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

Pioneer today announced that its Rayz line of Lightning-equipped earphones designed for the iPhone are receiving a major update that adds "Hey Siri" functionality along with other new features. Enabled through new firmware and an update to the Rayz app that's being released today, the earphones can now activate Siri with the standard "Hey Siri" command even while the iPhone is tucked away in a ...

A recent report by The Wall Street Journal has taken a look into the smartphone design war happening between Apple and Samsung, suggesting that the latter company has begun edging out the former with the design of the Galaxy S8. According to Hugh Dubberly, formerly of both Apple and Samsung, Samsung isn't ahead of Apple because it has "gotten better" at designing smartphones, but because Apple ...

Today, July 17, is celebrated as World Emoji Day thanks to this day being marked on the iOS "calendar" emoji. In celebration, Apple has updated the iTunes Movies storefront with a new emoji-filled carousel that uses the popular smartphone characters to describe recent film releases, as well as older movies. Some of the films referenced include Kong: Skull Island, Beauty and the Beast, Get Out...

Telegram is to form a team of moderators to remove terrorist-related content from the encrypted messaging platform in Indonesia, after the country's government threatened to ban the app. Indonesia's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has already blocked access to the web version of the chat platform, citing concerns that it was being used to spread "radical and terrorist...

Apple today launched a large-scale promotion in China offering special discounts for consumers who use Apple Pay, in the company's latest bid to counter the dominance of rival digital wallets in the country. Between July 18 and 24, Apple device owners who use the mobile payment system to make purchases in participating merchants across mainland China will receive concessions of up to 50...

The latest update to WhatsApp Messenger rolled out on iOS on Sunday and adds a couple of notable new features, one of which is the ability to share files of any type within conversations. Version 2.17.40 of WhatsApp is the first to allow any file type to be sent using the Document option in the Share menu. Previously files were limited to PDF documents, but now the only limitation is file...

Amazon is reportedly working on bringing a new mobile messaging platform to the table, according to customer survey details obtained by AFTVnews. The chat service for iOS, Android, and desktop is said to be called "Anytime" and will include typical messaging features like encryption, video and voice calling, but with some novel touches added to the mix that suggest social network-style...

Things are never boring in the world of iOS gaming, and that's true once again this week. The majority of my time over at TouchArcade this week has been negotiating and scheduling all sorts of upcoming news under embargo that I wish I could talk about as I hate sitting on really awesome stories. But, in the interest of keeping everyone happy, I'd just keep your eyes glued to these roundups over...

Sprint today announced the launch of two new smartphone upgrade programs, Sprint Flex and Sprint Deals. Sprint Flex, as the name suggests, is designed to give users more options for upgrading their phones, including on an annual basis. With Sprint Flex, customers can choose an iPhone for a low monthly price and begin making payments. Through Sprint's existing iPhone Forever and Galaxy Forever...

Introduced earlier this year, the Bamboo Sketch is Wacom's latest precision stylus designed to work with the iPhone and the iPad over Bluetooth. It's meant to mimic the feel of traditional pen-and-paper writing and drawing with interchangeable pen nibs and customizable shortcut buttons. Priced at $80, Wacom's new stylus isn't a better option than the Apple Pencil for iPad Pro users, but for...

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with TRNDlabs to give MacRumors readers a chance to win a small pocket-sized iPhone-compatible Fader drone that's equipped with a camera. TRNDlabs offers a range of different affordable drone options, and the Fader is one of its newest products. Able to fit in the palm of a hand, the Fader is ideal for selfies, landscape shots, sports, and more with...

AirPods continue to have a 6-week shipping estimate when purchased through Apple's online store, but AT&T and Verizon currently have the wireless earphones in stock online with free delivery in 2-5 business days. AT&T and Verizon sell AirPods for $159, the same price as Apple charges, but the carriers only ship to addresses within the United States, excluding P.O. boxes. AirPods...

Australia on Friday proposed new laws that would require companies like Apple to provide law enforcement authorities with access to encrypted communications (via Reuters). Australia's proposed legislation will compel companies to help security agencies intercept and read messages sent by suspects. It appears to take cues from the U.K.'s Investigatory Powers Bill, which includes provisions that ...

AT&T today announced plans to unveil a next-generation video platform this fall, which will be introduced first to DirecTV Now customers later this summer. As part of a beta test for the platform, DirecTV Now subscribers will gain access to a cloud DVR feature, which will allow them to record and access their shows from anywhere. A wide selection of live channels will be able to be recorded,...

Platform game illi has been named Apple's App of the Week, and as a result, it is available as a free download for the next seven days. illi, which has four stars in the App Store, has only been free once before since it was released in April of 2016. The game is described as a "one button platform puzzler" that asks players to take control of illi, a fuzzy white horned creature, to travel...

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming watchOS 4 update to developers, just over three weeks after seeding the second beta and more than a month after introducing the new update at its 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference. The new version is build 15R5321h. Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the watchOS 4 beta can be downloaded...

British carrier EE today announced it is extending its free six-month Apple Music subscription offer to all new and existing iPhone and Android smartphone customers with a pay monthly plan. SIM-only customers are also eligible. The offer begins Wednesday, July 19, and customers will be able to register for the deal with a short-code to be revealed next week. EE said any data consumed by...

Amazon is reportedly working on a successor to its Echo connected smart speaker for release later this year in a clear attempt to one-up Apple and its HomePod speaker, which is due to launch this December. Sources who saw a working unit spoke to Engadget, claiming that the new Echo will improve on the first speaker "in every way", being shorter and slimmer than the original, with rounded edges ...