Tech

Apple addresses WebKit security flaw with iOS and iPadOS 14.4.2

Enlarge / Apple’s 2020 iPad Air. (credit: Samuel Axon) Today, Apple began rolling out iOS 14.4.2, iPadOS 14.4.2, and watchOS 7.3.3, and the company issued an advisory to users to upgrade as soon as possible. Like iOS/iPadOS 14.4.1 before it, this update addresses a security flaw. Additionally, Apple released a similar security update—12.5.2—for older devices […]

Tech

Facebook shuts down hackers who infected iOS and Android devices

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) Facebook said it has disrupted a hacking operation that used the social media platform to spread iOS and Android malware that spied on Uyghur people from the Xinjiang region of China. Malware for both mobile OSes had advanced capabilities that could steal just about anything stored on an infected device. The […]

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Apple updates Pages, Numbers, and Keynote to 11.0

iWork on iOS. [credit: Samuel Axon ] This week, Apple updated its suite of iWork apps for both iOS and macOS. Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are now in version 11.0, and while the changes aren’t dramatic, there are some small quality-of-life tweaks here. On iOS, most of the listed updates apply to every app in […]

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“Expert” hackers used 11 zerodays to infect Windows, iOS, and Android users

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) A team of advanced hackers exploited no fewer than 11 zeroday vulnerabilities in a nine-month campaign that used compromised websites to infect fully patched devices running Windows, iOS, and Android, a Google researcher said. Using novel exploitation and obfuscation techniques, a mastery of a wide range of vulnerability types, and a […]

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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, […]

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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 […]

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Apple: Users won’t be able to set default music apps in iOS 14.5 after all

Enlarge / Siri in iOS 14. (credit: Samuel Axon) Over the past several weeks, there have been several reports (including one of our own) on a feature found in recent beta releases of iOS 14.5 that appeared to allow users to change the default music app on their iPhones. However, Apple just clarified to TechCrunch […]

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Soon, you may be able to change the default music service in iOS

Reddit user matejamm1’s screenshot illustrating the change in iOS 14.5. [credit: u/matejamm1 ] It had long been an inescapable fact about Apple’s iOS operating system for iPhones that you couldn’t change your default apps away from those made by Apple itself. But only a few months after Apple changed course and allowed users to change the […]

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Not just Facebook: Snap, Unity warn Apple’s tracking change threatens business

Snapchat on an iPhone. (credit: Maurizio Pesce) Social media company Snap (which runs Snapchat) and game development software company Unity have joined Facebook in warning their investors that Apple’s imminent ad-tracking change will negatively impact their businesses. As previously reported, Apple plans to use the next iOS update (iOS 14.5, due out in early spring) […]

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Apple updates App Store guidelines with tracking opt-in requirement and more

Enlarge (credit: Apple) In a post to its portal for developers, Apple has outlined a number of new changes to its App Store Review Guidelines—including the requirement that developers request user opt-in to track users with IDFA (ID for advertisers) device identifiers. That specific change was expected soon; Apple announced that it will come with […]