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

Intel will supply up to 50 percent of faster LTE chips, manufactured by TSMC and KYEC, for the iPhone 7 series expected to launch in September, according to DigiTimes.Intel will itself package the modem chips for the upcoming new iPhones, but have contracted Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and tester King Yuan Electronics (KYEC) to manufacture the chips, the sources said.Apple's ...

Products sold by Apple have recently been subjected to security reviews conducted by a committee associated with China's Cyberspace Administration, reports The New York Times. The security reviews aim to determine whether the products "pose potential security threats" to China and Chinese consumers and have required Apple employees to answer questions about encryption and data storage in...

Apple today released a new software update for the Apple Watch, upgrading watchOS 2 to version 2.2.1. The update comes nearly two months after the public release of watchOS 2.2, a major update to the watchOS 2 operating system that introduced multi-watch support for iPhone, Maps improvements, and other features. In testing since April 6, Apple seeded two betas of watchOS 2.2.1 to developers prior ...

Apple today released a new update for tvOS, the operating system designed to run on the fourth-generation Apple TV. tvOS 9.2.1 is a minor update that comes a month after the launch of tvOS 9.2, a more significant update that introduced a range of features from Bluetooth keyboard support and dictation to Siri search for the App Store and app folders. The new tvOS 9.2.1 update can be downloaded...

Google this morning announced a new app called "Spaces" for iOS, Android and desktop, that combines Google Search, YouTube, and Chrome together into one app to easily share and discuss content amongst friends. Similar to Gboard launched last week, Google is hoping to lessen the amount of time needed to jump between apps by streamlining multiple features into one application. To start off,...

YouTube for iOS has been updated today with Google Cardboard support, allowing for all videos to be watched in VR mode on iPhone. The functionality was previously limited to the YouTube app on Android smartphones since November 2015. To activate Cardboard mode, tap on the three circles in the top-right corner of a video and select the Cardboard icon. The video will then switch to an...

In the future, drivers in the United Kingdom may be able to store their driver's licenses digitally in Apple's Wallet app, bringing Apple one step closer to fully replacing the traditional physical wallet. Oliver Morley, CEO of the UK's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, showed off a prototype version of a digital driving license on Twitter this morning (via The Independent). In the image,...

Kia has announced that its all-new 2017 Sorento is now on sale at U.S. dealerships as its first vehicle with CarPlay support available for purchase. The 2017 Sportage and 2016 Optima, when equipped with a compatible navigation or UVO3 system, will also now feature CarPlay when enabled models reach dealerships in the second quarter. Kia's all-new 2017 Sportage SUV Customers who already...

Apple has updated its System Status page to reflect that iCloud Mail and Notes may currently be unavailable for approximately 0.86% of users. Apple says "users may be unable to send or receive mail and may also be unable to use Notes" until the services are restored. The outage began shortly after 5:00 a.m. Pacific. This article will be updated when new information becomes available. Up...

A new wearable tech device revealed this week, called the "Tap," aims to simplify typing methods on devices lacking traditional keyboards (via Bloomberg). Made out of a soft foam material, Tap slips onto each finger of your hand and can translate 31 different taps into letters and numbers that are then transmitted to a Bluetooth-enabled smartphone or tablet. All Tap needs is any flat surface...

Apple's app review process has become significantly faster during the first five months of 2016, according to AppReviewTimes.com, a website that tracks average App Store review times for both the iOS and Mac App Store using data crowdsourced from developers on both platforms. App Store approval times have dropped to an average of two days, compared to between eight and ten days in May 2015,...

Google today announced "Gboard," a new third-party keyboard application for iOS devices that directly integrates the company's search capabilities into an iPhone or iPad's keyboard. With the new Google button in Gboard, users can search for information, send what they find, discover GIFs, emojis, and more, without having to exit a messenger app to visit Safari or Chrome. In its blog post,...

Microsoft is set to merge its team of Sunrise Calendar app developers into its Outlook team, in a move that signals the end for the popular standalone calendar app (via The Verge). Sunrise Calendar was designed by former Foursquare engineers and won many fans for its ability to seamlessly integrate with various online services and incorporate social networking and event information from Google ...

Google is working on a standalone hardware device that will integrate the company's search and voice assistant technology, reports Recode. According to sources, the product is said to be similar to Google's smart home enabled OnHub wireless router and is set to compete against the likes of Amazon's Echo. OnHub wireless router (Image: Google) Google declined to comment on the rumor, but...

Apple has been unsuccessful in its attempts to retrieve data from a waterlogged iPhone that belonged to one of two Florida teens who were lost at sea last summer, reports ABC News affiliate WPBF 25. 14-year-old Austin Stephanos' iPhone 6 was found in an abandoned boat off the Bermuda coast in March, eight months after he and friend Perry Cohen, also 14, went missing during a fishing expedition ...

Google's Google Translate app was today updated to version 5.0.0, adding a new feature that allows users to translate words and phrases even when offline in 52 of the 103 languages available in the app. With the offline update, the app remains useful when no cellular or Wi-Fi connection is available, making it ideal for traveling. Today's update also adds instant camera translation between...

Instagram has been updated today with an all-new colorful icon, moving away from its iconic brown and beige logo that still had an iOS 6-style skeuomorphic design, long after many popular developers have since adopted flatter aesthetics. "Today we're introducing a new look," the company wrote in a blog post. "You'll see an updated icon and app design for Instagram. Inspired by the previous app ...

Following the announcement that Nintendo's next two mobile gaming apps will center around the Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem franchises, DeNA Chief Executive Isao Moriyasu today mentioned to The Wall Street Journal that both games will be "free-to-start apps," which a Nintendo spokeswoman has now confirmed. DeNA is the Tokyo-based mobile gaming studio assisting with the creation of Nintendo's...