Facebook has just made a photo transfer tool globally available that lets account holders easily download all their pictures and videos from the social network to Google Photos.
Previously, the majority of Facebook users wanting to download their media from the site had to do it manually. From today, however, users with a Google Photos account can automate the job, and Facebook says more cloud services will be supported soon.
Even if you've had enough of Facebook, the built-in tansfer tool is handy if you want to save your media before permanently closing your account. The following steps explain how it works.
Log into your Facebook account in a web browser, then click the down arrow in the top-right corner of Facebook's menu bar.
Select Settings.
Select Your Facebook information.
Select Transfer a copy of your photos or videos.
Enter your Facebook password if prompted, then click Choose destination and choose Google Photos from the dropdown.
Use the radio buttons to opt to transfer a copy of either your photos or videos you've uploaded to Facebook, then click Next .
Sign into Google Photos and grant Facebook permission to add media to your Google Photos library, then click the Confirm Transfer button on the next screen.
After the transfer is finished, you'll receive an email from Facebook notifying you that the process is complete.
Apple today sent out emails advertising its latest Apple Pay promotion, which offers a $1 Crispy Chicken Sandwich at Burger King for customers who order ahead through the Burger King app for contactless pickup or delivery.
The offer can be found in the Offers tab of the BK app and is valid through June 10. The offer is not valid in Alaska or Hawaii, and delivery orders require a $10 minimum purchase.
In addition to Burger King, Apple in its email also highlights several other major merchants that feature Apple Pay for online orders with in-store pickup, including Best Buy, Office Depot, Target, and Walgreens. Apple also highlights Puma and REI as two new retailers that are now accepting Apple Pay.
Just this week, Apple and Walgreens teamed up on a new promotion that offers Apple Card users who sign up for an account during the month of June the ability to earn $50 in bonus Daily Cash when they spend at least $50 on their Apple Card at Walgreens within 30 days of opening an Apple Card account.
Broadcom, a company that makes components for Apple's iPhone, today suggested some 2020 iPhone models could see a delayed launch this year due to the ongoing global health crisis.
As relayed by Bloomberg, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan today discussed a "major product cycle delay" at a "large North American mobile phone" company. There was no mention of Apple by name, but according to Bloomberg, this is phrasing that Tan often uses to describe Apple.
Tan was discussing the situation because wireless revenue expected by Broadcom will come one quarter later than usual in 2020.
"We are in," Hock said, referring Broadcom components in the iPhone. "The question is timing."
"This year, we do not expect to see this uptick in revenue until our fourth fiscal quarter," the CEO added. "So accordingly, we expect, our wireless revenue in Q3 will be down sequentially."
There have been mixed rumors about iPhone release dates, but most information suggests Apple is still planning to debut new devices this fall. There may, however, be delays that will cause some of the new iPhones to be released at a later date than normal.
Apple in 2018 released the iPhone XS and XS Max in September and later released the iPhone XR in October, so we could potentially see a similar staggered release this year.
As employees begin returning to work at Apple's Apple Park and Infinite Loop campuses, Apple is implementing COVID-19 prevention measures that include testing, social distancing, and temperature checks, reports Bloomberg.
Some employees, such as hardware and software engineers, began returning to Apple Park in May. Some of the people who are working at the campus are doing so for just a few days a week, with Apple limiting the number of people allowed in closed spaces, such as elevators.
Employees who return to the campus are being provided with an option to take a coronavirus nasal-swab test, while temperature checks are mandatory. Apple has closed many of its break room kitchens, and is asking employees to wear masks through posted signs.
Apple Park features large open work spaces where employees worked in close proximity, but Bloomberg says that Apple is going to need to make changes to bring the rest of its workforce back to the campus. For now, some employees are continuing to work from home.
Apple's head of retail and people Deirdre O'Brien told employees in May that the return to Apple's campuses worldwide would be done in phases over the course of a few months. The first phase, in which some employees are returning, is in progress now.
A second phase in July will see more employees return to work, though Apple has said that its plans are fluid and may change based on local and state stay-at-home orders.
Apple has also begun reopening its Apple retail locations worldwide, and in the United States, more than 100 stores are open. Many of these locations are limited to device pickups and repairs.
Apple appears to be working on keyboard shortcuts that will allow users who have a Magic Keyboard or other attached keyboard with key brightness settings to adjust the brightness level.
