Sami Fathi

Microsoft has announced that following beta testing for a small group of users, it plans to launch its xCloud game streaming service on Apple devices via Safari "in the next few weeks." Microsoft has been attempting to launch its game streaming service, which allows users to stream games from the cloud rather than store them locally on the device, on Apple's platforms for some time....

On iOS and iPadOS 15, Apple is adding new functionality to WidgetKit, introduced last year, that will allow developers to classify information deemed as sensitive in their widgets, meaning that specific information will only become viewable on the lock screen when the user unlocks their device. iOS 14 introduced completely redesigned widgets for the lock screen and Home Screen. While there...

Last year, Apple acquired the weather app Dark Sky, and shortly after its purchase, Apple shut down the app for Android. Despite the revamped iOS 15 Weather app taking heavy inspiration from Dark Sky, the weather's app standalone iOS app, web app, and API will remain available until the end of next year, compared to the end of this year, as previously planned. Dark Sky announced in an update ...

The next time you try talking on a FaceTime call on iOS 15 with your microphone muted, iOS will provide you a subtle reminder to unmute your microphone so others can hear you. The new reminder, first spotted by The Verge, is part of a wider assortment of changes and new features coming to ‌FaceTime‌ with the release of iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey later this fall. Heightened by the...

Apple says that starting at a future date, it will offer members of the Apple Developer Program access to beta versions of AirPods Pro firmware updates before they're released and shipped to the public. Apple made the announcement for developers on the downloads page where beta versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS are available. According to Apple, ‌AirPods Pro‌ firmware betas...

With iOS 15, AirPods Pro and AirPods Max will be able to tap into the Find My network, allowing users to locate their lost AirPods in the unfortunate event they get lost outside of nearby Bluetooth range. Users have always been able to locate their AirPods through the ‌Find My‌ app within Bluetooth range. Now, with iOS 15, ‌AirPods Pro‌ and ‌AirPods Max‌ can tap into the ‌Find My‌ network to relay...

Before WWDC, rumors largely driven by leaker Jon Prosser suggested that Apple would announce redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros during the conference. Those rumors, however, did not come to fruition. Interestingly, though, Apple lists "m1x MacBook Pro" as a tag for the WWDC keynote uploaded on YouTube. The tag, first spotted by Apple YouTuber Max Balzer on Twitter, is among other...

A shortage of mini-LED components has reportedly been the cause of delays to the production of the redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, according to a published report today by DigiTimes. Yesterday, ‌DigiTimes‌ provided a snippet of today's reporting outlining that shipments of the redesigned Apple silicon MacBook Pros are forecasted to begin in the third quarter of the year. According ...

Apple on Monday previewed iOS 15 as the next major update to iOS, and already, despite the new software being in the hands of developers for just a few days, a plethora of hidden features continue to be discovered. One new hidden tweak is a change in behavior in the App Store, where now screenshots for already installed apps are hidden in ‌App Store‌ search results. The new change, spotted on ...

As spotted on Reddit, iPhone apps running on iPadOS 15 now run in landscape orientation rather than in portrait, as previously on iPadOS. This means that popular apps such as Instagram that have yet to release a native iPad app can run in landscape mode, with black bars on either side. Users can continue to use the app in portrait mode if they wish, but the default has been switched to...

Apple has announced that it is opening up Shazam, the audio recognition app purchased in 2017, to third-party apps, even on Android, enabling them to use Shazam's powerful technology to identify audio. Over the years, Apple has been integrating Shazam more tightly into the core iOS experience. With iOS 14.2 earlier this year, Apple added a Shazam toggle to Control Center, allowing users to...

On iOS 14, Smart Stacks for widgets allow users to stack different widgets on top of each other and then allow iOS to display the most relevant widget depending on the time of day, location, and more. On iOS 15, Apple is taking Smart Stacks even further with Widget Suggestions, which automatically add and remove widgets in a Smart Stack depending on context. For example, if a user has an...

With the introduction of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, Safari extensions that previously only worked on the Mac can also run on the iPhone and iPad. While the feature won't be widely available until the fall when the new updates roll out to the public, 1Password, a popular password management app, has already teased a functional Safari extension on iPadOS 15. Shared by 1Password developer Andrew...

On iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey, Safari will automatically upgrade web connections for sites to the HTTPS protocol, in the case they're loaded in HTTP. The new feature largely went unnoticed during the WWDC keynote, but it is highlighted on the macOS Monterey and iOS/iPadOS 15 feature pages. Apple says that Safari now "automatically upgrades sites known to support HTTPS from...

Following WWDC, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering Craig Federighi said that Apple will continue to protect its customers amid "innovation" in the world of privacy exploitation and that Apple believes it "can largely stay ahead" of the curve to protect users. In an exclusive interview with Fast Company, Federighi talked about new announcements that Apple made during WWDC...

Apple on Monday revealed iOS 15 with redesigned notifications, major changes to FaceTime, and new tools that help users reduce distractions. Amongst the comprehensive set of tools for reducing distractions is the ability to disable app badge notifications for all apps on the Home Screen, resulting in a much cleaner ‌Home Screen‌ look. App badge notifications can be disabled when users are in...

With watchOS 8, Apple will finally allow users to set multiple timers within the Timers app. Each specific timer can be given a label, such as laundry or cooking timer, and is viewed in a single list. watchOS 8 has a wide range of features, including a new standalone Find My app that allows users to find and locate items part of the ‌Find My‌ network right on their wrist. Additionally,...

Apple today announced that TestFlight, which allows developers to public test their apps before launch, will be coming to the Mac as part of wider tools meant to improve app development. TestFlight for the Mac is part of a wider set of tools for developers, including Xcode Cloud, which offers "continuous integration and delivery cloud service designed specifically for Apple developers." With ...

Apple today revealed watchOS 8, the next major version of its watchOS operating system, with brand new features, including enhancements to health tracking including a new Mindfulness app and improvements to the way users interact with their Apple Watch. Referring to the Apple Watch face, watchOS 8 now supports using portrait mode photos in the watch face, using data from the image to layer...

At WWDC, Apple announced that iCloud is getting a premium subscription tier called "‌iCloud‌+," which includes "Private Relay" that allows users to browse the web through Safari with all information leaving their device remaining encrypted and access to "Hide My Email." One of the headlining features for ‌iCloud‌+ is Private Relay, which, similarly to a VPN, ensures that all traffic leaving a...