To coincide with the 59th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony on Sunday, Warner Bros. Records today announced that Prince's well-known hits are now available on streaming music services such as Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play Music, Pandora, and iHeartRadio Plus and All Access, after a nearly two year exclusivity period with Tidal.
Prince, who passed away in April 2016, had pulled his music from all streaming music services but Tidal in July 2015. Since his death, Prince's estate worked on deals with various services to make his music available for streaming again. As expected, the songs and albums became available today.
Update: A spokesperson for Deezer informed us that it will be actively adding Prince's songs to its playlists over the coming days.
Verizon today introduced its first unlimited data plan since 2011. Verizon Unlimited, which includes unlimited talk, text, and 4G LTE data, will cost $80 per month for a single smartphone or tablet, or $45 per month for four lines. The plan will be available to new and existing customers starting Monday.
Verizon on Monday confirmed that $80 per month for a single line includes its $20 line access charge. It also confirmed that two lines cost $70 each per month, and three lines cost $54 each per month. Electronic billing with AutoPay is required. Taxes and any device payments if applicable are extra.
Verizon Unlimited includes 10GB of 4G LTE tethering per month, with tethering reduced to 3G speeds after the 10GB of usage. The plan includes full HD video streaming, unlike T-Mobile and Sprint's optimized plans that stream video at 480p, and AT&T's opt-out Stream Saver mode that likewise reduces video quality.
The plan also includes calling and texting to Mexico and Canada, and up to 500MB per day of 4G LTE roaming in those countries.
In line with rivals AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint, Verizon may de-prioritize customers who exceed 22GB of data usage in a billing cycle in the event of network congestion, so its definition of "unlimited" will be debated. However, Verizon said customers should not expect this de-prioritization to happen often.
Verizon said customers can add a smartwatch or other connected device for an extra $5 per month. TravelPass, offering customers 500MB per day of 4G LTE data while traveling outside of the United States, Canada, or Mexico, reduced to 2G speeds thereafter, is available for an extra $10 per day.
Apple today shared its latest Apple Watch Series 2 ad called "Close Your Rings — Catch, Swim, Play" on its YouTube channel. The 15-second spot encourages Apple Watch wearers to get moving and exercising to close their rings in the Activity app, be it by throwing a frisbee, swimming, or simply playing around.
The ad is similar to the Apple Watch ad "Dance, Run, Rock" released last month, and reflects Apple's increasingly fitness oriented marketing for Apple Watch. However, ads part of a recent "Go" campaign such as "Go Swim" and "Go Run" appear to have been removed from Apple's YouTube channel.
Tesla has updated its iPhone app with a completely redesigned user interface and Touch ID support for quick access to keyless driving.
The app now has a much cleaner aesthetic, a trio of shortcuts on the main screen for quick access to frequently used controls, and a more detailed render of the vehicle in the "Climate" menu. A new Today widget in Notification Center allows users to monitor their electric vehicle at a glance.
The Tesla app, now at version 3.0, is free on the App Store [Direct Link] for iPhone. The update is also available for Android.
Apple is planning to release three new iPhone models later this year, including 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models and an all-new 5-inch model with an OLED display and glass casing, according to Japanese blog Mac Otakara.
The report, citing "reliable sources" within Apple's supply chain, insists that only the OLED model will adopt glass casing and wireless charging capabilities, contradicting a Nikkei report and KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's repeated claims that all 2017 iPhones will feature an all-glass design and wireless charging.
The blog previously said the more iterative "iPhone 7s" and "iPhone 7s Plus" models will lack wireless charging and retain the now-familiar aluminum design that Apple has used since the iPhone 6 lineup in 2014. Apple supplier Catcher Technology also said it expects only one new iPhone model to have glass casing.
The loosely-translated report suggests the wireless charging will not be a built-in feature, but rather a separate accessory based on technology from Luxshare, a Chinese company that has been rumored to be a supplier of wireless charging coils for the inductive Apple Watch charger in the past.
