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Google Improving Chrome for OS X Performance to Better Rival Safari

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Google_Chrome_Material_Icon-450x450Google senior software engineer Peter Kasting this week announced that his team has been working to address Chrome for OS X battery hog complaints by improving the performance of the browser on Mac, especially in areas where Safari appears to do better (via iPhoneHacks).

Chrome for OS X has received multiple under the hood improvements that should result in faster performance and longer battery life while browsing. The browser, for example, now requires significantly less CPU usage when loading the Google search results page and various other websites.

The other technical changes to Chrome for OS X are outlined as follows:

"The team has been working on addressing this; here are some cases that have recently been improved on trunk:

http://crbug.com/460102

Before: Renderers for background tabs had the same priority as for foreground tabs.
Now: Renderers for background tabs get a lower priority, reducing idle wakeups on various perf test, in some cases by significant amounts (e.g. 50% on one test).

http://crbug.com/485371

Before: On a Google search results page, using Safari's user agent to get the same content that Safari would, Chrome incurs ~390 wakes over 30s and 0.3% CPU usage vs. Safari’s 120 wakes over 30s and 0.1% CPU usage.
Now: 66% reduction in both timer firings and CPU use. Chrome is now incurring ~120 wakes over 30s and 0.1% CPU use, on par with Safari.

http://crbug.com/489936

Before: On capitalone.com, Chromium incurs ~1010 wakeups over 30s vs. Safari's ~490 wakes.
Now: ~30% reduction in timer firings. Chrome is now incurring ~721 wakeups over 30s.

http://crbug.com/493350

Before: On amazon.com, Chromium incurs 768 wakups over 30s and consumes ~0.7% CPU vs. Safari's 312 wakes over 30s and ~0.1% CPU.
Now: ~59% reduction in timer firings and ~70% reduction in CPU use. Chrome is now incurring ~316 wakeups over 30s, and 0.2% CPU use, on par with Safari at 312 wakes, and 0.1% CPU use."

Many of the changes will first appear in Chromium before going live on Chrome for OS X.

Tags: Chrome, Google, OS X, Safari
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Apple Shares Humorous 'Backstage' Video Shown During WWDC Opening

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To kickoff its 2015 Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple shared a humorous "Backstage" video starring Saturday Night Live alum Bill Hader. Hader took on the role of David LeGary, WWDC's director, prepping for the big show.

As of this afternoon, Apple's uploaded the "Backstage" video to YouTube, giving those who missed the WWDC keynote live stream a chance to watch the opening act.


The video makes references to several apps like Angry Birds and Tinder, with several app mascots on hand. There's a guy in a bird costume for Angry Birds, and a goat for Goat Simulator. Community's Danny Pudi raps a silly song during the video, and it ends showing just a water bottle and a laptop after a power failure. "All right, we'll work with it," says Hader. "I'll tell you what, whoever walks out there better have something incredible to say."

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is wrapping up later this week. During the keynote event, the company debuted iOS 9, OS X 10.11, watchOS 2, and Apple Music.

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Apple Music Pays Industry Standard Subscription Revenue Fees to Record Labels

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Apple plans to charge between $9.99 and $14.99 per month for its upcoming on-demand Apple Music service, with 58 percent of its subscription revenues going to record labels. For every $9.99 Apple collects from subscribers in the United States, it will pay out $5.80 to labels. Additionally, Apple pays approximately 12 percent to publishers and/or songwriters, leaving the company with somewhere around 30 percent of the revenue from the Apple Music service.

The figures come from a leaked document shared by Digital Music News earlier this week. In its article, Digital Music News erroneously suggested Apple was paying less to music labels than other streaming music services like Spotify (after failing to take into account the publisher's fee), but as it turns out, the 70 percent that Apple pays out to rights holders is on par with the industry standard.

applemusiccontract58excerpt
In some circumstances, the fees provided to rights holders can vary, such as when student accounts are involved or when the Apple Music service is provided through a third-party service like Google Play or bundled into a carrier package. During Apple's three-month free trial period that it provides to all subscribers, it is not required to pay any fees to rights holders.

