MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

Amazon yesterday announced its Echo connected smart speaker is now available to pre-order in the U.K. and Germany, signaling the end of a 14-month wait for the device to become available outside of the U.S. For those unfamiliar with the device, the Echo's array of microphones lets users query voice-based assistant Alexa, who can be asked to do things like play music, read the news, use apps,...

Within the new Photos app in iOS 10, there's a tab called "Memories," which curates various photos and videos you've taken in the past into specific memory collections. Without any steps required on your part, Memories gives you an automatic homemade movie from these past family gatherings or vacations, but thanks to a few editing tools, you can also tweak each memory to your liking (note all...

In iOS 10, the Messages app is gaining Digital Touch, a communication feature that was previously limited to watchOS. With Digital Touch, you can send friends and family drawings, heartbeats, fireballs, kisses, and more, all with just a few taps. Sketches, taps, and other Digital Touch messages created on your iPhone are also viewable on the Apple Watch and vice versa, giving you plenty of...

Although iOS 10 brings with it a few subtle visual and mechanical changes, some of its alterations to the most-used iPhone software features will probably be pretty easy to spot. One of those is the new Control Center, which has not only received a cosmetic upgrade, but has gotten a few new added abilities as well. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The Control...

With iOS 10, Apple has focused on expanding 3D Touch functionality to make it more relevant to users, in the hope that they eventually come to see it as second nature. If you have an iPhone 6s or later, there are a wide range of 3D Touch gestures that you can test out in iOS 10, particularly from the home screen. Here we've compiled a list of native app icons that now support 3D Touch, as...

In iOS 10, Apple has redesigned the entire Lock screen experience, eliminating the "Slide to Unlock" feature and changing the unlocking interaction on its most recent devices. On the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 7, and 7 Plus, a new "Raise to Wake" feature that automatically activates the screen of the iPhone changes the unlocking interaction, requiring a physical button press to open the iPhone to the ...

Twitter today launched an app for the Apple TV, letting users of Apple's fourth-generation set-top box "consume the best of Twitter," mainly focusing on live-streaming video. The company said that the app will encompass all live-streaming content available on Twitter, including the ability for users to watch Thursday Night Football, which was rumored in August. In addition to NFL content,...

India is seeking discussions with Apple about including state-funded biometric ID technology to authenticate its citizens, according to Bloomberg. The government initiative is part of a national biometric identity program called Aadhaar (Hindi for 'foundation'), which already covers fingerprint and iris-scanning authentication across a range of public and private services including banking. ...

In iOS 10, Apple is making it even easier to use emojis with an all-new replacement and predictive system that replaces key words and phrases with relevant emoji characters. Although still short of a full-featured search functionality -- which many have asked for -- the new emoji replacement ability turns text messages into emoji-filled communications that are fun alternatives to basic blocks of...

In iOS 10, Messages features creative tools to give users new ways to express themselves and communicate with friends and family. Additions include new bubble effects that change the way iMessage bubbles look, tapback reaction options for sending quick feedback on texts or photos, and screen effects that add fireworks, confetti, and more to the whole messages screen. All of these tools are...

Apple is expanding the iPhone's photo editing abilities in iOS 10 with a new feature called "Markup" that lets you doodle, magnify, and place text on any picture you have within the Photos app. Thanks to Markup's flexibility, it could be used for both casually sharing photos with friends and family, and also to enhance and add detail to an image in an enterprise situation. Markup is also...

Amid today's glut of app updates for iOS 10, Niantic Labs updated popular augmented reality game Pokémon Go, adding some promised new features that should make the Pokémon-catching experience better. New in Pokémon Go is a Buddy feature that lets users choose a favorite Pokémon as a buddy. The Pokémon acting as a buddy will earn candy after a certain distance is traveled, making it much...

In iOS 10, the simple Messages app you're familiar with has transformed from a bare bones texting platform into a fun, interactive communication service that takes advantage of games, apps, drawings, stickers, message effects, and more. Following in the footsteps of apps like Facebook and Line, Apple is delving into stickers in a big way, giving iOS users new ways of expressing themselves....

With a brand-new iOS operating system now available, many users are excited to delve into iOS 10's biggest and boldest changes, like an overhauled Messages app and a more personal space in Photos to relive past vacations and family get-togethers. However, before you even get to all of iOS 10's new features, you'll have to get used to its new lock screen mechanisms, which completely change the way ...

Apple today updated its iWork line of apps, including Pages, Keynote, and Numbers, for iOS 10. The new versions of the apps include a real-time collaboration feature, which is available as a beta. With real-time collaboration, first announced on September 7, multiple users can edit an iWork document at one time using a Mac, an iOS device, or iCloud.com. Real-time collaboration allows all users ...

Alongside iOS 10, tvOS 10, and watchOS 3, Apple today officially released Swift Playgrounds, a new app aimed at teaching both children and adults how to code through simple interactive coding exercises. It's meant to make learning to code "easy and fun" for everyone. First announced in June at WWDC, Swift Playgrounds is meant for beginners who have no experience with coding, and it will be...

Third-party accessory company Mophie today announced the "Power Capsule," a new carrying case with a built-in battery that's aimed at recharging wireless headphones. Mophie's new accessory is well-timed, following Apple's move to Lightning-connected headphones in the iPhone 7 and the slowly growing adoption of wireless solutions, including Apple's own AirPods, which include their own charging...

Twelve South today announced the launch of a revamped HiRise, its popular stand for the iPhone and the iPad. The HiRise 2 features an all new design with with a smaller overall footprint but a heavier overall body, so it's better able to hold up larger devices like the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. Due to its small size, it's not recommended for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, but it works with all other...