Samsung's wireless charging stand for the latest Galaxy smartphones
If the report is accurate, it would mean Apple's next iPhones will not have truly wireless long-range charging capabilities, but rather contact-based inductive charging like the Apple Watch or Qi-based charging pads like Samsung's "Fast Charge" stand. Qi's latest Quick Charge 2.0 spec supports wireless charging up to 15W.
Over the course of the last year, there has been ongoingspeculation that wireless charging company Energous has inked a deal with Apple to potentially provide wireless charging technology for the iPhone 8, but patents and other evidence suggest Apple may pursue its own in-house inductive charging solutions instead.
Overall, rumors surrounding Apple's wireless charging plans are still lacking consensus. Reports have linked MediaTek, Foxconn, Pegatron, and Lite-On Semiconductor as possible suppliers of wireless charging chips or modules.
Five years ago, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller said "it's not clear how much convenience" wireless charging systems that have to be plugged in to a wall outlet add, while noting the ubiquity of the USB cord.
As for wireless charging, Schiller notes that the wireless charging systems still have to be plugged into the wall, so it’s not clear how much convenience they add. The widely-adopted USB cord, meanwhile, can charge in wall outlets, computers and even on airplanes, he said.
The report also claims Apple will no longer include a Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter in the box alongside its next iPhones. Meanwhile, Apple's Lightning to USB-C Cable is said to remain an optional purchase, dashing hopes of connecting the "iPhone 8" to a newer MacBook or MacBook Pro straight out of the box.
Given that Apple's wireless AirPods and BeatsX earphones are now available, perhaps it feels including the Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter in the box is no longer necessary. But the inclusion of only a Lightning to USB-A Cable, rather than a Lightning to USB-C Cable or both, makes less sense given Apple's port future.
Apple has finished filming Planet of the Apps, an unscripted series about apps and the talented developers who make them, according to a source who asked to remain anonymous due to the person's involvement with the show. Principal filming took place on an Apple-built set near Hollywood, the source said.
Apple built the set and tore it down at the conclusion of filming. The set was absolutely beautiful and set up in a way like no other competition show I've seen before. It's very tech chic, with beautiful decor and decorations. Only Apple could do it this way. It's very, very well done. Steve Jobs would have been proud of the set.
Planet of the Apps, produced by Ben Silverman, Howard Owens, and William Adams, better known as will.i.am, will have a competitive theme that draws some comparisons to reality TV shows such as Shark Tank and The Voice, the source said. It was a "very stressful" but "exhilarating" process, the person added.
Apple posted an open casting call for the show in July 2016, looking for developers from San Francisco, Austin, New York, and Los Angeles to participate, and it began selecting developers around November. Over 100,000 apps applied to be on the show, and only 100 were selected for filming, a person familiar with the matter said.
The developers selected to appear on the show met with and received direct mentorship from four influencers and entrepreneurs, namely Gary Vaynerchuk, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba, and will.i.am. The influencers were "brilliant" and "provided a lot of value to the apps that they advised," a source said.
The way that developers pitch is said to be "very unique," and "not as straightforward as just standing on a stage in front of the judges," a format popularized by shows like American Idol. In addition to influencers and judges, the series also has a "very famous" host, but the source does not want to play spoiler as to who it is.
The developers who made it to the final round of the show will receive up to $10 million in funding and featured placement in the App Store at the end of the show's airing. The casting call described the series as both a "launchpad" and "accelerator" for iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS apps and developers.
Planet of the Apps will apparently be a "very inspirational show," particularly among the next generation of developers. During each app pitch, the show is said to have filmed the reactions of other developers live, which will likely result in some amusing footage interspersed throughout the season.
Planet of the Apps website now says to "check back soon"
While filming has concluded, it remains unclear when the series will be released. WWDC 2017 in June is a definite possibility given it is a developer-focused conference. The series will likely be distributed through Apple Music along with Apple's other original content endeavors such as Carpool Karaoke and Vital Signs.
Looking beyond Planet of the Apps, Apple is reportedly planning a much bigger push into original content this year to promote Apple Music.
