MacRumors

China has reportedly started blocking some features of the WhatsApp messaging service, as authorities continue to tighten controls over the country's internet.

WhatsApp users began reporting problems with sharing content on the chat platform yesterday, with many unable to send video and pictures. Despite initial fears of a communications-wide ban of the Facebook-owned service, text-based messages within the app appear to be unaffected.

WhatsApp's reach in China is small compared to homegrown chat service WeChat, which boasts 900 million users but is routinely subjected to state monitoring and censorship. However, Chinese users concerned about privacy have increasingly turned to the encrypted WhatsApp platform to communicate with friends and relatives as well as businesses abroad.

Facebook and Instagram have remained blocked by China's Great Firewall since 2009 and 2014, respectively. Encrypted messaging service Telegram was also blocked inside China after it became popular with the country's human rights lawyers, while several domestic VPNs – which are commonly used to evade censorship and access services abroad – were recently shut down after authorities said they were unauthorized to run.

China appears to be clamping down on potential sources of politically sensitive news as it prepares for a major leadership reshuffle in Beijing. The event happens every five years and often leads to a tightening of online controls to project an air of stability in the country. The death of jailed Nobel peace prize laureate Liu Xiaobo last week also spurred censors into action, with commemorations on WeChat reportedly blocked by authorities.

(Via The New York Times.)

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.

Google today announced a new personalized news feed for its namesake iOS app, offering a stream of content based on user search history and topics they choose to follow.

The feed appears directly below the search bar in the Google app, where users will see a stream of personally relevant articles and media content powered by Google's machine learning algorithms.

The feed sits in place of Google Now, the company's predictive search feature that displays traffic updates, weather, and other information, all of which has been moved to a new tab called Updates.

Going forward, when users perform a search in the app, some results will display a "follow" button alongside them. Content ripe for following will include news, sports, and entertainment articles, with relevance prioritized by the user's search history and previous follows.

The feed itself can be customized by tapping the three dots on top of a card, from which content can be shared, followed, or dismissed to avoid seeing the subject again.

The feed is the company's latest effort to encourage users to browse with the Google app instead of thinking of it as a simple search portal. Its introduction in the app is also seen as a prelude to bringing similar personalized elements to the Google homepage proper.

The new feed should start showing up in the U.S. today and will be rolling out globally over the next few weeks. The Google app is a free download for iPhone and iPad on the App Store. [Direct Link]

As Nintendo prepares to launch Splatoon 2 on July 21, it has made the Nintendo Switch Online app available in the iOS App Store. Nintendo Switch Online, first introduced earlier this month, is designed to enhance the online experience when using compatible games on the Nintendo Switch console.

At the current time, Splatoon 2 is the only game that's compatible with Nintendo Switch Online, and it will allow players to voice chat with friends, invite people to online matches, create teams, and access SplatNet 2.

SplatNet 2, designed specifically for Splatoon 2, offers up online play statistics like match results, stages, and rankings. It also lets users invite friends with Splatoon 2 to Private Battles, League Battles, and Splatfest battles across social media.

While Nintendo Switch Online is limited to Splatoon 2 right now, future games will have built in support, with Nintendo Switch Online serving as the hub for most interactive features like voice chat. When using voice chat, Nintendo says it works in different ways based on the game that's being played. Users can either chat with everyone in the room or split voice chat into teams.

The app's functionality and the Splatoon 2 online play will be available for free until the full Nintendo Switch Online service launches in 2018. Following the launch of Nintendo Switch Online, most games with online gameplay will require an ongoing subscription. Nintendo Switch Online will cost $19.99 per year or $3.99 per month with a monthly subscription.

A persistent internet connection is required to use the app, as is a Nintendo Switch console, and a Nintendo Account. Users must be at least 13 years old to download and use the app, and it won't work until Splatoon 2 is released on July 21. For now, expect to see a login error when attempting to sign in with a Nintendo account.

Nintendo Switch Online can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Popular password management LastPass today announced plans to introduce a new family plan, LastPass Families. The new plan is designed to allow up to six family members to store and access all of their passwords and documents from any device.

With LastPass Families, family members can share access to bank accounts, credit cards, and more, for every day use or in case of an emergency. According to LastPass, each individual family member will have access to unlimited shared folders with family members, emergency access, and a family dashboard where the family manager can add and remove members. Family members will also have a private, personal vault for storing passwords that are not shared.

LastPass plans to launch LastPass Families later this summer, but customers can sign up now to get early access to the feature. All LastPass Premium customers will also get a chance to try LastPass Families for free for six months.

LastPass Premium is priced at $12 per year, but family pricing has yet to be announced.

