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

During today's keynote, Apple released several new apps into the App Store under their developer account. The apps are all stock iOS apps that presently come pre-installed under iOS 9. The list includes: - Weather - Stocks - Mail - Maps - Notes - Voice Memos - Watch - Music - FaceTime - iTunes Store - Calendar - Contacts -

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 today revealed an all-new "Swift Playgrounds" app that aims to introduce users to "a new way to learn to code with Swift on iPad." The app -- which will be a free download -- is aimed for a public release on the App Store when iOS 10 launches this fall. The library of Apple-developed programming lessons helps students learn core coding concepts, such as issuing commands, creating...

Today at its WWDC keynote, Apple announced a redesigned version of Apple News, which the company says has 60 million monthly active users and over 2,000 publications. The new Apple News includes a simpler, bolder interface similar to the Apple Music redesign. It also includes new features like subscriptions, breaking news alerts and more. Image via ArsTechnica Apple News now includes...

Apple today revealed an all-new HomeKit-centric app called "Home," which will make its debut in iOS 10 this fall. The app will act as a hub for a user's HomeKit-enabled devices, regardless of their manufacturer, letting users control everything from smart light bulbs to garage door openers from one app. HomeKit will be built into Control Center now as well, letting users tap through their smart...

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 ...

At WWDC today, Apple revealed an all-new Apple Music redesign while also confirming that the service has officially reached 15 million paid subscribers. The redesign introduces a bright and simplistic aesthetic and a new "Library" launch tab on the bottom left. According to Apple, the new design language brings "greater clarity and simplicity to every aspect of the experience." The Library,...

At its WWDC keynote today, Apple announced that it would open Siri up to third-party developers with a public API, allowing users to use Apple's personal assistant AI to summon third-party services and apps hands free. Siri now supports a multitude of app types, including popular third-party messaging apps like WhatsApp and WeChat. Like with iMessage, Siri can be used to send texts to...

Apple today announced that Apple Pay will be coming to Safari on the newly-unveiled macOS Sierra platform. When shopping online on participating websites, users will be able to click a "Pay with Apple Pay" button and authenticate a purchase through an iPhone and even an Apple Watch. Users love to shop online using their Macs and with macOS the shopping experience in Safari is now even better....

Today at its WWDC keynote, Apple unveiled the updated Remote app for the fourth-generation Apple TV and tvOS. The new app mirrors the functionality of the Siri Remote. Noting that its customers wanted an updated version of the Remote app, Apple SVP Eddy Cue said the new app allows users to use their iPhones to play games. The app also allows users to use Siri to command their Apple TV as...

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...

Today at it's WWDC keynote, Apple announced a brand new feature for watchOS 3 called SOS. The emergency call feature works similar to LifeAlert, allowing a user to easily call emergency services when they need it quickly and easily. A user just has to press and hold the side button underneath the Digital Crown, and the emergency call will countdown from three. The Watch will then...

Nissan recently announced that the all-new 2017 Maxima, available now at dealerships worldwide, is its first vehicle with CarPlay support. Apple's dashboard software is included with the Maxima Platinum trim package, which is available for a suggested price of $39,990 in the United States. CarPlay is included as part of NissanConnect, a proprietary system with a wide range of features:...

Japanese website Nikkei is continuing the 2016 doom and gloom sentiment surrounding iPhone sales, reporting that an unnamed source has confirmed that sales figures and shipment numbers for Apple's smartphone lineup will see the first year-over-year decline since the iPhone debuted in 2007. The website cites "lukewarm demand for a new model" and a lack of innovation as the major reasons behind the ...

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, ...

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...

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...

Amazon is planning on launching a new standalone music streaming service that would compete against Apple Music and Spotify, reports Reuters. The new service will be priced similarly to rival services and will feature a "competitive catalog." The service will be offered at $9.99 per month, in line with major rivals, and it will offer a competitive catalog of songs, the sources said. Amazon is...