Tim Hardwick
Tim is a Senior Editor at MacRumors and has been writing for the site since 2016. Formerly a magazine journalist, his work has appeared in over 30 newsstand print publications and online brands covering a range of topics, from the latest trends in technology to the mysteries of ancient history.
Based in the UK, Tim's current role at MacRumors involves editorial oversight and how tos, in addition to covering daily news and contributing occasional reviews. Tim can be reached at tim@macrumors.com, Telegram (@waxeditorial) or Twitter.
Based in the UK, Tim's current role at MacRumors involves editorial oversight and how tos, in addition to covering daily news and contributing occasional reviews. Tim can be reached at tim@macrumors.com, Telegram (@waxeditorial) or Twitter.
Tim Hardwick's Articles
Redesigned Apple Watch Series 7 Could Prioritize Longer Battery Life Over Additional Sensors
Apple could skip adding new health sensors to this year's redesigned Apple Watch Series 7 in favor of improving the battery life of the device, based on rumors and recent reports.
According to well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the Series 7, expected to drop in September, could feature the first significant redesign the Apple Watch has had in several years. As part of the redesign,...
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Google Fi VPN Starts Rolling Out to iPhone Users
Google has announced its is rolling out Google Fi's built-in VPN service to iPhone subscribers, giving iOS users another way to ensure that their connection is secure and private on a cellular or Wi-Fi network.
Starting today, we're expanding our built-in VPN to iPhone®. 🔐With the Fi VPN, you get a private online connection and more protection from hackers included on all plans. Learn more → ht ...
Western Digital Asks 'My Book Live' Device Owners to Unplug After Reports of Remotely Wiped Drives
Western Digital is advising owners of its My Book Live storage drives to disconnect them from the internet until further notice, following reports from around the world that some devices have been compromised and wiped clean by malicious software.
The WD My Book Live is the company's network-attached storage device with the book-style design that can stand upright on a desk. The drive is...
Desktop Instagram Posting Currently Being Tested, Confirms Facebook
Facebook has confirmed rumors that it is testing the ability for Instagram users to post to the picture-based social media platform using a web browser on a desktop computer.
With its focus on sharing photos taken with a smartphone camera, Facebook-owned Instagram has long been a mobile-centric social network that lacks many of its basic features in its web browser incarnation, including the ...
Latest Zoom Update Improves iPad Calls, Adds Custom Video Filters, Gender Pronouns, and More
Last month, Zoom added support for the new Center Stage feature exclusive to Apple's latest iPad Pro models, and this month the popular video conferencing app is back with another update containing several interface improvements and usability features on iOS.
Notable enhancements in version 5.7.0 of the app include a better iPad "visual experience", support for individual call participants...
Google Updates Authenticator App Ahead of iOS 15's Upcoming Built-in Code Generator
Google has updated its 2FA Authenticator app for iOS with a new privacy feature that lets users require Face ID or Touch ID before displaying two-factor account authentication codes.
Previously, fingerprint or facial authentication was only required when exporting accounts. Now though, upon activating Google's Privacy Screen feature in v3.2.0 of the app, Face ID or Touch ID is needed in...
Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard and Trackpad Case for 4th-Gen iPad Air Now Available for Pre-Order, Ships in July
Logitech has launched a version of its Combo Touch Keyboard for Apple's 4th-generation iPad Air, offering a more affordable alternative to Apple's Magic Keyboard.
Priced at $199.99, which is $100 cheaper than the Magic Keyboard for the 10.9-inch iPad Air, Logitech's Combo Touch Keyboard provides a full folio case with attached keyboard and touchpad.
Like the version already available for ...
iOS 15: How to Blur Your Background on a FaceTime Call
In iOS 15, Apple brings several enhancements to FaceTime, including new visual and audio effects to improve the video call experience.
One of the new visual features is Portrait mode in calls. With this mode enabled, you can blur your background so that the focus is on you rather than what's behind you.
The feature is commonly used by other video conferencing apps like Zoom and Teams to ...
How to Enable Wide Spectrum Audio on a FaceTime Call
Apple's iPhone includes several FaceTime calling features, including audio effects such as Wide Spectrum Audio that can improve your call experience. Keep reading to learn how.
