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

T-Mobile announced today it has recently implemented 4x4 MIMO in 319 cities across the United States, effectively doubling the number of data paths between the network's cell towers and compatible smartphones. The carrier has also launched 256 QAM for downloads and 64 QAM for uploads across half of its network, with a nationwide rollout to be completed by the end of October. These new quadrat...

Masimo has announced that its MightySat fingertip pulse oximeter can now be purchased from Apple.com and select Apple retail locations in the U.S. and Canada. The pulse oximeter provides noninvasive measurements of oxygen saturation, pulse rate, and perfusion index, allegedly with greater accuracy than over a dozen other hospital-grade pulse oximeters.In a study of 70 healthy volunteers...

The president of Samsung has confessed that recalling 2.5 million of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones will cost the company a "heartbreaking amount". According to Bloomberg, the comment came on Friday when the head of Samsung's mobile business Koh Dong-Jin was asked by reporters about the financial impact of having to recall the phones, following the discovery of a defect in the batteries that...

Apple Music for Android today surpassed 10 million downloads on the Google Play store, nearly ten months after it was released on the platform. Specifically, the app's total number of installs is now between 10 million and 50 million, up from between 5 million and 10 million, as of some point in the past day. Apple Music expanded to Android in November 2015, around four months after the...

Apple has begun selling gift cards for Apple Music annual subscriptions at the discounted price of $99. The 12-month gift cards work out at $8.25 per month, offering an 18 percent saving over the standard $9.99 monthly subscription rate for Apple's streaming service. Currently the gift cards are being offered at brick-and-mortar Apple stores and select third-party sellers like Best Buy, but...

Apple has reportedly hiked orders for parts and components required for the production of the upcoming iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, according to sources from the supply chain in Taiwan (via DigiTimes). Apple shipped on average 30 million iPhone 6s units a month in the second half of 2015. The company originally predicted shipments of the iPhone 7 this year would reach only 60 percent of that number...

At WWDC this year, Apple announced a new "Discovery Mix" playlist that would recommend music and artists to each Apple Music subscriber based on their listening habits and favorite songs. Yesterday, the feature became available to users on the iOS 10 beta, now under a different name: one playlist called "My New Music Mix" and another called "My Favorites Mix" (via AppleInsider). My New Music ...

Apple has quietly updated the radio section of Apple Music and iTunes with a few new pieces of artwork for stations like "Pop Workout," "Dance," and "Classical." The new art can be seen within the radio tab of the Music app on iOS and iTunes on OS X. Apple is expected to touch upon software updates coming to its mobile and desktop operating systems at its iPhone-centric event next Wednesday, ...

China-based ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing is under an antitrust investigation, spearheaded by China’s Ministry of Commerce, following Didi's acquisition of Uber's Chinese operations earlier in the summer (via The Wall Street Journal). The Ministry of Commerce said today that it's opened an investigation "after it received questions over whether the ride-hailing deal complied with the...

Zagg today announced the launch of its two newest screen protectors for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, introducing the InvisibleShield Sapphire Defense and the InvisibleShield Glass+. The Sapphire Defense InvisibleShield is a hybrid glass screen protector infused with sapphire to give it superior scratch resistance. According to Zagg, the Sapphire Defense combines sapphire, glass, and traditional...

Fiat Chrysler today announced the debut of its fourth-generation UConnect infotainment system, which includes support for both CarPlay and Android Auto, reports Fiat Chrysler Authority. The revamped infotainment system features an updated 8.4-inch touchscreen with faster startup times, improved processing power, and a sharper display. It will be introduced initially in 2017 Chrysler 300, Dodge ...

In yet another deeper push into video, Facebook today is rolling out a new update to its Messenger app [Direct Link] that adds a new live video button into every chat window. When used, Facebook users will begin live streaming in a small pop-up window with sound turned off by default, allowing them to keep texting with the person on the other end while sharing visual details of their location...

Nokia-owned Withings today announced the launch of its newest activity tracker, debuting the Withings Steel HR analog fitness tracking watch with a built-in heart rate monitor. Like the Apple Watch, it uses green LED lights to detect variation in the level of the blood in the wrist, a technology known as photoplethysmography. Available in two sizes -- 36mm and 40mm -- the Withings Steel HR...

Misfit today announced expanded color options available for its Shine 2 activity tracker, debuting four new Shine 2 colors accompanied by 14 new Sport Band options and four new Field Bands in woven nylon and leather. According to Misfit, the new colors have been inspired by the "nostalgia of picturesque summer landscapes" with bold brights, muted pastels, and neutral colors to match all...

A week after announcing the "Osmo+" handheld gimbal with integrated zoom, DJI today is debuting another member of the Osmo line, called the Osmo Mobile, which acts as a stabilization system for compatible smartphones "that turns them into intelligent, precision camera systems." As with previous products, the iPhone will work with the Osmo Mobile, including the iPhone 5, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and...

Just six days before Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 7 without a headphone jack, Libratone has introduced new Q Adapt in-ear noise-cancelling headphones with a Lightning connector in lieu of a standard 3.5mm audio jack. The headphones feature a battery-free design with four levels of active noise cancellation, drawing power from the iPhone or iPad they are connected to through the...

Personal media collection app Plex today announced a new bonus for users subscribed to its "Plex Pass" service, introducing a DVR function that can record shows on free digital broadcast channels. The company calls DVR an expansion of its footprint in streaming media, and hopes it makes the premium tiers more enticing for its customers who might be unsure of upgrading from the free service. To ...

Logitech released its Logi Circle home monitoring camera last September, but up until now, it has offered only 24 hours of storage, leaving users with no way to store multiple days of footage. That's set to change with the debut of the new Logitech "Circle Safe" subscription-based video storage plan that will let users keep and replay video footage beyond 24 hours. Circle Safe will allow...