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

Apple is investigating designs for Apple Watch bands that self-adjust to fit the wearer's wrist using an integrated tensioner mechanism (via AppleInsider). A patent application granted on Tuesday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office describes multiple designs that utilize such a system, which could one day replace magnetic clasps, velcro, and other fasteners used in current bands. Titled "Dy...

Twitter is developing a new Save for Later feature that will allow users to bookmark tweets for later reference, a Twitter product manager announced today. On Twitter, product manager Jesar Shah said Twitter began working on a Save for Later feature during a recent Hack Week. An accompanying video demoed the new bookmarking option, which offers an "Add to Bookmarks" tool for preserving tweets. ...

Apple has opted not to move forward with an Elvis Presley biopic series produced by The Weinstein Company following a sexual harassment scandal involving founder Harvey Weinstein, reports The Hollywood Reporter. The Apple Music project with The Weinstein Company was in the early stages of production, and would have seen Apple airing a 10-part Elvis biopic. It was reportedly one of four...

BNZ, aka Bank of New Zealand, plans to begin offering Apple Pay in the near future, reports New Zealand site Stuff. When Apple Pay support is implemented, BNZ customers will be able to use the Apple Pay service with their BNZ Advantage Visa credit cards and BNZ Flexi Debit Visa cards. BNZ director of products and technology David Bullock said BNZ is planning to offer support for Apple Pay...

The Ionic is Fitbit's first real effort at a "true" smartwatch, and there's plenty riding on the $300 device. Not only is the activity tracker company late to the smartwatch game, its market share in wearables has shrunk because of increasingly sophisticated rival devices from the likes Apple and Xiaomi. To have a hope of reviving its fortunes, Fitbit sought out a new creative direction and...

Apple CEO Tim Cook today met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace, and over the course of 45 minutes, the two discussed topics like education, the economy, and taxes in Europe, according to French news sites. Apple would like to extend its "Everyone Can Code" educational initiative to France, and plans to discuss its expansion with the Ministry of National Education. ...

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 11.1 update to developers for testing purposes, a week and a half after seeding the first tvOS 11.1 update and three weeks after releasing tvOS 11 to the public. Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the tvOS 11.1 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode on the...

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 4 update to developers for testing purposes, nearly two weeks after releasing the first watchOS 4.1 beta and three weeks after releasing the new watchOS 4 operating system to the public. Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS 4 beta can be downloaded through the...

HBO recently announced a new TV project in the works by director Steven Soderbergh called "Mosaic." The show will air as a six-part linear narrative in early 2018, but in addition to the traditional distribution, HBO is launching an app where viewers can watch the show, make decisions, and help shape the outcome of certain events (via The Verge). The Mosaic iOS app will be available to...

Microsoft has publicly admitted for the first time that its Windows Phone is dead. In a series of tweets, Windows 10 chief Joe Belfiore said that the company is no longer developing new features or hardware for Windows 10 Mobile, with only bug fixes and security updates to come for existing users. Belfiore explained that his team had tried "very hard" to incentivize app developers by paying...

Blackberry announced its latest crack at an all-screen smartphone during the GITEX Technology Week in Dubai on Sunday. The Motion is the company's third Android phone to ditch the keyboard following the release of the DTEK50 and DTEK60 in 2016. Blackberry also released the KEYone earlier this year, but that device includes a keyboard below the touchscreen. The Motion's 5.5-inch LCD display...

There are still 26 days to go before Apple officially launches iPhone X, but at least one person has already gotten their hands on one of the sought-after 5.8-inch devices, if a video shared on Reddit is anything to go by. The short clip, embedded below, shows someone swiveling in their hand what looks like a silver glass-backed iPhone X with a new, previously unseen dynamic wallpaper on the...

Developer CCP Games has revealed that a mobile spinoff of its massively multiplayer game Eve Online it coming to iOS next year. Launched back in 2003, Eve became famous for its vast sandbox universe and spectacular space battles involving thousands of players, even going on to spawn its own history, politics, and galactic economy. Codenamed Project Aurora and co-developed by Playraven, the...

Major League Baseball today fined Arizona Diamondbacks coach Ariel Prieto after he wore his Apple Watch in the dugout during a game against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night, reports The New York Times. Prieto violated rules against the use of electronic communications devices when he wore the Apple Watch during the game. Major League Baseball investigated and said there was no sign the...

I'm writing this from EVE Vegas, and while they haven't announced anything just yet, it does seem odd that the guys behind EVE Online would want someone from an iPhone games site to be in the audience, eh? Anyway, on with some of the bigger stories from this week in the world of iOS gaming. This week was welcomed by two absolutely legendary 32-bit games getting updated to support iOS 11. Thom...

Hunter Douglas recently launched its next-generation PowerView Motorization system designed to control Hunter Douglas motorized window shades. The new version of the PowerView Motorization supports Amazon and Google services out of the box, but with an update later this year, it will also support Apple's HomeKit. The PowerView Motorization Hub lets users control, time, and set their...

Tweetbot is one of the most popular third-party Twitter clients, and this week developer Tapbots has dropped the price of the latest version of the app -- Tweetbot 4 -- by 50 percent, from $9.99 to $4.99. The last time a similar price drop happened was December 2016, so the app had yet to see a discount throughout 2017. It's not clear how long the discount will last, but given the length of...

Logitech's Circle 2, introduced in June, is the second-generation version of its Circle home security camera. This new version features a redesigned body, wired and wire-free versions, accessories that let it be positioned anywhere, and, through a recent update, HomeKit support. Circle 2 is meant to be used as a home security device and it's ideal for keeping an eye on your house while you're...