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Apple's paranoia about leaks is misplaced
Apple's inability to keep its secrets is so bad that even its internal presentation about confidentiality was leaked. But according to internal videos obtained by The Outline, the company is serious about secrecy. It reportedly conducted an hour-long briefing titled "Stopping Leakers -- Keeping Confidential at Apple" for about 100 employees to make sure they understood the importance of not leaking information. But that concern is misplaced: Clamping down on leaks won't help Apple's bottom line.
An iPhone is your only option on Virgin Mobile
It's no secret that American carriers sell a lot of iPhones. Virgin Mobile, however, is taking that to a logical extreme. The Sprint sub-brand has announced that it's the US' first iPhone-only carrier as of June 27th -- if you don't like iOS, you'll have to head elsewhere. In return for the exclusivity, you'll get a fairly good rate as well as some potentially juicy promos.
Ripplemaker brings modular synths to all skill levels with an iOS app
There are plenty of apps that can turn your phone or tablet into a synthesizer, but they tend to fall into two camps: they're either affordable and simple or pricey and robust. While that's sometimes due to the nature of the instruments they're replicating, it can frustrating if you want an app that covers all the bases. However, music app developer Bram Bos may have managed just that. He recently released Ripplemaker, a patch-based modular synth for iOS that's designed to ease you into the West Coast synth method (where you add harmonics to a waveform to produce an effect) while still giving you room to grow.
CNBC: Apple wants the iPhone to manage your medical history
Apple has been working on a hush-hush project that would make your whole medical history more accessible, according to CNBC. The tech titan reportedly wants to turn your iPhone into a repository for every diagnosis, lab test result, prescription, health info and doctor's comment. That way, you don't have to go through a bunch of emails to find that one test result sent as a PDF attachment or to have your previous doctor send data over to your new one. All you need to do to share any part of your medical history is to look fire up your iPhone.
Apple podcast updates will help you catch up on 'Serial'
Podcasts have come a long way from the days when they represented a novel way to fill up your iPod. There are now shows with seasons (like Serial), teasers and other trappings that you'd normally expect from TV. Simply speaking, podcast apps need to evolve to keep pace with listening habits... and Apple knows it. The company has detailed changes to the specs for iOS 11's Podcasts app that will make it easier to listen to shows as intended. The spec now supports seasons, and you'll have the option of downloading an entire season in one go if you're catching up. Creators can specify that a show is meant to be heard in chronological order, and they can tag podcasts as bonuses or teasers. And that's not all -- Apple is also helping podcasters make a better living through ads.
iOS 11 users will never have to memorize a WiFi password again
Modern life with all of its technological conveniences can be an absolute wonder. Yet when you go to a friend's house and they spend 30 minutes trying to dig out a WiFi password from under their rug, all of that wide-eyed wonder quickly turns to rage. Luckily then, it looks like Apple has found a way to counter this devastating first world problem with iOS 11. According to 9to5 Mac, a new WiFi sharing feature will notify iOS 11 users when a visitor wants to join their network, automatically sharing their WiFi password with them if the host approves their request.
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.
Remove unused apps in iOS 11 without losing your data
Of the many apps you likely have on your iPhone or iPad right now, how many do you actually use regularly? Chances are that you have at least a few that you're keeping merely because they have data you don't want to lose. Well, all that is about to change: iOS 11 will allow you to delete apps, but retain their settings and data. Cydia Geeks first spotted the feature that Apple calls "offloading," and it's great news for people who are constantly struggling with storage space on their phones.
Apple is taking its secret iPhone repair machines to 25 countries
Apple is further loosening its grip on tricky iPhone repairs and allowing owners to get their devices fixed at a place other than the Apple Store, Reuters reports. According to the news agency, the company intends to install its fabled "Horizon" machines in about 400 external repair centers across 25 countries by the end of the year in order to reduce waiting times for screen replacements and other iPhone-related issues.
iOS 11 could use the iPhone’s NFC chip for more than Apple Pay
Apple may have an awkward history of avoiding and then embracing NFC in the past, but new developments at this week's Worldwide Developer's Conference indicate those days are long gone. Apple already announced new NFC functions coming to the Apple Watch with watchOS 4, but according to documents for the upcoming iOS 11 release, the iPhone's NFC chip might also be handling much more than just Apple Pay transactions and Passbook check-ins.
Apple is the perfect anti-VR test case
Apple shined a dull spotlight on virtual reality during its WWDC keynote yesterday, introducing VR support for macOS and a beefed-up, VR-capable version of the new iMac. This marks Apple's first real dive into VR, and, honestly, it's too little, too late. The potential of modern VR has been looming over the technology industry for nearly five years now, exciting consumers and prompting plenty of companies to develop their own support systems and hardware for this strange new virtual world. But until yesterday, it was impossible to natively develop or even run VR experiences on an Apple machine. The first instance of built-in VR support for macOS developers comes about a year after Google, Facebook, Samsung, HTC and Sony actually put their VR headsets on stores shelves, and Apple hasn't hinted that it's working on any proprietary hardware. Apple's nod to VR, one year late, feels like a lackluster reaction to an evolving industry rather than a prescient foray into a new and thrilling technological landscape. It feels a lot like Apple doesn't believe in VR.