Signs of Apple's work on the shortcuts were found in iOS 13.5.5 code by 9to5Mac. The site says the beta has references to keyboard shortcuts that replace some function keys.
We've found evidence in code that suggests the existence of new keyboard shortcuts to change the brightness of the iPad screen or even the backlight of the keyboard. However, we haven't been able to activate these shortcuts yet, and it's unclear if these will be customizable.
One of the negatives of the Magic Keyboard designed for the iPad Pro is that there's no quick way to change the brightness of the backlit keys because the keyboard lacks a function row in an effort to keep it compact.
iPadOS offers an option to remap modifier keys to do things like allow the Caps Lock button to serve as an Escape key, and 9to5Mac suggests that the brightness function keys will be adjustable similar to modifier keys, but with shortcut combinations.
iPad keyboards not designed by Apple that do feature function row keys typically have built-in brightness controls for backlighting, but this would be a welcome change for those that do not such as the Magic Keyboard.
On Friday, June 5, Apple Watch owners will be able to complete a new Apple Watch activity challenge in celebration of World Environment Day.
The challenge, which is listed in the Activity app on the iPhone, asks users to close their Stand rings.
Recognize World Environment Day this Friday. Close your Stand ring on June 5 and earn this award by getting up and moving around for at least one minute during 12 hours that day.
Completing the challenge will award users with a unique badge viewable in the Awards section of the Activity app on iPhone and Apple Watch.
Apple has shied away from offering activity challenges during the global health crisis as people have been indoors, but a stand goal challenge is simple to complete regardless of location and does not require leaving the house.
We still have a few months to go before Apple unveils the iPhone 12, but rumors about the iPhone 13, coming in fall 2021, are already circulating.
Japanese site Mac Otakara today shared a rough 3D printed mockup of a 5.5-inch iPhone said to be coming in 2021, which is from "Alibaba sources." The model may be built on leaked specifications and rumors, but where the info comes from is unclear.
It's a successor to the smaller 5.4-inch iPhone that's expected in 2020, so likely one of the lower-end devices in the 2021 lineup, if accurate. It's the same size as the rumored 5.4-inch iPhone, but design changes provide more available display space.
The iPhone features no notch for the TrueDepth camera, and the FaceTime camera is located in the front center. Mac Otakara suggests the iPhone could use Samsung's Under Panel Sensor technology, which would allow cameras to be positioned under a display. The site also speculates about a possible bottom-of-screen camera, a rumor we haven't heard before and which seems unlikely.
Along with no notch, the mockup features ultra thin bezels, and while the camera module is not fleshed out, there are dots that suggest open space for testing different camera modules. Late last month, leaker Fudge (@choco_bit) said that the higher-end iPhone models coming in 2021 will feature four camera setups with LiDAR technology, but it's not clear if that information is accurate.
One other major design change appears to be a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port. There have been rumors about Apple swapping over to USB-C for years now. Another Fudge leak from late last month suggested Apple's iPhone 13 lineup will be portless, combining wireless charging with a Smart Connector system for data transfer.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also said that the high-end 2021 iPhone will have a "completely wireless experience."
Whether we'll end up with a port-free design, USB-C, or another year with Lightning remains to be seen, but past rumors have said that in the long-term, Apple wants an iPhone without external ports and buttons.
Mac Otakara says the mockup depicts just one prototype that's under development, so Apple's plans may ultimately change and this mockup is unlikely to represent the final version of the iPhone that we see in 2021.
The Information today published a detailed look at the difficulties Apple has faced trying to assemble its products with robots rather than humans.
The report claims that, beginning in 2012, Apple assembled a team of robotics and automation specialists at a secret lab in Sunnyvale, California to search for ways to reduce the number of workers on its production lines. However, the team is said to have quickly encountered challenges designing some of these automated systems:
Building a robot that can fasten screws is among the hardest challenges in the industry. A robot must pick up the screw at a specific angle and align it with a hole using multiple industrial cameras. Apple uses screws so tiny that robots had no way to measure the force used to drill them in. By contrast, human workers can feel the resistance from their hand and can tell when something is off.
As for putting glue onto display panels, Apple’s specifications are so tight that glue must often be placed within a millimeter of its desired spot inside a product. One former team member said well-trained Chinese workers were more adept at applying glue than their robot counterparts.
