MacRumors

Ticketmaster today updated its iOS app with Apple Music integration, allowing users to easily track upcoming concerts they might be interested in. The update makes Ticketmaster one of the few apps to take advantage of the Apple Music API.

Once the update is downloaded, users can allow the app to scan their Apple Music library for their favorite artists. Users will then receive ticket alerts when those artists announce new concerts. If users enable notifications and location services, the app can also notify a user when and where they can watch an artist perform.

Apple introduced the Apple Music API with iOS 9.3, and soon began promoting the API in April 2016. Two of the most well known apps to take advantage of the API are Nike and Shazam. Nike's Run Club app allows users to import Apple Music playlists while Shazam allows users to add identified songs to their library. Unlike Nike and Shazam's apps, which is focused on directly impacting someone's music library, the primary goal of Ticketmaster's utilization is to use Apple Music user data to improve its app experience.

Ticketmaster for iOS is available in the App Store for free [Direct Link]

Huawei, currently the world's third largest smartphone manufacturer, is planning on developing its own voice assistant to compete with Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, and Alphabet's Google Assistant, reports Bloomberg.

The company is said to have more than a hundred engineers that are in the early stages of developing the AI assistant. Sources that spoke to Bloomberg say Huawei plans to implement Chinese language support and target domestic users while Huawei smartphones continue to work with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa outside of China.

Huawei has been stepping up its efforts to compete with Apple, Samsung, and other major smartphone players in recent months. After dethroning Xiaomi to become the world's third largest smartphone maker, Huawei has now set its sights on Apple, and its own voice assistant could help set it apart.

According to Huawei consumer head Richard Yu, the company wants to become the number one smartphone manufacturer in the world by 2021. To do that, Huawei will need to break into the U.S. market, something that it hasn't yet managed to do.

Huawei does not currently have carrier agreements with the four major carriers in the United States, making it difficult for customers to acquire Huawei smartphones, but Huawei executives are aiming to change that in the future.

TwIM, released today, is a new app that turns Twitter's Direct Messages function into a dedicated chat app, ignoring all other Twitter features for a clean, simple DM chat experience.

Because it is based on Twitter's Direct Messages feature, TwIM can be used to chat with any Twitter user through a search function that can locate people via name or username.

Messages are turned into in-line content previews with support for tweets, photos, GIFs, emoji, maps, and websites, plus the app has its own built-in face emojis called TwiMoji.

iPhone features like 3D Touch are supported, and the app includes built-in Siri functionality for sending messages through Apple's voice assistant. Push notifications for incoming messages are supported, as are rich notifications, and there's a useful share extension for quickly sharing text, photos, URLs, maps, and more from other apps.

For people who often use Twitter's DM feature to communicate with friends and family, TwIM is worth checking out.

TwIM can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Many iPhone and iPad users appear to be experiencing issues with Apple's iMessage service, which seems to be down for some people. Those who are having problems are unable to send iMessages and are instead being forced to communicate via standard green bubble text messages.

According to user reports on Twitter, the problem started for some users last night. Not all iPhone and iPad owners are affected by the issue, but based on reports we're hearing, a decent number of people are having trouble with iMessage.

Apple's System Status page is not currently reporting a service outage, so it's not clear what's going on or when the problem will be fixed. We'll update this post with any new information we receive.

Starting later this week, popular augmented reality game Pokémon Go will gain tons of new content in the form of 80 new Pokémon that are being introduced to the game.

The Pokémon come from the Johto region in the Pokémon Silver and Pokémon Gold games, and will include both new Pokémon and new evolutions. Gender-specific variations are also being implemented.

New berries are being added to the game, along with new items that are required for some of the Johto Pokémon evolutions. Both will be available from PokéStops. The berries will include the Nanab Berry, which will slow a Pokémon's movements to make it easier to catch, and the Pinap Berry, which doubles the amount of Candy received if the next capture attempt is successful.

Pokémon Go is also gaining new encounter gameplay, and Niantic says Pokémon encountered in the wild may "react in new ways" when you're attempting to catch them. A new item carousel will also allow users to select berries and Poké Balls without needing to open the backpack.

The final new feature coming this week is an expanded wardrobe and new outfit options for a player's avatar. A new selection of hats, shirts, pants, and other items are being added to the game.

Excitement for Pokémon Go has died down in the months since its release, but the game continues to have a loyal fan base and Niantic has been committed to making regular feature updates to keep players engaged.

Pokémon Go can be downloaded from the App Store at no cost. [Direct Link]

Update 4/16: The Pokémon Go update that adds 80 new Pokémon is now live.

D-Link today announced that its new Omna 180 Cam HD camera, unveiled at CES 2017 last month, is now available to purchase at Apple.com for $199.95.

The cylindrical Omna 180 Cam HD features a 1080p camera with a 180-degree field of view, a built-in microphone and speaker with two-way audio, infrared night vision up to 16 feet, and motion detection with the option to record motion-triggered video clips directly to a microSDXC card up to 128GB with no subscription costs.

HomeKit support enables users to control the Omna 180 Cam HD with an iPhone or iPad through Apple's Home app on iOS 10. When the camera detects motion, users can receive Lock screen notifications to get a snapshot of what's happening in their homes. The camera can also trigger Scenes with other HomeKit products.