Profit sharing and value concerns often cause a lot of tension between streaming music services, record labels, artists, and other rights holders. Many artists have complained about the low fees they receive from streaming music services, primarily those with free streaming tiers. Taylor Swift famously pulled all of her music from Spotify last year, claiming that by offering music for free, Spotify was undervaluing her work.

With Beats Music and Rhapsody you have to pay for a premium package in order to access my albums. And that places a perception of value on what I've created. On Spotify, they don't have any settings, or any kind of qualifications for who gets what music. I think that people should feel that there is a value to what musicians have created, and that's that.

Apple does not offer a free ad-supported tier for its on-demand streaming music service, choosing to supplement instead with an accompanying radio service. Apple has even allegedly urged record labels to cease offering deals to services that do offer free ad-supported listening tiers, like Spotify and YouTube.

Apple's focus on paid-only music is unsurprising, given the current state of the streaming music industry. Spotify recently announced 75 million users and 20 million paid subscribers, but Spotify continues to operate at a loss. With more than 800 million iTunes accounts with credit cards attached at its disposal, Apple Music could quickly become one of the most profitable streaming services, as long as Apple can draw in customers.

Apple Music launches on June 30 as part of iOS 8.4.

Tag: Apple Music Guide
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How to View Photos on Apple Watch

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The Apple Watch may have a small screen, but it's still large enough to show off those pictures of your little one's dance recital to the grandparents. As long as you've got an album synced from your iPhone, you can even view pictures while your smartphone is out of range.

apple_watch_photos
To help you get the most out of your photo viewing experience, we've put together this tutorial to explain how to set up and customize the Photos app on Apple Watch

Create an Album in Photos on iPhone

The first step to getting the most important pictures on your Apple Watch is to create an album for it in your Photos app on iPhone.

  1. Open the Photos app on the iPhone and select "Albums." Then tap the add icon (+) to create a new one.
  2. Name the new album. For simplicity, I named mine Apple Watch Photos.
  3. Select the photos you wish to add to the album and select done.

apple_watch_photos_setup

➜ Click here to read more...

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Tag: Photos Guide
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
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Apple to Renovate Iconic Fifth Avenue Store, Temporarily Relocate to FAO Schwarz Building

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Apple's iconic Fifth Avenue store in New York City will soon close for renovations and temporarily relocate to the soon-to-be-vacated FAO Schwarz toy store in the General Motors Building, according to the Associated Press. The report does not offer a timeline for the renovation plans.

Apple Store Fifth Avenue FAO Schwarz

Apple's iconic Fifth Avenue store, left, and nearby FAO Schwarz store, far right (Flickr)

FAO Schwarz, the oldest toy store in the United States, is set to vacate its ground-level store in the General Motors Building in July 2015 due to the rising cost of rent. The storefront is located just steps away from the current Apple Store at 58th Street and Fifth Avenue, so the temporary move should be rather seamless.

Apple reportedly plans to renovate about 20 existing retail stores in the United States to accommodate for increased foot traffic, with many stores set to double in size. Apple's flagship Regent Street store in United Kingdom is among the stores that will be renovated, while San Francisco's Union Square store will be relocated.

Apple's iconic Fifth Avenue retail store was last renovated in 2011 when larger, seamless panes of glass were installed. The renovation was completed in November 2011, with before and after pictures and a YouTube video providing a good look at the transition to a more seamless design.

Tags: FAO Schwarz, Fifth Avenue, New York City
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Foxconn Exploring Locations for iPhone and iPad Manufacturing Facilities in India

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Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn plans to travel to India and explore possible locations to reopen production facilities in the country, in a move that could bring iPhone assembly and potentially lower prices to the emerging market. Reuters reports that Foxconn could benefit from lower production costs in India as wages continue to increase in China, where the majority of its operations are currently based.

Foxconn Office FT
"Foxconn is sending a delegation of their officers to scout for locations in a month's time," Subhash Desai, Industries Minister of India's western state Maharashtra, told Reuters. The report claims Foxconn plans to build 10-12 facilities in India, such as factories and data centers, by 2020, although the Taiwan-based company has not provided any further details about its plans.

The return of Foxconn would provide an economic boost for India, which continues to rival neighboring China in the technology sector. The manufacturing company was forced to close shop in India last year after losing client Nokia, but now eyes a return to the country with plans to manufacture iPhones, iPads and iPods.