While many of the automated systems were abandoned or not implemented, the team apparently did have some success replacing workers with robots for simpler tasks such as testing of products like the Apple TV, Apple Watch, and iPad.
The report provides many more examples of Apple's attempts at ramping up automation, only to experience challenges. In 2014, for instance, Apple attempted to automate assembly of its since-discontinued 12-inch MacBook, but the production line apparently turned out to be more trouble than it was worth due to various issues:
In early trials, the conveyor systems moved erratically, slowing down the movement of parts. A robot that installed the keyboard using 88 small screws kept malfunctioning, requiring humans to come in afterward and rework most of the process. Containers used for moving parts kept piling up on conveyors, creating traffic jams.
These issues apparently led Apple to delay the launch of the 12-inch MacBook by around six months. The notebook was released in April 2015.
The report concludes that, while Apple has not had much success using robots to assemble its products as a whole, automation can be effective for specific parts. A few years ago, Apple also introduced a robot named Daisy that can take apart up to 200 iPhone devices per hour, removing and sorting components for recycling purposes.
Apple's supply chain partners are already developing OLED displays using LTPO backplane technology for 2021 iPhones, according to DigiTimes.
A paywalled preview of the report reads as follows:
iPhone OLED screens may adopt LTPO backplanes in 2021, say sources Apple has yet to introduce its 5G iPhones for 2020, but its supply chain is already developing OLED screens using LTPO backplane technology for next year's premium iPhone models, according industry sources.
LTPO technology would result in a more power efficient backplane, which is responsible for turning individual pixels on and off on the display. This could pave the way for longer battery life and/or new features like ProMotion or an always-on display.
While leakers Max Weinbach and Jon Prosser have claimed that ProMotion is a possibility on some 2020 iPhones, display analyst Ross Young believes that LTPO is essential if Apple plans to support ProMotion on the iPhone, as it would allow for a variable refresh as low as 1Hz when the device is inactive in order to optimize battery life.
The full report should be released by tomorrow, so we will update our coverage at that time if there are additional details.
Amazon has the 38mm Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS) for $179.00 today, down from $199.00. This device is available in the Silver Aluminum Case option with a White Sport Band, as well as the Space Gray Aluminum Case with a Black Sport Band.
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There is also a discount on the 42mm Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS), available for $209.00, down from $229.00. Despite being a few years old, Apple keeps the Apple Watch Series 3 as its entry-level option into the Apple Watch family, and it was originally priced starting at $329.00.
Apple CEO Tim Cook today shared an open letter addressing the death of George Floyd while in police custody last month, referring to the "senseless killing" as "shocking and tragic proof that we must aim far higher than a 'normal' future."
The letter is similar to a memo that Cook shared with Apple employees last week, but it adds a few actions that Apple remains committed to, including pushing progress forward on inclusion and diversity, bringing critical resources and technology to underserved school systems, and fighting environmental injustices like climate change, which Apple says disproportionally affects Black communities and other communities of color.
Apple is also donating to organizations that challenge racial injustice and mass incarceration, including the Equal Justice Initiative.
The open letter is featured on the homepage of Apple's website:
Speaking up on racism
Right now, there is a pain deeply etched in the soul of our nation and in the hearts of millions. To stand together, we must stand up for one another, and recognize the fear, hurt, and outrage rightly provoked by the senseless killing of George Floyd and a much longer history of racism.
That painful past is still present today — not only in the form of violence, but in the everyday experience of deeply rooted discrimination. We see it in our criminal justice system, in the disproportionate toll of disease on Black and Brown communities, in the inequalities in neighborhood services and the educations our children receive.
While our laws have changed, the reality is that their protections are still not universally applied. We've seen progress since the America I grew up in, but it is similarly true that communities of color continue to endure discrimination and trauma.
I have heard from so many that you feel afraid — afraid in your communities, afraid in your daily lives, and, most cruelly of all, afraid in your own skin. We can have no society worth celebrating unless we can guarantee freedom from fear for every person who gives this country their love, labor, and life.
At Apple, our mission has been and always will be to create technology that empowers people to change the world for the better. We've always drawn strength from diversity, welcomed people from every walk of life to our stores around the world, and strived to build an Apple that is inclusive of everyone.