Update: Two days after this report, Apple has released a Planet of the Apps trailer and additional details:
Planet of the Apps episodes, hosted by Beats 1 radio DJ Zane Lowe, will be released on a weekly basis through Apple Music starting in the Spring.
Sprint today introduced a limited time promotion that offers new customers—existing customers do not qualify—unlimited talk, text, and data for $50 per month for the first line, $40 per month for the second line, and no additional cost for up to three additional lines. A family of five, for example, would pay $90 per month as a base cost—but there's lots of fine print and caveats to consider.
First, the plan itself is only good through March 31, 2018, at which point Sprint's former pricing goes back into effect: $60 per month for the first line, $40 per month for the second line, and $30 per month for each additional line—a family of five would pay $190 per month. Fortunately, you can cancel before then without paying any fees beyond the remaining balance of any financed smartphone.
Additionally, Sprint's pricing is not inclusive of taxes and surcharges, which can cost anywhere from $5 to over $25 extra per month based on our math. These fees typically include a $2.50 administrative charge, 40 cent regulatory charge, state and local taxes, and other regional surcharges if applicable. T-Mobile recently revamped its pricing to include taxes and fees, but AT&T and Verizon do not.
On top of the taxes and surcharges is a $30 activation fee per line, amounting to a one-time charge of $150 for five lines. T-Mobile does not charge activation fees, while AT&T and Verizon charge $25 and $30 per line respectively.
The rest of the fine print is similar to T-Mobile: video streams at up to 480p+ resolution, music streams at up to 500 Kbps, and games stream at up to 2 Mbps. Data de-prioritization applies during times of congestion, and customers that exceed 23GB of data in a billing cycle may be throttled until the next billing cycle. The prices also require electronic billing with AutoPay enabled.
Sprint's pricing is competitive, at least until the promotion expires next year, as seen in the chart below.
T-Mobile's unlimited ONE plan costs $70 per month for the first line, $50 per month for the second line, and $20 per month for each additional line, with taxes and fees included. For comparison, a family of five would pay double—$180—per month. AT&T is even more expensive, since a DirecTV NOW or U-verse subscription is required for unlimited data. Verizon does not offer unlimited data plans.
Sprint said new customers have limited time to sign up to receive the discounted pricing. While five lines are advertised, purchasing one to four lines is allowed—and it doesn't matter if it's family members or friends as long as each person falls under one bill. 5GB of high-speed Mobile Hotspot tethering, VPN, and P2P data is included per month. Tablets can be added for an extra $20 per month per line.
Keep in mind that Sprint ranked last in download speeds and so-called network "availability" among fellow "Big Four" competitors AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile in OpenSignal's latest "State of Mobile Networks" report.
Apple's long-awaited BeatsX Earphones became available for purchase this morning, giving Apple customers an alternative to the hard-to-find AirPods.
Priced at $149.95, BeatsX Earphones are wireless like AirPods, but are connected together with a cord that makes them easier to keep track of and better suited to active lifestyles. We managed to get our hands on a set of BeatsX Earphones to give MacRumors readers a closer look at Apple's latest product.
BeatsX Earphones feature the same W1 chip that's built into the AirPods, which makes pairing to any iOS device quick and simple, and because the BeatsX Earphones are connected via a cable, there's a space for an in-line remote for controlling media playback, something missing from the AirPods.
The earphones charge via Lightning, and ship with four interchangeable eartip sizes and secure-fit wingtips to keep them in place. With a full charge, users can expect eight hours of playback from the BeatsX, and a five minute "Fast Fuel" charging feature offers two hours of playback.
BeatsX Earphones are now available from Apple's online store and from many Apple retail stores around the world. Black and White models can be purchased starting today, while the Blue and Gray versions will be available later in the month. Online orders placed today in the United States will be delivered next week.
On Thursday, Cook visited the Ustwo Games offices in London to meet the creators of popular iPhone game Monument Valley. There, he later sat down for a chat with The Independent's David Phelan to discuss a wide variety of topics, ranging from Apple's hardware roadmap to augmented reality.
