MacRumors

There's nothing wrong with the stock Camera app that comes on every iPhone, but there are many third-party camera apps available in the App Store that add additional functionality, filters, and other effects that are worth checking out.

For our latest YouTube video, we asked MacRumors readers for their favorite camera apps, and compiled a list of the best and most popular options. If you're looking to take your ‌iPhone‌ photography up a notch, make sure to check these out.

Halide

Halide, priced at $5.99, was the top pick when we asked for preferred camera apps. More MacRumors readers chose it than any other camera app, which is no surprise because Halide offers a rich feature set.

Halide offers up full manual controls for shutter speed, ISO, and white balance, along with a live histogram for perfecting exposure. The swipe-based interface is easy to use, and you can capture photos in RAW, JPG, TIFF, or HEIC formats.

There are depth controls for newer iPhones, manual and autofocus tools, and for ‌iPhone‌ XR, there's a Depth Capture feature that works with pets, food, and other items, unlike the native Depth Control feature. Halide just added a new color histogram, which is a nifty option that lets you make sure you have the right exposure to preserve color detail and make colors pop. Halide has a new app coming out in the near future, so keep an eye out for that.

ProCam 6

ProCam 6, priced at $5.99, was also a popular choice with MacRumors readers. ProCam offers full manual control options for shutter speed, ISO, focus, and white balance, along with tap-based manual focus assist, built-in warnings for overexposure, and live values for metrics like ISO and shutter speed.

You can choose your video frame rate and resolution when taking video, or choose from multiple shooting modes like Night Mode, Burst Mode, Slow Shutter, and 3D Photos. Like most of the camera apps on this list, ProCam 6 lets you capture RAW, JPG, TIFF, and HEIF images, and there's a live light level histogram.

For editing after capturing a photo, ProCam 6 includes 60 filters, 17 lenses for fun effects, multiple adjustment tools, and video editing capabilities. There are custom profiles for saving your favorite shooting modes and camera settings, and Siri Shortcuts are supported.

Obscura 2

Priced at $4.99, Obscura has a simple swipe-based interface that puts the tools you need right at your fingertips, and it's ideal for one-handed use.

You can capture photos in RAW, HEIC, and JPG formats, take Live Photos, and capture images with depth on newer iPhones. There are tools for adjusting white balance, exposure, and focus, as well as ISO and shutter speed, plus there's a histogram for adjusting exposure.

There are 19 included filters available, which can be used in post processing or with live previews, and there are additional filter packs available for purchase in the app. Swiping down from the top of the app gives you access to your Photo Library, and swiping up on a selected photo shows all the metadata you might need to know.

Focos

Focos is a free download, but charges a fee for pro tools. It costs $0.99 per month or $11.99 for lifetime access. Focos offers full manual controls for capturing images, along with options for depth control, portraits, adjustable bokeh, and more.

You can import your Portrait ‌Photos‌ and adjust the bokeh (aka background blurring) effect, and there are options to simulate lens effects like creamy, bilinear, swirly, and reflex effects. There are also options to add lighting and edit depth maps.

Moment

Moment, like Focos, is a free download but requires a $4.99 purchase to unlock Pro tools. Moment offers options for manually adjusting exposure, ISO, shutter speed, focus, white balance, and image format, which lets you customize the look of your photos beyond what you can do with the stock Camera app.

RAW shooting is supported, as are HEIF and HEVC, Apple's newest photo and video formats, and there's a live histogram. Moment's app is designed to work with Moment's lenses, available separately on the Moment website, but it also works without them.

You have to pay for manual controls and advanced video tools, but it's worth the $4.99 if you want full control over how your ‌iPhone‌ photos turn out.

Conclusion

All of these camera apps are fantastic, but they're just a small sampling of the photography-oriented app options in the ‌App Store‌. If we missed your favorite camera app, make sure to let us know which one you prefer in the comments.

