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

AT&T has announced that it is working with several global tech leaders to enable faster 5G deployment once 3GPP completes the first release of the official specifications, which will form the basis of the global standards for the next-generation wireless technology. Specifically, the carrier has entered preliminary discussions with Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, LG, Nokia,...

The SnapPower Charger, designed to make it easy to add USB ports to a wall outlet with no complicated wiring, originated on Kickstarter in 2015. It's basically an outlet replacement that features two standard sockets and an additional USB port, and it's meant to be simple enough to install in just a couple of minutes. SnapPower is available in three colors (white, light almond, and ivory) to ...

The "mega cycle" iPhone 8 and, presumably, iPhone 8 Plus, might have different displays according to new speculation from Gabelli & Co. research analyst Hendi Susanto (via Barrons). In a discussion with Universal Display executive Darice Liu, Apple's potential use of OLED displays in an upcoming iPhone model surfaced, leading to the talk about overall display technology for the iPhone 8....

Automatic today announced the launch of its next-generation connected car adapter, the Automatic Pro. The Automatic Pro, built on the second-generation Automatic Adapter, is the company's new flagship adapter, equipped with 3G cellular connectivity. With an always-on 3G connection that carries no subscription fees, the Automatic Adapter is no longer reliant on an iPhone for functionality. Data ...

Alleged leaked images of two new upcoming products from Fitbit were published by TechnoBuffalo yesterday. The images claim to show promotional shots of the wearable company's Fitbit Charge 2 and Fitbit Flex 2, both of which have been rumored since trademark applications for the Mark II devices were discovered earlier this year. The image of the Fitbit Charge 2 shows a larger screen than...

This week, Google released a new app called Duo, which allows for FaceTime-style video calling. Unlike FaceTime, though, Duo allows for cross platform calls that work on both Android and iOS mobile devices, so it isn't limited to users who only have an iPhone. In the video below, we went hands on with Duo to see just how well it works and whether it's a serious FaceTime competitor. Subscribe ...

Apple is hiring a Lyrics Curation Manager and Lyrics Curators, presumably to work on the new Apple Music feature in iOS 10 that provides song lyrics alongside each Apple Music song that is playing. First noticed by MusicBusinessWorldwide, the job listings are for the Content Curation team, responsible for "maintaining the very best user experience possible around content." We're looking for ...

Nearly one month after Apple Pay launched in Hong Kong, the iPhone-based contactless payments service has expanded to The Bank of East Asia (BEA) and Hong Kong Telekom (HKT)'s Tap & Go contactless payments network. BEA customers can add eligible MasterCard and Visa credit cards to Apple Pay and receive 5,000 bonus points between now and August 22, while the first 30,000 customers that...

Hunter Fan Company has announced that Signal, the first ceiling fan with HomeKit support, is now available for $379 through its website, Amazon, Build.com, Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, and in lighting showrooms throughout the United States. The Symphony, a cheaper version with white blades, will launch in the fall for $329. Hunter Fan Company first introduced the Signal and Symphony at CES...

After first launching in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Latin America, Obi Worldphone is now expanding availability to the United Kingdom with the launch of its flagship £99 smartphone, the Obi MV1. Former Apple CEO John Sculley is one of the co-founders of Obi, which "is in the business of making more affordable devices," as opposed to Apple's higher-cost iPhones (via Engadget). Images ...

Google has announced a new one-to-one video calling app for iOS and Android called Duo, which the company says aims to take the complexity and frustration out of video calling. Users of Duo sign into the app using just their phone number and Google then sends them a confirmation text. After that, users can video call anyone in their contacts list who also have Duo installed. Google says...

Apple has green-lighted its carrier billing feature for iTunes users in Taiwan and Switzerland, allowing them to charge app and media transactions directly to their cellphone bill (via Mashable). The two countries join Germany and Russia in allowing customers to pay for music, movies, apps, books (excepting Taiwan, since Apple doesn't sell books there), Apple Music memberships, and other...

Starting this week, Logitech-owned Jaybird's Freedom Wireless Bluetooth Headphones are available for purchase in two new exclusive colors from the Apple Online Store and Apple retail locations. Designed to match Apple's line of iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches, the two exclusive colors include a Space Gray and Rose Gold. The Space Gray Freedom earbuds feature Space Gray highlights on the...

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming watchOS 3 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the fifth beta and two months after first unveiling watchOS 3 at its 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference. The sixth watchOS 3 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on an iPhone by going to General --> Software update. To install the update, the ...

Apple today provided developers with the sixth beta of tvOS 10, the next-generation operating system designed to run on the fourth-generation Apple TV. tvOS 10 beta 6 comes one week after the release of tvOS beta 5 and two months after the operating system was first shown off at Apple's 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference tvOS betas are harder to install than beta updates for iOS and OS X....

In China, low-cost smartphones have brought an overall uptick in sales in the second quarter of 2016, while high-end devices -- from companies like Apple and Samsung -- continue to face declining sales numbers in the country (via DigiTimes). Local vendors in China are said to be "focused on promoting entry-level and mid-range 4G models," instead of trying to convince the Chinese public that Apple ...

Microsoft today updated its suite of Office apps designed for the iPhone, adding finger-drawing support to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. In January, the company added inking support to its productivity suite for the iPad Pro to take advantage of the Apple Pencil, but now iPhone users can also make use of the feature using their digits. A new Draw tab can be found in each of the three apps. ...

Apple continues to build upon the transit coverage of Apple Maps, today adding the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the City of San Antonio to supported areas in Texas. The support marks the first expansion of transit coverage beyond the state's capital of Austin. In Dallas and Fort Worth, Apple will now offer up several city transit routes, including transportation by the Dallas Area Rapid...