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

Apple has partnered with hearing implants company Cochlear to launch the first made for iPhone Cochlear implant, which can stream audio from a compatible iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch directly to a surgically embedded sound processor (via TechCrunch). Cochlear implants are reserved for people with profound hearing loss that traditional hearing aids can't help to alleviate, and consist of both an...

Earlier in May, news came out that Facebook was working to develop a slate of television shows that would combine short 5-10 minute videos with big-budget, cable-length dramatic series in a new video section on the popular social network. After a delay, people familiar with the company's plans are pointing towards a mid-August debut for the new TV-focused Facebook update (via Bloomberg)....

U.S. District Judge William Conley today ordered Apple to pay $506 million to the University of Wisconsin's Alumni Research Foundation for infringing on a patent related to computer processing technology used in its A7, A8, and A8X chips, reports Reuters. The $506 million total is more than double the $234 million in damages that a Jury ordered Apple to pay back in 2015, with Conley adding an...

Kanex today announced availability of its GoPlay Sidekick wireless game controller for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. The pocket-sized controller, introduced at CES 2017, can be purchased from Kanex's website starting today for $59.95. A company spokesperson told MacRumors it will also be available on Amazon next week. The console-inspired game controller features pressure-sensitive buttons,...

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming tvOS 11 update to its public beta testing group, two weeks after providing testers with the second beta. The tvOS 11 public beta marks the first time public beta testers have had access to pre-release tvOS software, and this third beta corresponds to the fourth developer beta. Prior to tvOS 11, public betas were limited to iOS and macOS software ...

Apple has shared a new 60-second black-and-white Apple Music ad starring chart-topping American country singer Brantley Gilbert. According to publicity firm Big Hassle, the ad was shot over two days near the small village of Leiper's Fork, Tennessee. The video captures Gilbert on a motorcycle ride through the heart of rural America, while he praises the small town ethos that has helped him...

When Pinterest acquired keyboard app maker Fleksy last summer, development was paused on the company's well-known iOS and Android keyboard apps as the team was integrated into Pinterest's projects. The companies said that Fleksy would continue to exist with minimal updates, but otherwise not much news has come out about the keyboard app, until today. Now, Barcelona-based keyboard startup...

Earlier in July, a report by The Korea Herald suggested that Apple and supplier LG Display were working on a deal that would see Apple investing $1.75-2.62 billion into LG Display's OLED manufacturing, specifically a plant that would be exclusively devoted to Apple orders. Today, Reuters has provided a few more details on LG Display's plans to enter the OLED display market for smartphones, which...

Google launched a new feature for its Search and Maps apps today that aims to help users stay on top of events when a natural disaster or other crisis occurs near their location (via TechCrunch). Called "SOS Alerts", the notifications will appear at the top of Google search results and Maps when a user looks for information about an incident or the affected area. In the Search app,...

Facebook is planning to release its own smart speaker to compete with similar connected devices offered by Amazon, Google, and Apple, a report out of Taiwan claimed on Tuesday. However, instead of voice recognition functions in the vein of Siri or Alexa, Facebook's speaker will focus more on displaying visual imagery via a 15-inch touch panel, according to sources in the supply chain. Amazo ...

iRobot CEO Colin Angle today told Reuters that he hopes indoor mapping data collected by Roomba automatic vacuum cleaning machines can be sold to a company like Amazon, Apple, or Google in the near future. iRobot's latest line of 900-series Roomba vacuums use simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) technology to map rooms while they clean, memorizing room layout and the location of...

Last week, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, a lobbying group representing Google, eBay, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix, Intel, Samsung, and other tech companies, asked the United States International Trade Commission to reject Qualcomm's request for an import ban on some of Apple's iPhone and iPad models that use Intel chips. The group said that banning Apple products that use...

Universal Search, the feature that allows users to find content across multiple apps and services using text or Siri voice search, was today added to several new apps in the United States, Australia, Canada, and other countries. In the United States, AHC Go (American History Channel), Destination America Go, Discover Life Go, Filmstruck, Shudder, Sundance Now, and Velocity Go have been updated ...

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming watchOS 4 update to developers, a little over one week after seeding the third beta and over a month after introducing the new update at its 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference. Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the watchOS 4 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on ...

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming tvOS 11 update designed for the fourth-generation TV, two weeks after seeding the third beta and more than a month after releasing the first beta during the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference. Registered developers can download tvOS 11 by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C cable and installing the beta software using iTunes. ...

Music streaming service Spotify is close to signing a deal with Warner Music Group that would see artists under the label launch albums exclusively on Spotify's $9.99/month paid subscription tier. Spotify has previously not restricted albums to its paid subscribers, but reports earlier this year said that the service would soon begin practicing in exclusives, and it now appears to be happening...

Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington was filmed in an episode of Apple's upcoming show Carpool Karaoke: The Series just days before his death. Earlier this month, the band tweeted an on-set photo with Bennington pictured alongside Linkin Park band members Joe Hahn and Mike Shinoda, and Ken Jeong, best known for his role as Ben Chang on the NBC sitcom Community. Carpool Karaoke: The Series...

Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn is nearing a decision to invest in Wisconsin, and could hold an event in Washington, D.C. as soon as this week to discuss its U.S. investment plans, according to The Wall Street Journal. Foxconn is one of Apple's primary iPhone assemblers in China, but in Wisconsin, the company is initially looking at producing display panels that can be used in...