But we must do more. We commit to continuing our work to bring critical resources and technology to underserved school systems. We commit to continuing to fight the forces of environmental injustice — like climate change — which disproportionately harm Black communities and other communities of color. We commit to looking inward and pushing progress forward on inclusion and diversity, so that every great idea can be heard. And we’re donating to organizations including the Equal Justice Initiative, which challenge racial injustice and mass incarceration.
To create change, we have to reexamine our own views and actions in light of a pain that is deeply felt but too often ignored. Issues of human dignity will not abide standing on the sidelines. To the Black community — we see you. You matter and your lives matter.
This is a moment when many people may want nothing more than a return to normalcy, or to a status quo that is only comfortable if we avert our gaze from injustice. As difficult as it may be to admit, that desire is itself a sign of privilege. George Floyd's death is shocking and tragic proof that we must aim far higher than a "normal" future, and build one that lives up to the highest ideals of equality and justice.
In the words of Martin Luther King, "Every society has its protectors of status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change."
With every breath we take, we must commit to being that change, and to creating a better, more just world for everyone.
Google has added a new content highlighting feature to its search engine that aims to make it easier to find key information on webpages, reports SearchEngineLand (via The Verge).
The feature works with Google's Featured Snippets, which appear at the top of search results. Clicking a snippet takes the user to the source webpage, but now the browser automatically scrolls down the page to the text that appeared in the snippet and highlights it in yellow.
Google says the feature has been available with AMP pages since December 2018, but this is the first time Google has rolled it out for regular HTML content, too.
Web developers don't need to do anything to get content highlighting working on their sites, as it's all managed at Google's end and happens automatically, although our tests backed up The Verge's claim that, currently, it doesn't always work.
There is no markup needed by webmasters. This happens automatically, using Scroll To Text for HTML pages https://t.co/cE9O2cBgKu. See also more background here: https://t.co/vKFmR3HLK3
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) June 3, 2020
The search shown in the images at the top of our article worked on desktop in Chrome, but not in Safari or Firefox, for example. They didn't work in the mobile versions of these browsers for us at all.
As noted by SearchEngineLand, the feature could have an impact on the ad market, since visitors may be automatically scrolled down past website ads to the highlighted content. In some instances, sites may need to relocate their ads to align with the new Google feature.
Encrypted messaging app Signal is rolling out a new face-blurring feature that automatically locates and blurs faces in images shared over the platform.
In a blog post announcing the update, Signal co-founder Moxie Marlinspike explained that the tool was a response to a surge in traffic, spurred by ongoing protests around the world against racism and poice brutality.
Many of the people and groups who are organizing for that change are using Signal to communicate, and we're working hard to keep up with the increased traffic. We've also been working to figure out additional ways we can support everyone in the street right now.
One immediate thing seems clear: 2020 is a pretty good year to cover your face.
The latest version of Signal for Android and iOS introduces a new blur feature in the image editor that can help protect the privacy of the people in the photos you share. Now it's easy to give every face a hiding place, or draw a fuzzy trace over something you want to erase. Simply tap on the new blur tool icon to get started.
According to Marlinspike, all processing involved in the new blur feature happens locally on the device to maintain privacy. He also cautions that the feature isn't perfect, and won't detect every face all of the time. To compensate for these flaws, Signal's image editor also includes an option to manually obscure faces and other areas of a photo with a blur brush.
Since May 25, Signal has been setting daily download records in the U.S., according to Apptopia (via Recode). The encrypted chat app was the eighth most downloaded social networking app on Tuesday, for example, and ranked around the top 100 for all apps.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple has reportedly hired Amazon Video sports content executive James DeLorenzo to work on its Apple TV+ on-demand video service.
DeLorenzo has led Amazon Video's sports division since 2016 and has also been senior vice president of the company's Audible subscription audiobook service, according to his LinkedIn profile. DeLorenzo will head the sports division for Apple TV+, according to Recode. Apple has yet to comment on the hire.
Rumors suggest Apple is seeking to expand its TV+ service with live sports content, which would help diversify its currently limited originals offering.
Apple is also said to be looking to bolster its library by exploring deals for MGM Holdings content and college sports right, as well as purchasing existing back catalog TV series.
Tweetscoop: Apple has hired Amazon exec Jim DeLorenzo to head up sports for its Apple TV unit. DeLorenzo went to Amazon in 2016 to run sports there, tho his current LinkedIn says he’s svp at Amazon’s Audible.
