iOS

KaiOS is the most prominent alternative to either iOS or Android on mobile devices. Its CEO, Sebastien Codeville, has just given an interview outlining this platform's directions and goals for the immediate future. They include greater functionality, more form factors and new markets.

OnePlus has released a new colorway for the 7 Pro. This SKU (Almond) is available in the US or Canada so far. In addition, development leaks indicate that the OEM is preparing the new 'back' gesture, which consists of swiping inward from the side of the screen and is also found in the latest Q betas.

Bethesda is asking gamers to sign up for a beta test program for DOOM 2016 on iOS. The program is designed to test Bethesda's new Orion framework for game streaming. Selected users will be able to stream DOOM 2016 on their iOS devices free of charge later this year.

A "global" new outlet has tweeted that HongMeng OS, Huawei's new rumored official ROM for its mobile devices, will be known as Oak OS in non-Chinese markets. Furthermore, this putative new system will be unveiled in the first fall months of 2019. Therefore, this OEM's phones could have as little as 2 more months on Android.

Reolink, a company already known for well-spec'd wireless security cameras, now launches the E1 Pro. This new option offers a wide range of coverage for an affordable price. It will also gain Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility in the near future.

Dragon Quest Walk, an adventure AR game in the same vein as Pokemon Go, was announced earlier this week. Though details are sparse, the game seems to have players travel to real-world locations to battle monsters from the Dragon Quest universe. The title is set to release only in Japan for iOS and Android.

The next upcoming version of Apple's mobile device OS has finally been released at WWDC 2019. It brings the long-awaited Dark Mode, in addition to improvements for many other iOS features and functions. They include a 'new' swipe keyboard, faster app launch times and Sign in with Apple.

Apple has finally let its iPad off the leash by releasing a new forked version of iOS that it is calling iPadOS. The change brings with it extended features and functionality that takes advantage of the iPad's larger canvas, delivering a more Mac-like computing experience. Yet, at the same time, it retains its distinctive iOS heritage.

The new version of macOS, 10.15 Catalina, is getting rid of iTunes in lieu of three dedicated media management apps. Replacing the storied software is Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts. MacOS 10.15 will also use Finder to back up, restore, and update a connected iOS device, but users still won't have unfettered access to their iPhone's or iPad's file system.

The 8110 (4G) is a reprise of a classic Nokia phone of the same name, released at MWC last year. However, its KaiOS meant that it had reduced functionality compared to the average Android or iOS device. With the roll-out of a compatible WhatsApp version, this has been remedied slightly.

Apple likes to claim that buying an iPhone means buying into an ecosystem where user data is sacrosanct. An examination by the Washington Post demonstrates that the reality is quite a different picture.

Apple looks to be working on an in-display Touch ID solution for a future iPhone, possibly in time for a 2020 or 2021 release. With most of the flagship competition working hard to eliminate notches for a truly all-display design, it looks as though Face ID may be on the way out.

A recent survey run by Blind shed some light on what various tech employees think of Apple and the App Store. Apple's own employees largely believe the company doesn't hold a monopoly on iOS app distribution, but other companies (namely Qualcomm and Spotify) believe that Apple's App Store constitutes a monopoly. The survey comes as a response to a recent Supreme Court ruling upholding the validity of a lawsuit filed against Apple for monopolistic practices.

Cherubi, Gible, Hippopotas, and other Pokemon originally discovered in the Sinnoh region are now coming to other areas. The latest Pokemon GO update also comes with a new Ground-type move (Earth Power), as well as Glacial Lure Modules, Mossy Lure Modules, and Magnetic Lure Modules.

The recently unveiled Minecraft Earth is a free-to-play, augmented reality Minecraft title to be added to the Minecraft universe. However, those interested can only sign up for a chance to play the limited beta — which is scheduled to arrive this summer — for now. Signing up will also get them a free Earth skin for Minecraft Bedrock.

In changes to be announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple looks set to increase the number of its own Apps available on the App Store, directly challenging Google and Amazon. Changes look likely to increase existing tensions between the Cupertino company and third-party developers.

