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Jay-Z's '4:44' album is no longer a Tidal exclusive
Just a week after Jay-Z released 4:44 as an exclusive tied to Sprint and his music service Tidal, it's now available more widely. iTunes / Apple Music, Google Play Music and Amazon Music are all offering the album for listening now, with some including The Story of O.J. animated video. It has not appeared for listening on Spotify yet, but since most of his catalog is still missing from the service it's not entirely surprising. The album has already been certified platinum by the RIAA, but for many, this their first opportunity to have a legit listen.
Kanye West reportedly quits Tidal over money dispute
Kanye West has been one of Tidal's biggest champions: he joined the company the moment Jay-Z relaunched its service, and The Life of Pablo was one of the streaming music service's largest (if temporary) exclusives. However, it appears that the relationship has... soured. TMZ sources claim that Kanye has left the company over a payment squabble involving both Life of Pablo and music videos. It's reportedly a messy dispute, and certainly not what Tidal wanted in an already tumultuous period for the business.
Apple Music's latest personalized playlist helps you chill
Ever since Apple Music got its big redesign last year, you've had access to just two personalized playlists: a favorites mix and a new releases mix. Suffice it to say that this won't cover the bases if you want tunes that suit a specific mood. However, Apple is spreading its wings a bit: it's gradually rolling out its first new custom playlist. The weekly My Chill Mix uses a combination of human curation and an algorithm to deliver songs that help you relax, but also reflect your tastes. You could have a laid-back hip-hop selection, for instance, while your friend gets downtempo electronic tracks.
Apple is bringing iTunes to the Windows Store
Now, here's something you probably weren't expecting: Apple is bringing iTunes to the Windows Store. You'll no longer have to download a conventional desktop app just to play Apple Music or sync your iPhone. It's not certain how the Store version will differ from the regular Windows app (if at all), but it's more the presence itself that matters: You won't have to forego Apple's ecosystem if you're using Windows 10 S. If nothing else, this puts iTunes in front of users who otherwise wouldn't see it. There's no mention of a release date, so it may be a while before you can check this out firsthand. Click here to catch up on the latest news from Microsoft Build 2017.
Google iOS search now finds streaming movies, music and TV
Finding streaming content on your iPhone is getting easier. Google announced on Wednesday that the newest update to its search app on iOS devices will enable users to find TV shows, movies and songs on streaming services. That includes iTunes, Hulu, Amazon Video, Google Play, YouTube and Spotify.
Google Photos for iOS beams images to your TV with AirPlay
Google has been improving its Photos app for a while now, adding features like automatic white balance, compensation for wobbly video, social photo editing tools and even improving Apple's own Live Photos. The one thing it's been missing, however, is the ability to send your photos and videos to an Apple TV right from the app using AirPlay. That's been remedied, though, with a new update that's available to download right now from the App Store.
Send Starbucks lattes to your lover with iMessage
Saying "I love you" with a Grande Soy Latte just got a little easier. Starbucks updated its iOS app with its first iMessages offering which allows you to send anyone you chat with a Starbucks gift card without interrupting the flow of your conversation. The Starbucks app update also includes enhanced push notifications, a new mobile ordering interface and new filtering options for locating a nearby location.
iTunes movie rentals finally work across multiple devices
Somehow, Apple went until 2017 before adding one of the most basic features to iTunes. You see, for the past nine years, when you'd rent a movie via the app, you'd have to watch it on the device the rental originated from. So, if you rented Manchester by the Sea on your commute, watched a few minutes and then wanted to finish bumming yourself out on your big screen at home, you were out of luck. With the latest version of iTunes (12.6) and "rent once, watch anywhere," that's changed.
Apple won't have to pay $533 million to an iTunes patent troll
It's taken two years, but Apple has finally reversed a patent ruling that required it to pay $533 million in damages to a little-known technology developer. On Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit threw out a jury verdict that had judged Apple to have violated intellectual property owned by Smartflash -- specifically its copy protection, payment systems and storage patents -- with its iTunes software.
Fox's impulse-buy Movie of the Day app comes to Apple TV
Fox is always open to new ideas on how to goose digital movie sales, and one of its recent developments has been the "Movie of the Day" app on iOS. Starting tomorrow, it will also be available on Apple TV, which should provide a fitting home for its rotating selection of content. Via the app, prices are usually deeply discounted from their usual purchase prices, to somewhere between $5 - $10 per movie. To go with the new launch, Fox has revealed the lineup over the next few days, which will include Kingsman: Secret Service, Deadpool and a few others.
