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iOS 12.1 beta hints at a new iPad this year
If you were bummed that Apple didn't release a refreshed iPad Pro at this month's event, then code from the iOS 12.1 beta might brighten your day. According to 9to5Mac, there's a daemon embedded within the code that could contain the ability to sync Memoji via iCloud. There aren't a lot of reasons you'd need to store a Memoji in iCloud unless an iPad capable of supporting them was on the way.
US carrier promo offers free iCloud storage to iPhone upgraders
Apple isn't known for offering virtually any promos to iPhone buyers, let alone iCloud users, but it's making exceptions for both ahead of the 2018 iPhones. Reddit users have discovered a promo that lets subscribers to the four major US carriers get two months of 200GB of iCloud storage for free. The campaign is clearly aimed at iPhone upgraders -- the offer page touts the extra space as helpful for backing up all your files so that you can be ready "when your new iPhone arrives." The deal is only available for a "limited time" to new iCloud subscribers, and you'll be charged for the 200GB tier if you don't cancel before the two-month period is over.
Apple iCloud data in China is being stored by a state-run telco
Six months ago Apple caused controversy by moving Chinese users' iCloud keys out of the US and into China, in order to comply with Chinese law. Now, that data, which includes emails, text messages and pictures, is being looked after by government-owned mobile operator China Telecom. And users and human rights activists alike have big concerns.
macOS update delivers Messages in iCloud
Don't panic, Mac users -- just because Apple only released iOS 11.4 at first doesn't mean it has forgotten about you. The company has posted a macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 update that supports Messages in iCloud, providing both more consistent chat syncing across your Apple-made devices as well as a way to free up space. You can delete a message on your iMac and expect it to vanish on your iPhone, or set up a new MacBook and access your entire conversation history.
iOS 11.4 will add multi-room and stereo audio to the HomePod today
Apple will release iOS 11.4 today, which, with the inclusion of AirPlay 2, brings more functionality to the HomePod. Though other speakers, like the Amazon Echo and Google Home already feature multi-room audio, the HomePod didn't launch with that capability. It also hasn't yet supported stereo pairing. But with today's update, the HomePod now supports both features. Users can sync their HomePods with other AirPlay 2-enabled speakers and play audio throughout multiple rooms. They can also pair two HomePods to create a stereo system. HomePod will launch in Canada, France and Germany on June 18th.
Apple will let all users download their collected personal data
Virtually every tech company is bending over backwards to comply with Europe's impending GDPR rules, and Apple is no exception to the rule. It just opened a Data and Privacy site that lets people with accounts in the European Union (plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) download everything the company knows about them. While it is only available for European users right now, Apple will make it available globally in the future. This mostly revolves around your Apple ID account and device info as well as data you've synced through iCloud, although it also includes your activity on services like Apple Music and the App Store, your AppleCare support history and your online shopping habits.
Apple will store China's iCloud keys on local servers
Apple has already bent over backwards in a bid to keep doing business in China, but it'll have to bend a little further. As of the end of February, the company will host mainland Chinese users' iCloud keys on servers located within the country -- and they'll be jointly run by a state-backed company, Guizhou Cloud Big Data Industry. The company has no choice if it wants to keep offering iCloud to Chinese users, as the law now requires that any cloud services have domestic ownership and store their data within China's borders.
Apple's iOS 11.3 may use iCloud as a single sign-on for websites
You might not to log in to your favorite websites one at a time in the near future. The 9to5Mac team has found code in the iOS 11.3 beta hinting at a single sign-on option for the web based on your iCloud account. It's not certain just how it would work, but you would be giving sites permission to access "personal iCloud data" (possibly your name and email address) in return for the convenience. It wouldn't be a password manager, then -- you'd be handing your Apple ID to the sites in question and avoiding much of the login process.
Texas authorities serve Apple a warrant for mass shooter's iPhone (updated)
Authorities are persisting in their efforts to get access to the Texas mass shooter's iPhone despite having missed an early opportunity. The San Antonio Express-News has learned that Texas Rangers served Apple warrants for data on both the perpetrator's iPhone SE and a basic LG cellphone. In the case of the iPhone, the state law enforcement unit wants access to both local and iCloud info (such as calls, messages and photos) produced since January 1st, 2016.
Moleskine planner syncs your handwritten schedule with the cloud
As helpful as online calendars can be, it's hard to give up the satisfying feel of jotting down appointments in an old-school planner. Wouldn't it be nice if you could use a pen and paper while still having all the benefits of the internet era? Moleskine sure thinks so. The company is expanding its connected writing sets with the Smart Planner, which syncs your hand-written schedule entries with Google Calendar and services that tie into it, such as Apple's iCloud and Microsoft Outlook. It combines a Neo Smartpen with sensor-laden paper to send your meetings to the appropriate sections of the calendar -- so long as you scribble the time and subject, you can check it later on your phone or PC.