Watch Apple's WWDC 2017 keynote in 15 minutes
What's that? You weren't able to sit through nearly three hours of Apple news earlier today as the company kicked off this year's Worldwide Developers Conference? No worries. We've condensed all the watchOS, macOS, iOS, MacBook, iMac and iPad news into a convenient 15-minute clip. And yes, we made room for that newfangled Siri speaker, the HomePod. Sit back, relax and catch up on what you missed without sacrificing a couple hours to the task. Get all the latest news from WWDC 2017 here!
Microsoft's Outlook mobile apps help you edit your contacts
Believe it or not, Microsoft's Outlook app for Android and iOS hasn't let you add or edit contacts -- you've had to turn to your PC or the web for that. At last, though, common sense prevails. As of now, you can add and edit your Outlook.com and Office 365 contacts through the iOS app (Android and Google contacts are "coming soon"). You can go to the People section to add details yourself, or add people from events, messages and your company directory. Also, Outlook lets you save those contacts to your phone's native list so that you won't be surprised when they give you a call.
iOS 11's Photos app uses AI to make your shots better
Apple's iOS 11 promises to be a big upgrade for shutterbugs. It's improving both the Camera and Photos apps to take some of the headaches out of snapshots and photos. For instance, the Photos app's Memories section can make use of machine learning to automatically reorient images when you change your phone's orientation -- it knows what to focus on. Live Photos also make use of this AI-like technology for effects. And Live Photos should be decidedly lively with new visual tricks, including a long exposure blur effect, the ability to pick a key photo, video looping and a Boomerang-style "bounce" effect.
Apple is using AI to make Siri smarter
Apple may have started the digital assistant craze with Siri, but it's largely been playing catch-up lately, specifically to Google and Mountain View's own Assistant. Now Apple's helper has more-expressive voices (both male and female, English and British) and in-app translation features. More than that, Siri can act as a task manager of sorts, offering access to banking in the Citi Mobile app or, for whatever reason, a QR code in WeChat.
Apple unveils iOS 11 with translation and a better camera
Apple has announced iOS 11, the latest version of its mobile operating system, which boasts a variety of small yet important improvements. Messages, for instance, now syncs across all of your devices through iCloud and gains a redesigned app drawer for better discovery. Apple Pay is now capable of letting you send cash to other people via iMessage, with the payments authenticated with Touch ID. Siri, meanwhile, gets automatic translation native to its voice interface, a feature that's been sorely lacking in previous versions.
Apple offers its iPhone repair tools to third-party shops
You can get your iPhone fixed at third party shops, but it's clear that they play second fiddle to Apple Stores when they don't have access to Cupertino's specialized tools. However, it looks like Apple is leveling the playing field: the company is running a pilot program that hands out its iPhone calibration machine to three authorized service providers. The tool verifies that the 3D Touch and multi-touch in newer iPhones (6s and up) meets Apple's standards after a repair, so you won't have to worry about an imperfect fix. It's relatively fast, too -- the entire verification process takes 15 minutes.
Apple stops showing 32-bit iOS apps in your search results
Apple has been nudging iOS app developers toward 64-bit code for years: it started by requiring 64-bit support, then told users that 32-bit apps might run poorly, and lately has been warning that 32-bit apps wouldn't work in "future versions of iOS." Now, however, it's pulling the plug. TouchArcade and others have noticed that 32-bit iOS software no longer turns up in App Store search results. You can still use direct links, but that's about as far as you can go. And you can probably guess why Apple is making this move right now.
Hangouts calls on iPhones now appear as regular voice calls
It took a while, but Google Hangouts has finally followed in Facebook Messenger's footsteps and started taking advantage of iOS 10's Callkit. That means calls you receive on Hangouts will appear as regular voice calls on your iPhones' lock screen -- but only if you want them to. Callkit gives VoIP services the ability to use Apple's stock Phone app, so you can ring people through Hangouts from within the stock app itself. If you're the recipient, the only indication that it's a VoIP call is a small mark underneath the contact's name telling you that it's using Hangouts audio. That way, you won't wander to an area without coverage by mistake while talking on the phone.
What to expect from Apple at WWDC 2017
As a rule, Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference is predictable: New versions of iOS, macOS and watchOS are the stars of the show, and anything else is gravy. WWDC 2017, however, is shaping up to be different. Although there hasn't been much talk about what the new software will entail, the rumor mill has kicked into high gear with word of new Macs, new iPads and even a smart speaker. All told, operating systems may actually be the least exciting part of Apple's keynote. But which products are likely to steal the spotlight, and which ones are just wishful thinking? That's what we're here to sort out.
