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

Streaming radio service Pandora is getting ready to introduce two new on-demand paid subscription tiers, in addition to keeping its popular free option available, according to people familiar with the matter speaking with The Wall Street Journal. The company is said to be "close to inking deals" with some major record companies that will let it expand the two new tiers in both the United...

Sony today announced its first CarPlay-supported in-car audio system, the XAV-AX100, which the company touts as offering "everything you need" for long car journeys, including smartphone connectivity, a high-quality sound system, and voice command features. Following Alpine, Kenwood, JVC, JBL, and Pioneer, Sony is the newest company to manufacture aftermarket CarPlay systems. Thanks to the...

The New York Times has announced that its curated news app, NYT Now [Direct Link], will officially shut down and no longer be available to download from the week of August 29. The app was originally announced in early 2014 as a way to provide readers with a cheaper alternative to the digital subscription service offered by the company, coming in at $8 per month, "roughly half the price of the...

Apple's demand that overseas suppliers lower their quotes for iPhone 7 parts and components has been met with resistance from makers, according to Taiwanese website DigiTimes. Apple is said to have asked downstream part and component suppliers, excluding TSMC and Largan Precision, to reduce their quotes for iPhone 7 devices by as much as 20 percent, even though order volumes for new phones are ...

Twitter has announced a new "Quality Filter" feature that enables users to filter notifications so that they only see "quality tweets" and mentions from people they follow. The feature initially rolled out as a test and was created partly as a means to combat users' exposure to abusive trolls, but Twitter says the filter is now available to everyone. "Last year we began testing a quality...

Just about two weeks after it was reported that R&B singer Frank Ocean's next album, "Boys Don't Cry," would be available exclusively on Apple music, the singer has released "Endless," a visual album exclusive to the service. An Apple representative told Pitchfork that the 45-minute visual album features new songs from the artist. The rep added that fans should "keep an eye out this weekend...

Philips recently announced its first Bluetooth-connected Sonicare toothbrush aimed at adults, which interfaces with an iPhone to monitor brushing habits, offer brushing tips, and make sure you're brushing right. Priced at $199, the Sonicare FlexCare Platinum Connected takes the well-known and popular FlexCare brush and introduces iPhone connectivity through a Sonicare app that tracks...

Microsoft today announced the launch of its OneNote Import Tool for Mac, which is designed to allow Mac users to quickly and easily transfer all of their notes from note-taking app Evernote to Microsoft's own note-taking app, OneNote. Transitioning from Evernote to OneNote is as simple as downloading the import tool, letting the app locate Evernote notebooks, signing into your Microsoft...

Sprint has announced a new plan called Unlimited Freedom that offers unlimited talk, text, and 4G LTE data for $60 per month. A second line can be added for $40 per month, while up to eight more lines can be added for an additional $30 per month each. The total cost for a family of four, for example, would be $160 per month, the same price as T-Mobile's new ONE plan for that many lines....

After years of planning, and testing phases over the last few months, Uber this month will begin allowing customers in Pittsburgh to summon self-driving cars from within its ride-hailing app. As noted by Bloomberg, "no automotive or technology company has yet achieved" the public launch of a self-driving service, passing rivals Google, Tesla, and Ford, who have so far only performed tests in the...

Apple has added Apple Pay support for customers of Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank in the United Kingdom. Apple's official list of participating banks in Europe has yet to updated, but the two banks independently confirmed news of the added support via Twitter and on their websites. The support also covers the two banks' new co-operative digital banking service, called simply "B", which ...

Instagram has introduced a new "Events" channel in the Explore section of its app that highlights user photos and video clips captured during specific events from around the world. Currently only available in the U.S., the new channel implements an algorithm to curate media from events like sports games and concerts, based on a user's preferences and habits, according to a post on the...

Starting on August 19, Apple Pay will be available in Chick-fil-A restaurants across the United States, allowing fast food buyers to make their purchases both in-store and at the drive thru using Apple's payment service. The news was shared by the Chick-fil-A Twitter account following an inquiry by AppleInsider writer Roger Fingas, who had heard a tip that support was already rolling out at...

AT&T has announced that it is working with several global tech leaders to enable faster 5G deployment once 3GPP completes the first release of the official specifications, which will form the basis of the global standards for the next-generation wireless technology. Specifically, the carrier has entered preliminary discussions with Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, LG, Nokia,...

The SnapPower Charger, designed to make it easy to add USB ports to a wall outlet with no complicated wiring, originated on Kickstarter in 2015. It's basically an outlet replacement that features two standard sockets and an additional USB port, and it's meant to be simple enough to install in just a couple of minutes. SnapPower is available in three colors (white, light almond, and ivory) to ...

The "mega cycle" iPhone 8 and, presumably, iPhone 8 Plus, might have different displays according to new speculation from Gabelli & Co. research analyst Hendi Susanto (via Barrons). In a discussion with Universal Display executive Darice Liu, Apple's potential use of OLED displays in an upcoming iPhone model surfaced, leading to the talk about overall display technology for the iPhone 8....

Automatic today announced the launch of its next-generation connected car adapter, the Automatic Pro. The Automatic Pro, built on the second-generation Automatic Adapter, is the company's new flagship adapter, equipped with 3G cellular connectivity. With an always-on 3G connection that carries no subscription fees, the Automatic Adapter is no longer reliant on an iPhone for functionality. Data ...

Alleged leaked images of two new upcoming products from Fitbit were published by TechnoBuffalo yesterday. The images claim to show promotional shots of the wearable company's Fitbit Charge 2 and Fitbit Flex 2, both of which have been rumored since trademark applications for the Mark II devices were discovered earlier this year. The image of the Fitbit Charge 2 shows a larger screen than...