Responding to a question about how difficult it is to stay ahead of the curve, and to put the right hardware in place for the next generation of developers, Cook said Apple will "continue to push" not only on the hardware side, but also on the software side with its Swift programming language.
We try to continually push ourselves to do more and more, not just on the hardware side but also in terms of developers’ tools so they can take advantage of the hardware that’s there, in the best way. That’s the heart of what the coding software Swift is about. We’ve created the language and our hope was that you can get a lot more people coding, and then secondly have people push more to take advantage of the latest hardware.
Cook said the importance of Apple being able to design its own hardware is "rising exponentially" due to things like machine learning and the company's desire to "maintain a level of privacy" for its users.
In terms of augmented reality, Cook reiterated that he is "excited" about the technology because it "allows individuals to be present in the world but hopefully allows an improvement on what’s happening presently." But he added there are "things to discover" before the technology is "good enough" for the masses.
I regard it as a big idea like the smartphone. The smartphone is for everyone, we don't have to think the iPhone is about a certain demographic, or country or vertical market: it’s for everyone. I think AR is that big, it’s huge. I get excited because of the things that could be done that could improve a lot of lives. And be entertaining. I view AR like I view the silicon here in my iPhone, it’s not a product per se, it’s a core technology. But there are things to discover before that technology is good enough for the mainstream. I do think there can be a lot of things that really help people out in daily life, real-life things, that’s why I get so excited about it.
Cook said the developers, among others, he met on his trip were "incredibly uplifting," particularly with Brexit looming in the United Kingdom.
You can really see the start-up community gaining momentum. That’s important any time but with Brexit hanging over – from some people’s point of view – it’s even more important that these stories get out where people have something to look at and say “You know, times are not really awful, there’s some great things happening.” It gives me a lot of energy to talk to developers, or meet students in classrooms who are using our technology to help learn faster and better. Watching them pursue their passion.
Earlier today, Cook visited the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology to check out students' digital design work. He also visited the Woodberry Down primary school and met with London mayor Sadiq Khan to discuss access to talent, digital skills, and Apple's investment in the city.
Apple Pay vice president Jennifer Bailey believes that Apple Pay is valuable enough that "customers will say they are happy to switch banks to use it."
Bailey claims Australians are using Apple Pay more frequently than customers in any other countries, which she said "is in large part due to Australia being a recognized global leader in contactless payments and usage."
Bailey's comments, made in an interview with the Australian Financial Review, appear to be directed towards three of Australia's "Big Four" banks that refuse to accept Apple Pay, namely Commonwealth Bank, NAB, and Westpac. The fourth bank, ANZ, has supported Apple Pay since April 2016.
The trio of banks, along with Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, instead turned to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in an attempt to gain access to the NFC hardware in the iPhone. The banks want access to the NFC chip so they can offer their own existing bank-run mobile payments services.
"While initially, in many markets, there have been banks that have initially been wary about working with a company as large as Apple, once they begin to work with us and understand the Apple Pay platform, they see the benefits of it," said Bailey. "That hasn't fully happened with the ACCC applicants, because the conversation is happening through the ACCC process, compared to what normally happens, which is we have the conversation bilaterally."
The ACCC denied rejected the application from the banks in November as part of a draft ruling, and its final decision will be announced in March.
Last year, Apple told the ACCC that "allowing the banks to form a cartel to collectively dictate terms to new business models and services would set a troubling precedent and delay the introduction of new, potentially disruptive technologies."
Apple upholds very high security standards for our customers when they use Apple devices to make payments. Providing simple access to the NFC antenna by banking applications would fundamentally diminish the high level of security Apple aims to have on our devices.
Unfortunately, and based on their limited understanding of the offering, the [banks] perceive Apple Pay as a competitive threat. These banks want to maintain complete control over their customers. The present application is only the latest tactic employed by these competing banks to blunt Apple's entry into the Australian market.