Wide Spectrum Audio is a microphone mode brings every single sound into your FaceTime call, making it ideal for when you want the other person to hear everything that's happening in the space you're in. It...
iOS 15: How to Enable Voice Isolation Mode in FaceTime
In iOS 15, Apple brings several enhancements to its FaceTime video and audio calling platform, including new visual and audio effects to improve your call experience.
One of the new audio features is Voice Isolation mode for your microphone, which separates your voice from any distracting background noise that might be on the call. The feature uses machine learning to block out ambient...
OneDrive for Web Gains Image Editing Tools, Coming to iOS App Soon
OneDrive users can now edit pictures after they've uploaded them to the cloud storage service, thanks to the addition of basic photo editing features announced this week by Microsoft.
Similar to tools found in Google Photos, the new features include standard cropping options with built-in presets for images to be used on social media, as well as flip and 90-degree and incremental rotate...
Apple TV+ and Other Streaming Services Could Face Ofcom Regulation in the UK
U.S. video streaming services including Apple TV+, Netflix, and Disney+ are likely to face tighter regulation in the U.K. as part of proposals being considered by the British government.
Ministers at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport today announced that they will consult on plans to bring streaming video platforms under British broadcasting laws in order to level the...
Tim Cook Reportedly Called Nancy Pelosi and Other Members of Congress to Warn Against Passing Antitrust Bills
Apple CEO Tim Cook personally called U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress to ask for a delay in considering new antitrust legislation proposals that seek to undo tech giants' market dominance, according to The New York Times.
The antitrust bills were rushed, he said. They would crimp innovation. And they would hurt consumers by disrupting the services that power Apple’s...
First National UK Emergency Alerts Test Set for Today, But iPhones Won't Be Included in Testing Until Next Week
The U.K. government on Tuesday will perform its first national test of a new Emergency Alerts system, but only Android users will receive the alert, with iPhones to be included in a smaller, regional test later this month, the Cabinet Office has confirmed to MacRumors.
The government-issued emergency alerts, set to go live this summer, are part of a public safety system similar to one used...
London Underground to Gain Full Mobile Phone Coverage by 2024
London Underground passengers will be able to get mobile coverage across the rail network by the end of 2024, it has been announced.
In a press release, Transport for London (TfL) said the capital's Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road and Bank stations would be among the first fully connected stations by the end of the year, followed by Tottenham Court Road, Euston, and Camden Town by the...
Facebook Aims to Take on Clubhouse With 'Live Audio Rooms'
Facebook this week launched its Clubhouse competitor in the U.S., called Live Audio Rooms, along with its new podcasts service, details of which we covered previously.
To begin with, Live Audio Rooms is only available to some public figures and certain groups, and can only be hosted through the Facebook iOS app, but both iOS and Android users can join a room, and the feature supports up to...
iPhone 13 Chipmakers Poised to Scale Up Supply in the Third Quarter
Apple is set to receive supply priority status from pure play foundry TSMC for iPhone 13 chip orders going into the third quarter of 2021, as the Taiwanese partner grapples with orders for automative and other device chips amid a supply shortfall, according to DigiTimes.
TSMC is also set to ramp up its output for the upcoming iPhone series in the third quarter, the sources indicated.Other chip ...
Russian Parliament Votes to Force US Tech Giants to Open Local Offices or Face Punitive Measures
Apple and other U.S. tech companies could be forced to open offices in Russia or face punitive measures, as part of a push by Russia to improve its internet "sovereignty."
Russian lawmakers passed legislation last week that requires foreign sites with more than half a million daily users in Russia to set up a local branch or Russian legal entity, reports Reuters:
Websites that do not comply ...
iOS Bug Causes Specific Network Name to Disable Wi-Fi on iPhones
A wireless network naming bug has been discovered in iOS that effectively disables an iPhone's ability to connect to Wi-Fi.
Security researcher Carl Schou found that after joining a Wi-Fi network with the name "%p%s%s%s%s%n" his iPhone's Wi-Fi functionality was left "permanently disabled."
Changing a hotspot's SSID did nothing to correct the problem, with even a reboot failing to make a...
Fox Now App No Longer Supports Third-Generation Apple TV
The Fox Now app has removed support for the third-generation Apple TV, with the app now only compatible with fourth-generation and later models of Apple's set-top box.
Existing installs of Fox Now on third-gen Apple TVs no longer work, and the app has been removed from home screens, preventing users on the older hardware from accessing Fox live and on-demand content like TV shows and sports.
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