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

Niantic and The Pokémon Company today revealed an all-new gym system heading to the popular mobile app Pokémon Go soon, as well as announcing a new cooperative "Raid Battle" update coming in the future. For gyms, the developer said that its goal was to encourage more players to head to friendly gyms because now they'll be able to interact with them in new ways. Notably, gyms will now act as...

In a new interview with The Telegraph, PayPal CEO Dan Schulman discusses a wide range of topics covering the origins of the company, its history with eBay, and potential competition with Apple in the peer-to-peer payments space. PayPal owns Venmo, one of the most popular P2P payments apps available today across iOS, Android, and the web, and Schulman cited this availability across various...

Rapper Jay Z has confirmed that his new album, 4:44, will be released on June 30 and will be available exclusively to Sprint customers and existing Tidal subscribers (via Variety). The album is the first major project between the streaming music service and Sprint, which acquired 33 percent of the company in January in a deal reportedly worth $200 million. Tidal has recently been promoting 4:...

Apple has announced a special shopping event, called "Lose Your Wallet," to be held in San Francisco next weekend, on June 23-25, with a collection of discounts for Apple Pay users. In Hayes Valley and the Marina anyone who has Apple Pay set up on their iPhone or Apple Watch will be able to take advantage of the exclusive discounts and offers at a variety of merchants (via Apple Insider). Some ...

The massive video game conference E3 was this week, and while iOS gaming played at least a minor role at the event in previous years, that definitely was not the case in 2017. It's not that surprising, particularly with excitement surrounding the Nintendo Switch and the unveiling of the new Xbox One X stealing the show. However, the world of iOS gaming is never calm, and there's always tons...

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Hidrate to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an iPhone-connected Hidrate Spark 2.0 water bottle that's designed to keep track of how much water you're drinking each day. First created as a Kickstarter project, the Hidrate water bottle has been around since 2015, but it's on its second version, the Spark 2.0. The Hidrate Spark 2.0, available...

Foxconn chairman Terry Gou has spoken out about the ongoing sale for Toshiba's memory chip unit, which has made headlines over the past few weeks as multiple companies have entered the bidding to win the sought-after unit. Previously, Foxconn was perceived as a long shot for winning the bid due to its connections with China, a fact believed to sit unfavorably with Japanese-owned Toshiba. Now,...

Rumors that smart thermostat maker Nest is considering adding Apple HomeKit support to its product range appear to be premature, according to a report on Thursday. AppleInsider spoke to a Nest employee who apparently confirmed there are "no immediate plans" to support Apple's smart home platform and "no roadmap" for such a migration. The rumors were apparently stoked by Apple's announcement at ...

Apple has made electronic music-driven infinite jumper game Beat Stomper its Free App of the Week on the App Store. Usually $2, this trippy little game has been rated at least four stars by over 650 gamers for its frenetic jump-and-hold mechanic, combined with a rousing soundtrack which adapts to the action unfolding on the screen. Neon-drenched graphics and rapidly strobing particle effects...

Among multiple software announcements that came out of WWDC last week, Apple unveiled details about watchOS 4, the newest operating system that will arrive on Apple Watch devices later this fall. As developers spend more time with the watchOS 4 beta, new surprises in the software become uncovered, and now MacRumors forum member mrToasty has come across a previously unseen birthday-related message ...

Twitter today revealed a new design coming to twitter.com, Twitter for iOS, Twitter for Android, TweetDeck, and Twitter Lite over the next few days and weeks. The company said the redesign was intended to make an app that's faster and easier to use, while also fixing things that users didn't like about the current design. The first new change is a new side navigation menu with profile,...

Facebook is today rolling out a long-awaited feature within its iOS app, which will allow users to post GIFs directly into comments using a native GIF button. To share a GIF, users will find the button sitting next to the emoji button in the text field of the Facebook comment window, and from there they can search for a GIF by typing, horizontally scroll through the results, and tap to share. ...

Microsoft is today updating its smart camera app for iOS devices, Microsoft Pix, with new features that overlay artistic filters on top of user photos. The company said that the Pix team used neural networks to browse massive datasets of classic paintings in order to "learn the essence of what makes a given style of painting recognizable," all in an effort to fuel Pix's new features. The first ...

Amazon has launched a new version of its Dash barcode scanning device for Prime U.S. subscribers that includes the company's ubiquitous virtual assistant built in. Called the Dash Wand, the Alexa-enabled gadget allows users to scan grocery barcodes, convert measurements, and order essential household items from Amazon with the click of a button. Pressing the button activates the Dash...

Popular writing suite Scrivener received its first major update for iOS today. Version 1.1 includes a number of enhancements under the hood, but the most obvious requested feature is a new Dark Mode. The new Dark Mode can be enabled from within an open project by tapping the gear icon in the footer of the sidebar. This opens Project Settings, where users will see a toggle option for the new...

Apple supplier Foxconn has been considering opening a facility in the United States, and the company is investigating Wisconsin as one possible location, reports The Associated Press. According to an unspecified person with "direct knowledge" of the negotiations, the state of Wisconsin is currently in talks with Foxconn. Michigan is also said to be pursuing the Foxconn plant. President...

Largan Precision, one of the current suppliers for the iPhone's camera lens component, today confirmed that it will ship lenses for 3D sensing modules in the second half of 2017, suggesting inclusion in the next-generation "iPhone 8." The confirmation comes from Largan CEO Adam Lin, who refrained from mentioning which company exactly the modules would be allocated for (via Nikkei). The list of ...

Apple's AirPods are in stock today on Best Buy's website, with a free 2-day shipping option placing the wireless headphones to arrive later this week for customers in the United States. Faster one-day alternatives are available for around $20. Users who purchase on Best Buy's website will also get free in-store setup and advice from Geek Squad. AirPods have had a six-week shipping...