Please feel free to share your favorite photo editing apps too, because we'll be covering that in an upcoming video and article.

Apple is having trouble negotiating financial terms with publishers for its planned subscription news service, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Said to be like "Netflix for news," the planned subscription news service is designed to let users read unlimited content from participating publishers for one monthly fee, set at about $10 per month.

Major publishers are said to be resisting Apple's proposed revenue split, which would provide Apple with half of the revenue from the service. The other half of the revenue would be split among publishers "according to the amount of time users spend engaged with their articles."

Apple does not want to provide credit card information or email addresses to publishers, details that news sites use to create customer databases and market their products.

The New York Times and the Washington Post, two major publications with paywalls and subscription offerings, have not inked deals with Apple because of concerns over the terms at the current time. The Wall Street Journal reportedly also has concerns, but its conversations with Apple have been described as "productive."

Most sites charge $9.99 or more per month for access to their articles. The New York Times prices its basic subscriptions at $15 per month, while The Washington Post charges $10 per month and The ‌Wall Street Journal‌ charges $39 per month. Providing subscriptions through Apple could cause current subscribers to swap over, leading to lower revenue.

All three sites already offer some content on Apple News and are allowed to offer up subscriptions. News organizations are able to keep 70 percent of subscription fees for the first year for customers who sign up for ‌Apple News‌, while Apple keeps 30 percent. After a year, Apple's cut drops to 15 percent.

Apple is planning to launch the subscription news service later this year as a paid option in the ‌Apple News‌ app. Other rumors have suggested that Apple is also planning to provide access to a number of popular magazines for $9.99 per month as it incorporates its Texture acquisition into ‌Apple News‌.

It's possible that the one $9.99 per month fee would include access to both news content and magazines, though these could also be separate payments.

With the news service, and a planned television service that's also coming in 2019, Apple is aiming to boost its overall services revenue. With flagging iPhone sales, services has become an increasingly important category for Apple, allowing the company to generate revenue from its huge active install base.

Apple has discussed bundling its news service with iCloud storage tiers and its television service, so an all-in-one package from Apple could be on the horizon.

Following last month's revelations that Facebook and Google were using Apple's enterprise developer program to bypass the App Store and collect analytics from participating users, TechCrunch now reports that dozens of pornography and gambling apps are abusing the program as well.

TechCrunch's Josh Constine:

TechCrunch was able to download and verify 12 pornography and 12 real-money gambling apps over the past week that were abusing Apple's Enterprise Certificate system to offer apps prohibited from the App Store. These apps either offered streaming or pay-per-view hardcore pornography, or allowed users to deposit, win, and withdraw real money — all of which would be prohibited if the apps were distributed through the App Store.

The report notes that the problem starts with Apple's lax standards for accepting businesses into its enterprise program, which is solely intended for companies to allow employees to side-load apps for internal use.

Developers simply have to fill out an online form and pay $299 to Apple, as detailed in this guide from Calvium. The form merely asks developers to pledge they're building an Enterprise Certificate app for internal employee-only use, that they have the legal authority to register the business, provide a D-U-N-S business ID number, and have an up to date Mac. You can easily Google a business’ address details and look up their D-U-N-S ID number with a tool Apple provides.

Legitimate enterprise certificates are reportedly passed around on the black market too, particularly in China, and then used for prohibited purposes.

Apple did not explain how these apps slipped under the radar, whether it conducts routine compliance audits on developers in the program, or if it plans to change its enrollment process. Apple did issue a statement to TechCrunch noting that any developers who abuse the program will be immediately terminated:

Developers that abuse our enterprise certificates are in violation of the Apple Developer Enterprise Program Agreement and will have their certificates terminated, and if appropriate, they will be removed from our Developer Program completely. We are continuously evaluating the cases of misuse and are prepared to take immediate action.

Apple has apparently disabled some of the pornography and gambling apps over the past few days, but the report concludes that Apple should more tightly enforce its program to ensure it is not being used inappropriately.