"A return of Foxconn -- which was forced to shut up shop in India last year after client Nokia closed -- would be a major victory for India, which badly needs to turn its tech boom into a manufacturing and employment boost.

India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has sought to reboot manufacturing, but the country is yet to rival China, particularly in technology where most factories will likely be assembly units to begin with."

Foxconn assembles iPhones, iPads and a number of other products for Apple, one of its main clients, and also serves as a manufacturing partner with other consumer electronics makers such as Xiaomi, Acer and Sony. Its main competitors include Taiwanese Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Quanta Computer.

Tags: Foxconn, India
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Apple Music May Cost Just $2 to $3 Per Month in India and Russia

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Apple Music will cost $9.99 per month in the United States after a three-month free trial period, but the service may have lower pricing elsewhere. A sign-up menu for Apple Music that started appearing yesterday for some developers and public beta testers on iOS 8.4 beta 4 reveals that the subscription-based streaming music service could cost as little as $2 to $3 per month in countries such as India and Russia.

Apple Music India Russia Pricing
A pair of separate reports by Technology Personalized and Russian-language tech blog TJournal share screenshots that suggest an Apple Music individual subscription could cost Rs 120 per month (~$2 USD) in India and 169 rubles per month (~$3 USD) in Russia. While the lower prices in these countries are not confirmed beyond these screenshots, they would be in line with similar pricing offered by rivals such as Rdio, Guvera and Gaana.

Apple Music was announced earlier this week as a streaming music service, live global radio station and social platform for artists to connect with fans. The subscription-based service will be available for a monthly fee after a three-month free trial for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and PC. Apple TV and Android versions of the service will be available in the fall. Apple Music launches June 30 on iOS 8.4 and iTunes.

Tags: Apple Music Guide, India, Russia
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Apple Retail Employees Alleged to be Treated as 'Criminals' in Bag Check Lawsuit

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A few retail employees at Apple Store locations have complained directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook, saying the company's policy of checking its employees' bags for security reasons was "embarrassing and demeaning." The new record comes from a court filing and is part of a 2013 lawsuit claiming the Cupertino company should compensate its employees for the time the bag checks take (via Reuters).

apple_store_genius_bar_official
One of the workers in the lawsuit sent an email to Cook back in 2012, claiming that Apple retail store managers "are required to treat 'valued' employees as criminals." In the filing it was said that Cook then forwarded the complaint to both top retail and human resources executives asking, "Is this true?" No responses to Cook's inquiry were documented within the filing made public this week.

In the original lawsuit, which is seeking class action status after being dismissed last year, Amanda Friekin and Dean Pelle claimed that these bag checks were mandatory every time a sales rep left the store and were meant to discourage theft. In one of the original emails sent to Cook in 2012, the employee simply claims Apple's strict policy breeds an environment of distrust amongst its otherwise loyal workers.

In the 2012 email to Cook, with a subject line "Fearless Feedback from Apple Retail Specialist," the employee said Apple's policy implies the company does not trust its workers.

"These procedures are often performed in front of gawking customers," the employee wrote, adding that workers deserve to be treated with the same respect that Apple shows customers.

As Reuters points out, in a Supreme Court ruling last December, Amazon won out over a group of its employees who sued the company for monetary compensation in the time they spent going through security checks at the end of their shifts. The Supreme Court's ruling erred on Amazon's side because it found these security checks were not a "principal activity" of the employees' job description.

A hearing in the lawsuit is set for a July 2 date in court.

Tag: Apple Store
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Apple Maps Transit Directions Work Across Much of Greater Toronto Area

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Apple earlier this week announced that Toronto will be one of ten major cities in North America that will support Apple Maps transit directions on iOS 9 in the fall, but after early testing we can confirm that the new routing option for bus, subway, light rail, train and ferry directions will actually extend well beyond the city limits and TTC to cover much of the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario.

Apple Maps Transit Canada

Apple Maps transit directions on iOS 9 beta working in Waterloo and Barrie

A thread posted on Reddit first pointed towards the Apple Maps transit acknowledgments page, which has been updated with several Canadian transit operators outside of Toronto, but we dug further and found that Apple Maps transit directions work in even more cities. We were able to receive bus, subway, light rail or train directions between over a dozen Canadian cities and towns throughout Southern Ontario listed below.

