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

Apple today seeded the second beta of watchOS 3.1, Build 14S464, to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the first beta and three weeks after releasing watchOS 3 to the public. 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 Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must...

Apple today seeded the second beta of tvOS 10.0.1, Build 14U66, to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the first tvOS 10.0.1 beta and three weeks after releasing the tvOS 10 update. Designed for the fourth-generation Apple TV, tvOS 10.0.1 can be installed by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, downloading and installing the software via...

Apple has added The CW to the universal search function on the fourth-generation Apple TV, less than a week after the app launched in the United States. The CW app allows Apple TV owners to watch new episodes of shows on the network for free, with ads, with no cable authentication or login required. Only five episodes from the most recent season of each show are available to watch, with no...

Yahoo today announced the rebranding of its core mobile app to "Yahoo Newsroom," where users can engage in conversations and social interactions about news relevant to their interests. The app makes it easy to discover new and breaking stories through a range of topics the company is referring to as "Vibes." Yahoo describes each Vibe as a "forum where you read, react, and debate topics that you...

Ultimate Ears today updated its iOS and Android apps with a feature called "Party Up" that lets users connect "more than 50" of its Bluetooth speakers at once (via TechCrunch). When synced together, every speaker can be simultaneously controlled from a single mobile device, with the music selection and volume synced together across every speaker. Additionally, the company's UE Boom 2 speaker is...

Two more U.K. banks adopted Apple Pay technology today, with The Co-Operative Bank and Metro Bank announcing support for the mobile payment platform that works on iPads, iPhones, and Apple Watch devices (via Engadget). In announcing the service's launch on its systems, The Co-Operative Bank chose to emphasize that its existing customers can still earn Everyday Rewards if they are already...

Gigastone recently announced its MFi-certified PhotoFast 4K Video Capture and Storage Kit is now available exclusively through Apple's online storefront and at select Apple retail locations in the United States. The kit includes a Lightning to microSD card reader, 64GB microSD card with U3 speeds, SD card adapter, and keychain leash, ideal for capturing 4K video and high-resolution images...

Mophie today announced a modular accessory line of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus cases that allow users to attach various peripherals via magnetic charge on the back of Apple's smartphone. Shawn Dougherty, co-founder and President of Mophie, said the new "Hold Force" line offers "stylish, protective cases" with the advantage of extra battery life and spots for credit cards. The first step in...

StubHub is coming to Apple TV, marking what it says is the first ticketing app on the tvOS App Store. The app has been specifically designed for the fourth-generation Apple TV, enabling users to browse, search, and purchase tickets for sports games, concerts, theater and comedy shows, and other U.S. events from the couch. StubHub, owned by eBay, is a popular online marketplace for buying and ...

Otono Networks today announced that its global 4G LTE roaming network AlwaysOnline Wireless will be expanding to the United States and 28 additional countries, bringing its total number of countries covered to 74. The other new countries are: Albania, Antigua & Barbuda, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Guam, Iceland, Jersey, Kenya, Kuwait, Macau,...

Third-party accessory manufacturer ZENS today launched the two-in-one iPhone/Apple Watch Power Bank, letting users recharge their Apple devices while on the go. The rectangular case has an integrated induction charger for the Apple Watch -- which is Apple MFi Certified -- and a USB-A port on one side for charging any other device connected to the bank. The Power Bank has an included battery...

Facebook is launching a new user-to-user e-commerce service called "Marketplace" this week in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand (via The Verge). The new buying and selling service will replace the Messenger tab in the main Facebook mobile app for iOS and Android. According to Facebook Marketplace project manager Bowen Pan, almost 450 million people use the social...

Popular messaging app Telegram today announced the launch of a bot-powered gaming platform that enables users to play games right inside their chats. Last year we launched a Bot Platform for Telegram. Free, powerful, and open, it was an instant hit among users and developers. Today we are aiming to push the boundaries further by launching a bot-powered Gaming Platform on Telegram. That’s...

U.K. mobile retailer Carphone Warehouse was today guilty of publishing a series of visuals and spec slides for Google's upcoming own-branded smartphones, a day ahead of their official unveiling (via 9to5Google). Due to be announced at the company's October 4th San Francisco event, Google's 5-inch 'Pixel' and 5.5-inch 'Pixel XL' smartphones feature Snapdragon 821 processors and 4GB RAM, a...

Apple has recently updated Apple Maps to include Amtrak's full system of train routes across the United States and in select Canadian cities. Building upon support for northeast routes, Apple Maps now supports Amtrak routes in the Midwest, Northwest, South, and West regions of the U.S., and in the Canadian cities of Montréal and Vancouver. Amtrak routing is available mainly in areas where...

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with popular accessory maker Pad & Quill to give MacRumors readers a chance to win an expertly crafted case designed for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Pad & Quill makes a wide range of accessories for Apple's iOS devices, all made by hand from high-quality wood and leather, and its new line of iPhone 7 cases are no exception. The Luxury Pocket...

Apple has announced that iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus launch in India on October 7 and in Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Montenegro, South Africa, and Turkey on October 14. The smartphones also launch in Ukraine on October 7, and in South Korea and Thailand on October 21, according to local news reports. In India, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be available through online shops Flipkart,...

Apple is said to be in talks with Japanese electronics maker Sharp to create OLED displays for next-generation iPhones, with the ultimate outcome of the deal depending on Sharp's capacity to output a large amount of displays (via Bloomberg). The Osaka-based company would be one of a handful of OLED suppliers for Apple, and the deal is said to originate from the Cupertino company's "desire to...