Pornography and gambling apps involving real money are not allowed on the ‌App Store‌.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues 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.

Update: Apple has officially announced that WWDC 2019 will be held June 3-7 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose as we reported below.

WWDC took place June 4-8 in 2018 and June 5-9 in 2017 at McEnery, so it would be natural if WWDC 2019 were scheduled for the same week of June. The weeklong conference has been hosted in the first half of June every year since 2007 and at McEnery specifically since 2017.

While we were already confident the WWDC 2019 dates would fall on June 3-7, we confirmed with a source that a large annual event of some kind will be taking place during that week at McEnery. Meanwhile, the second and fourth weeks of June are ruled out due to the already-announced O'Reilly Velocity conference on June 10-13 and the Sensors Expo on June 25-27 at McEnery.

In our continued research, we discovered that San Jose requires permitting for large public events such as Apple's WWDC Bash, which took place at the Discovery Meadow park next to McEnery in 2018.

Following that thread, we unearthed a 2019 events calendar from the City of San Jose's Office of Cultural Affairs that lists this year's WWDC Bash at Discovery Meadow on the evening of Thursday, June 6. The event is named "Team San Jose 2019 WWDC" and is organized by "Apple." An identical WWDC entry was listed in the Office of Cultural Affairs' 2018 events calendar for the actual WWDC 2018 Bash.

Last February, MacRumors accurately revealed that WWDC 2018 would be held June 4-8. Apple officially announced the dates on March 13 last year, so we could be a month out from the official announcement. We've reached out to Apple for comment, although it rarely discusses its plans until it's ready to.

WWDC tickets have been priced at $1,599 in recent years and distributed randomly via lottery. To enter the lottery last year, developers had to be a member of the Apple Developer Program prior to Apple's official WWDC date announcement on March 13, so consider registering now if you hope to attend.

The calendar entry lists an estimated attendance of 7,000 people at WWDC, consistent with last year. This total will likely include around 5,000 developers, along with 350 or so WWDC scholars, hundreds of Apple employees, and the media. Apple is expected to announce iOS 13, macOS 10.15, watchOS 6, and tvOS 13 at the event.

Update: All mentions of WWDC and Apple have been removed from the 2019 events calendar, but the June 6 event at Discovery Meadow remains listed with "Team San Jose" as the organizer. Apple is likely simply covering its tracks as it has done several times in the past when information has leaked in similar ways.

Note: While we are confident about these dates, Apple could change its plans at any time. MacRumors can't be held responsible for any airfare or accommodations booked based on this information.

OnLeaks' Steve Hemmerstoffer today tweeted that the AirPods wireless charging case will be ready to launch sometime soon, but the actual AirPods 2 with "Hey, Siri" funtionality may be delayed to the fall.

OnLeaks itself casts some doubt on this rumor, by stating up front that the news was gained from a "new and yet unconfirmed," but seemingly reliable source. Hemmerstoffer appears to be most certain about the wireless charging case launching soon and being shipped with the first-generation AirPods.

When they do launch, OnLeaks says the AirPods 2 will come in new colors, and yesterday rumor site MySmartPrice claimed that the new headphones will come in black and white. Beyond AirPods 2 and their new "Hey, ‌Siri‌" functionality, Apple is believed to already be working on the third-generation AirPods, which are rumored to have some form of water resistance.

Hemmerstoffer and OnLeaks have a previous track record of sourcing information from Apple's supply chain, as well as the supply chains of other smartphone manufacturers. For example, Hemmerstoffer shared renders of the 2018 iPad Pro with accurate depictions of the tablet's redesign one month before the device was revealed by Apple.

Apple plans to hold a product event in the second half of March where it will officially announce second-generation AirPods, the AirPower wireless charging pad, a new affordable iPad and the so-called "iPad mini 5", according to the latest rumor.

