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

Last week, we reported that Google is said to be working on its own branded pair of smartwatches, in a break from its traditional reliance on third-party manufacturers to come up with the hardware for its Android Wear OS. Given the continuing interest in rival smartwatches of the round-faced variety, some readers may be interested in the latest renders showing what Google's upcoming pair of...

Photos from the ninth annual iPhone Photography Awards have been posted on the IPPA website, offering a look at some of the best photos captured on an iPhone in the past year. As in previous years, the photos depict a range of subjects, from people to landscapes to animals. This year's grand prize winner was "Man and the Eagle" by Siyuan Niu. The photo depicts a 70-year-old man sharing a...

The success of Pokemon Go has had many real-world ramifications recently, including cautionary tales of car accidents, thieves using the game to stage robberies, and Nintendo's shares jumping 25%, or $7.5 billion, in days. The new augmented reality game is also driving business to local restaurants and bars, according to a new report from Bloomberg. Food and drink sales spiked by about...

Liquor, wine, and beer drinkers across Ontario, Canada can now pay for their alcoholic beverages with an iPhone or Apple Watch, as LCBO has confirmed that it now accepts Apple Pay at all of its over 850 stores in the province. LCBO had been gradually rolling out Apple Pay support since June at its stores, which have long been equipped with NFC-based terminals for contactless payments, and the...

Nintendo shares jumped by nearly a quarter today following the runaway success of its long-awaited Pokémon Go mobile game released last week (via Reuters). Stock spiked as much as 25% ($7.5 billion), a record since it began trading in Tokyo in 1983. According to Bloomberg, shares of the Kyoto-based company have climbed 34% in the past two days of trading after the game was released for iPhone...

Apple Music for Android has been updated with a few bug fixes related to playback and playlist issues. In particular, the update resolves a playback issue where songs skip over the first two seconds of music. It also fixes an issue where albums added to a playlist appear in an unexpected order. Apple Music version 0.9.11 is available on the Google Play store as a free...

Facebook has announced that it will begin rolling out optional end-to-end encryption within its Messenger app for iOS and Android on a limited test basis, ahead of the option becoming more widely available through early September. Messenger users will be able to create one-to-one "Secret Conversations" in Messenger that will be end-to-end encrypted and which can only be read on one device of ...

Snapchat is facing a lawsuit over claims that the app is guilty of routinely serving sexually explicit content to minors without warning (via The Verge). The lawsuit was filed this week by a 14-year-old boy and his mother in a district court in California. The plaintiffs argue that offensive content was shown in Snapchat's Discover page, where non-subscribed publications are delivered to user...

One week after news emerged that Google is working on its own smartphone hardware to compete with the likes of Apple's iPhone, a separate report this week claims the company is also set to enter the wearable market with a pair of Google-branded smartwatches. As with its Android mobile operations, the company has traditionally focused on developing its Android Wear OS while relying on...

Apple today updated its iOS feature availability page with 30 new Flyover locations around the world, including cities in the United States, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Flyover is an Apple Maps feature that provides photo-realistic 3D views of primarily large cities and landmarks. In satellite view, users can zoom, pan, and rotate to get a closer look at...

With the release of the iOS 10 public beta, many users are thinking about putting the new operating system on their devices to try out all of the new features. We've already taken a look at whether it's a good idea to install the iOS 10 public beta considering potential bugs and other issues that can interfere with your daily usage, but if you've decided to go ahead with installing it, we've put...

Advertising analytics company Ace Metrix has published its latest list of the top breakthrough ads in the second quarter, and Apple's behind the scenes "Timer" ad starring iconic Sesame Street character Cookie Monster earned fifth place. "Timer - Behind The Scenes" has been viewed over 3 million times on YouTube since the video was uploaded in early April. In the 90-second spot, Cookie...

A passenger was detained by police officers at London Stansted Airport yesterday after the man was spotted carrying an iPhone case shaped like a firearm (via BBC News). Essex Police shared a picture of the gun-shaped case over Twitter and implied that the individual could have put his own life in danger by carrying the case around an airport terminal. You have a split second decision to ...

Microsoft has released a major update for its Outlook Groups iOS app that promises an improved user experience and more collaborative functions for Office 365 users. For those unfamiliar with Outlook Groups, Microsoft's relatively new service lets Office 365 work and education subscribers create public and private groups in Outlook 2016 which aim to offer several benefits over traditional...

Apple Pay has launched in Switzerland today with support for MasterCard and Visa cards issued by Bonus Card, Cornèr Bank, and Swiss Bankers. Other banks and participating issuers will likely be added in the future. Eligible cards can be scanned or added manually to Apple Pay by tapping the "Add Credit or Debit Card" option in the Wallet app on iOS 8.1 or later. Apple Pay is compatible with...

Snapchat has introduced a new feature called Memories, accessible by swiping up on the main camera screen, that serves as a personal collection of your favorite saved snaps and stories. Memories can be viewed personally, sent to your friends, or added to your Snapchat story. A snap taken more than 24 hours ago will appear with a frame around it in your story to indicate that it is older....

Apple today provided developers with the fifth beta of an upcoming 9.2.2 update to tvOS, the operating system that runs on the fourth-generation Apple TV. The fifth tvOS 9.2.2 beta comes one week after the release of the fourth beta and more than a month after the tvOS 9.2.1 update. tvOS 9.2.2 has been in testing since May 23. tvOS betas are initially more difficult to install than beta...

The popularity of music streaming services has overtaken video sites for the first time in the U.S., according to market monitor BuzzAngle. Services like Apple Music and Spotify delivered 114 billion streams in the first six months of 2016, compared to 95 billion video streams on sites like YouTube and Vevo. Overall, the market for streaming services increased by 58% year-on-year. The...