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

Tech in Asia highlights a report [Google translation] from Chinese site TechWeb describing how employees at a repair shop in China scammed Apple by turning in counterfeit iPhone parts to be replaced with genuine parts.The scam saw a Wenzhou Apple shop owner turning in what he claimed were 121 iPhone 4S BAND parts (the core of the phone, worth about $476 each) that were broken and asking that they ...

AppleInsider is reporting that Apple has contacted app developers via its iTunes Connect program to ask them to localize their apps in multiple languages and to market that their apps and books are localized. In the letter to iTunes Connect members, Apple noted that the App Store and Mac App Store are available in 155 countries with support for 40 languages, saying that "it has never been more...

Multiple users have emailed MacRumors and posted on Twitter that they are having difficulties sending and receiving iMessages. Both iMessage and FaceTime were down earlier this week for several hours, though Apple's Services Status page does not indicate any problems as of 7:30AM Pacific time. Update: Apple has updated its system status page indicating issues with both iMessage and...

ZeptoLab today previewed the third in its Cut the Rope series of games, this one called Cut the Rope: Time Travel. The company didn't include any details on the new game beyond this teaser trailer, but it's likely to incorporate some sort of time shifting mechanic.The other two games in this series, Cut the Rope and Cut the Rope: Experiments, both became bestsellers on the App Store and won...

Fruit Ninja, the fruit-annihilating game that’s been downloaded by millions of users, is currently available for free as part of Apple's "App of the Week" promotion. The game, which originally launched in 2010, asks players to use intuitive swipe gestures to destroy fruit while avoiding bombs. Fruit Ninja has had a number of updates since it was released, adding a variety of items along with ...

Turntable of Turntable.fm fame today launched a new radio app, featuring songs that are hand-picked by friends and other app users. While Turntable.fm is designed for chatting with other users while listening to music, Piki builds playlists based on the preferences of others. The app allows users to pick a song, which is then incorporated into the radio playlists of followers, creating unique...

Techdy is hoping to transform the iPad mini into a dedicated gaming device with the Game D, which is both a case and a controller for the tablet. Game D fits onto the mini like a standard Apple Smart Cover, but provides a d-pad and four action buttons designed for games. Game D is the project code name for a revolutionary Gaming Device specifically made for iPad mini. It is the most powerful yet ...

Real Racing 3 received its first major update today, adding two new cars from Chevrolet, including the Cobalt SS and the Camaro ZL1. Players will also find 100 new events, along with a new event type called Hunter Chase. In Hunter Chase, the idea is to chase down a target car and overtake it within a single lap. With the additional events, Real Racing 3 now offers players more than 1,000 total ...

Fierce Wireless reports that while discussing Verizon's LTE investment at the National Association of Broadcasters conference yesterday, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam claimed that he convinced Steve Jobs to add LTE to the iPhone."I was really trying to sell him and he sat there without any reaction. Finally, he said, 'Enough. You had me at 10 Mbps. I know you can stream video at 10 Mbps.' And Apple's ...

M.I.C. gadget points to a report [Google translation] from Chinese tech site Zol.com.cn earlier this week claiming that Apple Senior Vice President for Operations Jeff Williams is currently in China dealing with the public relations fallout from criticism of the company's iPhone warranty policies in that country. The criticism appeared to have been coordinated by China's state-run media, with...

Foursquare has been updated to version 6.0, which includes a significant redesign that brings the Explore section to the forefront of the app. Previously Explore’s search capabilities were hidden away, requiring a tap to access the search menu.With the new Foursquare 6.0, we've crunched our billions of check-ins to instantly show you the most interesting things nearby. They're insights that only...

As noted by Mac Otakara, Japanese firm ACCESS today announced [Google translation] that Apple has agreed to license a set of patents related to Palm's smartphone technology. ACCESS acquired the patents when it purchased PalmSource in 2005. ACCESS notes that the portfolio of patents, which was licensed to Samsung in 2011, includes intellectual property from Palm, PalmSource, Bell Communications ...

Panic, the developers behind several popular apps such as Coda and Transmit, have released a new productivity app that allows users to easily view a variety of data relevant to their lives in a single screen. The app, called Status Board, was accidentally released in December but was quickly pulled. It allows users to use the app's built-in panels to display information like calendar dates,...

iMessage and FaceTime are both offline for "some users", according to Apple's iCloud System Status page.The outage began just after noon Pacific time today, and the company has not given any indication of when service will be restored. Affected users will see iMessages fail to send and FaceTime calls fail to...

Google has updated its Chrome browser for iOS to version 26, adding full-screen browsing on the iPhone and iPod touch, new printing options, and the ability to save webpages as PDFs to a Google Drive account. When scrolling down with full screen browsing, the toolbar at the top of the screen will disappear for more reading real estate. Scrolling back down will cause the bar to reappear....

AppGratis CEO Simon Dawlat today issued a statement about the recent removal of the AppGratis iPhone and iPad apps from the App Store, confirming that the apps were pulled for violating App Store guidelines 2.25 and 5.6, which state the following:Guideline 2.25 Apps that display Apps other than your own for purchase or promotion in a manner similar to or confusing with the App Store will be...

Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White is out with another research note today sharing some highlights from day seven of his trip to China and Taiwan to talk with technology companies and other sources. Based on discussions with officials at an unnamed "tech-supply chain company", White now believes that Apple's iPhone 5S due for release later this year will arrive in two or possibly even...

Starbucks and Apple have long had a partnership to give away iTunes Store and App Store content to Starbucks customers, with the "Pick of the Week" program using physical cards with redemption codes on the back to allow users to download their free content. As noted by CNET, Starbucks has now gone mobile with the Pick of the Week program, allowing users to access each week's selection directly ...