The claim comes courtesy of Greek tech news site iphonehellas.gr [Google Translate], which says it has received "exclusive information" from "a reliable source through Apple's production chain in China" that pre-orders for the AirPods 2, ‌AirPower‌, and new iPads will start on Friday, March 22 with shipping and in-store sales to begin a week later on Friday, 29 March.

In a separate post to Slashleaks, the same author of the iPhoneHellas rumor claims the Apple special event will take place sometime between March 11 and March 20.

Apple has held a number of special events in March in recent years, with the last one taking place in 2018 on March 29, when it announced a low-cost ‌iPad‌ 9.7-inch with Apple Pencil support. The earliest Apple event in the month of March took place way back in 2011 on March 2, so there's plenty of room for maneuver.

iPhoneHellas goes back several years and has occasionally offered correct information on iOS releases ahead of their launch, although that's not necessarily any indicator of the accuracy of this latest rumor, so at this point we'd advise taking it with at least a pinch of salt.

Rumors have long suggested Apple is planning to introduce second-generation AirPods with an improved wireless chip that will enable voice-activated "Hey Siri" functionality. A recent rumor from DigiTimes suggests the second-generation AirPods will appear in early 2019 and could also include "health monitoring" features, but there are no concrete details on just what functions might be included.

‌AirPower‌ is a charging mat designed to charge Qi-based iPhones, the Apple Watch, and the AirPods, using a specially designed and as-of-yet unreleased wireless compatible AirPods Charging Case.

Apple announced ‌AirPower‌ in September 2017 and said at the time that it would launch sometime in 2018, but the end of 2018 came and went, and Apple has given no further official info on when the ‌AirPower‌ will debut.

A recent rumor from Apple's supply chain in China has suggested the manufacturing issues have been solved. ‌AirPower‌ was said to have entered mass production in late January, with Apple planning to release it sometime soon.

Though the ‌iPad mini‌ hasn't been updated since September 2015, rumors have suggested an "‌iPad mini‌ 5" is in the works and could come during the first half of 2019. Apple in January registered seven new iPad models with the Eurasian Economic Commission, and at least some of these are believed to be the ‌iPad mini‌. The others may be a new version of the low-cost 9.7-inch ‌iPad‌.

DigiTimes reports that despite a sizable drop in fourth-quarter 2018 revenues and operating profits for lens-supplier Largan Precision, the company remains confident about "adoption of 3-lens or more modules for flagship smartphone models."

Rendering of possible 3-camera system in future iPhone

Largan has also become a lens module supplier for China-based smartphone vendors including Huawei, Oppo and Vivo, and Korean giant Samsung Electronics. Among lens module makers, Largan stands a better chance of obtaining orders for 3-lens modules in 2019 due to competitiveness enabled by its economy of scale and technological capability.

Largan's confidence remains steady since back in July despite warnings from Apple that global sales may stall in 2018.

"Generally speaking, the smartphone industry may have started to slow, but the demand for more camera lenses does not stop there," Lin has told reporters after the company's annual general meeting on June 12. "The same smartphone shipment quantity would require more camera lenses than in the past."

Indeed, Apple is widely rumored to adopt a three lens system in their high end 2019 iPhones and beyond. A Triple-camera system could offer improved 3D-sensing, increased zoom, better low-light photos, and more.

Apple has named longtime Apple employee and iPhone executive Frank Casanova as its first head of marketing for augmented reality, reports Bloomberg.

Casanova, who has been at Apple since 1988, is responsible for all aspects of product marketing for Apple's "augmented reality initiative," according to his LinkedIn profile.

Prior to being named head of Apple's AR marketing effort, Casanova worked as Apple's senior director of ‌iPhone‌ partner marketing. He started at Apple as a product manager in May 1988, spent a short stint at another company for a year in 1997, and has been working at Apple since then. He was around for the launch of the ‌iPhone‌ as well as many other pivotal products.

