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

At its Build 2017 conference this morning Microsoft announced that its upcoming Windows 10 Fall Creators Update will include integration with iOS, allowing developers using Microsoft Graph to link desktop apps to mobile apps on both iPhone and Android devices (via The Verge). Users will be able to start apps on a Windows computer and, with the help of Microsoft's AI Cortana, pick up their iPhone...

A patent application published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office today details a new Apple service where users could make inquiries and talk with the company's AI assistant Siri through Messages (via AppleInsider). The new patent is similar to a filing the USPTO published late last year, but now includes deeper integration with audio, video, and image files. Similar to chatbots...

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has commenced production of Apple's A11 processor, according to a new report by DigiTimes. The chip is expected to power the company's redesigned OLED "iPhone 8", scheduled to launch in the fall. TSMC is the sole supplier of A11 chips, which could also make their way into the upgraded "S" cycle models of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus and potentially...

Walter Isaacson, the biographer of Steve Jobs, went on record this week to express his belief that Google and Amazon have overtaken Apple to become the most innovative technology companies of the modern day. The Aspen Institute CEO and writer of the best-selling biography made the frank remarks in an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Alley" show, during which he singled out Apple's lack of movement...

EA has announced a new free-to-play version of The Sims is coming to iPhone and iPad, six years after The Sims Freeplay – a simplified version of the original – launched on the mobile platform. Called The Sims Mobile, the game looks like it will be the closest mobile approximation yet of the hit franchise, being based on The Sims 4 "legacy challenge" mode, in which players build and maintain...

Apple is making some changes to the way customers are charged for books in several South American and European countries around the world, switching to local currencies for purchases in Chile, Colombia, Peru, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. The currency changes will be enabled 14 days or later from May 9, which will be on or after May 23. Apple's email says the...

Sprint today announced plans to develop and deploy a wide-scale 2.5GHz 5G network in partnership with Qualcomm and SoftBank, with the intent to provide the service and products compatible with it to customers in "late 2019." Sprint's 5G network is said to use the New Radio standard developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, a group of telecommunications organizations that oversee the ...

Readdle today announced the launch of PDF Expert 6, a major update to its popular PDF Expert app. PDF Expert 6 introduces a range of new features, from a revamped look to new editing tools. The app has been overhauled with a fresh, streamlined look that makes it easier to add and manage files, but the most important new feature is the addition of editing tools. With PDF Expert 6, you can do...

Spotify this week has launched a new discovery tool called "Spotify Codes," which gives users a way to easily share and find new music within the Spotify app on iOS and Android. The feature works by generating a unique code that users can take a picture of, guiding them directly to the piece of content that the code represents. Users can generate a Spotify Code for any song, artist, album, or...

Apple today updated its Apple Support app to version 1.1, adding several new features to enhance the app and make it easier for users to obtain support for their Apple products. Starting today, the Apple Support app can be used to schedule repairs at participating Apple Authorized Service Providers, giving users more options beyond the Apple Genius Bar. Scheduling repairs through an authorized ...

As Apple prepares to open its first retail store in Singapore, the company has also expanded Apple Maps feature availability in the city-state, enabling transit directions. Transit information may still be in the process of rolling out to all customers, but according to the iOS section of Apple's Singaporean website, and a feature availability list, transit directions are live in Singapore. ...

Visa has partnered with payments startup Current and today the companies are launching a new "smart debit card" and iOS app that aim to give kids and parents more autonomy and security when it comes to doling out spending money (via TechCrunch). The new Current card functions like any other Visa debit card, allowing teens and younger kids to spend money without needing cash, but comes connected...

Apple today announced that it will be releasing the film "Harry Styles: Behind the Album" exclusively on Apple Music on May 15. The film chronicles the former One Direction singer's so-called "musical journey" while creating his debut solo album, set to be released on Friday. Apple shared a 30-second preview of the film on its YouTube channel today. Apple's full description of the...

Uncertainty over which company will end up with Toshiba's much-sought-after NAND chip unit -- the second-biggest in the world -- has deepened today with a report by Reuters, which states that the Japan-based Toshiba is now facing legal actions from its business partner and chip unit bidder Western Digital. The U.S.-based data storage company is claiming that Toshiba has violated a contract by...

WhatsApp has bolstered the security of the iCloud backup feature in its messaging platform, in an attempt to protect archived chat logs from being accessed in a readable form (via TechCrunch). WhatsApp has offered end-to-end encryption on its messaging service for some time, but that encryption did not previously extend to iCloud backups of messages. Given that Apple holds the encryption keys...

Alipay, the mobile payment system offered by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, is coming to the U.S., thanks to a deal brokered with credit card processing service First Data Corp. The expansion follows limited trials in California and New York, and will bring Alipay into direct competition with Apple Pay, Android Pay, and PayPal. Alongside online payments and money transfers, Alipay users can ...

Amazon has started running and promoting its own live music gigs in the U.K. as an extra incentive for customers to sign up to its Prime membership (via Engadget). Called Prime Live Events, the initiative will offer music concert tickets at iconic London venues by major artists performing "up-close and personal". Tickets to the music shows will be exclusive to Prime subscribers and all of the...

In celebration of Mother's Day, which takes place on Sunday, May 14, Best Buy is having a major sale and dropping the price on the iPhone 7, Apple Watch Series 2, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy and may earn commissions on purchases made through these links. All of Best Buy's Apple Watch Series 2 models are available at a...