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

Today at its "Hey Siri" special event, Apple announced a brand new program at its retail stores called the iPhone Upgrade Program. The program is designed for users who want to have the newest iPhone every year, and even comes with AppleCare+ included. Those who sign up for the program will be able to trade-in their current iPhone for a new model after 12 monthly installments are made, starting a ...

Apple today announced a new feature for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus called "Live Photos," allowing users to use the new 3D Touch feature on the iPhone to see quick, GIF-like movements in photos they have taken. The Live Photos feature is reminiscent of the fantastical moving photos featured in the Harry Potter movie, allowing users to see short bits of animation in their images. Apple...

Apple today announced that iOS 9 will be released to the public on September 16 for compatible iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. The software update will come preinstalled on the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus out of the box when the smartphones launch on September 25. iOS 9 is compatible with the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPhone...

At Apple's media event in San Francisco today, Apple announced an App Store for the new Apple TV will bring unique gaming experiences into a user's living room. The first experience the company showcased was a co-op Crossy Road experience that lets one player use the new Apple TV remote and another use an iPhone or iPod touch to control various characters in the game. Each player controls a...

Today at its "Hey Siri" special event, Apple announced two brand new accessories for the newly-announced iPad Pro. The Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil both allow iPad Pro users to have more tactile experiences for heavy-duty work that a touch-screen alone can't sustain, increasing productivity. The Smart Keyboard comes built into a Smart Cover and uses the Smart Dome Switch from the...

Today at its "Hey Siri" event, Apple announced a partnership with Hermes to create a special Apple Watch collection called Apple Watch Hermes. The new collection will feature three brand new bands and watch faces. The watch bands will include the Double Tour, Single Tour, and the Cuff. Uncompromising craftsmanship. Pioneering innovation. Groundbreaking functionality. Apple Watch Hermès is...

Apple today at its "Hey Siri" media event announced that watchOS 2 will be released to the public on Wednesday, September 16 for the Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition. The golden master (GM) version of the software was seeded to developers shortly after the event wrapped up. watchOS 2 was announced last June at WWDC and features native third-party apps, third-party...

When Apple sent out invitations to its September 9 event, the company also updated Siri with a range of humorous responses when asked about the event tagline, "Hey Siri, give us a hint." Over the weekend, Siri's responses were updated to include a several cheeky new sayings, ranging from binary code to jokes about chickens crossing the road. Several of the responses also include a reference to ...

Fresco News today launched a major update to its iOS app, introducing a new look and bringing tools to let Fresco News users become paid reporters and photojournalists, uploading photos and videos from newsworthy events around the world. Any Fresco user can upload photos and videos that can be commissioned by news organizations worldwide. With the Fresco Newsroom Tool Suite, news stations can...

For this week’s giveaway, we’ve teamed up with Nomad to give five MacRumors readers a chance to win either a Nomad Pod or a Nomad Stand for the Apple Watch. The Nomad Pod is a compact Apple Watch stand and charger that includes an 1800 mAh battery for charging your Apple Watch even when away from home. The two-piece Pod includes a handy hidden cord wrap and a brushed aluminum cover held in...

Mozilla released the first public preview of Firefox for iOS on the App Store in New Zealand today. The company aims to collect feedback on Firefox for iOS in the country, and eventually a few others, to help make improvements and add new features to the browser prior to a worldwide launch later this year. The public preview version of Firefox for iOS features Intelligent Search, Firefox...

Sphero, the company responsible for creating robotic balls that can be controlled by iPhones, today announced a remote-controlled BB-8, a droid from the upcoming film "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." While BB-8 can be controlled with an iPhone, it also comes with a patrol mode that allows the droid to roam around by himself. Users can also design their own routes and have BB-8 follow them....

Skype today announced a new update for both its iOS and Android mobile apps that introduce a new design experience, a few tweaks to the service's messaging functions, and some enhanced search functionality. The new update, version 6.0, promises to be a "simple, familiar" experience for Skype users, but with a bevy of new features and touch inputs that will help the service's users get in and out...

Griffin today announced an expansion of its popular Survivor case lineup for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, introducing the new Survivor Summit and the Survivor Journey. Like its existing Survivor cases, both the Summit and the Journey offer military grade protection for Apple's iPhones. The Survivor Summit is Griffin's most protective Survivor case yet, featuring a sealed weatherproof design that's ...

Apple is believed to have sold over over 1.07 million Apple Watches in China, according to data analysis company TalkingData (via Business Insider). The company uses a monitoring platform supported by over 80,000 mobile apps -- including the country's most popular app WeChat, with over 1 billion registered users -- to receive its data. Many remain curious as to how many Apple Watches the...

Philips today expanded its Hue lighting lineup with the launch of the Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus, which adds new white lighting options to the colorful mood lighting introduced with the original Philips Hue Lightstrip. Like the first LightStrip, the new Lightstrip Plus is a two-meter LED-studded adhesive-backed strip that can be used behind televisions, under desks, and more, as mood...

CBS Sports this week announced it will expand its streaming NFL coverage on the Apple TV, with plans to stream two regular season games, four playoff games, and Super Bowl 50. The games will be available on laptops, computers, and tablets via CBSSports.com, in addition to being available on connected television devices like the Apple TV, Roku, Xbox One, and Chromecast. Games will be streamed...

In just a couple of weeks, Apple is going to make it ridiculously easy for Android users to switch to iOS with an upcoming app alongside iOS 9 called "Move to iOS." It will give Android users the ability to wirelessly migrate contacts, message history, photos and videos, web browser saves, mail, calendars, and more. Until then, we have to do these things manually. Luckily, it isn't difficult ...