MacRumors

After announcing that it would move to an algorithm-based feed earlier in February, Twitter recently began rolling out a button to users on its iOS app that allows them to provide feedback for tweets on the social network (via BuzzFeed). Through the "I don't like this Tweet" button, Twitter will eventually learn to showcase less tweets related to the content you flag as poor in its algorithmic feed.

Currently available for "some iOS users," and rolling out slowly, the button can be found after tapping in the options menu on any individual tweet. Alongside options to report the tweet, block, mute, or unfollow the user, and share the tweet, you'll find "I don't like this Tweet." Tapping it will immediately hide the content from your timeline and Twitter lets you know that it “will use this to make your timeline better.”

Reached for comment, a Twitter spokesperson pointed BuzzFeed News to a Twitter Help Center post that says the function “helps Twitter better understand the types of Tweets that you’d like to see less of in your Home timeline. We may use this information to optimize and tailor your experience in the future.”

Twitter began introducing its algorithmic timeline in February, putting its selected tweets in a prominent placement on the user timeline, atop the reverse chronological organization of regular Tweets that the social network has been known for before the update. Users can choose to turn the feature off, but according to Twitter only 2 percent of its user base has done so since the update debuted.

According to BuzzFeed, "a more expansive role for the algorithm has been discussed within the company," so it's likely that the new button eventually becomes part of a bigger push for its algorithmic feed in the future. Twitter for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Apple has partnered with e-commerce giant Flipkart to sell the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus in India, where the phones are expected to launch on October 7 (via Mashable).

The online retail partnership means Flipkart will source iPhones directly from Apple instead of from third-party suppliers, which it has relied on in the past. The deal will ensure Flipkart earns a higher margin on every sale, but likely fewer discounts for customers.

Apple has also struck a deal with Indian e-commerce company Infibeam to directly sell its iPhones, but the partnership with Flipkart includes plans to sell iPads and Macs as well.

Apple does not yet have a license to sell products directly to consumers in India, which has led to buyers going through third-party retail stores to get hold of the company's flagship phones. Traditionally, Flipkart has also used third parties to sell Apple products through its online marketplace, often with heavy discounts in order to compete with offerings from rival e-commerce giants like Amazon India and Paytm.

Despite the potential loss of some customers looking for discounted smartphones, the new partnership guarantees Flipkart a robust supply chain and better marketing support from Apple. It should also help Apple retain more control over pricing, thereby avoiding a price war in India similar to the one that took place in 2015.

Last year, Amazon India, Paytm, Flipkart, and Snapdeal offered heavily discounted iPhones to buyers, with the iPhone 6s base model, which is officially priced at Rs 63,000 ($945), being sold for as low as Rs 45,000 ($675) shortly after release.

The iPhone 7 will retail at Rs 60,000 ($900), with the base iPhone 7 Plus model costing Rs 72,000 ($1,080).

Apple recently announced several updates to its Beats line of headphones, debuting new wireless Beats Solo3, PowerBeats3, and BeatsX products, all of which take advantage of the company's new W1 wireless chip for battery life improvements.

Missing from the lineup was a new version of the high-end over-ear Studio Wireless headphones, and according to CNET, no updated Studio Wireless products are planned for the near future due to an inability to improve battery life.

The reason? Beats can't yet achieve the battery improvements needed to distinguish a Studio Wireless sequel from the current model. That's a big contrast to the major battery life gains in Beats' aforementioned updated wireless headphones, which come courtesy of Apple's new custom low-energy Bluetooth chip, the W1. The Solo3 Wireless, for example, wrings out three times the lifespan from the exact same battery found in the Solo2. But the W1 can't offer any energy savings on the active noise-canceling feature on the Studio Wireless.

The existing Studio Wireless headphones, priced at $380, offer an Adaptive Noise Canceling feature that consumes battery life. The headphones feature a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 12 hours when used over Bluetooth and 20 hours when plugged into an iOS device.

Apple's new Beats Solo3 headphones are available for $299 from Apple.com. The PowerBeats3 and the BeatsX, priced at $199 and $149, respectively, will debut this fall. Apple is also planning to introduce Apple-branded wire-free "AirPods," which will be priced at $159 and will be available in October.

Earlier this year, Apple introduced a new Live Tune-In feature for Siri, which allows the personal assistant to go directly to a live channel in a supported app. As of today, Live Tune-In has gained support for ABC News, letting Siri open up live news broadcasts when commanded to do so.

Live Tune-In also works with the following apps: CBS, CBS News, CNN Go, Cooking Channel, Disney Channel, Disney Jr., Disney XD, DIY, ESPN, Food Network, FXNOW, HGTC, and Travel Channel.

