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

Google is set to pay Apple nearly $3 billion this year to remain as the default search engine on iPhones and iPads, according to U.S. research and brokerage firm Bernstein (via CNBC). According to the investor note, Google is paying out three times as much to Apple as it did in 2014 for the same privilege, with Google's licensing fees making up a large bulk of Apple's services business. "Cou...

Snapchat is currently trialling a new concert-related feature on the platform that stitches together individual video clips from different users to create one seamless video. Called Crowd Surf, the feature uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to work out when multiple users are actively recording the same event. By combining the two technologies, Crowd Surf is able to match...

Sony today introduced its new XAV-AX200 in-car audio receiver, which doubles as an aftermarket CarPlay system. The double-DIN XAV-AX200 has a 6.4-inch touchscreen, but Sony didn't specify if its capacitive, or resistive like its XAV-AX100 predecessor. Other key features include both CarPlay and Android Auto support, Bluetooth, SiriusXM satellite radio compatibility, a built-in...

Workflow, the automation app that Apple purchased back in March of this year, was today updated to version 1.7.5, introducing a long list of bug fixes. There are fixes for a range of third-party apps like Trello, Google, Dropbox, and Evernote, along with updates to address issues in iOS 11. For example, Open In, Post to Instagram, Create Note, and Save with Transmit were all actions that were...

Chris Lattner, once responsible for leading the teams behind Xcode and Swift, made headlines earlier this year when he left Apple to work at Tesla. At the time, Lattner told MacRumors the opportunity to work on Tesla's self-driving project with the Tesla Autopilot team was "irresistible." Lattner lasted just six months at Tesla, however, and left the company in June. "Chris just wasn't the...

Facebook is introducing a new "Trending News" section to the Facebook app on iOS and Android devices, designed to make it easier for Facebook users to access current and trending news stories, reports TechCrunch. Trending News aggregates news stories from a wide range of sources and ranks them by the number of publications that are sharing a particular story. The Trending News section can be...

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming tvOS 11 update designed for the fourth-generation TV, one week after seeding the fifth beta and more than two months 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. ...

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming watchOS 4 update to developers, one week after seeding the fifth beta and more than two months after introducing the watchOS 4 update at its 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference. Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS 4 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app ...

Security camera company Canary recently announced a trio of new features coming to its smart home security system and mobile apps, including two-way audio calls between a Canary camera and smartphone, a live security feed with reduced latency, and an all-new web app with live streaming. Rolling out over the course of this week is a refreshed version of Canary's "Watch Live" feature, which...

A collection of Apple suppliers have shared revenue reports today, which also provide a glimpse into the upcoming "peak" iPhone and Apple Watch manufacturing season. Starting off, Foxconn looked back at its profits in July and reported consolidated revenues of NT$315.06 billion (US$10.62 billion) for the month, which marks an increase of 7.53 percent year-on-year. For the first seven months of...

U.K. smart home solutions provider LightwaveRF announced on Monday that its forthcoming product range, which includes a light dimmer and smart socket, will be fully compatible with Apple's HomeKit platform. On October 3, LightwaveRF will launch its new Generation 2 Link Plus smart hub, Smart Dimmers, Smart Sockets, and a Smart Radiator Valve. The Link Plus connects to a Wi-Fi router and...

Apple Maps has been updated with transit data in Hungary, enabling iPhone users to navigate with public transportation directions in Budapest, Debrecen, Szeged, Miskolc, Győr, Pécs, and other regions of the country. In the Budapest metropolitan area, supported vehicles include the Budapest Metro, BKV buses and trams, and BHÉV trains. MÁV-START trains are also supported throughout Hungary ...

Fast Company published a report this week exploring why third-party accessories that make use of Apple's Smart Connector remain few and far between, almost two years after the connector first debuted on the iPad Pro. The magnetic Smart Connector allows the iPad Pro to communicate with and power compatible accessories, like the company's own Smart Keyboard, without the hassle of wires. The...

Kicking off this week in iOS gaming was an appearance I made on the Australian games podcast, GameHugs. It's an industry-centric podcast that explores the backstory of web sites and studios in the world of video games (and often mobile games). On the most recent episode, I get into what goes on behind the scenes running a site like TouchArcade, as well as the odd chain of events that led me to...

For some vehicles, when an iPhone is plugged into the car's USB port music playback begins automatically, and it always starts in alphabetical order at the top of the user's iTunes library. Because of this, many users will hear the same song, usually beginning with an "A," over and over again each time they plug their iPhone into their car. This week, a potential solution to that problem has been ...

Hints about when Apple Pay is coming to Germany have been few and far between over the last year, with negotiations between Apple and German banks allegedly stalling due to conflicting views over fees and controls. The last rumor came back in May and suggested that Apple Pay would launch in the country in the fall or winter, but today one MacRumors reader provided us with another potential...

Smart thermostat company Nest this week announced a new energy saving initiative coming on the day of the total solar eclipse, August 21, 2017. During the eclipse, clean solar energy will be reduced and in some areas of the United States traditional power plants will have to fire up in order to cover the energy shortfall for a brief period of time. Nest's solution is a "Solar Eclipse Rush...

Google introduced an anti-phishing feature for Gmail on Android earlier this year after millions of users were affected by a widespread attack. On Thursday, the company announced it is now extending the functionality to the iOS version of its mail app to protect users on Apple devices. Going forward, whenever a user clicks on a suspicious link in a Gmail message on iPhone or iPad, Gmail will...