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

Home security startup Abode today announced that its Smart Security Kit is now compatible with HomeKit. The kit includes a gateway, a motion sensor, a door/window sensor, and a key fob. HomeKit compatibility enables users to add the Smart Security Kit gateway directly to the Home app on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, in addition to any Abode sensors connected to the gateway. HomeKit also allows...

Microsoft today updated its Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps for the iPhone with a simplified three-tab layout. The three tabs include Home, New, and Open: Home: Sign in to your Microsoft account and view recent documents, spreadsheets, or presentations New: Create a new document, spreadsheet, or presentation with various templates to choose from Open: Open an existing document,...

Amazon today has knocked down the price of the 2019 MacBook Air by $200 for both the 128GB and 256GB SSD storage options. This means that prices start at $899.00 for the low-end MacBook Air and increase to $1,099.00 for the higher-end model. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep ...

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Adonit to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an Adonit Note+ stylus that works with the latest iPad and iPad Pro models. Designed to be an alternative to the Apple Pencil, the Adonit Note+ is a feature rich stylus that offers much of the same functionality as the ‌Apple Pencil‌ but at a more affordable price point. The MSRP on the Adonit ...

February is Heart Month, aimed at promoting cardiovascular health, and Apple is taking part with a new Activity Challenge that tasks Apple Watch users with closing their Exercise ring in the Activity app for seven consecutive days. The challenge kicks off tomorrow, February 8, and runs through February 14. Those who successfully complete the Activity Challenge will receive a special...

Another week, another Apple Arcade release. The latest addition is Charrua Soccer, which aims to evoke nostalgia with its retro style 3D graphics. The game is available for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Developed by Batovi Games, Charrua Soccer offers both single-player and multiplayer modes, with simplified controls for casual players. There are both friendly match and penalty match...

As a factory-installed option, wireless CarPlay has been primarily limited to premium brands like BMW and Porsche, but Fiat Chrysler Automobiles this week introduced its redesigned 2021 Chrysler Pacifica minivan with a standard 10.1-inch touchscreen that supports both wireless CarPlay and wireless Android Auto. Wireless CarPlay is a feature of Fiat Chrysler's new Uconnect 5 infotainment...

Dark Mode is coming to WhatsApp for iOS soon. Users participating in the app's TestFlight beta program have spotted the setting in the latest testing notes, confirming that the feature is finally coming to iPhone. The setting first appeared in a recent WhatsApp for Android beta build, which is a good indication of what users on iOS can expect down the pipe. The latest Android beta also...

Apple's latest Apple Pay promotion promises "dinner and a movie with ‌Apple Pay‌," offering Apple users a free movie rental in the TV app after spending $10 or more with Postmates. For those unfamiliar with Postmates, it's a delivery service that allows users to order food from thousands of different restaurants and get it delivered to their door. Customers who use ‌Apple Pay‌ to make a...

ViacomCBS, a new company created from a merger between Viacom and CBS, is planning to enter the streaming television market with a new service that could combine content from CBS All Access, Paramount movies, and Viacom channels, reports CNBC. The Viacom assets made available through the streaming service would include Pluto TV, Nickelodeon, BET, MTV, and Comedy Central. Both CBS and Viacom...

Netflix today announced the launch of a new toggle that will let Netflix users turn off autoplay previews, which has been a controversial Netflix feature for years now. When browsing through Netflix, the service is designed to play previews of the content that you stop on, which usually includes a trailer. Until today, Netflix has offered no option to turn these previews off. As of now,...

Apple today shared a new Night Mode video on its YouTube channel, highlighting the low-light photography feature added to the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max. The short video is set to the song "We Only Come Out At Night" by the Smashing Pumpkins and features several ‌Night Mode‌ comparison images, many of which Apple has shown before. ‌Night Mode‌ is one of the key new features in the...

Mophie today unveiled new Apple-exclusive 18W Powerstations designed for iPhones able to take advantage of fast charging, offering quicker charging speeds than previous Mophie Powerstations were capable of. The Powerstation, Powerstation Plus, Powerstation Mini and Powerstation Plus XL Wireless range in price from $30 to $100 and along with quicker charging, offer sleek new designs in pink,...

OWC is currently holding a sale on audio devices that includes the HomePod in White for $204.99, down from Apple's price of $299.00 ($94 off). The Black color is slightly higher at $207.99. These are currently the best prices for the HomePod among the major Apple resellers online, and just about $5 more than the best-ever price tag of $199.99 seen on Black Friday. Note: MacRumors is an...

A new slate of offers from popular U.S. cellular carriers has emerged this month, offering customers a chance to save money on their monthly cellular bill, smartphones, smart watches, and more. Because of the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday, some of the carriers are also offering special deals when purchasing two smartphones. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. ...

Twitter has updated its official iPad app, introducing a change to the main interface that many users will welcome. Twitter for ‌iPad‌ with multi-column view disabled (right) The last major update to Twitter for ‌iPad‌ attempted to make better use of the iOS device's larger screen by introducing a multi-column view that placed the timeline on the left and the search bar with trending topics...

This week marks 15 years since Google Maps first launched, and Google is celebrating with some notable new features and updates for the mapping service app on iOS and Android. The five tabs on the new Google Maps navigation screen Starting today, the Google Maps will feature a new navigation system across the bottom of the interface including five icons, two of which are completely new:...

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming tvOS 13.4 update to developers, one week after releasing the tvOS 13.3.1 update. Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 13.4 developer beta can be downloaded onto the ‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌ via a profile that's installed using Xcode. tvOS updates are usually minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug...