iOS

Apple had warned that it might terminate the developer account page on its Store for Epic Games. The studio is currently involved in action that challenges the Cupertino giant's app-revenue model. Now, this threat has come to fruition, meaning that access to all of Epic's apps on iOS or iPadOS has been revoked.

Sunglasses that also act as personal audio devices are a rapidly expanding category of tech. The start-up SND RAY has put its take on this concept up for crowd-funding on Indiegogo. It claims that this product has improved audio quality compared to its rivals in this space.

There are two major smartphone releases on the horizon with the upcoming Huawei Mate 40 series and the Apple iPhone 12 series. New renders of the Huawei Mate 40 Pro smartphone show it off in the best possible way with its elegant waterfall display and characteristic circular camera housing making it arguably more eye-catching than the iPhone 12.

The new wearables brand Zepp has launched its first smartwatch, the E. This device has a choice of square or round 3D curved bezel-free glass faces with AMOLED displays and stainless steel backing. Both versions also feature 11 sports modes, advanced sleep tracking and a blood-oxygen sensor.

Adobe representatives have acknowledged a critical fault in a recent update to its version of Lightroom for iOS. It follows multiple complaints from users that they have lost their photos, presets or both in the event these were not backed up beforehand. The company has released a subsequent update that avoids these issues; however, it will not be able to restore the data for affected customers.

The gloves are well and truly off in the fight between Apple and Epic Games. Following Epic’s decision to initiate a lawsuit against Apple over its App Store policies, Apple has responded advising Epic that its developer account will be terminated on August 28.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has posted a thread on Twitter outlining some of the basic thoughts behind the company’s lawsuit against Apple, in particular. At its core, Sweeney’s argument is that Apple’s approach to the App Store fundamentally undermines both consumer rights and the rights of developers.

The popular messaging app Telegram marks its seventh year of business today (August 14, 2020). It has ushered this anniversary in along with a new feature: video calling. It now exists in alpha form, boasting picture-in-picture and end-to-end encryption, but only for its Android app thus far.

In what is set to be a titanic court battle, Epic Games massive hit game Fortnite has been banned from both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Both tech giants argue that Epic has violated their respective store policies and in response, Epic has launched a lawsuit against Apple alleging monopolistic and anti-competitive behavior.

According to Pangu Team, a Chinese hacker group, an “unpatchable” exploit has been uncovered for Apple’s Secure Enclave, the co-processor that stores keys for Face ID, Touch ID, and passwords. This potentially puts the personal data and biometric information of millions of iPhone and iPad users at risk.

Apple announced a pandemic busting Q3 2020 result today, but also getting headlines is that its iPhone 12 launch is officially delayed. During the earnings call, Apple CFO Luca Maestri also confirmed rumors that Apple’s new iPhones will ship later than usual this year because of global disruptions.

Huawei has officially launched its new TalkBand B6 fitness tracker and Bluetooth headset combination wearable. Three editions of the Huawei TalkBand B6 have been released, with prices starting at 999 yuan (US$143). The versatile gadget comes with a blood oxygen monitor, Kirin A1 chip, Bluetooth 5.2, and heart-rate monitor.

Mozilla, the maker of Firefox, has announced that it is also stepping into the virtual private network (VPN) arena. This new product apparently has over 280 servers in over 30 different countries, and has a no-logging or -tracking policy. However, it will be available in only 6 countries on its launch.

TikTok posted an impressive 67 million official downloads onto iOS devices in the US in the first quarter of 2020 (1Q2020). However, in 2Q2020, this stat has been eclipsed by one of approximately 94 million by the collaboration app Zoom. This is a major factor in a trend favoring business-focused apps on the Cupertino company's platform.

YouTube appears to have re-enabled HD streaming on its video platform its Indian userbase. The reversal comes several months after YouTube restricted videos to 480p in India, much to the annoyance of fans.

TSMC has outlined its fabrication plans for its 5nm fabrication process and what that means for investors in its latest conference call. It is buoyant about what its 5nm node will mean for next generation mobile chips and says chips using the tech, including Apple’s A14, will contribute around 8 percent to its revenue for the next quarter.

Italian outlet Aggiornamenti Lumia claims that Apple will be releasing an as-yet-unspecified new app for the Windows 10 platform. This rumor seems to be in consonance with speculation last year that Apple was working on a “next-gen” media app for Windows. If the app is built from the ground up for UWP, it might actually make its way over to Xbox, as opposed to the current Microsoft Store version of iTunes.

US owners of a number of iPhone 6 series smartphones and iPhone 7 series devices who were affected by the “Batterygate” controversy can now submit a claim via online form or by mail to get their share of Apple’s US$310 million to US$500 million settlement payout pool. Apple still contends that the payout is not an admission of wrongdoing.

Analyst Jeff Pu predicts that the upcoming iPhone 12 may start at a US$50 higher base price compared to the iPhone 11 owing to the inclusion of 5G and transition to an OLED display. This price rise is despite the fact that the iPhone 12 is not expected to include EarPods and a wall charger in the box. Further adding to the chagrin of prospective buyers is the fact that the iPhone 12 lineup may sport significantly smaller batteries than the corresponding iPhone 11 variants.

A California resident filed a lawsuit against LinkedIn for allegedly snooping on user clipboard data on the social media app’s iOS version. The issue was brought to light thanks to a new privacy-oriented feature in iOS 14 that tells users when apps access clipboard data.

Apple recently launched the iOS 14 open beta program. iPhone and iPad users enrolled in the beta program can easily get hold of the first public beta build. iOS 14 features a number or improvements including a redesigned home screen and Apple Pencil handwriting recognition.

The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4C has been launched in Malaysia. The global version of the budget activity tracker has gone on sale there for 99 MYR (US$23). The Mi Smart Band 4C is basically a rebranded Redmi Band and offers users a heart-rate monitor, 5 ATM water resistance, and a 1.08-inch touchscreen.

A new feature update coming to Chrome 86 looks set to make serious reductions in its resource usage. The experimental feature could extend battery life considerably on laptops by shutting down certain background tasks in open tabs.

Every year, Android and iOS get new features, and every year, the differences between the platforms diminish. The recent announcement of iOS 14 showcased a bevy of new features, and some of them will look quite familiar to Android users.

The 2021 iPhone SE might continue sporting the same A13 Bionic SoC as the current iteration, according to information from known leaker Mauri QHD. This makes perfect sense as the A13 is a pretty powerful chip and gets hardly pushed in the iPhone SE. The 2021 iPhone SE is also expected to sport an design similar to the iPhone 8, but that is not clear at the moment.

Apple's upcoming iPhone 12 could feature 4K 120 fps and 4K 240 fps video recording, according to code unearthed in recent iOS 14 beta builds. This feature is likely to be restricted to the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max models. There's also a possibility that the iPhone would record natively at 4K 120 fps and then interlace the video to 240 fps.

Apple could be working on an iPhone prototype running a full-fledged macOS, according to insider information cited by Mauri QHD. While there is no way to confirm this, such a possibility is not a distant dream given that Apple has begun transitioning its entire lineup to ARM. If this news is indeed true, it remains to be seen how effective would be its implementation considering that previous such attempts by competitors haven't been too successful.

The iPhone SE has finally made its way over to DxOMark for a thorough evaluation of its cameras' abilities. The US$399 phone impresses, keeping up with the Pixel 3a on all tests⁠—and outperforming similarly-priced phones.

A leaker has claimed that Apple is considering releasing two 4G variants of its upcoming iPhone 12 lineup, and the smartphones will be priced at surprisingly low points for Apple devices. The unknown source has stated a price of US$549 for the regular 4G model and US$649 for the iPhone 12 Max without 5G capability.

With a full retail price of US$210, the Wear OS-driven TicWatch C2+ comes with 1 GB of memory, GPS support, 4 GB of internal storage, but uses the rather old Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100. This smartwatch sports Google Pay support via NFC and is compatible with both Android and iOS handsets.

Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Switch is inarguably one of the biggest hits of “lockdown life”. However, its mobile titles (Super Mario Run and Fire Emblem Heroes, for example) have not exhibited the same level of success, to the extent that the company allegedly has no new titles planned for this platform.

At WWDC 2020 today, Apple unveiled iOS 14. There are several quality-of-life improvements, some aesthetic changes, and quite a few new features for users to look forward to.

