iOS

An infographic published by LetsGoDigital makes for interesting reading for those curious about how the foldable market could end up playing out. Unsurprisingly, it seems Samsung and Huawei will be the first major manufacturers to offer this exciting form factor to consumers, with Microsoft and Apple willing to bide their time, possibly to see how the market develops.

Despite winning a victory against Apple earlier this week, Qualcomm is continuing to pressure the iPhone manufacturer in China. Qualcomm is petitioning Chinese courts to expand the ban of iPhone sales to include the iPhone XR, Xs, and Xs Max. However, Apple is claiming that these devices should not be included in the initial ban as they run iOS 12. Chinese courts have yet to make a decision.

IDC has published a report with forecast projections for global smartphone shipments in 2018 and 2022. The research company expects a drop of 3% in 2018 followed by a small increase in 2019 that will carry on through to 2022. The total units shipped for 2018 is estimated at 1.42 billion while the 2022 estimate is put at 1.57 billion. Android should maintain a comfortable lead in terms of platform used.

LG has launched a connected home brewing solution called the HomeBrew. It will adopt a Nespresso-style capsule solution that should make home brewing easier than ever, particularly for millennials keen on craft beers.

Those who love Facebook's Stories feature can finally enjoy it in their Groups as well. Group Stories has been tested starting earlier this year, and now this feature is finally available for Facebook users all around the world on iOS, Android, or desktop.

Apple has acquired A & R startup Platoon to supplement its Apple Music services for artists. In other Apple news, it has also updated its Beddit Sleep Monitor system to version 3.5.

The Game Awards 2018 has hosted a plethora of announcements, which included details about titles such as Dragon Age 4, Far Cry: New Dawn, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, Mortal Kombat 11, Psychonauts 2, Rage 2, The Outer Worlds, and many others. BioWare also teased the action RPG Anthem, which has apparently been in development since 2012.

Earlier this year, Google decided to stop investing in Allo and pushed some of its popular features — such as Smart Reply, GIFs, and desktop support — to the Messages app. Yesterday, Google has finally confirmed that the smart messaging app Allo will go down, but it will continue to work until March 2019.

New data from market research company Gartner depicts a strong third quarter 2018 for Chinese manufacturers Huawei and Xiaomi. Both companies managed to increase their global smartphone market share from 3Q17, whilst the big hitters Apple and Samsung have experienced flat growth and considerably diminished market share, respectively. Overall worldwide smartphone sales have risen by 1.4%.

A new report from a Korean media outlet details Huawei's plans to introduce an in-house OS for its mobile devices. Should this prospect be realized, the Chinese company may drop its Android skin (EMUI) for completely separate software along the lines of Tizen or, well...iOS. This suggests that Huawei wants to build its own ecosystem for the use of its hardware.

Epic Games has silently enabled 60 FPS for the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max in its latest update for Fortnite on iOS, according to the Senior PR Manager at the company. The update (v. 6.31) is live now on the App Store.

Apple became the world's first trillion dollar company this past August. Since then, the Cupertino giant has struggled to hit sales targets for its latest iPhone family. Despite this, Apple VP of product marketing Greg Joswiak said that the iPhone XR has been "the most popular iPhone" since its launch. However, "most popular" does not mean "selling well."

DriveSavers, one of the world's leading data recovery companies, now offers a service for unlocking smartphones and tablets that have a locked passcode, including iPhones and iPads. DriveSavers claims to be the only company that offers this level of device unlocking and data recovery outside of law enforcement, but the service costs a staggering US$3900.

PUBG Mobile managed to eclipse Fortnite’s earnings for two days in a row on iOS, according to market analyst SensorTower. This is the first time the Tencent game has managed to beat out the effort from Epic on Apple’s platform in terms of global player spending. Last week was a good week overall for PUBG Mobile, with revenue rising 166% from the previous week (total for iOS and Android).

Apple will appear before the U.S. Supreme Court today to argue that a lawsuit brought against it is invalid. Apple claims that the lawsuit, which alleges that the iOS App Store creates a monopoly for the company, could only be brought by app developers, not the end users. If Apple is successful, then the case will be dismissed. Otherwise, Apple could be taken to court for potentially monopolistic practices.