Apple moving international iTunes arm to Ireland next month
In a note sent out to developers, Apple has confirmed it's moving its international iTunes business from Luxembourg to its European hub in Ireland effective February 5th. The company pre-empted the move last September, when it transferred all developer contracts and an estimated $9 billion in assets between the countries in preparation. And from next month, responsibility for Apple's iTunes arm serving over 100 countries (not including the US) -- and covering the iTunes, iBook and App Stores as well as Apple Music -- will formally transfer to its offices in Cork, Ireland.
Russia demands LinkedIn's removal from iTunes and Google Play
Russia wants to scrub LinkedIn's presence from the country completely. According to The New York Times, people in the country can no longer download the social network's mobile application from the App Store or Google Play. Russian authorities required Apple and Google to kill the app from the local version of their software markets, a couple of months after a local court ruled that the service violated its data protection rules.
BitTorrent's live TV network streams to iPhones
BitTorrent's Live video streaming experiment is ready to go wherever you do. The peer-to-peer app is available right this instant on iOS, and, as you might expect it's 100 percent free. As with the Apple TV app, there isn't a lot to choose from as far as viewing material goes, however.
Apple reportedly working to rent new movies early on iTunes
According to Bloomberg, Apple is in talks with major movie studios to offer early rentals on iTunes. The report, which cites sources familiar with the ongoing discussions, suggests 21st Century Fox, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros., are trying to find a partner to help them rent films "as early as two weeks" after they first hit theaters. That said, Bloomberg does note that the Hollywood overlords may "end up choosing another technology platform" instead of iTunes, although no specifics were given.
Apple's renewed fight against AIDS includes new iPhone cases
Apple has made a tradition of marking World AIDS Day with a campaign to donate to the Product (RED) charity, and it's going the extra mile for its 10th year of support. On top of the company's existing (RED) gear (which sends a contribution to the Global Fund's fight against AIDS), it's launching four new accessories and devices that count toward the charity. You can get red versions of the iPhone 7 Battery Case, the leather iPhone SE case, Beats Solo 3 Wireless headphones and the Beats Pill+ wireless speaker. All of these are available today, and there are other ways to help out even if you have no intentions of buying hardware.
Apple could lower its cut of subscription fees on video apps
Earlier this year Apple sweetened the split with iOS developers on subscriptions, by promising to halve its usual 30 percent cut -- once a user has been signed up for a year. Now, Bloomberg reports rumors that the company will move to an 85/15 split for all subscription video apps, with no time restriction. That could make partners and customers alike happy, since some services like Spotify, Netflix and YouTube have tacked on an extra buck or two whenever customers sign up via iTunes, just to cover the extra costs.
Raise some Hell on your commute with the 'Doom' soundtrack
In case you wanted to listen to the crushing beats and guitar riffs of Doom's soundtrack during your daily trip to work or school, now's your chance. Composer Mick Gordon's industrial-metal score is available to purchase and stream from Google Play, iTunes and Spotify. A tweet from Gordon outlines what's available in the digital version: 31 tracks with new mixes spanning a 128 minute runtime. And at least a few pentagrams and numbers of the beast if you run it through a spectrogram.
Apple will fix iOS 10's easier-to-crack device backups
Apple has been big on strong encryption lately, but it's not immune to making missteps. Security researchers at Elcomsoft have discovered that iOS 10's local encrypted backups (that is, the ones you create in iTunes) use an older password protection algorithm that's much easier to crack than the one used in iOS 9 -- about 2,500 times easier, according to the team. If intruders can get to your iTunes backups and use a brute force cracking tool, they could have a much simpler time breaking the security and getting access to sensitive info like account passwords or your Health app data.
iTunes 'Spoken Editions' podcasts will read you written news
It looks like Apple is getting ready to launch a new iTunes offering, and someone pulled the trigger a bit too early. TechCrunch has spotted podcasts branded "Spoken Editions" on the service, which seem to be short programs reading written news from select publications, so you can listen to them while doing something else, like driving or working. Apple has already pulled them all down, but not before TC saw Spoken Editions of Wired, Time, Mic, Forbes, Playboy and even of its own publication.
Apple's iOS 10 is bricking iPhones
Apple's iOS 10 just dropped this morning and, less than an hour after launch, the landings haven't been smooth for everyone. From the get-go, Twitter has lit up with reports of people's phones (including your humble Engadget contributor) getting bricked or otherwise stuck in the update-restore process.