List of Supported Cities:

  • Mississauga: MiWay bus directions where service is provided in Mississauga. GO Transit bus and train directions also available for traveling between Mississauga and other Apple Maps-supported cities within the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario.

  • Oakville: Oakville Transit bus directions where service is provided in Oakville. GO Transit bus and train directions also available for traveling between Oakville and other Apple Maps-supported cities within the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario.

  • Brampton: Brampton Transit bus directions where service is provided in Brampton. GO Transit bus and train directions also available for traveling between Brampton and other Apple Maps-supported cities within the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario.

  • York Region: York Region Transit (YRT) bus directions and Viva rapid transit directions where service is provided in Aurora, Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Vaughan and other areas within York Region. GO Transit bus and train directions also available for traveling between York Region and other Apple Maps-supported cities within the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario. There are also directions for TTC routes operating between York Region and subway stations in Toronto.

  • City of Hamilton: Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) bus directions where service is provided in Hamilton, Ancaster, Dundas and Stoney Creek. GO Transit bus and train directions also available for traveling between Hamilton and other Apple Maps-supported cities within the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario.

  • Burlington: Burlington Transit bus directions where service is provided in Burlington. GO Transit bus and train directions also available for traveling between Burlington and other Apple Maps-supported cities within the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario.

  • Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge: Grand River Transit (GRT) bus directions where service is provided in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. GO Transit bus and train directions where service is provided for traveling between Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge and other Apple Maps-supported cities within the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario.

  • Guelph: Guelph Transit bus directions where service is provided in Guelph. GO Transit bus and train directions also available for traveling between Guelph and other Apple Maps-supported cities within the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario.

  • Niagara Region: Niagara Falls Transit, St. Catharines Transit, Welland Transit, Niagara Region Transit and WEGO bus directions where service is provided in Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Welland and Niagara Region. GO Transit bus and train (summer only) directions where service is provided for traveling between Niagara Falls and other Apple Maps-supported cities within the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario.

➜ Click here to read rest of article...

Tags: Apple Maps, Canada, GTA, Southern Ontario, Toronto, Transit
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Signs of Apple Music Begin Showing Up in iOS 8.4 Beta Music App

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As of this afternoon, many developers and public beta testers running the latest iOS 8.4 beta are seeing popups for Apple's upcoming Apple Music service within the Music app.

applemusic1
When opening the app, there's a popup for Apple Music that prompts users to start a three month free trial. Tapping on that option leads to another screen that lets users choose either an individual plan for $9.99 for a family plan for $14.99, but there's no way to actually sign up for a plan. Choosing a plan simply grays out the option and does not allow users to progress further in the signup process.

applemusic2
These options have been showing up for some users since the latest iOS 8.4 beta was seeded yesterday morning, but many more users are now seeing signs of the Apple Music service as Apple begins to implement backend tools to support subscription signups at launch.

Apple Music will launch on June 30 as part of iOS 8.4, and it will be built into the Music app. The full Apple Music experience includes an on-demand streaming music service, the Beats 1 radio station, and Apple Connect, a social networking service connecting fans and artists.

Tags: Apple Music Guide, iOS 8.4
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iOS 9 Extends Continuity Phone Call Features to Cellular Connections

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With iOS 8, Apple introduced Continuity, a set of features that allow iOS devices and Macs to interface in new ways. One of the Continuity features allows the iPad and the Mac to receive both text messages and phone calls, so long as your devices, including your iPhone, are all on the same Wi-Fi network.

In iOS 9, accepting phone calls or text messages on your iPad or Mac routed from your iPhone is getting even better, with the addition of cellular support. With iOS 9, your iPhone no longer needs to be on the same network as your iPad or Mac for call forwarding to work.

iphonecontinuity
That means an iPhone can continue to forward calls to a Mac or an iPad even when it's in an entirely different physical location. So, for example, if you forget your iPhone at home, you can continue to receive incoming calls on your Mac while at work, so long as your Mac is connected to a Wi-Fi network.

