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

Instagram today updated its iOS and Android apps with two new ways that will let users easily search through "Stories," the company's version of Snapchat Stories that disappear after 24 hours. The update begins in the Explore tab, where users will see new Stories at the top of the tab related to Stories happening near them. The Stories know user locations only when a location sticker is added...

Amazon expanded its selection of pay-to-view television channels to the United Kingdom and Germany markets today. The announcement means users of Prime Video in those countries will be able to subscribe to popular channels individually, rather than having to pay for bundles of channels. Previously, Amazon's on-demand Prime Video subscription service only offered movies and TV shows in the...

Apple is in talks with government officials in India to expand its iPhone manufacturing facility in Bengalaru, a federal minister acknowledged on Tuesday (via Reuters). The Cupertino-based company reportedly wants to bulk out the plant in the southern Indian tech hub as part of its plan to capture a bigger share in one of the world's fastest growing smartphone markets. Ravi Shankar Prasad,...

Swedish home store IKEA has announced that its recently announced Trådfri smart lighting system will soon be compatible with HomeKit, Apple's smart home management platform. The affordable range of home lighting products was originally announced in late March and includes LED bulbs, illuminated panels, a motion sensor kit, a gateway kit, and dimming lights, but no mention was made about...

YouTube TV, the streaming television service that launched in April, was today updated with support for AirPlay, allowing video streamed from the iPhone or the iPad to be played on an Apple TV. The service has been available on the iPad and the iPhone through a YouTube TV app since it launched, but YouTube has not yet made an app available on the Apple TV. Prior to today, Chromecast was...

Slingbox creators Sling Media today launched an all-new multi-camera production and live video broadcasting system called SlingStudio, which connects to an iPad app to allow users the ability to edit and manage videos on the spot. With the $999 SlingStudio, users can monitor and edit four HD video inputs from up to ten connected cameras and smartphone devices, as well as output live video to...

Apple and Visa have been sued by a small company based in Boston this weekend, which claims that Apple Pay violates 13 patents that it holds related to digital payment systems and user authentication technology. The company behind the lawsuit, Universal Secure Registry, filed the complaint in a Federal District Court in Delaware on Sunday (via The New York Times). According to the filing, USR...

Home thermostat maker Emerson today announced two new smart thermostats, one of which includes a color touchscreen display. The Sensi Touch Wi-Fi Thermostat — along with an updated version of Sensi's existing Wi-Fi Thermostat — is now compatible with Apple's smart home management platform HomeKit, for controlling the device using the Apple Home app on iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch, or voice...

Apple this weekend celebrated the launch of its new in-store programming, "Today at Apple," at all of its 495 retail locations. The world-wide expansion of the educational program was announced in April, and this weekend marked the official debut of Today at Apple at every Apple store around the globe. “Today at Apple” kicked off this weekend with new in-store programming around the world, ...

Most shop tills in the U.K. that take Apple Pay now accept mobile payments above £30, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. Jennifer Bailey, head of Apple's payment arm, said over half of contactless payment terminals in the country are now able to take Apple Pay transactions of any value. Previously, most contactless card readers have adhered to the £30 upper limit, which is meant to prevent...

Popular entertainment social network Musical.ly is in talks with media companies including Viacom and NBCUniversal to make original programming, according to people familiar with the matter (via Bloomberg). The company is said to be seeking content for its music video sharing platform that is "participatory and interactive" rather than feeling heavily produced, with a view to broadening its...

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Pad & Quill to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Leather Desk Organizer Set that includes a Large Leather Desk Pad, a Leather Mouse Pad, a Large Leather Desk Organizer Tray, a Small Leather Desk Organizer Tray, and a Wooden Apple Pencil Holder. Like all of Pad & Quill's leather goods, the components of the desk set, which are available in...

Hey everyone! I'm Eli Hodapp, and I serve as Editor in Chief over at MacRumors' sister-site TouchArcade. If you haven't heard of us before, we're the largest iOS-exclusive gaming site out there. We post daily news, reviews, previews, and more, covering the latest and greatest in the world of mobile gaming. We regularly stream iOS games on Twitch, and we've got our own forums which are packed with ...

Apple today gave the iTunes Movies storefront a small visual overhaul to coincide with the digital home release of The LEGO Batman Movie, which will debut on DVD and Blu-Ray on June 13. With the update, the iTunes Movies carousel has a collection of films on sale for a limited time, and with a LEGO-themed visual twist. These include previous DC universe movies like Batman Begins (HD $4.99), The...

After its first sports-related streams went live early last year, focusing on soccer and hockey, Facebook this week has made inroads into two new categories that will bring fans of eSports and baseball both live and on-demand content (via The Wall Street Journal). Facebook already had deals with five eSports teams who published live and on-demand videos to the platform, but this week the...

A new report on Friday added support to the claim that Apple is facing higher component costs for this year's highly anticipated OLED iPhone, which some analysts believe will carry a "premium" price tag compared to previous models. The 3D Touch module in the redesigned handset will cost 150 percent more than the equivalent parts in LCD-based iPhones, according to the Chinese-language Economic...

Encrypted messaging platform Telegram received a significant update today, bringing video messaging, bot payments, and other new features to the chat app. In version 4.0 of Telegram, users can activate video messaging with a tap of the mic icon to switch to camera mode, or tap and hold the icon to record a quick video clip. Swiping up while recording enables handsfree mode, which works with...

Music video hosting service Vevo today introduced a revamped Apple TV app that has been fully redesigned with a simpler interface that's easier to navigate and a new focus on personalization and curation, both of which Vevo hopes will draw in more users. Vevo's new design brings videos and playlists front and center, with the aim of providing an immersive video watching experience as soon as...