Apple has announced that it will transition its entire Mac lineup to ARM-based custom silicon over the next two years. Support for Apple silicon is now available in macOS Big Sur and developers can get started right away on a Developer Transition Kit (DTK) that includes a Mac Mini powered by the A12Z Bionic. Despite the transition Apple will continue to support Intel processors for many years to come.

Apple's WWDC 2020 event may not showcase all the new hardware launches we've been expecting so far. Instead, Apple is expected to focus on new software updates and announce the existence of ARM-based Macs so as to get developers up to speed. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects Apple to fully transition to ARM in 2021 starting from the ARM-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro and redesigned iMac.

The Chinese company Fobase has currently discounted its Fobase Air Smartwatch and Fobase Air Pro Smartwatch to US$29.99 and US$39.99, respectively. The obvious Apple Watch clones are packed with features such as heart-rate monitoring, pedometer, sleep tracker, camera remote control, sport modes, and Apple iPhone compatibility.

Images of alleged molds and renders of the Apple iPhone 12 series have been leaked online. There are several different-sized molds on show in the pictures, which seem to fit rumors of the iPhone 12 sporting a similar design language to that of the iPad Pro (2020). However, there are also some pretty big notches on display.

Apple has released further details on the schedule of its upcoming WWDC 2020 event. All of its presentations will be streamed this year, although the e-conference will also debut the "all-new" Developer's Forum and some one-on-one lab that is accessed by appointment only.

Razer has announced that its latest accessory for smartphone gaming, the Kishi, is now available to order. This model is designed to fit onto mobile devices of varying screen size to deliver Nintendo Switch-esque controls. It does so with a good range of options, thumbsticks that are also clickable included.

Beta code for iOS 13.5.5 seems to indicate that Apple is considering launching a bundle subscription serving integrating different offerings like Apple News, Apple TV+, Apple Music, and possibly Apple Arcade. Can we expect this "Apple Prime" alternative to Amazon's Prime ecosystem in time for the iPhone 12 release?

A fresh rumor regarding the anticipated 2020 iPad Air fourth-generation model suggest that Apple will indeed go ahead with increasing the display size of the device from 10.5-inches to 11-inches. This gels with a previous rumor although the latest rumor also suggests that Apple will also move the next iPad Air from a Lightning connector to a standard USB-C port.

An early test build of iOS 14 apparently leverages Apple's Neural engine to enable seamless, in-app machine translation in Safari and other core Apple apps. If the implementation is sound, this could be a major boon for iOS 14 users on the iPhone 12 later this year.

The security group Lookout has released the results of its latest study of fraud that targets phones or tablets owned by enterprises. It found that the number of such incidents grew by 37.1% between the last quarter of 2019 and the first of 2020. Even just one of these attacks can cost businesses millions of dollars.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeny said in an interview that the company plans on bringing the Epic Games Store to Android and iOS soon. The Fortnite launcher on Android has been rebranded as the Epic launcher, implying that its release could be sooner than we think.

Apple has paid a US$100,000 bounty to Bhavuk Jain for a security vulnerability he found within the "Sign in with Apple" ability found on some websites and third-party applications. The bug could allow hackers to take full control of a user's account.

Apple frenemy Samsung has secured the supply of 80 percent of Apple’s iPhone 12 OLED display orders according to Digitimes. The remainder of the OLED panel supplies are said be supplied by both LG and BOE.

Towers of Everland just landed on Apple Arcade. The first-person dungeon crawler offers a more light-hearted experience than The Elder Scrolls: Blades and Legends of Grimrock, without sacrificing content quality. However, poor performance, even on the high-end iPhone 11 Pro Max, raises questions about just how well the game will run across iOS devices.

A new iPhone for less than $500? Currently, only the iPhone SE (2020) makes this possible. This sounds like a good deal and while the smartphone offers many contemporary features, it lacks a modern design.

@unc0verTeam recently announced that a working, universal iOS 13.5 jailbreak will be arriving soon. The jailbreak is compatible with Windows, meaning iPhone and iPad users won't need to use a Mac to jailbreak their devices, as with Checkra1n.

Apple's latest iOS 13.5 update includes tweaks to FaceID and FaceTime group chat that aim to improve user experience due to COVID-specific issues. The FaceID mask tweak makes it easier for users to unlock their iPhones and iPads when wearing a mask.