Bloomberg reports that the processor for this year's generation of iPhones has now entered production. This SoC, likely to be known as the A13 chipset, has apparently already entered production by TSMC at a testing stage. However, it is set to be mass-produced some time this month (May 2019).

Concept renders and a brief video of the supposed successor of the iPhone XR have been published online. The device is expected to be the “cheap” member of the next series of iPhones and will wield lower specifications than the other 2019 smartphones. One obvious example of the cost-cutting is the rear-facing dual camera setup.

The Financial Times claims that its sources have told it that the EU will indeed probe Apple's potential anti-competition business practices. The decision follows 'surveys' of interested parties such as Spotify, who claim that the Cupertino company rigs music consumption on the iOS platform in its own favor.

Those who use the latest version of Firefox (66.6) may have noticed that their usual extensions have disappeared. This is due to a bug in this browser in which an expired certificate gives the impression that all of these add-ons are corrupt. Mozilla has stated that a fix is being rolled out at present.

Spotify has reportedly rolled out a new kind of ad to grab user attention in the United States. The messages involved apparently encourage the user to give a voice command in order to navigate to relevant sponsored content. These ads are scarce at present, but could conceivably become more common should Spotify find them successful.

A report from market analyst company Counterpoint Research has stated that Apple’s iPhone X was the best-selling smartphone in the world in 2018. Top 10 charts for both the world and China were shared online and while Apple has dominated the global market, it seems the domestic manufacturer Oppo is the top dog in its home market.

Apple has reported its Q2 results for 2019 which showed that its iPhone sales have continued the downward trend first recorded in Q1. However, Apple stock was up seemingly in response to its services business which crested US$11 billion for the first time along with news of a further US$75 billion in share buybacks.

Nintendo is currently looking for people to apply to the beta-testing phase of the upcoming mobile game Mario Kart Tour. At the moment, the company is only accepting applications from Android users (although the game is planned for iOS too). The application schedule window is already open, but it is only available to potential testers living in either the US or Japan.

A law firm has filed a suit against Epic Games on behalf of its client, a musician who believes his trademark appearance and moves have been stolen in order to build one of the Emotes found in the game Fortnite. These Emotes are Battle Royale features that often require micro-transactions in order to be enabled.

A reliable Apple analyst has reported that the Cupertino-based company plans to bring 5G iPad Pros to market in 2021. The prediction comes just a week after Apple and Qualcomm made headlines for signing a deal to supply 5G modems for the 2020 generation of iPhones.

Triple rear-facing cameras? Check. Huge camera bump? Check. Gargantuan notch? Check. No USB Type-C? Check. This is the iPhone XI.
Updated: YouTube video fixed & additional photos added

Did you buy a Mac, iOS device or the Apple World Travel Adapter Kit between 2003 and 2010? If you did, chances are that you received a wall plug too. Turns out that the three-prong adapters sold in certain countries during that period can break and cause an electric shock if touched.

The latest figures on the global premium smartphone market reportedly show that OPPO increased its share of it by a stunning 863% in 2018. This stripped out comparable performances on the part of competitors such as Xiaomi and even Huawei. On the other hand, it did not threaten Apple's place at the top of this market.

The tech leaker Stephen Troughton-Smith has supported a rumor that an iPad will gain the ability to pair properly with a mouse with the next iOS update. This new feature will allegedly be a new accessibility option in the new upgrade. However, it is not clear if the rumor applies to wireless, wired or both in terms of these peripherals yet.

Those who have been missing Vine — and/or have been not happy with TikTok — can now fill the void with Byte. The new looping video app comes from Vine's founder and it is currently undergoing closed beta testing. For now, only 100 testers are able to take it for a spin, but more people should be invited soon.

WhatsApp is reportedly working on animated stickers in its latest betas. This enables a user to superimpose a a moving piece of art (e.g. a drawing or character) on a message. A blog has also apparently found that the app is going to replace its existing emoji design with a new one.

