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

Google has reportedly poached one of Apple's top chip designers, as it continues to pursue plans to design its own chipsets for consumer devices like its Pixel range of smartphones. According to The Information, the search giant has hired well-regarded Apple chip expert John Bruno, who has worked on silicon architecture for iPhones since 2012. Before moving offices to Cupertino to help with...

Popular pro-grade photo editing software Darkroom reached version 3.3 on Saturday, bringing improved image format handling to the app and smoothing out a handful of new features that were introduced in November's iPhone X focused redesign. Last month, Darkroom v3.2 embraced Apple's latest dual-lens camera smartphone with a brand new 5.8-inch user interface and support for Wide Gamut Color,...

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with PureGear to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a HomeKit-enabled PureSwitch Wireless Smart Plug. PureSwitch fits in any standard U.S. outlet, and it's designed to let you manage your energy use by allowing you to wirelessly control whatever's plugged into the Smart Plug. It can turn any appliance or lamp into a smart device that can be...

Tidal today announced that starting on Christmas Day anyone will be able to try out its music-streaming service for free for a period of 12 days. This free trial will include the company's $19.99/month High Fidelity tier that includes lossless sound quality, and it does not require a credit card for you to start so all you will need is an email address (via The Verge). Tidal's new...

Belkin has temporarily halted sales of its InvisiGlass Ultra screen protector for iPhone X after numerous complaints about it cracking way too easily. The $39.95 screen protector is no longer available to purchase from Belkin's website or Apple's online store after dozens of customers—but not all—complained about it cracking in normal usage conditions and without ever dropping their...

Sources in the semiconductor packaging and testing service industry claim that pre-orders for the iPhone X are not as strong as expected in some markets, such as the U.S., Taiwan, and Singapore, although supply remains tight in other markets including Japan (via DigiTimes). In contrast, Apple Watch sales are said to have been impressive across the board, with shipment estimates reaching 27...

Instagram today announced the addition of live video support for Direct Messages. Instagram users can tap the Direct icon, create a live video, and then send it to a friend or a group of friends. There's also an option to for Instagram users to share a live video they're currently watching with friends. Live videos sent via Direct Message can only be viewed while the live video is ongoing -i...

Customers who signed up for a "No Commercials" Hulu streaming plan via an iOS device or Apple TV have been paying $13.99, a $2 premium over the cost of the subscription plan if purchased via the web. Starting this week, Hulu has dropped the $13.99 subscription price to $11.99, so customers who subscribe via an Apple device using iTunes billing will now pay the same price as other Hulu...

Three more former Amazon Studios executives are joining Apple as the company continues to work to build out its video team, reports Variety. Tara Sorensen, who previously served as the head of Amazon kids programming, is taking on a similar role at Apple. Sorensen will report directly to former Sony executives Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, who are running Apple's video team under iTunes...

Earlier this year, popular smart doorbell and home security company Ring debuted its Video Doorbell 2, equipped with a motion sensing 1080p camera, a removable battery, and two-way audio capabilities. Integration with Ring's mobile app lets you see activity at your door from anywhere, and even communicate with visitors. The Video Doorbell 2 is priced at $199 and can either replace an...

Popular turn-based strategy game Civilization VI made its way to the iPad today thanks to Aspyr Media. The sixth game in the Civilization series, Civilization VI was originally released on Mac and PC in October of 2016. As with all Civilization games, the aim is to lead a newly-established civilization to glory over many hundreds of years to ultimately become a world power. Civilization VI...

For any last-minute holiday shoppers out there, B&H Photo has a great free shipping offer that will end in under a few hours. B&H Photo says that the offer ends today at 12:00 p.m. ET, in under an hour, and is focused on thousands of tech and electronic items on the retailer's storefront. For some product pages, the free next day shipping offer extends to 2 p.m. ET today, however, so there should ...

Apple today confirmed that the launch of Sky: Light Awaits for Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad has been delayed until March 2018 in the United States. The game was originally slated to launch in winter 2017, but that timeframe seemed increasingly unlikely as the end of the year drew near, and fine print at the bottom of Apple's iPhone X and Apple TV pages now reflects the delay. Sky soft...

Sales on App Store and iTunes gift cards are becoming increasingly frequent as Christmas nears, with the latest 15 percent off discount coming from PayPal's Digital Gifts eBay storefront. Like previous sales -- the last one from Amazon happened yesterday -- PayPal is offering the $100 iTunes card for $85, delivered to you via email and valid only on United States App Store purchases. Note:...

An update to the official Wikipedia app for iOS is currently rolling out with an all-new "Black" reading theme for iPhone X. The new display feature, which accompanies the existing dark mode, has been developed specifically with OLED devices in mind, according to the developers. Not only does the true black theme look good on the new iPhone's 5.8-inch display, it also potentially offers...

Apple in June tweaked its App Store Review guidelines to add a new rule banning apps created from a commercialized template or app generation service, a move that ended up impacting small businesses without the resources to independently develop an app. Many niche template-created apps for small restaurants, retailers, and other businesses were not allowed under the new rule, which also...

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 11.2.5 update to its public beta testing group, one week seeding the first public beta and one day after providing the beta to developers. The second tvOS 11.2.5 public beta comes just a week after the release of tvOS 11.2.1, an update that fixed a HomeKit vulnerability. The tvOS 11.2.5 public beta can be obtained by going to the Settings...

Tidal today unveiled apps for both Apple TV and Android TV devices, which will let subscribers listen to their music and view videos on their television. The Apple TV app will be rolling out throughout the day, according to The Verge, so users might not see it immediately within the tvOS App Store. With Tidal for Apple TV, you get the same High Fidelity experience you've come to expect from...