to the company's Tianyi cloud storage business, according to TechCrunch. China Telecom reportedly announced the agreement in a WeChat post, saying that local Apple partner Guizhou-Cloud Big Data (GCBD) had migrated all Chinese iCloud customer data to Tianyi servers. Apple separately ...

Following the release of iOS 11.4.1 on Monday, July 9, Apple has stopped signing iOS 11.4, the previous version of iOS that was available to consumers. iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners who have upgraded to iOS 11.4.1 will no longer be able to downgrade to earlier versions of iOS. Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to...

Instagram is planning to introduce a new two-factor authentication method that will not require a user's phone number and will instead work with authentication apps like Google Authenticator, reports TechCrunch. Authentication apps are a safer two-factor option than the phone number method, which can be bypassed through SIM hacking, as outlined earlier today by VICE's Motherboard. Image via ...

During the second quarter of 2018, spanning from April to June, Apple's iPhones accounted for 36 percent of total U.S. smartphone activations, an improvement over last year's numbers where iPhone activations accounted for just over 30 percent of total activations, according to new numbers shared today by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners [PDF]. More customers are choosing iPhone over...

Mophie today announced the launch of a new series of iPhone-exclusive Powerstation models, which are equipped with a Lightning port to allow them to be recharged using a Lightning cable rather than a traditional micro-USB cable. With the ability to charge over Lightning, customers who purchase one of the new Lightning-equipped Mophie Powerstations will be able to charge their iPhones and their ...

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming watchOS 5 update to developers, two weeks after releasing the third beta and more than a month after introducing the software at the Worldwide Developers Conference. To install the beta, you'll need the proper configuration profile, which can be obtained through the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the watchOS 5 beta can be ...

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of a new tvOS 12 operating system to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the third beta and more than a month after introducing the new software at the 2018 Worldwide Developers Conference. Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV, the tvOS 12 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV using a profile that's...

A few months ago, in an internal document obtained by MacRumors, Apple acknowledged that some iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users may experience a grayed-out speaker button during phone calls, or not be heard during phone calls or FaceTime chats. Apple didn't identify a cause for the issues. If an affected iPhone is no longer covered by warranty, Apple's document said Genius Bars or Apple...

Global shipments of 3D sensing smartphones are expected to reach over 100 million units in 2018, according to China-based analyst Sigmaintell, as Android phone makers gradually adopt the technology that Apple introduced to market last year. China-based Xiaomi and Oppo have already unveiled phones featuring their own versions of the 3D scanning technology that Apple launched in the iPhone X...

The latest Sonos product, the Sonos Beam, is today available for purchase from the Sonos website and from various retailers around the world. First announced in June, the Sonos Beam has been available for pre-order, but today is its official launch date. The Sonos Beam is a $399 smart, compact sound bar that's designed for use with TV sets. Sonos says the Beam offers five Class-D digital...

Belkin was one of the first companies to come out with a faster 7.5W wireless charger for the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus after wireless charging launched, and the company has now had time to create a second round of wireless chargers with a more refined design. Released this spring, the $60 Belkin Boost Up Bold Wireless Charging Pad and the $70 Belkin Boost Up Wireless Charging Stand...

Uber today announced new tools for its iOS app that aim to simplify and streamline stressful pickup situations for both riders and drivers. To start, there's a new "Spotlight" feature that will light up the rider's iPhone display with a bright, color-specific hue. The driver will be notified to which color has been chosen, so when the rider holds their iPhone in the air they'll know exactly...

Apple sold fewer than a million iPhones in India in the first half of 2018, according to Bloomberg. The company has suffered slowing sales in the world's second largest smartphone market, which has reportedly seen three high-ranking sales executives leave Apple as the company restructures its operations there. Among the executives who've departed are its national sales and distribution chief,...

iOS 12 introduces several significant new features like Memoji, Siri Shortcuts, Screen Time for keeping track of the time you're spending on your iOS devices, Group FaceTime with up to 32 people, new parental controls, ARKit 2.0, and more. Along with all of the major additions, there are dozens of smaller, more hidden features. In our latest YouTube video, we've pulled out several of the most...

Texture, the digital magazine service that Apple acquired earlier this year, recently dropped its $14.99 Premium price point for existing subscribers. Texture Premium, which allows for access to both weekly and monthly magazines, is now priced at $9.99 for all customers, new and existing. The price change was shared in an email from Harry McCracken yesterday, and confirmed today by...

Apple today announced a new collaboration between its Apple Developer Academies in Brazil and the Malala Fund to further advance education opportunities for girls. Apple became the Malala Fund's first Laureate partner in January 2018. The Malala Fund, led by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, advocates for quality education and equal opportunity for girls around the world. Apple ...

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Eve Systems to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win the company's entire HomeKit product line, which includes an Eve Motion, an Eve Energy, an Eve Door & Window sensor, an Eve Button, an Eve Light Switch, an Eve Degree, and an Eve Aqua. Eve Systems, formerly known as Elgato, was one of the first companies to create HomeKit products for Apple's...