Microsoft

Fortnite has been unavailable to play on the iPhone and iPad since Apple banned it from the App Store amid an ongoing legal battle with Epic Games, but the battle royale game has returned to iOS devices thanks to Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming service. This article explains how to get Fortnite up and running on the service – keep reading to learn how it works. Apple removed popular title...

With the release of iOS 14.5 and tvOS 14.5, Apple users can now connect their PS5 DualSense and Xbox Series X controllers to an iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Keep reading to learn how it works. Since iOS 13 and tvOS 13, users have been able to connect popular console controllers to an iPhone or Apple TV to play Apple Arcade games and other iOS games, instead of having to spend extra money on...

With iOS 13 and tvOS 13, Apple users are now able to connect their favorite console controllers to an iPhone or Apple TV. In this guide, we've provided a quick rundown of how to go about pairing the DualShock 4 Wireless Controller and Xbox Wireless Controller to both iOS and tvOS devices. Previously, MFi controllers were the only solution to playing games on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. With...

Microsoft today announced that its AI-enhanced Bing browser now includes Bing Image Creator, image-generating technology powered by OpenAI's DALL-E deep learning model. DALL-E is designed to generate digital content through natural language descriptions, and it has been a popular image generation tool for some time now. Microsoft says that the Bing Image Creator will bring AI-powered visual...

Microsoft is reportedly preparing to launch an Xbox games store on the iPhone as early as next year, but the plans depend on multiple regulatory measures. In an interview with the Financial Times, Microsoft's gaming chief Phil Spencer said the app's launch hinges on regulators approving the company's acquisition of video game maker Activision Blizzard, as this would give Microsoft a wider...

Microsoft today announced that its Outlook app for Mac is now free to use, eliminating the need for a Microsoft 365 subscription or license. Outlook supports multiple email providers, including Outlook.com, Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo Mail, and others, with a unified inbox and universal search functionality available. As noted by The Verge, the app has been optimized for Macs with Apple silicon...

Microsoft today announced that it is adding iPhone support to its Phone Link app on Windows 11. The app allows iPhone users to make and receive phone calls, send and receive text messages, and view an iPhone's notifications directly on a PC. Notably, the app brings limited iMessage functionality to Windows. After pairing an iPhone with a PC via Bluetooth and granting some permissions on the...

Microsoft today announced the rollout of new Bing, Skype, and Edge apps for the iPhone and the iPad, all of which feature the chat-based AI-powered search capabilities that the company unveiled earlier in February. The redesigned Bing mobile app has an overhauled look and a new chat experience. Tapping on the Bing icon at the bottom of the app opens up a chat session, where users can ask the ...

The growing popularity of OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot has inspired Microsoft and Google to add conversational AI functionality into their search products, with both companies making AI-related announcements this week. Google yesterday introduced Bard, a chatbot AI project that has been in the works for some time. Powered by Google's Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA), Bard is an...

Microsoft Authenticator is no longer available on the Apple Watch following an update to the app released on the App Store today. "This update removes Microsoft Authenticator from Apple Watch," reads the release notes for the update. Microsoft notes that in the Apple Watch's notification settings, you can still choose to mirror iPhone alerts from the app to your Apple Watch. Primarily...

Last October, Microsoft announced that Apple Music and Apple TV apps would be coming to the Microsoft Store in 2023 for installation on Windows devices, providing significant improvements for users on those platforms who have had to access ‌Apple Music‌ via the web or Apple's outdated iTunes for Windows app and Apple TV+ via the web. Preview versions of the two apps, as well as an Apple...

Microsoft Authenticator for iOS will drop support for the Apple Watch companion app from January 2023, the company has revealed. Used principally for signing into Microsoft accounts with two-step verification enabled, the Microsoft Authenticator for iOS gained an Apple Watch companion app in 2018. The watch app supports Microsoft personal, work, and school accounts that are set up with...

Microsoft is looking to build a "super app" that incorporates a messaging platform, shopping, web search, and news into a single app, an apparent attempt to go after Apple and Google's app store platforms. According to a report today by The Information, Microsoft has been in the early stages of building a "super app" at the direction of the company's CEO Satya Nadella. Nadella has reportedly ...

Microsoft's popular third-party keyboard for iOS, SwiftKey, is back on the App Store just weeks after the company announced it would be shutting down the app and delisting it from the platform. In September, Microsoft said SwiftKey for iOS was being shut down and removed from the ‌App Store‌ for no clear reason. SwiftKey has been a popular alternative for iPhone users to Apple's default iOS...

Microsoft today announced that iCloud Photos integration in the Photos app on Windows 11 is beginning to roll out today with an update to the app on the Microsoft Store. Microsoft expects the update to be available to all Windows 11 customers by end of the month. iCloud Photos integration allows iPhone users to access all of their photos in the Photos app on Windows 11 devices. In a blog...

Microsoft today announced that dedicated Apple Music and Apple TV apps will be available on Windows devices next year. The company also announced that iCloud Photos integration is coming to the Photos app on Windows 11 devices later this year. The standalone Apple Music and Apple TV apps will provide a much improved experience for Windows users who use these services. Currently, Windows...

Microsoft is ending support for its SwiftKey predictive keyboard for iPhone and the app will be delisted from the App Store next week, the company confirmed on Wednesday. Responding to a request from ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley for more information after a lack of updates to the app for over a year, director of product management at SwiftKey, Chris Wolfe, gave the following statement: "As of...

Netflix today announced that it plans to partner up with Microsoft for its planned ad-supported streaming tier, with Microsoft set to handle ad sales. Netflix says that Microsoft will be able to support all of its advertising needs for the new, more affordable streaming option. In April we announced that we will introduce a new lower priced ad-supported subscription plan for consumers, in...

Apple is not among the founding members of a new "metaverse" standards body that includes Meta, Microsoft, Sony, Epic Games, Nvidia, Adobe, and others (via Reuters). Announced in a press release, "the Metaverse Standards Forum brings together companies and standards organizations to foster alignment on requirements and priorities for metaverse interoperability standards, and accelerate their ...

In news that could weigh heavily on the future success of Apple TV, Microsoft has confirmed it is working to bring an affordable streaming device to market that would allow users to play Xbox games without the need for a full-blown console. It has been suggested for years that Microsoft wants to make gaming accessible to more people by cutting out the need to invest in a pricey console. The...

If you've been missing Fortnite on the iPhone and the iPad during the Apple vs. Epic Games legal battle, Microsoft has good news for you - the Xbox Cloud Gaming service now supports Fortnite, which means you can play on your iOS device using Safari or another browser. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. In our latest YouTube video, we thought we'd check out Fortnite...

Microsoft today announced that Fortnite is available through its Xbox Cloud Gaming service, which means iPhone and iPad users can play Fortnite for free with just a Microsoft account. Fortnite is the first free-to-play game that has been aded to Xbox Cloud Gaming, which is still available in a beta capacity. Xbox Cloud Gaming is available in 26 countries and Fortnite can be played on Android ...

Apple was granted 2,541 patents in the United States last year, surpassed by only six other companies, IFI Claims reports. In its rankings of the top 50 U.S. patent assignees in 2021 (via Patently Apple), IFI Claims Patent Services shows that Apple was granted 250 fewer patents in 2021 compared to the previous year, a nine percent decrease. Even so, Apple moved one place up the rankings in...