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

Apple today added Japanese mobile operator KDDI to its list of carriers that support the Apple SIM for the iPad, expanding Apple SIM availability to Japan for the first time. The Apple SIM can now be purchased in Japanese Apple stores in addition to retail stores in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK and the United States. The ...

IHS Technology research director Kevin Wang, who previously said a new 4-inch iPhone would launch by the end of 2015, has now changed his prediction to mid 2016 on Chinese microblogging service Sina Weibo (via GforGames), corroborating information shared by reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Wang did not provide any new details about Apple's oft-rumored 4-inch iPhone, beyond...

Adding to its lineup of Activité-branded watch-style activity trackers, Withings today announced the Activité Steel. The Activité Steel is designed to fit in between the expensive original Activité and the more affordable Activité Pop. Like the other Activité activity trackers, the Activité Steel is designed to look more like a traditional wrist watch than a fitness device. It features a...

Back in mid-September, Logitech's Ultimate Ears brand rolled out the UE Boom 2, an upgraded version of its popular mid-level Bluetooth portable speaker. With Apple adding the new speaker to its online store and retail locations a few weeks ago, we decided to take a look at the new and improved speaker. Priced at $200, the UE Boom 2 isn't the cheapest Bluetooth speaker on the market, but its...

As the new iPad Pro makes its way into the hands of customers, Apple has debuted two new featured sections in the App Store to highlight apps and games that are either enhanced for the device or take advantage of its larger screen. The first section, "Amazing Apps for iPad Pro", is split into five subcategories: Enhanced for Apple Pencil, Desktop-Class Apps, Powerful Multitasking, Unleash...

First Alert has created the first HomeKit-enabled smoke alarm, today introducing the Onelink Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm with HomeKit integration (via The Verge). Similar to the Nest Protect, the Onelink Smoke Alarm is able to detect smoke and carbon monoxide, sending alerts to a user's iPhone. Through the iPhone app, the Onelink Smoke Alarm is able to test the viability of a smoke...

Brydge, a company that sells high-quality keyboards for the iPad, has expanded its keyboard lineup with a new BrydgeMini model designed to work with the iPad mini 1, 2, and 3. With the BrydgeMini, which has been modeled after a MacBook keyboard, the iPad mini turns into a miniature MacBook - albeit with a much more cramped typing surface. Like all Brydge keyboards, the BrydgeMini is made from...

F.lux, a popular app for the Mac that allows users to adjust the color of their screen based on the time of day, yesterday expanded to iOS with a beta app, but as of today, the app is no longer available. Because iOS does not have the necessary documented APIs to allow f.lux to function, f.lux was skirting the App Store with private APIs and asking users to install its iOS app through Xcode,...

Apple originally debuted Live Photos for iPhones in 2015, touting them as an enhanced mode of photography that lets you take pictures which move when you press on them. Since then, ‌Live Photos‌ have become a standard feature available on iPhones and most iPads, and Apple has added some extra tricks in successive versions of iOS. Basically, a Live Photo is a combination of a video clip and...

YouTube today unveiled YouTube Music, a streaming music service and app designed to compete with existing streaming music offerings like Apple Music and Spotify. YouTube Music is part of YouTube Red, the ad-free subscription service YouTube announced last month. The new YouTube Music app is available for both iOS and Android devices, bringing the YouTube Music service to a wide range of...

Following a soft launch and months of testing, Mozilla has released Firefox for iOS on the App Store for free. The WebKit-based web browser for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch features a Firefox-like design, Intelligent Search, Firefox Accounts, Visual Tabs, Private Browsing mode on iOS 9 or later and more. The web browser's features are best suited for users that also use Firefox on Mac or PC: ...

Disney today launched a new Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Starter Pack for the fourth-generation Apple TV, bundling a SteelSeries Nimbus Wireless Controller and a Bluetooth-enabled Disney Infinity Base in a package that's now available for purchase directly from Apple retail stores. The new Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition game for the Apple TV is available on the device as of today, and in addition...

Mophie today announced the debut of a new lineup of Powerstation external batteries, which can be used to charge a range of different electronic devices, including Apple's iPhone and iPad. The new Powerstation battery packs are Mophie's thinnest and lightest yet, with an aluminum finish designed to mesh well with iOS devices and 15W fast charging capabilities. Mophie's new Powerstation...

F.lux, popular Mac software that adjusts the color of your computer's display to adapt to the time of day, has been released for iPhone and iPad in beta outside of the App Store. The app can be downloaded and side-loaded on iOS 9 devices using Xcode 7 on a Mac running OS X 10.10 Yosemite or later. F.lux will adjust your iPhone or iPad display to appear like sunlight during the day, and warm...

Alongside today's launch of the iPad Pro and its Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard accessories, Apple design chief Jony Ive shared his thoughts on the new stylus accessory with The Telegraph. Addressing the device's strong resemblance to an actual pencil, Ive stresses that a familiar and natural feel is key to the user experience.“We hoped if you are used to spending a lot of time using...

Apple today announced it is now allowing developers to invite up to 2,000 individuals to beta test iOS and tvOS apps using the TestFlight beta testing platform, an increase from the former 1,000 participant limit. Since its 2014 launch, Apple has capped TestFlight beta testers at 1,000, but announced plans to expand that number at the June Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple has now made...

Apple today announced the launch of a new series of "Tech Talks" for the Apple TV, designed to help developers learn how to create apps and games for Apple's new set-top box. The Tech Talks are held in a number of cities around the world and are hosted by "Apple experts." The new Apple TV is here, bringing incredible and immersive apps and games to the big screen. Get in-depth technical...

Sonos today announced an update to its Sonos Controller app that will bring a new feature called "Trueplay" to its customers worldwide. The update allows users to fine tune their Sonos speakers, even if the devices are placed in poorly pitched areas of the room, so that the devices sound as good as they would in a higher audio quality setting. Trueplay uses the microphone in your iPhone or...