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

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today released a patent application filed by Apple back in January of 2013, describing a method by which an iPhone or iPad can provide specifically detailed GPS path information to another device after given proper authorization (via AppleInsider). In the vein of Find My Friends, which allows rudimentary static location-based tracking services and slightly...

It's March 24 in Australia and New Zealand, which means Netflix is now live in the country as promised. New Netflix subscribers in Australia and New Zealand will be able to access Netflix content on their Apple TVs, through the Netflix channel that is now available. Netflix plans in Australia are priced at A$8.99 for single-stream access to standard definition content, A$11.99 for two-stream...

Apple today updated a section of its Apple Pay website aimed at businesses with a new link that allows them to order Apple Pay decals for retail stores. The new decals accompany a set of Apple Pay graphics for merchants that were added to the site a few weeks back. Clicking the link to order decals takes merchants to a new Apple Pay Supplies website where they can sign up to receive an Apple ...

Pioneer on Monday announced that its second-generation aftermarket systems with support for CarPlay and Android Auto are now available at select retailers in the United States. The company's refreshed lineup of Networked Entertainment eXperience (NEX) in-dash multimedia receivers, which debuted at CES 2015 in Las Vegas, are the first to offer customers the flexibility of choosing between CarPlay...

A new report out of Taiwanese publication Economic Daily News [Google Translate] claims that Apple has cut the expected production and shipping targets of the Apple Watch by half due to manufacturing challenges leading up to the launch of the device. (via GforGames). The company initially planned to manufacture between 2.5 and 3 million units of the wearable per month, following its launch on...

Launched as an Indiegogo project in the middle of last year, the TrackR Bravo is a follow up product to the StickR TrackR, a small coin-sized Bluetooth-enabled device designed to attach to valuable items so they can be located using the TrackR app. As of today, the TrackR Bravo, which is smaller and lighter than the company's previous-generation products, has begun shipping out to customers....

Fitbit today announced a two-pronged update to its popular line of fitness trackers, adding support for in-depth bike-tracking on the Fitbit Surge and allowing users to easily switch between multiple Fitbit models with "Multi-Tracker Support." The company says the added support will grant customers more ease-of-use in switching amongst Fitbit devices throughout the day, or week, allowing them...

For our next giveaway, we've partnered with Automatic, maker of the Automatic Link car adapter and companion apps to monitor your car's performance and usage. The Automatic Link adapter and apps debuted in 2013 and the adapter currently retails for $99 while the companion iPhone app is free. [Direct Link] The Automatic Link plugs into a car's OBD-II diagnostic port and works with most gasoline ...

Finnish developer Rovio, creator of the Angry Birds games and all of the subsequent spin-offs, yesterday reported the company's first big decline in profits since the original Angry Birds game launched in 2009 (via VentureBeat). Though the company's mobile gaming business did see a slight 16 percent rise in revenue, a huge drop in Rovio's licensing business, which includes the various toys,...

IK Multimedia on Wednesday announced that its iRig 2 mobile guitar interface is now shipping for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and Android devices. iRig 2 has several new features over its predecessor, including gain control, a 1/4" amplifier output, FX/THRU switch, compatibility with the complete line of new Samsung Professional Audio devices and support for devices running Android Lollipop."5...

Facebook today announced a new feature for its Facebook Messenger app for iOS -- money transfers. It's now possible for Facebook Messenger users to send and receive money right within the app, letting Facebook compete with other money sending services like Venmo and Paypal. The new money sending feature is free to use. Sending a friend a payment can be done by tapping the "$" icon located on...

Accessory manufacturer Nomad today revealed the Pod, a mobile battery and cable management device that promises to provide the upcoming Apple Watch with up to four full charges, no doubt aimed at users unsure of the Watch's confirmed 18-hour lifespan (via TechCrunch). The Pod houses a small but powerful 1,800 mAh battery as the source of the four full charges claim, but added USB and USB-C...

In just over a month, we will finally have the long-awaited Apple Watch in our hands, or technically, on our wrists. The first thing you'll need to do once you get a hold of the new gadget is pair it with your iPhone and prepare to install apps for it. To make sure you are ready for the big day, we have a how-to guide for pairing your iPhone with your Apple Watch. It won’t be hard, but it...

Otterbox is well known for offering some of the most protective iPhone cases on the market, and the company's offerings for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus don't seem to be any exception. We went hands-on with Otterbox's two most protective cases for Apple's new devices, the Defender and the Commuter. As with all of Otterbox's rugged iPhone cases, more protection requires sacrificing the sleek, slim...

Following a number of leaks last year that saw the company reveal the NFC-equipped logic board from the iPhone 6 and even build a booting device from parts in the weeks before the device's official debut, Feld & Volk moved quickly to launch its own versions of the device. The company specializes in modifying iPhones for the luxury market by replacing the standard rear shells with new ones made...

The record-breaking Kickstarter for the new Pebble Time smartwatch gained some momentum off of Apple's "Spring Forward" event last week, reported TechCrunch over the weekend. The crowd-funding campaign brought in on average $6,000 per hour the Sunday before the big Apple Watch event, a statistic which rose to $10,000 per hour as the event happened on Monday, March 9 and leveled off at $16,000...

Apple has improved the design of its keyboard in iOS 8.3 to fix a long-standing issue that caused several iPhone users to accidentally tap the period key while attempting to use the space bar in Safari. The change to a longer space bar was first spotted in iOS 8.3 beta 2 within the MacRumors discussion forums, and also appears to be present in the third beta of the pre-release software....

Although it went unmentioned at Apple's big Apple Watch event on Monday, an Amazon spokesperson hinted to TechCrunch that the company is looking "to expand to other devices", suggesting an Apple Watch app could be in the works for the device's launch next month, or sometime in the future. TechCrunch believes the app will be largely similar to the Android Wear Amazon app, letting users search...