Stardew Valley is a bonafide hit, and the success keeps rolling in. In its first three weeks on iOS, the game brought in over $1 million in revenue. In total, Stardew Valley has sold over 4.6 million copies, although it's likely sold many, many more.

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! are now the fastest selling Nintendo Switch titles, having sold over 3 million copies in their first week of release. While the titles have outsold Switch champions like Super Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild, they have a bit more ground to cover to join the success of other Pokémon titles.

Kodi 18 has been in development for two years, and the first release candidate (RC 1) is finally available. Although it is still technically a beta version, RC 1 will be reflective of the final release. There are several new features, including better Android TV support, a 64-bit version for Windows, and a new gaming section with support for emulators.

Valve quietly announced that once physical stock of the Steam Link streaming device sells out, they will no longer sell physical units. Instead, Valve will shift focus and support to the Steam Link mobile app, currently only available for Android. While the reasons for the discontinuation aren't entirely clear, it's likely that the Steam Link is no longer selling enough to warrant continued support.

According to some of its suppliers, Apple has cut orders for both the iPhone XS and iPhone XR. Citing a weak Chinese market and a slowdown in smartphone demand, Apple has had to pare back its supply of the new iPhones, a move that will inevitably reduce sales in the short term.

T-Mobile looks like it has some great deals on some of the best smartphones released this year. Handsets like the iPhone XR and Galaxy S9 can be had for free, but reading the fine print shows a few caveats. In addition to activating two new lines and trading in an eligible device, the phones are only free because of a bill credit that is granted over a 36-month period, which effectively locks consumers into a three-year contract.

Although Nekki's Shadow Fight has a history that started back in 2011, Shadow Fight 3 is only one year old. This action-RPG fighting game is available for iOS and Android devices, supports 11 languages, and works great on mid-range hardware while providing a realistic visual experience at the same time.

The mobile game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite has finally received a teaser trailer, just over a year after its development was announced. There are plenty of games based in the Harry Potter world, but this one is particularly newsworthy because of the developer involved: Niantic. The American software company is probably best known for its work with Pokémon Go.

It has been claimed that Apple will be releasing the successor to its AirPods product before the end of the year. There has been speculation that AirPods 2 could feature a case that can be charged wirelessly, but nothing has been confirmed from Cupertino yet. Leaked images of stacked AirPods cases have added fuel to the fire.

Apple’s new iPad Pro tablets have received largely positive reviews. One area that has come in for praise is its display. However, although claiming users can watch HDR movies on the tablet, all is not quite what it seems.

Lasso is a new short video sharing platform from Facebook designed to compete with TikTok. The new app, available now on iOS and Android, "makes it easy for anyone to create and share short videos with fun effects." Marketed at teens and young people, Lasso looks like the latest effort by Facebook to retain young users.

A report from TrendForce has been published that forecasts the state of the tablet industry in 2019. Apple is expected to remain the leader in terms of market share, followed by Samsung, Huawei, Amazon, and Lenovo. However, it is the Chinese manufacturer Huawei that is expected to enjoy the most growth in the sector.

Design consultancy Special Projects has unveiled a new user interface approach to multitasking that uses AR technology. Seeking to emulate a physical real world work flow, the interface allows users to switch naturally between applications and move between tasks on a smartphone as though they were working naturally on multiple tasks at a desk.

Apple's in-house refurbished store has started selling 64 GB iPhone 8 handsets for $499, $100 less than a new phone. Apple's refurbished iPhones are basically used internals that are cleaned and repaired, then placed into a new chassis with a new battery. Higher capacity iPhone 8 models and the iPhone 8 Plus should be available in the refurbished store soon.

Diablo Immortal, the latest title in the storied Diablo franchise, has hit a wall of criticism. Many gamers are upset over the mobile-only release, claiming that the game is a cheap cash-in and a re-skin of another mobile game that developer NetEase released a while ago. Whether or not these claims are true, the game has drawn the ire of Diablo fans around the world.

Global smartphone shipments for the third quarter have fallen by 6% over the last 12 months, according to data from IDC. The shipment volume for 3Q 2018 stood at 355.2 million units, compared to 377.8 million smartphones shipped in 3Q 2017. Samsung remains the overall pack leader, but Huawei has made significant ground on the South Korean manufacturer.

