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

iOS 11 brings new functionality to Siri, including a translation feature that allows Siri to translate words and phrases spoken in English to a handful of other languages. Translation is super simple to use, and while the translations aren't always perfect, they get the gist of what you're attempting to say across to someone who speaks another language. Using Siri Translate Activate...

One of the common complaints about Siri is the vocal component -- speaking to ‌Siri‌ must be done verbally, which can be embarrassing and inconvenient in social situations. Apple hasn't provided a clear cut solution like an integrated ‌Siri‌ and Spotlight search feature, but iOS has had a Type to ‌Siri‌ feature since iOS 11. Type to ‌Siri‌ is a function designed for those who are unable to...

Ahead of the launch of the Apple TV 4K, Apple has updated its iTunes Store on Mac, iOS, and Apple TV with several sections highlighting a range of 4K HDR movies that are available to purchase or rent. The 4K section lists dozens of movies broken down into categories like New Releases, Visually Stunning, Action & Adventure, Drama, Comedies, and more. Quite a few new releases are available...

There are a lot of little small tweaks and feature changes buried in iOS 11, and an option for a one-handed keyboard is one of them. With the one-handed keyboard, the entire on-screen keyboard can be shifted to either the left or the right so you can type more comfortably with a single hand even with a phone as large as the iPhone 7 Plus. The feature is compatible with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch...

Alphabet-owned Nest Labs today held an event in San Francisco to unveil a whole new range of Nest home security products. Nest products don't integrate with Apple's HomeKit setup, but are popular competing connected home solutions. Starting in 2018, Nest will release the Hello, a small smart doorbell device that's able to stream 160 degree HD live video from your door directly to your phone....

One new feature in iOS 11 lets you easily record the screen of your iPhone as you navigate around the user interface, which can be useful when trying to help someone remotely troubleshoot an iOS problem or when making videos to share online. Since iOS 11 officially launched to the public yesterday, many users on Twitter and other sites have begun to worry that people will be able to screen record ...

iOS comes with a handy new Control Center function that allows you to record what you're doing on your screen. It's great if you want to capture gameplay, walk someone through a tutorial in an app, demonstrate a bug, and more, and it's available on both iPhones and iPads. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Enabling Screen Recording Button If you don't have the...

Your AirPods are equipped with accelerometers and other hardware that allow them to respond to a double tap, and though it isn't obvious, these gestures can be customized to your liking. Here's how: Make sure your AirPods are connected to your iPhone or iPad, either when you're wearing them or with the case open and nearby your device. Open up the Settings app. Choose "Bluetooth." Ne...

We've previously covered rumors that Google has been working on a "mini" version of its $129 Google Home smart speaker, which is expected to be unveiled at the company's Pixel 2 smartphone event scheduled for October 4. But it looks as if details and images of the "Home Mini" have already been leaked, courtesy of DroidLife. According to the tech site, Google Home Mini is the official name of...

Amazon is actively developing a pair of smart glasses with Alexa virtual assistant built in, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Designed like a regular pair of spectacles, the device will enable Alexa to be invoked by the wearer at any time and at all places, the report said, citing people familiar with Amazon's plans. The founder of Google Glass is said to be working on Amazon's ...

After months of negotiations, Toshiba has decided to sell its memory chip unit to a global consortium that includes Bain Capital, SK Hynix, Dell, and Apple, reports Reuters. No official announcement has been made by Toshiba as of yet, but the company is expected to announce the sale on Wednesday. As of Tuesday, Toshiba was said to be leaning towards a group backed by Western Digital, but...

Promise Technology's recently released Apollo Cloud 2 Duo storage device is able to interface with the iOS 11 Files app thanks to a new update that was introduced to the accompanying Apollo Cloud iOS app today. The Apollo Cloud 2 Duo is a personal cloud storage solution designed to give families and small businesses the cloud's ease of use with the security of local storage. The...

T-Mobile today announced that its prioritization point is being increased from 32GB to 50GB, allowing customers to use more data before facing slower speeds during periods of high network congestion. As the company explains, it uses a prioritization system to manage network traffic and prevent a small subset of its most active users from affecting other users. After a customer has used 50GB of ...

The new Files app in iOS 11 replaces iCloud Drive, offers a lot more functionality than its predecessor, and provides perhaps the best argument yet for using an iPad as your go-to mobile computer. In Files, you have access not only to the files stored on your device and in iCloud, but also to those stored in third-party services that support integration with the app. Files also exploits all...

Following the release of iOS 11, IKEA's much-anticipated augmented reality app has been released on the App Store. Called IKEA Place, the app lets you browse through a wide selection of IKEA products, all of which can be placed right in your home using the new augmented reality functionality built into iOS 11. Chairs, tables, sofas, storage solutions, and more are available. IKEA has added...

The Maps app in iOS 11 is outfitted with several new features that significantly improve the app's functionality. Indoor maps let you find restaurants, bathrooms, and other locations in airports and malls, while other new features like speed limits and lane guidance improve turn-by-turn directions. Fun fact: In iOS 11, Apple has also updated the Maps icon. The new version is meant to show off...

On the iPad, iOS 11 and iOS 12 merge the Control Center with the App Switcher as part of an overhauled interface that's meant to put more of a focus on multitasking. The update also adds new ways to access the App Switcher and it brings new, enhanced app switching functionality. Accessing the App Switcher On the Home screen, simply swipe up and hold to bring up the App Switcher. Within ...

Popular iPad painting and sketching app Procreate was today updated to version 4, offering an overhauled experience that provides improvements to the app's core elements and introduces support for iOS 11. Procreate 4 adopts support for Metal 2, Swift 4, and Core Video, introducing a new Silica M painting engine that's been engineered with better color depth, more fluid and accurate painting,...