A trio of IT researchers affiliated with Facebook have created a new method to turn a video of an individual performing a series of actions (e.g. a dance) into a 3D 'game character'. This character - and its associated movements - can then be transposed onto a new background. The researchers assert that this background could interact with said character.

Emtek, the licensed owners of the BlackBerry Messenger app, announced that the service will shut down on May 31 considering that users preferred using other messaging platforms. However, BlackBerry said that BBM Enterprise is now available for use by consumers and will be free for the first year for new users.

A new report by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners has thrown light on the state of the US smartphone market in Q1. Apple had a tenuous dominance over the market, with the company's devices accounting for 36% of device activations in the first quarter of the year. Samsung is second with 34%.

Apple is not ready to make the jump to foldable designs for the time being, but luxury modification company Caviar from Russia might be able to inspire the Californian giant with its impressive iPhone Z concept. The Z-shaped folding pattern allows for quite a few interesting uses, including a laptop mode, a selfie mode, and a screen mode.

A new report from Counterpoint Research has found that, of all Apple smartphones, the iPhone XR did the best in the US market in the month of February 2019. Of those who bought this device, 20% of those already using iOS upgraded from the 7, whereas 32% more exchanged models older than this for the XR. Counterpoint also found that the XR was responsible for the greatest conversion from Android to this platform in February.

The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has ordered Google and Apple to remove the app TikTok from their respective stores. This ban has followed allegations that the service increases the risk of child abuse. TikTok can now appeal this ruling on dates set for about a week from today (April 17, 2019).

Apple is throwing US $500 million behind its upcoming Arcade gaming subscription service, according to a report by Financial Times. The service could be a big payoff for Apple; devs that release games via Arcade will be bound to a period of exclusivity before they can release their game on other non-mobile platforms. That means Arcade may be the only place gamers can access certain Indie titles, some of which may provide unique and fun experiences.

Google and Apple provide and maintain 2 of the largest app markets in the world. The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets has decided to investigate them with regard to how third-party developers are treated on these platforms compared to their respective first-party counterparts.

A new report indicates that iOS 12's successor may gain a system-wide dark mode. In addition, this OS upgrade will lose the requirement for a profile in order to manage fonts. iPads may also get a version of Safari that defaults to desktop mode in iOS 13.

A new series by the New York Times investigating privacy has uncovered a Google database known internally as SensorVault. Police have been able to access the database to help identify suspects based on their movements recorded in SensorVault.

The iPhone SE has made another unexpected appearance on Apple’s online store. Several different-colored variants are listed and there is even a 128 GB version available. Prices for the diminutive iPhone SE start at US$249 and they are all categorized as “certified refurbished” as part of the clearance section of the website.

Skype for Mobile now offers the user an option to share their screen with a caller. This could enable people on a Skype call to share things such as slideshows, webpages, a homescreen and so on. The new function is found in the '...' menu on the mobile version of this app.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, or PUBG for short, is one of the Korean studio Bluehole's biggest success stories. However, some state regulators seem not to like it as much as its millions of players do. Nepal is the latest country to ban the game, citing detrimental effects on children and teenagers.

A new study from Counterpoint Research has shed a little light on Samsung’s smartphone sales woes. Although still the number one smartphone maker in the world, its profits have taken a big hit with lower sales of its premium devices. Now we know where some of these customers are heading.

The new Disney+ streaming service will entail a mixture of old and new shows from all of the studios under its umbrella. This, therefore, includes Lucasfilm, 21st Century Fox, Pixar and Marvel. Therefore, Netflix may indeed forfeit several lucrative series-length titles as Disney parts company with it in 2019. This year should also see much more granular detail on what this new subscription has to offer.

iTunes, the unified account by which Apple apps and services are accessed on devices such as Macs, seems to have been around forever. However, it also appears that this is no longer the case. A 9to5Mac contributor has confirmed rumors that the new protocol Marzipan is being used to make new apps (e.g. Apple TV) that do not require this old system on macOS.