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

Twitter today announced the impending rollout of a new "Hearts" and "Likes" system for its social network, which will replace the traditional "Stars" and "Favorites" that's been used on the service for the past few years. The company cites a "confusing" quality to the star system that causes a disconnect between a new Twitter user and anyone who favorites their tweet. The heart, it believes, is...

Nomad today announced a new product, the "Wallet for iPhone," which hides a small rechargeable battery cell within a traditional billfold wallet. The 2,400 mAh lithium-ion battery is housed in the hinge of the Wallet and promises to provide a full charge to an iPhone 6s. Owners of an iPhone 6 Plus or iPhone 6s Plus will probably only see half the charge of their phone restored due to the smaller...

Apple updated its Apple Pay participating issuers list today with 54 additional banks, credit unions and financial institutions supporting the contactless payment service in the United States. Apple Pay now has over 650 participating issuers nationwide, and several more plan to support the NFC-based mobile payment service in the future. The newly added Apple Pay participating issuers are...

Activision Blizzard, publisher of video games like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Destiny, has purchased >Candy Crush Saga creator King Digital for $5.9 billion. Activision Blizzard has built a successful portfolio of video games on consoles and PCs, but has struggled to find the same success in the mobile space. King CEO Riccardo Zacconi notes the Candy Crush maker had 474 million monthly...

The much-anticipated Plex app for the Apple TV is available for download on the new set-top box as of today, allowing users to stream content from their computers to the Apple TV using the Plex Media Server software. First announced in September, the official Plex app was still in review when the new Apple TV launched last Friday, but it's now been approved. For those unfamiliar with Plex,...

Knomo's Elektronista Digital Clutch is a bag that was created through a partnership with Danish tech blogger Christiane Vejlø, who founded Danish gadget site Elektronista. The Knomo Elektronista is designed to be both functional and fashionable, serving as clutch or a crossbody bag that can hold a wide range of gadgets and iOS devices, keeping them all organized in its myriad pockets. The...

T-Mobile has announced a new 4G LTE CellSpot that broadcasts a low-power 4G LTE signal, providing an average 3,000 square feet of full-bars LTE coverage. The 4G LTE mini-tower works in areas where a broadband internet connection and T-Mobile wireless spectrum are available, for personal and business use. The 4G LTE CellSpot connects to a broadband internet connection to deliver a "strong,...

Apple's iPhone 6s and 6s Plus has been selling strongly since its launch last month, thanks in part to a number of new features including 3D Touch. With it, users can access Quick Actions from the home screen and Peek and Pop from within a variety of stock and third-party apps. If you're wondering about what all of the hubbub is about, or want to know how to make it work better for you, we've...

Beginning on November 1, Walmart will begin offering Apple's 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad mini 2 at a significant discount, selling it for $199 instead of $268. $199 is a solid deal and one of the lowest prices we've seen on the iPad mini 2, which was the first of Apple's iPad mini line to ship with a Retina display. Compared to the current-generation iPad mini 4, the iPad mini 2 has a slower...

Beaver Electronics Co. has debuted a unique fast-charging external battery for the iPhone, which it's dubbed "Quarter," because it takes less than a quarter of the time to charge compared to a normal external battery. The secret lies in the charging method -- Quarter has a built-in MagSafe port that allows it to be connected to MacBook's MagSafe Power Adapter. Apple does not allow third-party...

As of today, Apple has stopped signing iOS 9.0.2 for compatible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models, meaning users can no longer upgrade or downgrade to that version of iOS using iTunes. Apple is now signing iOS 9.1 and later only. With Apple no longer signing iOS 9.0.2, those who wish to downgrade to jailbreak their devices are not able to do so. iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users with...

Apple today debuted a new Beats Pill+ app for both iOS and Android users, providing a way for those who own the new Beats Pill+ speakers to control the speakers, check power levels, download software updates, adjust sound levels, and link multiple speakers together for different effects. There are three modes in the app, listed below. DJ - Grab a friend and control the music from two...

Pangea Software today announced that all of its tvOS apps designed for the new fourth-generation Apple TV include support for 3DTVs, allowing users to play the company's games in 3D. All of our tvOS games will support 3DTV :) https://t.co/n7vhShqMdG— Pangea Software, Inc (@PangeaSoftware) October 29, 2015 Developer Steven Troughton-Smith shared an image of Pangea Software game Bugdom 2 in 3D on ...

With customers around the world beginning to receive their new Apple TVs over the coming days, developers have been busy readying the first apps and games for the set-top box. Below, we have rounded up some of the more interesting tvOS apps that are or will be available through the App Store on the new Apple TV. Some apps are still under review and may not be available immediately at launch. Ai...

Though there are now hundreds of Apple Watch chargers and stands on the market, Apple is only selling a handful in retail locations - those that are designed with a clean aesthetic that matches the feel of the company's products. The latest Apple-endorsed Apple Watch charging solution comes from Sena, and will be in Apple Stores in mid-November. Sena's Leather Watch Case, which is actually...

The Weather Company is introducing a major update for its The Weather Channel iPhone app today, introducing a new visual design, longer-range weather forecasts, user-tailored weather updates, and support for 3D Touch on the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. When opening The Weather Channel app, users will be greeted with a personalized dynamic home screen that offers up custom weather...

Spigen is a well-known and well-respected manufacturer of accessories for Apple's lineup of iPhones and iPads, and in today's video review, we took a look at the company's line of iPhone cases for Apple's newest devices, the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. Spigen has a huge number of cases available, from those that are super thin to those that offer more coverage and better protection from...

Apple has released an Apple News Format Reference in the iOS Developer Library that provides developers with technical details on how to prepare for the upcoming release of Apple News Format, which allows news publishers to create customized layouts with iOS fonts, rich photo galleries, videos and animations optimized for iPhone and iPad. Apple News Format will allow for all news publishers to ...