The shares of the company Spotify were down 11% at the start of today (November 1, 2018) due to a forecast that shows relatively poor fourth-quarter performance. In addition, Spotify is now reported to be committed to new investments to boost innovation and future-proofing in its products.

Although Apple has previously said that this controversial feature would not be pushed to its post-iPhone 7 handsets, it seems that the Cupertino-based giant has decided to add speed throttling for the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X in the iOS 12.1 update after all.

Apple has launched an all-new dongle alongside the launch of the new iPad Pro models. The latest dongle in Apple’s extensive selection of dongles available through its online and retail stores is a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack.

Apple is rolling out iOS 12.1 today, and if you have an iPhone Xs, Xs Max, or XR, you can use Apple's new dual-SIM feature... as long as you're not using Verizon on your digital SIM or as your secondary number. Both T-Mobile and Verizon have stated that their networks are not ready to fully support the dual-SIM tech but are working on getting their networks up to scratch "in the near future."

Apple unveiled the new iPad Pro, and many of the rumors from the past year were accurate. The new iPad Pro brings a more powerful A12X bionic SoC, Face ID, and a switch from Lightning to USB-C. The iPad Pro starts at $799 for an 11-inch model and $999 for a 12.9-inch model.

Just as previously rumored, the new update for Apple's mobile operating system — iOS 12.1 — comes with Group FaceTime and a set of new emojis. In addition to these changes that target all compatible iPhones and iPads, the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max receive depth control in camera preview and dual-SIM support.

The iPhone XR scored about 25% better than Android's best in Geekbench 4's multi-core benchmark. While this is impressive on paper (considering that the $750 iPhone XR is cheaper than most Android flagships), there is much more to consider when buying a phone than synthetic benchmarks and raw specs.

The next upcoming update for iOS is now rumored to add Group FaceTime and dual SIM support to some phones. For some other, older models, however, only restricted forms of Group FaceTime are coming. Some others are not getting this feature at all.

Buried in the latest iOS 12.1 beta code are instructions for users to hold their iPad in portrait orientation so that Face ID can be set up. If legitimate, this code would confirm rumors that Face ID is indeed coming to the next iPad Pro, widely rumored to be announced at Apple's event next week.

Expected to roll out to Android and iOS devices in the coming weeks, Facebook Messenger 4 comes with a simplified white interface that only sports three tabs, and it also comes with the ability to add color gradients to chat bubbles. In the future, this mobile app is also expected to get a Dark Mode.

The latest Apple flagship smartphones are facing yet another issue that means they do not work out of the box as described. This time, it seems that one of their dual speakers does not fire while playing audio. The bug has been reported numerous times on several different types of forum by now.

A renowned supply chain analyst has predicted that Apple will soon update the iPad Mini series, with a fifth generation of the popular tablet possibly coming out in 2019. The iPad Mini 4 was released in 2015 and featured the now dated A8 SoC. It is expected an Apple iPad Mini 5 will come with “an upgraded processor and a lower-cost panel.”

Misfit, the American wearables manufacturer, has unveiled official details about the upcoming Vapor 2 smartwatch. The wearable will come in two different sizes and feature a phone-free music player, a standalone GPS, and it will have a built-in heart-rate sensor. This useful device is currently advertised at a starting price of US$249.99.

Most smartphone users know of his or her bad smartphone habits, but they just don't seem to care. More than half admit to texting while driving with many even pulling out the smartphone during job interviews.

The iPhone XR may be the be-notched version of the SE line of old. It offers many new Apple features in a slightly cheaper chassis. This alternative to the XS and XS Max may be attractive for those who like different colors, don't care that much about screen quality and don't want to spend all of US$1000 on a new iPhone.

If everything works as planned, Winamp 5.8 will arrive tomorrow with a bunch of fixes in tow and — the best part of it all — without the paid options previously reserved to the users of the Pro version. However, this iconic piece of code should get a major update and mobile versions for iOS and Android devices in 2019.

A luxury customization company called Brikk has created a solid gold Apple iPhone XS Max that costs US$94,995. The device features 313 g (11.08 oz) of 22K gold and is appropriately part of the firm's Ingot Collection. Brikk has also developed a gold DualShock 4 controller, featuring diamond-studded buttons, available for US$13,995. A rather opulent set of AirPods with a whole carat of diamonds on each bud can be snapped up for US$9,995.