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

Apple today launched a new ad in its ongoing "Shot on iPhone" campaign, this one called "The Human Family." Using words from famous poet Maya Angelou, and spoken by her too, the commercial cycles through various photos and videos of user-submitted content, with the theme of family showcasing various people from around the world. The spot is set to be Apple's ad for the 2016 Olympic Games,...

Developer Square Enix recently launched a new game called Mobius Final Fantasy, which the company said is "custom-tailored for mobile platforms," and is now available on iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. Some of the team behind the game includes producer Yoshinori Kitase and writer Kazushige Nojima, who penned both Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X. Mobius Final Fantasy lets players play ...

In a post on the company's official blog, YouTube yesterday announced that its paid subscription service -- dubbed YouTube Red -- will now encompass YouTube Kids, enabling "a whole new set of features for the family to enjoy" whenever parents sign up for Red. Available in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, the move comes about 15 months after YouTube Kids came under fire by some...

The developers of popular running and cycling app Strava have announced a new safety feature for premium members that lets users broadcast their location in real time to friends and family. The new feature, called Beacon, means runners and cyclists can now share their whereabouts with select contacts, who can then easily locate them if they don't return from their workout when expected or in...

Intel is recalling its Basis Peak sleep and activity tracking watch due to overheating issues, and says it is shuttering the acquired startup behind the technology "immediately". The chip company initially reported the overheating problem in June after some Basis users complained of blistering and burns caused by the wearable device. Intel told its customers not to use the watch until a...

Britney Spears has announced that Glory, her first album in three years, will be available on Apple Music from August 26, in what looks like another high-profile exclusive for the streaming service. Spears revealed the news yesterday through her Twitter account and called the fresh release "the beginning of a new era", as she notified fans they could pre-order the album on iTunes from midnight ...

Apple today updated its Apple Music app for Android to version 1.0.0, officially dropping the app's beta status and announcing its full release. Apple Music is one of the first Apple-branded apps that Apple has brought to Android devices. First introduced in November of 2015, Apple Music for Android made the Apple Music platform available on Android-based smartphones and tablets for the first...

Password managing app 1Password today announced the launch of a new subscription plan for individual users priced at $2.99 per month. The new model will be added to 1Password's existing subscription tiers, including a team plan (beginning at $3.99 per month) and a family plan ($4.99 per month). This will allow users not in need of enterprise- or family-related perks to join in on 1Password's...

Dropbox today announced the expansion of its collaborative document editing service "Paper" onto mobile devices running iOS and Android. Paper originally required an invitation to join its beta, but the company is now also opening up access to anyone who's interested in trying out the service, either on desktop or mobile. Paper lets work teams tackle projects at the same time, within a...

Astropad today launched version 2.0 of its iPad app, which transforms a compatible iPad into a drawing tablet for a connected Mac. Once connected, Astropad mirrors the Mac's display onto the iPad to let users take advantage of the tablet's touch controls for drawing and editing photos in various Mac apps. The new update follows last year's introduction of support for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and...

Twitter has quietly introduced new keyboard shortcuts for iPad owners using Bluetooth and Smart Keyboards, in the latest update to its iOS app. The new shortcuts were revealed in a series of tweets by Twitter app developer Amro Mousa yesterday. Mousa let it be known that holding down the Command key brings up a shortcut sheet on connected devices running iOS 9 or later. Holding down the...

Apple Music started rolling out across Israel today, over a year after the streaming service was launched in 110 countries simultaneously. The splash screen for a three-month free trial began appearing on Macs and iOS devices for a number of users in the country this morning. Once the free trial is up, Apple's individual plan starts at 19.90 ILS ($5.21) per month, with a family plan costing...

For the past year, I've exclusively used Bluetooth earbuds while out and about. For me, the convenience of not being tethered to my phone outweighs any downside in sound quality, but all the pairs I've owned before haven't been truly wireless; they're always connected with some sort of cable. These are the VerveOnes from Motorola, and they're the first pair of truly wireless earbuds I've...

Apple today released new international versions of the Smart Keyboard designed for the iPad Pro, which could previously only be purchased with a United States English layout. As 9to5Mac points out, the Smart Keyboard can be purchased in British English, Norwegian, Czech, Slovak, Swiss, Dutch, Korean, Spanish, Italian, German, Danish, Swedish, French, Arabic and other language layouts when...

Bloomberg today announced that its Bloomberg Radio service is now available on Apple Music in over 100 countries around the world, including the United States, Germany, Hong Kong, and Japan. Bloomberg Radio features global business and financial news coverage from top Bloomberg journalists 24 hours a day. Regularly scheduled shows include "The Bloomberg Advantage," "Taking Stock," "Bloomberg...

The Kudelski Group today announced that it has "entered into a comprehensive patent license agreement" with Apple, stating that both parties agree to finally dismiss all current and pending patent litigation. The case stems from an original lawsuit back in 2014 that saw software maker OpenTV -- a wholly owned subsidiary of The Kudelski Group -- sue Apple in a German court due to its alleged...

Twitter today revealed a change in how its "Moments" feature will work during the weeks of the Summer Olympic Games being held in Rio de Janeiro beginning August 5. A new tab for the Rio Olympics will be added to Moments -- and every platform the Twitter feature is available for -- but now users will be able to pipe news from the tab and into their own timeline for the entirety of the Olympic...

Canadian bank Tangerine has updated its Mobile Banking app today to enable Apple Pay support for its Tangerine Money-Back MasterCard credit card. Tangerine, a direct banking subsidiary of Scotiabank, is the seventh-largest bank in Canada with approximately 2 million customers as of last month. Tangerine credit cards -- no debit yet -- can be added to Apple Pay by tapping the "Add Credit or ...