The feature is tied to Wi-Fi calling, and as noted by The Verge, T-Mobile is the first U.S. carrier to support cellular Continuity. In iOS 9, T-Mobile devices have Phone settings that can be toggled on to allow calls on other devices.

"Wi-Fi calling for other devices allows other devices signed into your iCloud account to make and receive calls using your carrier account even when your iPhone is not nearby," reads the description of the feature.

On phones from other carriers, this setting reads differently: "Use your iPhone cellular connection to make and receive calls on devices signed into your iCloud account when they are nearby and on Wi-Fi."

Developers running iOS 9 who use T-Mobile can access this feature immediately, and beta testers will receive access in July, when iOS 9 is provided to public beta testers. It is not known if other carriers will implement support for cellular Continuity before iOS 9 launches in the fall.

Tag: T-Mobile
Related Forum: iOS 9
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OS X El Capitan to Bring New Safari Extensions Gallery as Part of Unified $99 Developer Program

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Apple earlier this week announced a new consolidated Apple Developer Program for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Safari, combining the previously separate iOS, OS X and Safari Dev Programs into one for a single $99 annual fee. The change should place more emphasis on and increase the security of Safari extensions, but some developers have voiced their frustrations about the new fee.

Safari Extensions Gallery
In particular, developers will now be required to pay $99 per year to distribute Safari extensions through the new Safari Extensions Gallery. Comparatively, the old standalone Safari Dev Program was free and did not charge developers a fee to distribute Safari extensions within or outside of the Safari Extensions Gallery. Chrome and other browsers also do not charge a fee to distribute extensions.

Reddit user honestbleeps shared the email Apple sent to Safari developers:

"Dear Developer,

As a creator of Safari Extensions, you’ve helped enrich the browsing experience for Safari users by taking advantage of development resources through the Safari Developer Program. This program is now part of the new Apple Developer Program, which combines everything you need to develop, distribute, and manage your apps on all Apple platforms.

Your existing Safari Developer Program membership will remain active until July 8, 2015 and your Safari extensions will continue to work for existing users.

You can continue building Safari extensions and bring your creativity to other Apple platforms by joining the Apple Developer Program. Join today to provide updates to your current extensions, build new extensions, and submit your extensions to the new Safari Extensions Gallery for OS X El Capitan. You can also learn how to extend your coding skills to create innovative new apps for Apple customers around the world."

Apple aims to improve the security of Safari on OS X El Capitan by implementing Secure Extension Distribution, meaning that all extensions in the Safari Extensions Gallery will now be hosted and signed by Apple. Safari extensions installed from the Safari Extensions Gallery will be updated automatically, while those distributed outside of the Gallery are ineligible for automatic updating.

Apple has created a page for developers to submit Safari extensions for OS X El Capitan in the fall, and developers can read both the Safari Extensions Review Guidelines and Safari Extensions Development Guide to prepare. Safari extensions available now will continue working for current users, and existing Safari Developer Program memberships will remain active until July 8, 2015.

Safari 9.0 will also feature content blocking extensions for both iOS and OS X, providing users with a fast and efficient way to block cookies, images, resources, pop-ups and other content. Xcode includes a Content Blocker App Extension template that contains code for developers to send their JSON files to Safari that specifies which content should be blocked. A full Safari 9.0 changelog is in the Safari Developer Library.

Tags: Apple Developer Program, Extensions, Safari
Related Forum: OS X El Capitan
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'The Bumper' Review: Apple Watch Case Offers Ample Protection but Some Bulk

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While charging stands of various designs have proven to be popular accessories for Apple Watch users, a perhaps lesser known category of accessories revolves around protecting the Apple Watch while wearing it.

One of these accessories is Actionproof's "The Bumper," a tight-fitting silicone sleeve that promises to protect your new Apple wearable from all the trips and spills made in everyday life. The Bumper may also provide some protection in extreme environments, with the bumper itself offering high resistance to UV radiation, ozone, outdoor exposure, extreme cold (minimum -40°C) and hot (maximum 120°C) temperatures, and basic chemical and abrasion combatants.