Live Tune-In is currently only available in the United States. It can be accessed by asking Siri to "Watch ESPN live" or "Watch ABC News live." Live Tune-In Feature is available for all customers who have a fourth-generation Apple TV. In most cases, it does require a cable subscription and authentication through a cable provider.

When watchOS 3 launched alongside iOS 10, it brought a handful of feature additions and speed improvements to the Apple Watch. One of the new social features is a way for users to share their Activity Rings with friends and family through "Activity Sharing."

Mainly focused in iOS 10's Activity app, the ability to share workout data nevertheless requires an Apple Watch updated to watchOS 3, and for you to be comfortable with certain people receiving live updates on your fitness activity. When you're ready to start sharing your Activity Rings, and you've updated to both iOS 10 and watchOS 3, follow these steps:

Activity Sharing on iPhone

1. Open "Activity" on your iPhone.
2. Navigate to the "Sharing" tab on the bottom right.
3. Tap the "+" icon in the top right corner to add a friend.
4. The app will offer suggestions from your contacts of users who may own an Apple Watch, so you can tap one of those or type in someone specific in the text box.
5. You can include multiple invitations at one time, and once you have everyone included in the "To" box, tap "Send."

From there, simply wait for your friend to accept the invitation. Afterwards, you'll begin to see one another's Calorie, Workout, and Standing rings in the same Sharing tab you sent the invite from. Once you amass a group of friends and family members, you can also sort the data in helpful partitions depending on what you'd like to see. Simply tap "Sort" in the top left corner of the Sharing tab and choose from Name, Move, Exercise, Steps, and Workouts as the primary focus.

➜ Click here to read more...

Earlier in August, Hulu announced that the company would be moving to a subscription-only model, gradually phasing out its free tier -- which let users watch the most recent episodes of shows after they aired live on TV -- over the subsequent weeks. Thanks to a partnership with Yahoo, Hulu's free service continues in a website and, recently launched by the company, a free iOS app called "Yahoo View."

The mobile app appears to be a noticeably tampered-down experience, however. According to TechCrunch, "due to streaming rights" the app only has short clips and trailers from well-known shows, late-night comedy, sports, and news programs, but it doesn't let users watch full-length TV episodes of anything besides certain anime series. The website version does offer full episodes, but users have to wait eight days after each episode originally airs live on TV for it to appear on Yahoo View.

Featuring Hulu content, the Yahoo View app brings you thousands of clips on-the-go and lets you be the first to see the hottest videos. Watch the latest must-see clips in comedy, late night talk shows, celebrity & entertainment, news and movie trailers. Don’t miss a single moment from your favorite TV shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Dancing With The Stars, The Voice, Law & Order: SVU, New Girl, Black-ish, Modern Family, Empire, Grey’s Anatomy and many more.

The website version of Yahoo View also includes a "Beyond the Episode" feature that lets users navigate GIFs, previews, clips, and spoiler discussions for the episode they just watched, all content integrated with Tumblr, which the iOS app lacks.

The launch of Yahoo View on iOS coincides with an unfortunate news story surrounding the company, which is expected to soon confirm a "massive data breach" that is threatening the exposure of 200 million user accounts. The hack, which includes user credentials dating back to 2012, could potentially cause trouble for the $4.8 billion sale of Yahoo's core business to Verizon, announced over the summer.

But there’s nothing smooth about this hack, said sources, which became known in August when an infamous cybercriminal named “Peace” said on a website that he was selling credentials of 200 million Yahoo users from 2012 on the dark web for just over $1,800. The data allegedly included user names, easily decrypted passwords, personal information like birth dates and other email addresses.

Although unconfirmed, a source speaking to Recode suggested the hack could target over 200 million user accounts, with the potential for more. “It’s as bad as that,” said one source. “Worse, really.” The company has yet to call for a wide user password reset, but sources close to the matter believe that "Yahoo might have to, although it will be a case of too little, too late."

The Yahoo View app is available to download on the iOS App Store [Direct Link] for free, and an Android version is expected to launch sometime soon.

Facebook has updated its Messenger app to support Apple's CallKit framework, which was introduced earlier this month with iOS 10.

The CallKit SDK allows incoming calls from third-party VoIP apps to appear on the iOS lockscreen just like a standard cellular ID does.

Incoming Messenger calls show the caller's Messenger profile information alongside controls like mute, keypad, and a speakerphone toggle. On answering a call, users are taken to the Messenger app.

CallKit also enables Messenger users to answer calls through CarPlay, just like a FaceTime or cellular call.

The update follows similar CallKit integrations last week by the likes of WhatsApp and Viber, which have also integrated SiriKit, allowing users to ask Apple's personal assistant AI to perform app-specific actions, like sending a message to a WhatsApp contact.

Facebook Messenger is a free download for iPhone and iPad on the App Store. [Direct link]