Tech

Apple bent its rules for Russia—and other countries will take note

Enlarge (credit: SOPA Images | Getty Images) Beginning in April, new iPhones and other iOS devices sold in Russia will include an extra setup step. Alongside questions about language preference and whether to enable Siri, users will see a screen that prompts them to install a list of apps from Russian developers. It’s not just […]

Tech

As Apple app-tracking change nears, Chinese tech firms fight back

Apple CEO Tim Cook on stage during an Apple event in September 2018. (credit: Valentina Palladino) With Apple’s big app-tracking policy change just around the corner, Chinese companies drew a warning from Cupertino that their efforts to circumvent the change will not be successful. At the same time, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared to shift […]

Tech

Report: iPad Pro due as soon as April will include Thunderbolt port

The 12.9-inch 2020 iPad Pro with the Smart Keyboard and Magic Trackpad peripherals. [credit: Samuel Axon ] Apple plans to launch a new iPad Pro model imminently—perhaps as soon as next month—according to sources cited by Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, who has accurately predicted several Apple product launches over the past few years. The report […]

Tech

Google undercuts Apple with new 15% revenue share for certain Play apps

Enlarge / The logo for Google’s app and content marketplace, Google Play. (credit: Google Play) Today, Google announced a major change to the revenue-sharing structure of Google Play apps—one that could significantly alter the fortunes of independent developers or small companies who rely on the Android platform’s app store for revenue. Starting on July 1, […]

Tech

Huawei plans to start charging patent fees to Samsung, Apple for each phone sold

Enlarge / Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra, which includes a 5G modem. (credit: Ron Amadeo) Huawei plans to start charging big smartphone-makers like Samsung and Apple royalties for use of its various 5G-related patents, according to CNBC. Huawei is seeking to make up some of the losses it has experienced as a result of the US […]

Tech

TikTok wants to keep tracking iPhone users with state-backed workaround

Enlarge (credit: Ivan Abreu | Bloomberg | Getty Images) Some of China’s biggest technology companies, including ByteDance and Tencent, are testing a tool to bypass Apple’s new privacy rules and continue tracking iPhone users without their consent to serve them targeted mobile advertisements. Apple is expected in the coming weeks to roll out changes it […]

Tech

If you’re getting bombarded with FaceTime group calls, you’re not alone

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) FaceTime users are getting bombarded with group calls from numbers they’ve never seen before, often as many as 20 times in short succession during late hours of the night. Griefers behind the pranks call as many as 31 numbers at a time. When a person receiving one of the calls hangs […]

Tech

Apple pulls the plug on the HomePod

Apple’s HomePod. [credit: Jeff Dunn ] Apple has discontinued production of the pricey HomePod smart speaker that it began shipping in 2018. The speaker will still be sold until supplies run out, but the space gray version is already gone from Apple’s online store. Only the white version remains, though you might be able to […]