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

Smart thermostat company Ecobee today announced the launch of a cheaper "Ecobee3 Lite" device that will deliver Ecobee's expected "superior comfort, control and energy savings" at $80 less than similar products from competitors, according to the company. Similar to the flagship Ecobee 3 model, the Ecobee3 Lite has the same touchscreen controls and black aesthetic, and can be controlled from a...

Approximately 18 million iOS users in the United States have turned on Apple's "Limit Ad Tracking" feature in settings, effectively preventing advertisements within apps from being targeted directly at them and their browsing habits. Based on a recent report from Adjust (via Advertising Age), that's now 20 percent of total iOS users in the United States who have LAT turned on. Although it's...

For this week’s giveaway, we’ve teamed up with Sena to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win one of the company’s Snap-On Wallet cases for the iPhone 7 or the iPhone 7 Plus. Priced at $49.95, the Snap-On Wallet is a thin high-quality leather case that’s wrapped around a flexible DuroFlex frame to protect the iPhone while also offering two slots that can house credit cards or a driver’s...

Best Buy is currently holding an Apple Shopping Event, offering significant discounts on a range of Apple products, including the iPhone 7, iPhone SE, iPad Air 2, and select Mac models. Best Buy's best deal is on the iPad Air 2, which is available at a $75 discount, dropping the price on the entry-level 32GB WiFi-only model from $400 to $325. The higher-capacity 128GB WiFi-only model is...

Sony today confirmed that it is working on creating more than five smartphone games for iOS and Android, all expected to launch before March 2018 (via CNBC). The games will be created through Sony's ForwardWorks subsidiary, which it formed earlier in March of this year as a way to craft "full-fledged game titles" for smartphones. At the time of that announcement, the company hadn't detailed...

Facebook yesterday announced an update to its flagship app that lets users stream video from their iOS device directly to an Apple TV. Now, when a video is selected in the app's news feed or from the Saved tab, a small button appears in the top right corner which, when tapped, offers to send the video to an Apple TV on the same wireless network. If you’re streaming a Facebook Live...

Twitter is opening up a new "Explore" tab on iOS and Android to a select group of users of its service. The new section is aimed at "content discovery" and showcases trending topics and simplified search tools in addition to "Moments," which the tab was previously dedicated to (via Mashable). Moments launched a year ago this month with the purpose of showing users stories and conversations...

Thanks to a boost from supplying parts for the increasing demand of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has raised its forecast for 2016. Specifically, the manufacturer expects a revenue growth of between 11 and 12 percent, whereas it was previously holding out only for an increase of between 5 and 10 percent for the year (via Reuters). Third quarter net...

Samsung is offering $100 bill credit to U.S. customers caught up in its ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 recall if they're willing to stay loyal to the brand (via TechCrunch). Samsung discontinued the Note 7 earlier this week after handsets deemed safe by the company began setting on fire just like the handsets they replaced. Samsung is now offering those who choose to exchange the phone for any other...

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published an invention today that suggests the next Apple Watch could identify its owner simply by checking their heart rate. Apple's patent application is titled "User identification system based on plethysmography" and describes how a pulse oximeter is used to determine the biometric signature of a user's cardio rhythms. This data could then be used to...

Google has announced a few notable updates to its Photos app, with some new features powered by its machine-learning technology. The app can now automatically generate animated GIFs from videos you upload to the service. Google says its technology looks for video segments that capture activity – "a jump into the pool, or even just an adorable smile" – and creates short animations that can ...

Several employees at the Carindale Apple Store in Brisbane, Australia were today fired for stealing personal photos from customers and taking pictures of customers and female staff as part of a lewd rating game, according to Australian news site The Courier Mail. The behavior was discovered by at the Carindale Apple Store after an employee caught a technician looking through a customer's...

Apple today seeded the third beta of watchOS 3.1 to developers for testing purposes, just over one week after seeding the second beta and a month after releasing watchOS 3 to the public. watchOS 3.1 has been in testing since September 21. watchOS 3.1 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software Update. To install the update, the Apple...

Online radio service Pandora today announced a rebranding of its iOS and Android apps, complete with a new logo that includes a "vibrant and bold color scheme" that the company says will showcase "the next phase of the product and the music experiences Pandora brings you." The app's icon has transitioned from a gray background with a navy blue "P" to an all-white background a lighter, bolder "P." ...

Following confirmation that Samsung has discontinued the Galaxy Note 7 amid its well-publicized fire-catching problems, the company today gave the first indication of how much the move will cost it for the third quarter of 2016. In a report by Bloomberg, Samsung is said to have cut its third quarter operating profit by $2.3 billion and adjusted profit expectations from 7.8 trillion won ($6.9...

Dropbox for iOS is being updated today with iOS 10 support and new features to improve the file storage and sharing experience. With Messages integration, Dropbox users can select Dropbox files from within the Messages app and share them with friends and colleagues, alleviating the need to open the Dropbox app and copy a link. A new Dropbox widget can be added to the lock screen, providing...

Casper has announced it now accepts Apple Pay on the web through Safari on both its desktop website on Mac and mobile website on iPhone and iPad. Casper is a New York-based startup that sells an award-winning foam mattress exclusively through its website. The online retailer's product lineup also includes a pillow, sheets, foundation, and dog bed, available in the United States, Canada,...

Last month we looked at Bose's wireless QuietComfort 35 noise-canceling headphones ($350) and came away with the feeling that – at least for those willing or able to test premium waters – Bluetooth-based audio fulfillment was finally a possibility. So it would be remiss not to turn next to rival premium headphone maker and well-regarded German audio company Sennheiser to see what it has to ...