The application has never been about preventing Apple Pay from coming to Australia or reducing competition between wallets. It has always been about providing real choice and real competition for consumers and facilitating innovation and investment in the digital wallet functionality available to Australians. Apple's statement that the application is fundamentally about an objection to the fees that Apple wish to be given rather than NFC access, is incorrect and unsupported.
Despite the ACCC negotiations and apparent ill-will, Bailey said Apple still wants "to work with the banks in Australia to bring Apple Pay to our customers, in a way that advantages many of the things they are offering through their banking apps, which we have done already in other markets."
"That's why the announcement about these new banks is important and we are continually on that path – because as more banks get on the platform, I think there is more of an industry understanding about how Apple Pay really compliments their services," she added, referring to ING Direct and Macquarie.
Commonwealth Bank, NAB, Westpac, and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank reportedly serve two-thirds of Australian cardholders.
A number of customers who purchased the matte Black iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus have noticed that the anodized finish on their devices has started chipping or peeling off in areas where there has allegedly been little wear, leading to a growing complaint thread on Apple's Support Communities.
Multiple photos in the thread depict chipping in areas near the speaker grille and the volume buttons, even in situations where the iPhone was said to be protected by a case.
I have the same issue, especially around the speaker grill, the color chipped off where there is clearly no sign of use anywhere around, plus the phone was always in a case from day 1. Chipped off about 20 days after I got it. That is really not a sign of quality here, and I will also certainly not buy a pen to cover this. Apple should recognise the matter and offer a solution here.
At least one user has seen more extensive chipping across the back of the device, a much more serious problem than most of the reports.
My case might be even worse. The paint at the back of the iPhone started to chip off very heavily. First there were some bubbles building up and then when I put the iPhone on a table the paint chipped off completely.
I was at an Apple Store complaining about it but they didn't know how to classify my case so I didn't get a new phone for free. But the Apple Support hotline helped me out and asked me to send pictures of my phone. These pictures now have been sent to the engineers in California and I'm waiting for feedback...
A finish prone to chips and peeling is not unique to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, nor to the matte Black color. It's an issue that has affected several versions of the iPhone in the past, including the iPhone 6 and 6s, but there seem to be a higher number of complaints from iPhone 7 users who are affected by the problem.
Parallels can be drawn to complaints that surfaced in 2012 after the release of the Black and Slate iPhone 5, which also drew a lot of criticism from customers due to chipping and scuffing issues. At that time, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller responded and said some wear was normal. "Any aluminum product may scratch or chip with use, exposing its natural silver color," he said. "That is normal."
Matte Black iPhone 7 owners who have contacted Apple about the chipping issue have been told that because it's cosmetic, their devices are not eligible for repair, which has traditionally been Apple's stance on reports of finish problems.
Cosmetic damage is not covered under warranty, so iPhone 7 owners with chipped devices are unlikely to get replacements. Some affected users from Apple's Support Communities have used sharpies or black paint to cover the damage, while others have sold and replaced their devices with a color less prone to damage.
Apple warned users that its glossy Jet Black iPhone 7, sold alongside the matte Black version, would see "fine micro-abrasions" with use and instructed concerned customers to use a case, but no similar warning was given about other iPhone 7 colors.
Popular bookmarking service Instapaper faced an extended outage this week, beginning at 12:30PM PT on February 8th and remaining offline for 31 hours. Although the service is now back online, users only have access to the last six weeks of saved articles, running back through December 20, 2016.
The company said it chose to restore just the last six weeks of articles right now "in the interest of coming back up as soon as possible."
A full restoration of Instapaper will take a week, so users can expect access to the rest of their data by February 17 "at the latest." Instapaper noted that the reason behind the outage appears to be a system limit that was hit for its hosted database, which prevented new articles from being saved by users.
The company apologized for the outage in its series of blog posts on the topic. It also reassured users that they "haven't lost any data" that was previously saved on Instapaper, saying that "anything you've already saved to Instapaper is safe."
We pride ourselves on being a reliable service with minimal downtime (we were up for 99.3% of 2016), and know many of you rely on Instapaper every day. We apologize that this issue has resulted in an extended period of downtime.