Positives

The good thing about The Bumper is that it does what it sets out to do. When placed safely around the 42mm Apple Watch case, The Bumper doesn't move or jostle throughout the day. It's a perfect fit for the wearable, with cutouts for the Digital Crown, microphone, speaker, and heart rate sensor. One of the only protective cases to cover the Digital Crown, The Bumper does so with a bracketed slice of silicone that bisects over the Crown, leaving an open space for your finger to manipulate and scroll the knob regardless of which wrist and orientation the watch is worn on.

Photo Jun 09, 10 16 44 AM 2
The small piece covering the Digital Crown makes it so pressing on the button is still manageable, though not quite as easy as without The Bumper. And although a few phone conversations had over the Watch with The Bumper went smoothly, I felt my Apple Watch needed a closer positioning to my face than usual to both hear the conversation and provide ample speaking volume for the person to whom I was speaking. They, on the other hand, remarked no noticeable dip in quality or volume throughout the call.

➜ Click here to read more...

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Tags: Actionproof, Review, The Bumper
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
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iOS 9 Files Hint at Front-Facing Camera Improvements With 1080p Video Support and Flash

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Code hidden within iOS 9 files hints at upcoming iPhone improvements, suggesting Apple could potentially be planning to introduce a front-facing camera with flash support, the ability to capture 1080p video, and several rear-facing camera capabilities, like Panorama and Slo-Mo modes.

"CAMCaptureCapabilities" files in iOS 9 discovered by developer Hamza Sood have file names like "[CAMCaptureCapabilities isFront1080p120Supported]," which seems to refer to the front-facing camera on the iPhone. At the current time, the front-facing "FaceTime" camera is able to capture 1.2-megapixel photos and record 720p HD video.

ios9hiddencamerafiles
There's no indication that these particular file names reflect Apple's upcoming plans for the front-facing camera, but it's possible that these are improvements we may see in the future. The front-facing camera has always lagged behind the rear-facing camera in order to save space, but with the increasing popularity of "selfies," Apple may choose to introduce some major upgrades to the front-facing camera in the future.

Rumors have suggested that the rear-facing camera will be gaining some major improvements with the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus, so it's a reasonable assumption that the front-facing camera may also see improvements at the same time. There have been hints suggesting the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus could see the biggest camera jump Apple's ever introduced, adopting near-DSLR image quality.

Apple did recently acquire a company that specializes in dual-sensor cameras that produce better images and are capable of capturing 3D imagery, but it is not known if that technology will make it into the new iPhones. Apple is expected to introduce the two new devices in the fall, perhaps in mid-September, based on past release timelines.

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ResearchKit Now Available for iPad

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ResearchKit iconApple has released an updated version of ResearchKit with iPad support and several other new features for developers. ResearchKit 1.1 includes improved slider support, new active tasks, bug fixes, style improvements and more, with some of the changes briefly discussed during Apple's recent What's New in Cocoa Touch session at WWDC this week. The full changelog is listed below.

Today we're happy to announce that we've tagged a new stable release of ResearchKit, version 1.1. This new version includes multiple significant contributions:

  • Audiometry active task (Shazino SAS)

  • Reaction time active task (James Cox)

  • Navigable Ordered Task (Ricardo Sánchez-Sáez)

  • iPad support (Ricardo Sánchez-Sáez, Bruce Duncan, and others)

  • Image Capture step (Bruce Duncan)

  • Improved slider support (various contributors)

  • Plus various bug fixes and style improvements

    Over the past few weeks these changes have had additional review for accessibility, and have been localized to all the languages iOS supports.

    • ResearchKit is a software framework that enables researchers and developers to create apps for iOS users to participate in medical studies. Given that ResearchKit is open source, many of the changes made in the latest version were contributed by third-party developers not employed by Apple. A commit list for the ResearchKit 1.1 update is available for developers on GitHub.

    (Thanks, Ricardo!)

    Tags: ResearchKit, ResearchKit 1.1
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    Apple Fixes iMessage Crashing Bug in iOS 8.4 Beta 4

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    Apple seeded the fourth beta of iOS 8.4 to developers yesterday with a fix for a messaging bug that causes an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to crash after receiving a specific string of Unicode characters via iMessage or SMS (via HDBlog.it). The bug also affects the Mac and Apple Watch and extends to third-party messaging apps such as Snapchat, Twitter and WhatsApp, as the issue is tied to the way banner notifications process Unicode.