D-Link said the Omna 180 Cam HD camera will also be available to purchase at Apple retail stores around the world later this month.

A few Apple executives have had meetings with South Korean financial authorities, spurring a rumor that the Cupertino company is beginning to make headway in its attempt to launch Apple Pay in the country. Sources speaking with The Korea Herald said that Apple's legal director and senior counselor met with the country's financial authorities back in November to discuss Apple Pay, but the company has yet to have another meeting with the government.

As it stands, Android Pay is believed to launch in South Korea ahead of Apple Pay. According to an anonymous source from a local card company, "the technology development with Google for Android Pay is in full swing," with Google having already partnered with card companies like KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Lotte and Hyundai in order to develop online and offline payment systems.

For Apple, the country's involvement and work on Apple Pay "is still in an early stage," potentially due to South Korea's lack of wide NFC terminal adoption in retail stores. Google is said to be developing an online payments feature for Android Pay that could circumvent the need of an NFC terminal. For Apple Pay to be widely adopted, the company may have to wait for more NFC support -- which its mobile wallet requires -- in the country.

Apple’s executives recently held a meeting with South Korean financial authorities, a move that can be viewed as the company testing the waters before fully reviewing a potential launch here, sources said Wednesday.

“Apple said they will partner with local credit card companies in the future but did not elaborate on the specific details,” the source said.

To start such a mobile payment service in Korea, the company should have another meeting with the financial authorities to decide whether it will be registered as an electronic financial business operator. Apple is not yet scheduled to have such a meeting with the government.

In participating retail locations and apps, Apple Pay is currently available in the U.S., UK, China, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, France, Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, and Spain. Apple previously had trouble introducing another of its services, Apple Music, in South Korea due to the country's strict copyright laws.

AppGratis today announced that, after seven years of operations and more than 50 million app installs globally, it has shut down.

The service offered hand-picked apps for free or up to 90% off on a daily basis through its website and Android app, and formerly through its iPhone app, but its popularity had seemingly faded over the years.

Apple removed AppGratis from the App Store in April 2013 as part of a broader crackdown on apps which might be "similar to or confusing with the App Store." AppGratis said it was "far from finished" despite the huge blow, and it went on to last nearly four more years until its shutdown today.

App discovery remains an issue on the App Store, which has some two million apps according to our sister website AppShopper. Last year, Apple introduced search ads on the App Store to help developers promote their apps, but the feature is not particularly helpful to those with limited marketing budgets.

(Thanks, Joe!)

Carmaker Jaguar today announced that a collection of its vehicles will support a new in-car cashless payment app that allows drivers to use Apple Pay to pay for fuel at Shell stations without having to use a traditional card payment at a pump. Drivers of the enhanced Jaguar F-PACE performance SUV, F-TYPE, XF and XE sports saloon model ranges -- and the latest Land Rover models -- will be able to take advantage of the app.

An email will automatically be sent so accounting expenses can be tallied up at a later date. Support is currently focused only in the United Kingdom, but the company said that the app will be rolling out globally soon.

"In a world where cash is no longer king, customers are increasingly using electronic payments and contactless cards. Making a payment directly from a car’s touchscreen will make refuelling quicker and easier. With this new system you can choose any pump on the forecourt and pay for the fuel even if you’ve forgotten your wallet or can’t find your credit or debit card.

You will save time because there’s no more queuing to pay in a shop, and for drivers with children, it won’t be necessary to wake them up, or unstrap them from their seats to take them into the shop. Expenses and tax returns will also be made much simpler, with no receipts to lose as these will all be sent electronically," said Peter Virk, director of connected car and future technology

The Shell app is part of a few enhancements that Jaguar announced to its F-PACE, XE, and XF models today, including new gesture technology to make it easier to open the vehicle's trunk, as well as the latest efficient Ingenium petrol and diesel engines. Jaguar's announcement focused on Apple Pay and PayPal, but the company confirmed that it's working on adding Android Pay support for fuel payments "later in 2017."

Amazon has silently updated its Alexa assistant to include Outlook.com calendar support, reports The Verge.

Amazon's Echo family of connected smart speakers have always supported Google calendars, but now Outlook users can ask Alexa to add or review upcoming events in their schedule using voice commands like "What's on my calendar?" or "Add an event to my calendar."

Outlook.com calendars can be added via the iOS Alexa app under Settings -> Calendar, which will activate the support on any connected Alexa-powered devices. Alexa still doesn't officially offer support for Apple Calendar, but a basic skill has recently been developed and made available on Github that allows the assistant to read upcoming events from the native Apple app.

In related news, Amazon has added hands-free Alexa support to its Tap portable speakers via an over-the-air software update. Originally, Amazon Tap users wishing to activate Alexa had to press a physical button on the Bluetooth speakers, but the latest update means Alexa can now be invoked via voice alone.

Amazon says that even with the hands-free function, Tap speakers should retain about eight hours of battery life, while the "listening" mode of the devices can be put to sleep with a press of the power button. Tap speakers now also support Amazon's "echo spatial perception", which enables the closest Alexa device to respond to commands when two or more are in proximity.