Last summer, Instapaper was acquired by Pinterest with the intent to use Instapaper to encourage Pinterest users to save more articles to the site. A save-for-later feature has existed for several years on Pinterest, but wasn't used very often by those on the popular pinning site.
Apple is widely rumored to launch a high-end iPhone with an edge-to-edge OLED display this year, which has been variously called the "iPhone 8" or "iPhone X" to commemorate the smartphone's tenth anniversary, and rumors suggest the device will an include iris scanner to authenticate with your eyes.
Taiwanese website DigiTimes, citing unnamed "industry sources," claims the so-called "iPhone 8" will include an OLED display, wireless charging, and iris scanning technology, the latter of which would presumably enable iPhone users to unlock their device or use Apple Pay by authenticating with their eyes.
A person's iris, or the circular colored muscle of the eye, contains a complex and random pattern that is unique to each individual.
DigiTimes has sources within Apple's supply chain, but it has a mixed track record at reporting on Apple's unannounced product plans, so this latest report should be treated with a proverbial grain of salt. The publication previously said iPhones with iris scanning capabilities would not debut until 2018.
DigiTimes previously cited a Chinese website that said 2017 iPhones will include iris scanning capabilities, but today's report is based on its own sources. The original report claimed Taiwan-based supplier Xintec, an affiliate of Apple manufacturer TSMC, would begin mass production of iris-recognition chips this year.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, one of the more reliable sources of iPhone rumors, believes Apple is leaning toward facial recognition technology rather than iris recognition, based on the bio-recognition patents it has filed. Way back in March 2016, he said the "iPhone 8" will include either facial or iris recognition.
Kuo said he believes Touch ID will "ultimately be replaced by a facial recognition system" for enhanced security, in line with rumors Apple will remove the Home button; however, if the technical challenges cannot be overcome, he noted a "combination of fingerprint and facial recognition" is another possible solution.
Last month, Cowen and Company analyst Timothy Arcuri said the "iPhone 8" could include facial or gesture recognition technology powered by a laser sensor and an infrared sensor located near the front-facing camera. The feature could allow users to control their devices with simple gestures for tasks such as adjusting volume.
iPhone would not be the first smartphone with an iris scanner, as Samsung included the technology on its now-discontinued Galaxy Note7.
DigiTimes also said the "iPhone 8" will enter production earlier than in previous years, in line with a report from earlier this week.
Apple has requested its chip and component suppliers start trial production, inspection and prepare inventories for the new iPhone series earlier than usual, said the sources. Deliveries of chips and parts for the new models are expected to kick off in the second half of first-quarter 2017, the sources indicated.
Apple's trio of new iPhones, including more iterative "iPhone 7s" and "iPhone 7s Plus" models, are still expected to launch in September per usual. The "iPhone 8" in particular may cost upwards of $1,000 in the U.S. due to its significant redesign and features that require more expensive parts.
As Apple CEO Tim Cook continues to make his rounds in Europe, Good Morning Britain managed to catch him for a quick interview while he was visiting Woodberry Down Primary School yesterday. Regarding fake news, which has been an increasingly hot topic since the U.S. Presidential election got into full swing last year, Cook said that "this is one of today's chief problems."
In the wake of growing fake news, companies like Facebook have taken action to bring the quality of an article to their users' attention before they share it with their friends. For Apple, Cook said that the solution to the problem is not a simple one.
"We have to give the consumer tools to help with this. And we've got filter out part of it before it ever gets there without losing the great openness of the internet. And so this is one of today's chief problems, it is not something that has a simple solution."
Cook covered another topic during his stay in London this week, discussing Brexit with United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May. According to The Independent, in the talk Cook said that he is "very optimistic" about the UK's future outside of the European Union, and that it will be "just fine," although there will undoubtedly be some "bumps in the road along the way."
In a statement released after the meeting, Apple said: "We are proud that Apple's innovation and growth now supports nearly 300,000 jobs across the UK."
Apple will continue to back the UK in the future, as it currently plans on building a new headquarters at London's Battersea Power Station, expected to be complete by 2021. After its completion, 1,400 employees will be moved from eight locations around London to occupy the company's new UK offices.