    Sending the string of characters to an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch results in an immediate respring, causing the device to crash and quickly reboot. From there, if the Messages app was opened at a list view, the Messages app crashes automatically when you try to open it. If it was opened to the conversation where you received the message, the app will open, but attempting to go to another conversation causes Messages to crash.

    imessagescrashingbug
    Apple recently published a support document on its website with a temporary workaround for the problem, and ensured that a permanent fix would be issued in a future software update. That fix has arrived in the form of iOS 8.4, which will be released ahead of Apple Music's launch on June 30. In the meantime, affected users can ask Siri to "read unread messages" and use Siri to reply to the malicious message in order to regain access to the Messages app and delete the message.

    Tags: iMessage, iOS 8.4
    Related Forum: iOS 8
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    New iOS Mail Bug Allows iCloud-Like Popups to Steal User Passwords

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    A new bug facing the iOS Mail app was found recently by security specialist Jan Soucek (via The Register). The malicious bug is capable of delivering false iCloud log-in prompts by allowing remote HTML content to be loaded through an email message delivered to the intended victim. The bug then delivers a convincing iCloud log-in box for users to re-enter their Apple ID and password. Soucek says that Apple did not respond to his discovery of the bug when he stumbled across it back in January.


    "Back in January 2015 I stumbled upon a bug in iOS's mail client, resulting in HTML tag in e-mail messages not being ignored. This bug allows remote HTML content to be loaded, replacing the content of the original e-mail message. JavaScript is disabled in this UIWebView, but it is still possible to build a functional password "collector" using simple HTML and CSS."

    The bug isn't relegated to only iCloud phishing attacks, however, letting anyone with access to it customize the attack to ask for whichever username and password credentials they feel the need for. Soucek kept the details of the bug only between himself and Apple, letting the company have time to possibly fix the attack and inform him of its progress. Given the company's remaining quietness on the subject, he decided to publish the proof of concept - called the Mail.app inject kit - on GitHub in hopes of spreading its awareness.

    "It was filed under Radar #19479280 back in January, but the fix was not delivered in any of the iOS updates following 8.1.2. Therefore I decided to publish the proof of concept code here."

    While Soucek's actions bring the malicious bug to more people's attentions and can help stop it in due time, it also means there's a wider chance for phishers to deploy it on their own. Until Apple comments on the story and offers a fix for the bug, it'll be safest to take precaution when any password prompt emerges while browsing email in iOS.

    Related Forum: iOS 8
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    Spotify Announces 75M Active Users, Raises $526M Following Apple Music Debut

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    SpotifySpotify today announced that it now has more than 75 million active users and 20 million paid subscribers worldwide as the Sweden-based streaming music service prepares to compete with Apple Music, available June 30 on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and PC.

    Spotify doubled the 10 million paid subscribers it had through May 2014 in just one year, and has now paid over $3 billion in royalties to artists, songwriters and rights holders, including more than $300 million in the first three months of 2015 alone.

    The Wall Street Journal reports that Spotify has also raised $526 million in a funding round that values the company at $8.53 billion, giving it significantly more financial backing to take on Apple Music and other rivals in the increasingly competitive streaming music market. Spotify will reportedly invest the capital raised from investors in expansion and new forms of content to further differentiate itself.

    Apple Music vs Competitors

    Apple Music and Spotify Premium both cost $9.99 per month (Image: WSJ)

    Spotify operates at a loss due to significant royalties and revenue sharing with music label partners, although the company aims to become profitable through continued subscriber growth. The company announced plans last month to add video programming and podcasts from partners such as ABC, BBC, ESPN, NBC, Comedy Central, Conde Nast, Maker Studios, Turner Broadcasting and Vice Media.

    Apple Music was announced earlier this week as a streaming music service, live global radio station and social platform for artists to connect with fans. The subscription-based service costs $9.99 per month with a three-month free trial for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and PC. Apple TV and Android versions of the service will be available in the fall. Apple Music launches June 30 on iOS 8.4 and iTunes.

    Tags: Apple Music Guide, Spotify
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