As Bloomberg points out, Apple's decision to name a head of product marketing for augmented reality indicates the importance of the feature for the future of the company. Apple debuted ARKit, its augmented reality platform, in iOS 11, and made significant improvements to it in iOS 12.

ARKit turned Apple's iPhones and iPads the largest augmented reality platform available, with many apps now taking advantage of augmented reality capabilities.

Apple is also working on improved AR functionality for iPhones in 2020 through a laser-based 3D rear camera, and the company is said to have an augmented reality headset in the works, which could launch around the same timeframe.

This morning, we asked our readers on Twitter if they'd prefer to see USB-C ports or Lightning ports in the 2019 iPhone lineup, and the results so far are clear -- MacRumors readers are ready to transition to USB-C.

With more than 15,000 responses across both platforms at the time this article was written, 74% of Twitter users have chosen USB-C over Lightning, as have 71% of Facebook users.

There have been some rumors suggesting Apple is at least considering transitioning to USB-C in the 2019 ‌iPhone‌ lineup, with USB-C prototypes supposedly floating around, but the most recent information from Japanese site Mac Otakara suggests Apple will continue to use Lightning for the 2019 ‌iPhone‌ lineup.

Many current ‌iPhone‌ users may be reluctant to shift from Lightning ports because they've spent years collecting Lightning-based accessories, but there are some benefits to be aware of. With USB-C, iPhones would charge faster than with the current 5W ‌iPhone‌ adapter and Lightning cable setup, and cables would be interchangeable with cables for the MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iPad lineup.

With USB-C support for the ‌iPhone‌, a single cable could be used to charge all of the above listed devices, and existing power adapters for these devices would fast charge the ‌iPhone‌, providing at least 50% power in 30 minutes and 80% power within an hour.

Also, if you don't already, make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, where we share news stories, polls, videos, tips and tricks, and other interesting Apple-related information.

iPhone users in the United States spent an average of $79 on App Store games and apps in 2018 according to an upcoming Sensor Tower report shared today by TechCrunch.

At $79, the revenue generated per active U.S. ‌iPhone‌ grew 36 percent year over year, up from an average of $58 spent per ‌iPhone‌ in 2017. ‌iPhone‌ users spent about $21 more in 2018 on in-app purchases and paid downloads.

Much of the spending growth came from mobile gaming, with 56 percent of the $79 total average attributed to ‌App Store‌ games.

Spending was also up quite a lot in other categories such as entertainment, music, social networking, and health and fitness.

Sensor Tower believes that subscription apps are a contributing factor for the increased spending in many of these non-faming categories.

Apple's ‌App Store‌ is a major revenue driver for Apple in its services category, with app purchases continually setting new revenue records. The ‌App Store‌ hit a new single-day revenue record on New Year's Day, for example, with customers spending a whopping $322 million.

Over the holiday period including Christmas and New Year's Day, the ‌App Store‌ raked in more than $1.22 billion.

In a new "The Future Unfolds" ad for its upcoming February 20 keynote event, Samsung today teased hints of its upcoming "Galaxy Fold" foldable smartphone.

Not a lot can be seen in the video, but the words in the video appear to wrap around a foldable surface, a reference to Samsung's first smartphone with this folding design.

At the time, Samsung said that it had to invent new materials and reimagine the display from the ground up to create its Infinity Flex technology.

Samsung is developing a new software platform for the device in partnership with Google, which is designed to support two UIs - one for when the device is open and one for when the device is closed.

Samsung's foldable smartphone will debut at its upcoming February 20 event, which will also see the launch of the new Galaxy S10 smartphone lineup.

The Galaxy S10 devices won't feature foldable displays, but there will be three options at various price points and with different display sizes. Samsung's Galaxy S10 lineup is expected to feature small "hole punch" camera cutouts to maximize available screen area.

There have been some rumors suggesting Apple is exploring foldable display content, but right now, there's no concrete evidence that Apple is working on a smartphone with a foldable display.