— Peter Kafka (@pkafka) June 4, 2020
Apple charges $4.99 per month for Apple TV+, and while many subscribers have a free year after purchasing an Apple device, Apple will need to make Apple TV+ worth the subscription fee in the future by offering users more choice.
Rumors have suggested Apple is working on a services bundle that will offer multiple Apple services like Apple TV+ and Apple Music for one flat monthly rate, and according to 9to5Mac, code found in iOS 13.5.5 seemingly confirms Apple's bundle plans.
Files in iOS 13.5.5 reference a "bundle offer" and a "bundle subscription," and these files weren't in earlier versions of iOS. The files are said to be related to the "management system of Apple's own services subscriptions like Apple News+."
Apple has been rumored to be working on some kind of services bundle since 2018, and most of the rumors have indicated that the company is mulling including Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple News+ in the bundle offering.
Right now, Apple Music is priced at $9.99 per month, Apple TV+ is $4.99 per month, and Apple News+ is $9.99 per month, so a bundle would presumably offer customers a discount while also enticing them to subscribe to all three of Apple's offerings. Apple News+ and Apple TV+ are not as popular as Apple Music, so a bundle could drive growth.
Since late 2019, Apple has been holding discussions with record labels about creating a media content bundle that would include the Apple Music service. At least one record label has voiced concerns, so it's not clear when Apple might be able to secure the deals that will allow it to offer a bundle. A November report from Bloomberg suggested a services bundle could launch as soon as 2020.
Apple in late 2019 experimented with bundling, providing free access to Apple TV+ for students who subscribe to the Apple Music service.
Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming watchOS 6.2.8 update to developers, two weeks after releasing the watchOS 6.2.5 update with new Pride Apple Watch faces, and two days after releasing watchOS 6.2.6 with security fixes.
watchOS 6.2.8 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.
To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the iPhone.
We don't yet know if there are new features included in watchOS 6.2.8, but we'll update this article if any changes are found.
New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been working to bring its OMNY contactless fare payment system to all buses and subway stations throughout the city, but the rollout of the system has been delayed due to the ongoing public health crisis, reports The Wall Street Journal.
OMNY tap-and-go fare payments with Apple Pay Express Transit support became available at one of New York City's major transportation hubs, Penn Station, back in December 2019, followed by several more stations in early 2020. The rollout was meant to continue on in March and the following months, but installation of digital readers was stopped in late March.
Installation work resumed at the beginning of May, but the completion of OMNY has been delayed by about two months. It was supposed to be finished by October 2020, but now the full system won't be available until the end of December.
While work on OMNY subway support was paused for a couple of months, the bus rollout of the system was accelerated. The MTA now expects to offer contactless payment support on all Manhattan buses by the end of July, and citywide by the end of the year.
At the current time, Staten Island bus stations and about half of the 472 subway stations in New York support Apple Pay through OMNY.
With the OMNY contactless payment system, riders are able to hold an iPhone or Apple Watch near a contactless reader to pay their fare with no authentication necessary, allowing for speedy passage through public transit hubs.
The New York MTA's goal is to bring contactless payment options to all of its subway stations and bus routes. MetroCards, which predate the OMNY system, will continue to work on subway and bus systems until 2023.
Right now, OMNY is limited to full-fare, pay-per-ride usage. Support for 7-day and 30-day fares won't be available until early 2021.
Google today announced native support for the W3C WebAuthn implementation for Google Accounts on Apple devices running iOS 13.3 and above, which improves the security key experience on iOS and allows more security key types to be used with Google accounts and Google's Advanced Protection Program.
With the change, iOS users are able to use Google's Titan Security Keys with NFC, tapping the key on the back of the iPhone when signing in as a security measure.
Lightning or USB security keys like the YubiKey 5Ci can be used with Google accounts if you have an Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter. USB-C security keys can be plugged directly into iOS devices with a USB-C port, such as Apple's iPad Pro models.
Google says that it recommends users install the Smart Lock app to use Bluetooth security keys and the iPhone's built-in security key, as this provides a way for the iPhone to function as additional protection for a Google Account.
Google also recommends that Google users who are at higher risk of targeted attacks utilize security keys and enroll in its Advanced Protection Program, which is the feature that allows for extra account protection with physical security keys.
Using a physical security key provides more protection than two-factor verification because it requires you to have the physical key (or the iPhone Key with the Smart Lock app) to sign in to your Google accounts rather than just a digitally generated code.
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