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

Apple and Zendesk today made Business Chat generally available for all businesses that use Zendesk Support, over two years since the service first went into beta. First announced in 2018, Business Chat is designed to allow iPhone, iPad, and macOS users to communicate directly with businesses right within the Messages app. Users can chat with businesses, schedule appointments, and make...

Verzuz, an Instagram Live series founded by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, is making its way to Apple Music, reports Variety. Verzuz launched in March and is designed to pit two artists against one another in a friendly competition. So far, the series has featured Alicia Keys, Erykah Badu, John Legend, and DJ Nice. The first Verzuz episode on ‌Apple Music‌ will air on Wednesday, July 22 at 5:00...

Apple in February typically hosts a company wide fitness challenge for employees at its corporate and retail offices around the world, tasking employees with closing all three of their Apple Watch Activity rings every day of the month. The challenge normally takes place in February to coincide with Heart Month, but this year it was delayed amid the ongoing public health crisis that had...

Nintendo's "Mario Kart Tour" racing game for iOS and Android devices will now support landscape mode (via TouchArcade). Since the game launched in 2019 it has only supported portrait mode, mainly due to Nintendo's idea that its mobile games should be played one-handed. That will change in an update coming this week, and players will have an option to turn their smartphone sideways and play ...

Apple's HomePod has returned to the price of $199.99 today at Best Buy. This sale is a solid $99 discount on the original $299.00 price of the HomePod, and it's one that Best Buy has offered a few times throughout 2020. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. This...

Twitter appears to be exploring the possibility of giving iOS users a choice of Twitter app icons to use on their Home Screen, based on a new survey sent out to members of its Twitter Insiders program. Custom Twitter icons (via 9to5Mac) As the picture above shows, Twitter has four different app icons in mind, and the company is currently garnering feedback on the new designs to see which ones ...

In iOS 14, Apple has greatly expanded the number of direct answers Siri can give you. The majority of these answers are thanks to enhanced web-based information, but some of it is also down to ‌Siri‌'s tighter integration with other Apple apps. For example, the Apple Maps app lets you share your estimated time of arrival when you're following turn-based driving directions, and now you can...

In iOS 14, Apple has greatly expanded the number of direct answers Siri can give you. The majority of these answers are thanks to enhanced web-based information, but some of it is also down to ‌Siri‌'s tighter integration with other Apple apps. For example, Maps in iOS 14 has been updated to include cycling directions, and you can now ask ‌Siri‌ to provide you with cycling directions to a...

In ‌iOS 14, Apple's Siri voice assistant got a major update that introduced a more compact interface, with ‌Siri‌ appearing as an animating orb at the bottom of the screen instead of taking over the whole display. To keep the new interface as small as possible, ‌‌Siri‌‌ by default no longer displays the text of what you've spoken. If you found real-time transcription useful (to check that ‌S...

Amazon has discounted two models of Apple's iPad mini 5 today, starting with the 256GB Wi-Fi model at $499.00, down from $549.00. You can get this version of the iPad mini 5 in all three color options, including Gold, Space Gray, and Silver. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the...

Skype's mobile app for iPhone and iPad has been updated with a new screen-blurring feature this week. Users of Microsoft's video and voice calling service can now choose to blur the background on video calls if the scene behind them is something they'd rather not share. Background blur in Skype and Teams uses artificial intelligence (AI)—trained in human form detection—to keep you in focus...

Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced four years ago in March 2016. Apple designed the ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari. ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ release 110 includes bug fixes and performance improvements for WebRTC, Web Authentication, Web...

Facebook today announced that a new screen sharing feature is now available in the Messenger app on iOS and Android. The feature was first available on the web version of Facebook, and on desktop apps. On iOS, you can share a live view of your iPhone screen with a friend or family member. When video calling someone, you can tap to expand the bottom menu and find the "Share Your Screen"...

Apple today released watchOS 6.2.8, the 10th update to the watchOS 6 operating system that runs on modern Apple Watch models. watchOS 6.2.8 comes a month after the launch of watchOS 6.2.6, a security update. watchOS 6.2.8 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated ‌Apple Watch‌ app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the ‌Apple Watch‌...

Apple today released tvOS 13.4.8, the fifth update to the tvOS operating system that runs on the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models. tvOS 13.4.8 comes over a month after the launch of tvOS 13.4.5. tvOS 13.4.8, a free update, 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 automatic...

Alongside of iOS and iPadOS 13.6, Apple today released new 13.4.8 software for the HomePod. According to Apple's release notes, the update brings no new features and instead focuses on "general improvements for stability and quality." The new ‌HomePod‌ software comes two months after the release of the ‌HomePod‌ 13.4.5 software, which also included general improvements for stability and...

Amazon today has introduced another Gold Box sale on SanDisk and Western Digital storage products. During this flash sale you can save up to 25 percent on memory cards, external hard drives, flash drives, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. We've...

In recent versions of iOS, Apple has made some dramatic changes to the Home Screen of iPhone. In particular, it has introduced the concept of ‌Home Screen‌ widgets, which are similar to the widgets available on Android phones. Previously, use of widgets was limited to the Today View, which can be accessed by swiping from left to right on the ‌Home Screen‌. In ‌‌iOS 14‌‌, however,...