Adobe today updated its Lightroom apps for the iPad and the iPhone, introducing a new selective brush, a details tab, a refreshed interface for the iPad, and enhanced support for features like the Apple Pencil and 3D Touch.

Both Lightroom for iOS and Lightroom for iPad feature a new Selective Brush tool, which can be used to selectively paint enhancements on any part of an image. On the iPhone, the Selective Brush takes advantage of 3D Touch for pressure sensitivity, and on the iPad Pro, the Apple Pencil can be used for the same effect. The Selective Brush works with exposure, brightness, clarity, and more.

Adobe has also added the ability to selectively erase linear and radial gradients for a wider range of effects, and there's a new Details Tab that offers global control over sharpening and noise reduction. On the iPhone, there's also a new "Show Highlight Clipping" feature available when using the in-app camera that displays overexposed areas to allow users to adjust exposure before capturing a photo.

For the iPad version of Lightroom, Adobe has introduced an entirely new interface that's designed for the larger screen of an iPad.

Lightroom can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [iPad: Direct Link] [iPhone: Direct Link]

Apple today announced the air date for its newest music-related documentary that will be shown exclusively on Apple Music, Kygo: Stole the Show. The documentary, which chronicles the life of Norwegian DJ and musician Kygo, will premiere on Apple Music on Wednesday, July 26.

Apple shared the air date in a new trailer that has been uploaded to the company's YouTube channel. Starting with the early stage's of Kygo's career, the documentary will follow his journey as he works his way up to a mega performance at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn New York, an event that took place in January of 2016.

The film offers fans a chance to see an intimate and unfiltered side of Kygo and his team as they prepare for an unprecedented moment in Kygo's career. The documentary features cameos from a few of Kygo's closest friends and collaborators including Steve Aoki, Lyor Cohen, Julia Michaels, Pete Tong, Martin Garrix, Parson James, and more. With an upcoming sophomore studio album due for release later this year, Stole the Show offers riveting insight into the artist's origin, creative process, and aspirations, along with never-before-seen behind the scenes footage, showcasing who Kygo is both on and off the stage.

Apple has been focusing heavily on exclusive video content for Apple Music in recent months, and Stole the Show will follow Can't Stop Won't Stop: A Bad Boy Story, the documentary that follows the rise of Sean Combs, aka "Puff Daddy," and the rise of Bad Boy Records throughout the 1990s. Can't Stop Won't Stop premiered as an Apple Music exclusive on June 26.

Other original content includes Planet of the Apps, which launched in June, and Carpool Karaoke: The Series, set to premiere on August 8.

Apple Pay continues its global expansion today with several new participating banks, and more coming soon, in France, Italy, Ireland, Spain, and the UK.

In France, Apple says Apple Pay will be available later this year to Banque BCP and Arkéa Banque Privée customers, and through mobile-only banking and/or payment solutions Orange Bank, Lydia, and N26.

In Italy, as promised, Apple Pay is available now for American Express credit cards issued directly by American Express.

In Ireland, Apple Pay is available now at AIB, one of the so-called "Big Four" financial institutions in the country.

In Spain, Apple says Apple Pay will be available later this year at CaixaBank and mobile-only banking app imaginBank. Visa in general will also begin supporting Apple Pay in Spain by the end of the year.

In the UK, Apple Pay is now supported by mobile-only banking app Starling Bank.

Earlier this month, Apple announced several other new and forthcoming banks with Apple Pay support in France, Italy, and Spain. Apple maintains a complete list of Apple Pay participating banks in Europe on its website.

Update: Canadian bank Tangerine says its debit cards now work with Apple Pay following credit card support last year. (Thanks, Chris!)

One year after launching its first Bluetooth-enabled smart toothbrush with the Sonicare Flexcare Platinum device, Philips this week announced the all-new Sonicare DiamondClean Smart Sonic toothbrush. The toothbrush packs in the usual array of features found in other smart toothbrushes, including brush coaching and smartphone connectivity, as well as including a revamped brush head system and inductive charging through an included glass cup.

Like its previous toothbrush, Philips' DiamondClean device includes a variety of sensors that guide users through customized brushing routines, provides real-time feedback through the connected iPhone and Android app, and keeps track of data collected overtime within the app. The app provides a 3D mouth map, highlighting problematic areas that users might miss while brushing, as well as potential issues like bleeding areas and cavities.

The new brush head system also intends to make choosing a brushing mode easier than the Flexcare Platinum toothbrush. With included microchips in each head, when users snap on one of the four new heads -- plaque control, gum care, whitening, and fresh breath -- the DiamondClean will automatically set the routine for the related activity in the brush head that's been connected. The toothbrush tracks how long and how hard each brush head has been used, and warns the user when it's nearing time to replace them.