Early this morning, Cook also continued documenting his European adventures on Twitter, congratulating the Tate Britain art gallery after he visited its digital artwork exhibit. Yesterday, he stopped in the offices of ustwo games in London to get a sneak peak at the latest mobile game from the company behind Monument Valley.
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.
WhatsApp is in the process of rolling out a two-step verification feature for the messaging platform from today. The security option has been in testing for several months, but is finally going live for all users of the app.
With the optional feature, WhatsApp users will be able to securely verify their number with a custom-generated six-digit passcode whenever they install the app on a new device. To activate the security feature, users should open the app and tap through to Settings -> Account -> Two-step verification -> Enable.
Upon enabling the feature, users are asked if they want to enter their email address. This is used by WhatsApp to send a link via email to disable two-step verification in case the six-digit passcode is forgotten, and also to help safeguard the account.
To help users remember their passcode, WhatsApp will periodically ask them for it. There is no option to disable this without disabling the two-step verification feature.
WhatsApp is available as a free download on the App Store for iPhone. [Direct Link]
Apple today officially launched its much-anticipated BeatsX Earphones on its online store for $149.95, after initially delaying the earphones from Fall 2016 and into February 2017. With the delay of BeatsX, Apple focused on the December launch of the AirPods, which have subsequently become hard to come by for those interested in Apple's own Bluetooth headphones.
Apple's website states shipping times of 4-5 business days for the White and Black color options, and 8-11 business days for Blue and Gray. Some Amazon orders for BeatsX suggested the earphones might arrive in late January, but those dates were inaccurately estimated for customers.
BeatsX are different from the AirPods in a few small ways, including the fact that the earphones are tethered together by a flex-form cable instead of being completely wireless like AirPods. Thanks to the cable, however, BeatsX include in-line remote control media playback, as well as more ease of mind for those afraid of losing the earphones thanks to the cable's security when resting on the user's neck. Further preventing loss is a magnet in each BeatsX earphone that clicks the earphones together when resting against the user's chest.
The BeatsX Earphones also include a W1 chip for easy pairing with any iOS device, as well as a charging system that supports Lightning cables, continuing to deepen the ease-of-use of the Beats brand in Apple's ecosystem. To provide as secure fit as possible, the earphones ship with four interchangeable eartip sizes, as well as removable secure-fit wingtips for when users plan on being highly active with BeatsX.
The new earphones provide up to eight hours of music playback with a full charge, and users can get a full two hours of battery life on five minutes of charge with its "Fast Fuel" charging feature. "Authentic, clear acoustics" provide high-quality sound playback on BeatsX, with optimized noise isolation to give users an "immersive listening experience."
BeatsX were one of the W1-enabled earphones that Apple announced during its September 7 iPhone event, also including the AirPods, Powerbeats3, and Beats Solo3. The AirPods launched on December 13 and availability remains scarce, while the Beats Solo3 have been out since September, and the Powerbeats3 were available to order in October. Now, those interested can pick up BeatsX on Apple.com for $149.95 in both white and black.
As LG works on a fix for a Wi-Fi router issue plaguing its UltraFine 27-inch 5K Display, Apple has delayed shipments for the accessory and removed in store pickup options.
New orders for the LG UltraFine 5K Display will now ship out in five to six weeks, ensuring buyers will get a display with updated hardware that fixes the Wi-Fi interference problem.
Prior to the shipping change, the displays were shipping out in a couple of weeks, and for a period in January, shipping estimates were as low as three to five days.
The shipping delay can be attributed to an issue that first popped up shortly after the displays began shipping out to customers in December. Users began noticing display glitches and freezes that were eventually attributed to interference caused by close proximity to a Wi-Fi router. Last week, LG confirmed the existence of a problem, apologized, and announced an official hardware fix.
Going forward, all UltraFine 5K Displays manufactured after February 2017 include additional shielding, protecting them against electromagnetic radiation from routers.
