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

Although Apple.com has listed the BeatsX Earphones as not launching until sometime in February, a few tipsters emailing MacRumors have pointed out that Amazon updated their pre-orders to suggest that BeatsX will be arriving earlier than expected. The updated delivery windows are large, but both place the upcoming earphones with a January delivery date: one ranges from January 17 to January 27,...

After partners like CBS and NBC were confirmed to be part of Hulu's upcoming live-streaming TV service, Mashable recently got a glimpse of the early build for the service on both iOS and full-screen TV apps. Hulu has still kept details under wraps regarding specific price points and plans, although Hulu Chief Executive Mike Hopkins said last week that it will cost users "under $40" each month. ...

Fitbit has made another acquisition in the wearables market, this time buying out European luxury smartwatch maker Vector Watch for an undisclosed price. Vector Watch only launched in March of last year offering a range of 12 smartwatch models in various fashion-conscious styles. Key features in its line-up include basic activity tracking, phone notifications, and 30-day battery life, with...

Less than a year after introducing a fee for customers upgrading their smartphones, Verizon has raised the the price of said fee from $20 to $30, reports The Verge. The fee change was quietly implemented last week alongside the discontinuation of two-year contracts for existing customers. Those customers previously had to pay a $40 fee when activating a new contract and purchasing a new...

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 3.1.3 update to developers for testing purposes, three weeks after releasing the first watchOS 3.1.3 beta and four months after the launch of watchOS 3. watchOS 3.1.3 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software Update. To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent...

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 10.1.1 update to developers for testing purposes, almost four weeks after seeding the first tvOS 10.1.1 beta and nearly a month after releasing tvOS 10.1, the first major update to the tvOS 10 operating system. Designed for the fourth-generation Apple TV, tvOS 10.1.1 beta can be obtained by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a...

Popular Chinese mobile app company WeChat [Direct Link] congratulated Apple on ten years of the iPhone earlier this morning, with founder Allan Zhang posting photos online from the iPhone's unveiling in January 2007. Simultaneously, WeChat parent company Tencent Holdings launched a suite of cloud-based smartphone apps that analysts believe suggests WeChat intends to "play a leading role in...

Sharp is gearing up to help create OLED displays for the iPhone inside of Foxconn's "iPhone City" plant in Zhengzhou, China, according to a new report by Nikkei (via DigiTimes). Foxconn acquired Sharp in 2016, and soon after reports emerged that Foxconn would use its newly acquired investment in Sharp to become a major OLED supplier for Apple. Today's report points toward the OLED displays...

Popular cross-platform email client Airmail received an update to its iOS component today, bringing a couple of notable extra features to the app. New with version 1.5 is support for third-party automation tool Workflow, enabling users to incorporate email and inbox actions into their custom Workflow creations. The update also brings integration with cross-platform note-taking app Bear,...

Lock manufacturer Yale at CES 2017 this week announced that its lineup of Real Living Assure smart locks will be compatible with HomeKit by the end of March. By then, new Assure locks will be sold with a HomeKit module, which will also be available to purchase separately to add to existing Assure locks. HomeKit support will enable users to lock and unlock their homes by using Apple's new...

Samsung today announced the first iOS apps for its popular Gear family of smartwatches, which were previously only compatible with Android phones. The Samsung Gear S app brings iPhone connectivity to the company's Gear 2 and Gear 3 wearables, while the Gear Fit app offers similar compatibility for Gear Fit2 watches. The apps allow device owners to monitor features and manage applications...

Russian authorities have required Apple and Google to remove the LinkedIn app from the App Store and Google Play in Russia, reports The New York Times. The move comes a couple weeks after Russia blocked LinkedIn's website. The demand by Russian authorities to remove LinkedIn in Apple and Google app stores comes weeks after a court blocked the professional networking service for flouting...

In celebration of the 2017 Chinese New Year, designated Year of the Rooster, Apple has launched a new section on its website in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore highlighting five young Chinese artists that have created contemporary versions of traditional "Nianhua" folk art. The first day of the Chinese New Year is January 28, 2017. The artists include Victo Ngai, Eszter Chen, Zhou...

The lightweight nature and small size of Apple's AirPods have caused concerns for current and future owners of the Bluetooth headphones, centering around how easy it could be to lose them. iOS developer Deucks has made an effort to alleviate some of that worry for owners with a new app called "Finder for AirPods," [$3.99 Direct Link] which measures Bluetooth signal strength from a lost AirPod to...

At Apple's September 2016 special event, Instagram announced several new features for its app to take advantage of various iPhone capabilities. Today, co-founder Mike Krieger announced that two of the features, wide color support and Live Photos support, are rolling out to users. Instagram had to revise its photo filters to support the iPhone 7's new camera capabilities. The new photo...

Starting today, Verizon will no longer be allowing customers who are upgrading their smartphones to purchase a two-year contract, effectively eliminating two-year contracts for all new and existing users. While Verizon did away with two-year contracts for new customers back in August of 2015, existing customers were able to re-purchase two-year contracts when upgrading their smartphones. That...

Leviton today unveiled new HomeKit-enabled light switches and dimmers at CES 2017, including a 1000W Universal Dimmer, 600W Universal Dimmer, and 15A Universal Rocker Switch. Like other smart light switches and dimmers, the trio of new Decora products can be used in tandem with the free Decora Smart Home app for iPhone and iPad to control lights and loads. The app has customizable settings...

Honeywell today unveiled two indoor security cameras and confirmed plans to add HomeKit to its Lyric Security system at CES 2017 in Las Vegas. The semi-cylindrical Lyric C1 camera captures 720p video at 30 FPS with a 135-degree viewing angle, while the circular Lyric C2 camera records in 1080p at 30 FPS and has a 138-degree viewing angle. Both models have a built-in speaker and microphone for...