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
Facebook Includes Secret Soccer Game in Latest 'Messenger' App Update
Facebook has included a secret soccer game in the latest update to its Messenger app to celebrate Euro 2016 and Copa America.
To play the game, called "Keepy Up", update the iOS Messenger app and send a friend a soccer ball emoji, then tap the emoji in the chat thread to launch the game, the aim of which is to keep the ball in the air.
The game can be started again using the same emoji in ...
Read Full Article • 15 comments
Samsung Leak Reveals 'Smart Glow' Rear-Side Notification System for Phones
An interesting leak has emerged online this morning that suggests Samsung is about to bring a new type of light notification technology to the rear case of its smartphones.
Android phones often come with a separate notification LED on the front of the handset that alerts users to missed messages and calls. Otherwise, notifications are usually assumed to relate to the display of a mobile...
Apple Invites Retail Employees to Test Pre-Release Versions of macOS Sierra
Apple has begun inviting its retail store employees to try pre-release versions of macOS Sierra, the latest version of its Mac software platform and renamed successor to OS X El Capitan.
Staff who sign up to the voluntary AppleSeed program are set to receive pre-release versions of macOS Sierra to install on their personal computers for use on their own time.
Apple is hoping that staff...
Apple Launches 2016 Back to School Promotion in Europe, Free Beats With Qualifying Purchases
Apple has extended its Back to School promotion to countries in Europe, offering a free pair of Beats Solo2 Wireless Headphones with eligible purchases.
At the beginning of June, Apple launched its annual Back to School promotion in the U.S. and Canada, offering the headphones to qualifying students and select others that purchase an eligible Mac, iPhone, or iPad Pro with education pricing.
...
Alleged Leaked Image of iPhone 7 Shows Touch-Sensitive Home Button
Photos have emerged online purporting to show the front of an iPhone 7 with a touch-sensitive home button flush with the front of the handset.
Ever since the launch of the original iPhone, Apple's handsets have featured a physical button that users press to return to the home screen, and press and hold for other functions.
But photos passed to mobile tech site mobipicker.com appear to...
Apple Steps up Procurement for New Apple Watch, Targets Late 2016 Debut
Apple has stepped up procurement of chips and components for the second-generation Apple Watch, according to sources from the supply chain (via DigiTimes).
Shipments of chips and components for the second-gen Apple Watch are reportedly set to begin in the third quarter, indicating a launch later this year.
Orders for the upcoming Apple Watch have been higher-than-expected, according to...
U.S. Appeals Court Rules in Favor of FCC Net Neutrality Rules
A U.S. appeals court yesterday upheld landmark federal rules preventing internet service providers from obstructing or slowing down consumer access to web content (via Reuters).
The backing for the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules came in a 2-1 decision by a three-judge panel in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The outcome reaffirms the...
Apple Touts 'Differential Privacy' Data Gathering Technique in iOS 10
With the announcement of iOS 10 at WWDC on Monday, Apple mentioned its adoption of "Differential Privacy" – a mathematical technique that allows the company to collect user information that helps it enhance its apps and services while keeping the data of individual users private.
During the company's keynote address, Senior VP of software engineering Craig Federighi – a vocal advocate of...
Apple Granted Patent For iPhone With Wraparound All-Glass Display
Apple has been granted a patent for a possible future iPhone with a wraparound all-glass display (via Patently Apple).
The application was submitted in 2011 but granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today, detailing various embodiments of a portable consumer device with a wraparound screen.
In one example, the device is described as having a transparent housing and a flexible...
Apple Drops Requirement for tvOS Games to Use Siri Remote as Controller
Apple has quietly dropped the requirement that tvOS developers make their games playable using the Siri Remote as a controller.
The policy change was discovered in an update to an existing Apple TV support document covering the use of game controllers, and highlighted by MacRumors' sister site TouchArcade as a revision that will surely be welcomed by developers and gamers alike.
The ...
Apple Unveils Multiple New 'Messages' App Features Coming in iOS 10
Apple has announced a number of new features for the Messages app in iOS 10, including Digital Touch videos and new chat bubble effects.
