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

Twitter yesterday changed how its iOS mobile app is categorized on the App Store in order to enhance its visibility, following the company's poor Q1 earnings report earlier this week (via TechCrunch). Twitter now appears in the "News" category, where it's the #1 ranked app ahead of CNN and Reddit. Previously it could be found in "Social Networking", where it occupied #5 in the category...

Last week, FBI director James Comey hinted at how much the agency paid to unlock San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook's iPhone, saying it cost more than he will make in the next seven years and four months. The number worked out to around $1.3 million, as Comey's annual salary is $183,000. However, sources now tell Reuters that the amount was actually under $1 million. Although the FBI says it ...

Apple today updated its iOS 9 feature availability page to note the expansion of several iOS features to new countries. Apple's Flyover feature for Apple Maps has expanded to encompass Akron, Ohio and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, allowing Maps users to see photorealistic 3D views of the areas, with tools for zooming, panning, and rotating to get a closer look at notable landmarks and points of...

Apple today updated its Apple Music app designed for Android devices, adding support for family memberships and watching music videos, features already available in the iOS version of Apple Music. Starting today, Android users have access to music videos in the Apple Music app, such as Taylor Swift's live 1989 World Tour video. Since the launch of Apple Music, Apple has focused some of its...

Porsche announced this week that its new 718 Cayman and 718 Cayman S mid-engine sports cars will be equipped with CarPlay, along with a USB port and Porsche Car Connect app on iOS and Android for smartphone connectivity. Other CarPlay-enabled Porsche models include the 2016 911, 2017 718 Boxster, and 2017 Macan series. The Connect Plus module offers real-time traffic information, CarPlay,...

August Home today began shipping its second-generation Smart Lock, which includes support for Apple's HomeKit platform and lets users unlock their doors with simple commands like, "Hey Siri, unlock my front door." August announced the new Smart Lock back in October, revealing that the newly redesigned lock, as well as the free August app, can let users unlock and lock their doors while they're...

The latest data from research firms IDC and Strategy Analytics reveals that iPad market share declined for the ninth consecutive quarter as the worldwide tablet market continues to slow. Apple now has between 22.1 and 25.9-percent market share among tablet vendors, down from between 24.3 and 27.2-percent in the year-ago quarter. Apple reported iPad sales of 10.3 million during the March...

Apple Maps has recently been updated with all-new transit data for New South Wales, Australia, allowing iOS users to navigate the area with the new addition of the NSW TrainLink line as well as bus stations. Before the update, only rail directions for Sydney Trains were available. Sydney, and now New South Wales as a whole, are still the only areas in Australia with Transit information available. ...

Intel this week announced plans to usher in the adoption of an audio USB Type-C connector that would replace the standard 3.5 millimeter analog jack and eventually be capable of digital audio transmission (via Anandtech). The plans were announced during the Intel Developers Forum (IDF) in Shenzhen, China, where the semiconductor manufacturer set out its project to develop USB Type-C Digital...

Google has released an iOS app that enables Android TV owners to control their television using their iPhone or iPad. The app's migration to iOS means that Apple mobile device owners now have the same ability to control the smart TV Google platform as their Android mobile-owning counterparts, so long as both television and iOS device share the same wireless network. The iOS app features a ...

Google Maps for iOS was updated with a number of new features yesterday, including a Notification Center widget for commuters on the move and an in-app option for sharing directions. The new Travel Times extension for Google's popular iOS maps app allows users to quickly check a live travel time estimation to their home or work with a simple pull down of the Notification Center. The...

Philips today launched a new Hue app for its range of Hue HomeKit-connected smart lights and lightbulbs, introducing a fresh, intuitive layout that makes it easier to organize and control multiple lights at one time. While the app does not support third-party HomeKit accessories, it does incorporate HomeKit-style features like organization into rooms and more expansive scheduling tools. The Hue...

Apple today provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming 9.2.1 update to tvOS, the operating system designed to run on the fourth-generation Apple TV. Today's beta comes one week after tvOS 9.2.1 beta 2. tvOS 9.2.1 has been in testing since April 6. tvOS 9.2.1 is a minor update that comes more than a month after the launch of tvOS 9.2, a significant update introducing features like...

Nintendo of America has announced that it will release two more smartphone games, based on its popular, long-running franchises Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem, later this year, as part of the Japanese company's commitment to release five smartphone games by March 2017. Nintendo fans are cautiously optimistic about the upcoming titles, which will not be direct ports of the console-based...

Google has updated its Hangouts app for iPhone and iPad with a native iOS Share Sheet extension and support for Low Power mode. Google Hangouts for iOS enables users to send and receive instant messages and group messages, share photos, and make video and voice calls using the company's cross-platform communication service. Users can also connect up to Google Voice via the service to link...

Instagram has selected a group of users to test a version of its app with an overhauled design, which can be seen in a series of screenshots sent to MacRumors by reader Sebastien. Unlike the previous Instagram design, which utilizes a white feed bookended by blue and black borders and blue accents, the new design features a more monochromatic look. The new color scheme appears to be part of...

On April 14, the FBI informed Apple of a security flaw in older versions of iOS and OS X, its first vulnerability disclosure to Apple under the Vulnerability Equities Process, reports Reuters, citing information obtained directly from the Cupertino company. The Vulnerability Equities Process allows federal agencies to determine whether critical security flaws should be kept private for law...

During today's second quarter earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook spent some time talking about the success of Apple Pay, which he says is "growing at a tremendous rate." According to Cook, Apple Pay transaction volume is up 5X compared to a year ago and Apple Pay is gaining 1 million new users per week. Across all of the countries where Apple Pay is available -- the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, ...