"Philips is committed to developing products that have a positive impact on people's lives. Through our research we know that consumers want to achieve their healthiest smile, but don't often know how they are doing in between visits to their dental professional," said Alexander Harris, Senior Marketing Director, Philips Oral Healthcare.

"We developed Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart while working closely with dental professionals to eliminate the guesswork from tooth brushing. Backed by our most recent research and insights, we are able to provide users with data and knowledge that will help them achieve a complete clean, every time."

To charge the toothbrush, Philips has included its inductive charging glass cup -- which doubles as a rinsing glass -- with a base that users connect to a wall outlet, and when the DiamondCare toothbrush is placed inside it instantly begins charging. Included in the box is a deluxe travel case as well, so if users are on the go they can recharge the toothbrush using a connected USB cable. One full charge via either charging option will provide up to two weeks of battery for the toothbrush.

The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart Toothbrush comes in white, black, pink, and sliver and starts at $229.99 with two brush heads, rising to $269.99 with three brush heads, and $329.99 with a full set of the new brush heads. Those interested can also find the toothbrush on Amazon. The DiamondClean toothbrush uses the same connected iPhone app, Philips Sonicare [Direct Link], that the company debuted with the Flexcare toothbrush last year.

A new iPhone-compatible augmented reality headset has been announced today, called the Mira Prism, and it allows users to plug their iPhone 6, 6s, or 7 into a headset and interact with holographic images overlaid onto real-world objects.

The iPhone 7 sits facing away from the user when placed within the Mira Prism, and then a pair of mirrors reflects what's on the iPhone's screen and positions it on the front glass lenses, providing the augmented reality effect. The headset's app includes a collection of solo and collaborative AR experiences that are displayed above the included Mira launchpad, and any user without a headset can see what others are seeing in AR through the iPhone app's "Spectator Mode."

No plugs, computers, or wires needed. No matter where you are, simply open the Mira app on your smartphone, slide it into the Prism headset, and begin exploring the wonders of interactive holographic content.

The Mira Prism comes with a motion-based remote control for interacting with the various AR experiences provided by the headset, and the company said that more games and apps will becoming thanks to the Mira SDK. Engadget had a chance to check out the Mira Prism, and described a few of the games available on the AR headset:

Even though I only had a few minutes with the Prism, I was impressed with what I saw. I'm used to trying on headsets that are too expensive for most people to buy, so it was a bit of a shock that it worked at all. Beyond the initial setup experience, I played a holographic game that involved maneuvering a character through a maze, which relied on the controller's motion controls. Another game had me spinning around in my chair to destroy asteroids hovering all around me. I was particularly surprised how well Prism tracked virtual objects in AR, even though it doesn't have any spatial mapping technology like HoloLens and Meta.

One Mira Prism device comes with the headset, remote, launchpad, carrying case, lens cover, and a pair of AAA batteries for the remote, as well as software including Mira's core apps and a premium game bundle. In terms of hardware specs, the headset has a 60-degree field of view and a total resolution of 1334 x 750.

Augmented reality has been an increasingly popular area for many companies over the past few years, gaining larger recognition with games like Pokémon Go, and this year preparing to expand to every iOS 11 device thanks to Apple's ARKit. Developers have already begun showing off how the camera on an iPhone can fuel impressive AR experiences, including basic everyday functions like overlaying a measuring tape onto an object, or displaying Minecraft in the real world.

Apple today highlighted a new Customer Support role that was recently added to iTunes Connect, which developers can take advantage of if they would like to hire someone specifically to respond to customer reviews in the App Store.

Now you can give the customer support experts in your organization the ability to respond to customer reviews on the App Store with the new Customer Support role in iTunes Connect. Users with the Admin or Customer Support role have the ability to respond to customer reviews.

Your team's admins may choose to assign only this role to users, or assign this role in combination with other roles. Users who have been assigned only the Customer Support role can access Resources and Help, Users and Roles, and My apps in iTunes Connect. When they click on an app in My Apps, they'll go straight to Ratings and Reviews where they can respond to customer reviews.

Apple began allowing developers to respond to customer reviews with iOS 10.3 and macOS Sierra 10.12.4, a feature developers had long requested. The ability to respond to customer reviews allows developers to address negative reviews and offer better service to App Store users.

Prior to iOS 10.3 and macOS Sierra 10.12.4, developers had no way to respond to issues that customers reported via an app review, so there was no way to mitigate a negative review or further converse with a customer having difficulties.