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

Earlier this week, a number of iOS and Mac users reported iPhones, iPads, and Macs being remotely locked by hackers who then demanded a ransom for their recovery. The attacks primarily affected those located in Australia. While there have been many theories about common points of attack, no one theme has emerged. Some users also deny that passwords were shared with other services....

Back in April, rumors indicated Apple was in talks with chipmaker Renesas Electronics over the potential acquisition of its Renesas SP Drivers division, which produces chips for smartphone displays including for the iPhone. As it turns out, Renesas Electronics appears set to sell its stake in Renesas SP Drivers to Synaptics, another chip manufacturer, instead of Apple. According to Reuters,...

A number of iOS and Mac users in Australia are reporting a growing issue on Apple's support forums (via The Age) in which hackers are locking iPhones, iPads and Macs remotely through iCloud. Compromised devices are also displaying warning messages offering unlocks for money. A hacker's message on a compromised iMac (via The Age) Member veritylikestea on Apple Support Communities: i was ...

Michael Simmons of Flexibits noted earlier today that the App Store no longer allows customers to reinstall or update refunded App Store apps. An error message now notifies users when they try:Update Unavailable with This Apple ID This update is not available for this Apple ID either because it was bought by a different user or the item was refunded and cancelled.While Apple has never had ...

In line with an earlier rumor, Apple today launched the 8 GB iPhone 5c in India, reports The Times of India. Apple is offering the phone with a Rs. 4,000 discount ($68), bringing the price down to Rs 33,500 ($572). For a limited time, Apple also is including a free case worth Rs 2,000 with every purchase. Apple released the 8 GB version of the iPhone 5c earlier this year and brought the...

The Nest Protect app-enabled smoke detector will be returning to store shelves soon, the company said today, after being pulled off the market and recalled because of a potential safety issue last month.The company, which was acquired by Google earlier this year for $3.2 billion, stopped selling the Nest Protect last month after laboratory testing determined that the Nest Wave feature could...

Southwest Airlines has updated its official iOS app to include mobile boarding pass support at 28 total airports following a rollout of the feature in Austin, Texas last year. In addition to expanded mobile boarding pass support, the app also now includes upcoming trip cards that contain flight infomation such as boarding position and gate location, as well as access to flight tools like mobile...

A Dutch appeals court on Tuesday night upheld a lower court's sales ban of some older Samsung Galaxy phones, reports Re/code. It's yet another chapter of Apple and Samsung's worldwide patent battle. The order applies specifically to the Galaxy SII and Galaxy Ace, but could possibly be extended to other Samsung devices found to similarly infringe on a European Apple patent.Initially, when...

Verizon yesterday introduced its XLTE service, doubling the LTE bandwidth in some select markets to improve peak speeds on a range of devices, including the iPhone 5s, the iPhone 5c, the iPad Air, and the Retina iPad mini. XLTE is the name given to Verizon's AWS spectrum, which the company initially purchased back in 2012. Akin to opening another lane on a congested freeway, XLTE will open up...

Groupon today announced Gnome, a new point-of-sale system that integrates with the company's network of daily local deals. The iPad-based system provides a payment processing system as well as customer management tools for merchants that offer Groupon deals. In addition to serving as an all-in-one cash register solution, Gnome allows customers to redeem their purchased Groupon offers either ...

According to Taiwan's Economic Daily News as reported by GforGames, Apple may be turning to Taiwnese supplier Innolux to provide display panels for its 4.7-inch iPhone 6 model. Apple reportedly has contracted with LG Display and Japan Display Corporation for the 4.7-inch panels, with Innolux added as a third partner to support the expected high demand for a larger iPhone model. Apple may...

Facebook is building a new app that will serve as a direct competitor to Snapchat, according to a report from the Financial Times. The project, which is codenamed "Slingshot", will enable users to send each other pictures or short video messages through a simplified, grid-based interface similar to the one seen in messaging app TapTalk. Like Snapchat, photos and videos can only be taken in real...

The Wall Street Journal reports that Italy's Antitrust and Competition Authority has launched an investigation to determine whether internet companies such as Apple, Google, and Amazon mislead people by offering in-app purchases for titles that are listed as free downloads. Consumers could be led to think, contrary to reality, that a game is completely free and therefore they don't know ahead...

Google has bought the popular iOS and Android visual translation app Word Lens to "incorporate [the] technology into Google Translate's broad language coverage", according to a statement on Quest Visual's website.The software uses a smartphone camera to translate signs in real time into the users native language. The technology is remarkable and used by many world travelers. Previously,...

Bentley's newest ad, Intelligent Details, was filmed entirely with Apple's mobile devices. Photographers used the iPhone 5s to shoot video and then put it together using an iPad Air, according to details provided on the making of the ad at the end of the spot (via The Loop). Shot in New York, a quick behind the scenes look at the black and white film on the $300,000 Bentley Mulsanne reveals...

Following the release of OS X 10.9.3, an update to iTunes, and a revamped Podcasts app, Apple has also debuted a new version of the iTunes Connect app for developers, which includes an iOS 7-style overhaul. Designed to allow developers to access sales data on their iOS devices, iTunes Connect has been completely redesigned in the first update that it has received since October of 2012....

Apple today updated its Podcasts app for iOS to version 2.1, adding several improvements to the app, which currently has just a two star rating in the App Store. The update includes a new "Unplayed" tab displaying episodes that haven't been listened to, and episodes that are available to stream or download can be accessed from the "Feed" tab. It's now possible to save favorite episodes to...

Apple has been awarded a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (via AppleInsider) that details a user interface in messaging apps that dynamically changes its background based on conversation participants. The patent details how this interface would adapt to both single and group conversations, and how it would work with specific data to generate images. Outlining the "Generation of a ...