China arrests Apple distributors who made millions on iPhone data
Sometimes, it's not external hackers that pose a threat to your privacy -- it's people in the supply chain hoping to make some cash on the side. Police in China's Zhejiang province have arrested 22 (apparently third-party) Apple distributors for allegedly selling iPhone user data. Officials say the workers searched an internal Apple database for sensitive info, such as Apple IDs and phone numbers, and peddled it on the black market for between 10 to 180 yuan with each sale ($1.50 to $26). All told, the distributors reportedly raked in more than 50 million yuan, about $7.36 million, before authorities stepped in.
Apple might give iOS 11 a real file system
Those wanting more control over file storage on their iPhones may be in for some good news later today. A placeholder for a new "Files" app showed up in the App Store.
Amazon Echo supports iCloud calendars ahead of rumored Siri speaker
Amazon's Echo speakers give you voice control over calendars from Google and Microsoft, but there's long been a notable exception to that rule: Apple. Thankfully, Amazon just filled that gap. The internet giant has quietly added support for linking Alexa to your iCloud calendar, letting you add events or check appointments that should promptly show up on your iOS devices and Macs. You'll need to switch on Apple's two-factor authentication, but you're otherwise off to the races. It's a big deal if you're heavily invested in Apple's ecosystem, although the timing is definitely... convenient.
Apple doesn't always expunge deleted notes older than 30 days
The iCloud Notes you delete are supposed to be permanently wiped within 30 days. Gone forever, never to be seen again. Russian security firm ElcomSoft has discovered, however, that Apple has been keeping deleted notes in the cloud for far longer. Its security researchers were able to retrieve notes that should've vanished weeks and months ago. In some cases, they were even able to recover notes from way back in 2015.
Hackers try to extort Apple by threatening to wipe iPhones
Someone claiming to be a group of hackers called themselves the "Turkish Crime Family" has apparently been trying to extort money from Apple. As Motherboard reported a few days ago, the group claims to have login details for hundreds of millions of Apple accounts and is threatening to remotely wipe devices via iCloud unless it's paid $75,000 in Bitcoin or $100,000 in iTunes gift cards. Today, ZDNet says that it was able to verify 54 accounts revealed by the hackers, although it's still unclear how many other accounts they have or how they came by them. In a statement, Apple said its systems have not been breached, and the alleged list appears to have been obtained from other sources. It also says it's "actively monitoring" to prevent unauthorized access and is working with law enforcement.
iCloud led authorities to journalist's Twitter attacker
The man who triggered Newsweek journalist Kurt Eichenwald's epileptic seizure through Twitter used a prepaid phone with no identifying info. But a little digging revealed that the Tracfone prepaid SIM card he used was once connected to an iCloud account, which ultimately led to his arrest. According to the newly surfaced documents The Verge shared, authorities started by sending a court order to Twitter to ask for the details behind the @jew_goldstein account. If you'll recall, that user sent Eichenwald a "weaponized tweet" containing a strobing image with the words "You deserve a seizure for your posts." The recipient often talks about his condition, so the sender likely knows that the journalist is epileptic.
Apple buys and shuts down Asian social network iCloud
In a bid to direct every conceivable iCloud domain towards one website, Apple has bought the rights to iCloud.net from a small Chinese social network.It was one of the few iCloud related sites not owned by Apple, and AppleInsider reports that the tech giant paid $1.5 million in order to acquire the domain. With its network no longer having a home, the Chinese company announced that it is shutting down its services for good on March 1st. The independently owned social network had been operating since 2011.
Second 'celebgate' hacker sentenced to nine months in prison
For his part in the "celebgate" celebrity hacking scandal, 29-year-old Chicago man Edward Majerczyk will be sentenced to nine months in federal prison. Last July, Majerczyk agreed to plead guilty to felony computer hacking charges, admitting that he scammed more than 300 people, including 30 celebrities, in order to steal their Gmail and iCloud account info.
iCloud logs your calls, but it's not leaking anything
Apple scored points with privacy advocates early in 2016 by resisting the FBI's attempts to crack into the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone. But the tech giant gave the government one concession: If the phone's data had been backed up to iCloud, Apple would have handed it over to help the investigation. Which gives some cause for concern -- like from a Russian security firm, which discovered that if users sign up for iCloud Drive, their devices secretly sends call records back to the tech giant's servers. But this is exactly how it's supposed to work, says Apple.
Hacker behind 'celebgate' jailed for 18 months
The individual behind the 2014 iCloud image leaks -- more commonly known as the Fappenning -- has been sentenced. Ryan Collins, 36, will serve an 18 month jail term for one count of violating the Computer Fraud and Misuse Act and another of illegally obtaining access to a computer. Officials at the Department of Justice believe that Collins was able to access over 600 accounts, including those of several famous women. Collins was also found to have run a fake modeling agency in which he mislead people into sending him their naked images.