Existing models are also able to be retrofitted with the same improved shielding, and customers who have already purchased a display will need to get in touch with LG support to arrange a repair to solve the problem.
Created by Apple and LG to work with the new 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pro models, the UltraFine 5K Display continues to be available for $974, a 25 percent discount off of the standard $1,299.95 price tag. Special pricing, part of a sale on USB-C accessories, will be available until March 31.
Update: In line with Apple removing its in-store pickup tool, the LG UltraFine 5K Display appears to be temporarily out of stock at all Apple retail stores. A tipster informed us the Apple Store in Walnut Creek, CA was unable to process his LG UltraFine 5K Display purchase on Thursday:
When the Apple Store manager tried to sell it to me, the internal system would not allow him to sell it. As an experiment, he tried inputting a 4K model, successfully, which confirmed that the sales lockout only applies to the 5K monitor.
MacRumors called Apple Stores in New York, Toronto, and elsewhere, and all of the locations confirmed the display was out of stock. Apple's central call center is also unable to check availability of the display.
When clearing Safari browser history, iPhone and iPad users expect all records to be permanently deleted from their devices, but it appears Apple's cross-device browser syncing feature caused iCloud to secretly store browsing history for a much longer period of time ranging from several months to over a year.
iCloud was caught storing deleted browser history by software company Elcomsoft, which develops cracking tools for extracting protected data from iOS devices. Speaking to Forbes, Elcomsoft CEO Vladimir Katalov explained that the company had been able to retrieve "deleted" browser history dating back more than a year.
Deleted browser history pulled from iCloud by Elcomsoft
Apple was keeping deleted browser information in a separate iCloud record called "tombstone," and in a press release announcing updated Phone Breaker software for extracting the stored browsing info, Elcomsoft explains that the data was likely kept as part of an iCloud feature that syncs browsing history across multiple devices and ensures it's deleted from all devices when history is cleared.
The point is that Apple keeps synced Safari browsing history in the cloud for much longer than one, three or four months - even for deleted entries. ElcomSoft researchers were able to access records that've been deleted more than a year ago, which means that deleted records are not actually cleaned up from iCloud.
Forbes tried using the Phone Breaker software created by Elcomsoft and was able to retrieve nearly 7,000 records dating back to November of 2015. Site names, URLs, Google searches, visit counts, and the date and time items were deleted were included. It's not clear why Apple was storing the information for so long, but it appears to have been an oversight related to ensuring information is deleted on all devices once cleared rather than intentional.
Shortly after Forbes and Elcomsoft published their iCloud findings, Elcomsoft noticed previously available records being deleted as part of a server-side fix quietly implemented by Apple. All deleted browser records older than two weeks have been eliminated. From Elcomsoft's blog:
Update: we have informed media about this issue in advance, and they reached Apple for comments. As far as we know, Apple has not responded, but started purging older history records. For what we know, they could be just moving them to other servers, making deleted records inaccessible from the outside; but we never know for sure. Either way, as of right now, for most iCloud accounts we can see history records for the last two weeks only (deleted records for those two weeks are still there though).
Good move, Apple. Still, we would like to get an explanation.
Even before Apple made the server-side fix to make sure deleted browsing history is permanently removed in a timely manner, it was difficult to get ahold of the information. Forensic software like Phone Breaker was required, which doesn't come cheap, and Phone Breaker only works with a user's Apple ID and password, or an authentication token pulled from a user's computer.
In iOS 9.3 and later (and Safari 9.1 and later), Apple also began turning URLs into unreadable hashes instead of plaintext when browser history is deleted, an additional security measure, but Forbes says that didn't stop Elcomsoft's tool from working with the newest versions of Safari.
While Apple now appears to be deleting browsing data at the two week mark (or has made it invisible to tools like Phone Breaker), iCloud users should be aware that their browsing history, including cleared browser history, is stored in iCloud for at least that two week period. Users who are not comfortable with that can easily disable syncing features through the iCloud section of the Settings app. Apple has not commented on Elcomsoft's finding or the apparent server-side fix.
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