Messages now shows shared media inside chat transcripts, so that link and image thumbnail previews display, Apple Music tracks can be listened to, and videos can be played without leaving the app.
The camera functionality has also been enhanced inside...
Apple Announces Enhanced 'QuickType' Keyboard Functions in iOS 10
Apple has unveiled extensive new functionality, multiple language support, and Siri-enhanced features for the QuickType keyboard in iOS 10.
The update brings significantly expanded contextual awareness to the QuickType keyboard when responding to messages, with a number of suggested replies offered directly from Siri.
For example, if someone texts you a question like "Where are you?" Siri ...
Apple Announces 'Breathe' Mindfulness App for Apple Watch
Apple has today announced a new mindfulness-based health app for the Apple Watch called 'Breathe'.
Breathe is designed to help users alleviate everyday stresses by coaching them through timed breathing sessions, which can be launched from the watch face and set up in advance with reminders.
Breathing sessions can be set to last between one and five minutes using the Digital Crown on the...
Apple Unveils macOS 'Sierra' With New Continuity Features, Window Tabs, Apple Watch Login, Siri, and More
Apple used its WWDC 2016 keynote on Monday to unveil macOS 'Sierra', the successor to its OS X 10.11 El Capitan operating system for the Mac, promising window tab support across multiple apps, copy and paste between devices, Siri integration, and more.
The announcement of a change in naming convention also means that Apple now has a consistent naming structure across all its software...
Bethesda and id Software Announce 'Quake Champions' at E3 2016
Bethesda Softworks has revealed it is working on a brand new entry in the Quake franchise called Quake Champions.
A spiritual successor to first-person shooter Doom, Quake appeared 20 years ago and was the first FPS to focus on arena-based multiplayer combat and frenetic team-based game modes.
Tim Willits of iD Software and co-designer of the original Quake, revealed the news of the...
Microsoft Refreshes iOS 'Xbox' App Ahead of E3 Press Conference
Microsoft has overhauled its Xbox app for iOS, bringing new features and a look that's more in line with its Windows 10 range of mobile apps.
The "Xbox One SmartGlass" app, which is now titled simply "Xbox", enables an iOS device to function as a remote control to maneuver through the Xbox One's dashboard. It also displays information on the device when playing music or TV through the console, ...
Apple-backed Chinese Uber Rival Didi Chuxing Raises Another $600 Million
Chinese car-hailing service Didi Chuxing revealed today that it has secured a $600 million investment from China Life Insurance Company Ltd, one month after it raised $1 billion courtesy of Apple (via Fortune).
China Life is the largest insurer in the Asia-Pacific region by market value. The agreed investment reportedly includes equity of $300 million and a long-term borrowing commitment of...
Concept Imagines What a 'Deep Blue' or 'Dark Blue' iPhone 7 Could Look Like
Following rumors that Apple is prepping a "Deep Blue" or "Dark Blue" color option to replace the Space Gray color for the upcoming iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, designer Martin Hajek has created some renderings imagining what such handsets might look like.
Hajek's renderings reflect myriad rumors pointing towards only minor changes for the 2016 iPhone. When it comes to size and thickness, the ...
Siri References OS X 'Finder' Ahead of WWDC 2016 [Update: Siri May Know 'Dark Mode' Too]
Expectation that Apple is set to announce Siri for the Mac at WWDC 2016 has intensified over the weekend, thanks to an apparently unprompted reference to OS X leaked by none other than the personal assistant on iPhone.
Asking Siri the oddly worded question, "Open settings in the window" simply opens the iOS Settings app. But the same question with the word 'Siri' included at the beginning of...
Facebook Forcing Users to Install 'Moments' App to Retain Synced Photos
Facebook has begun notifying users who upload photos from their iOS devices that their synced albums will be deleted next month (via TechCrunch).
Facebook's iOS photo syncing feature was launched in 2012, and let users automatically upload all photos on their mobile devices to a private album called 'Synced' or 'Synced from Phone'.
The idea behind the feature was that copying the photos...
