Russia SMS Carrier Maintenance – Beeline THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Feb 5, 13:00 - 16:00 PSTFeb 4, 01:57 PSTScheduled - The Beeline network in Russia is conducting a planned maintenance from 05 February 2025 at 13:00 PST until 05 February 2025 at 16:00 PST. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to Beeline Russia handsets.
WhatsApp to Soon Let You Schedule Events in Private Chats WhatsApp is working on expanding its group chat event planning feature to private chats, according to new changes found in the latest beta version (via WABetaInfo).
Currently, WhatsApp allows you to create events from group chats to help organize gatherings and stay connected. Hosted events can be given a name, date, and time, also with a description, location, call link, and end time. Only people in the group chat can be invited.
WhatsApp's plan to bring events to private chats should see all of these event planning features become available in one-on-one conversations. It's another step towards Meta's goal of keeping users in the app for longer, instead of having to switch to calendars or other apps to organize meetings, set reminders, and coordinate appointments.
Notably, Apple is said to be on the verge of launching its own iCloud-based event planning app called "Confetti." The service will reportedly offer users a "new way to invite people to parties, functions, and meetings," compared to the current simplistic way of creating events in Apple's Calendar app.
Meanwhile, WhatsApp is also testing the ability to let users open View Once media on linked devices. Currently, a disappearing image or video can only be viewed on a user account's main registered device, so the change should make the feature more useful for those with more than one device.
On that note, WhatsApp recently released an update for iOS devices to patch a significant privacy vulnerability that affected its "View Once" feature. The bug allowed users to access photos and videos that were meant to disappear after a single viewing. Given the privacy implications, make sure you're running the latest version of the app from the App Store to ensure any View Once media remains ephemeral as intended.Tag: WhatsAppThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
Apple makes Swift Build available as open-source, posts developer files to GitHub If you’re a Swift Playgrounds fan as well as an open-source aficionado, you’re going to like this. Over the weekend, Apple announced that the company is making Swift Build open-source. Swift Build functions as the engine used by both Xcode as well as Apple’s internal projects. Apple offered the following comment on Saturday: “As Swift […]
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Apple releases iPhone 11-specific iOS 18.3 build If you have an iPhone 11 model, a specialized version of Apple’s iOS 18.3 was just released. The build, designated build number 22D64, was designed specifically for the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max models, and is thought to work around a bug that was impacting iOS 18.3 on the iPhone […]
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SMS Delivery Reports Delay to Malitel Network in Mali Feb 4, 01:09 PSTInvestigating - We are experiencing SMS delivery delays when sending messages to Malitel Network in Mali. Our engineers are working with our carrier partner to resolve the issue. We will provide another update in 1 hour or as soon as more information becomes available.
Test your Mac’s performance using one of these benchmark and speed-test tools Macworld
Is your Mac’s performance not as good as it once was? Wondering if there might be a problem with your software or if one of the components has failed? Or perhaps it’s your web connection that’s bothering you, but you aren’t sure if it’s just that your broadband connection is really poor, or if there’s something else going on with your Mac.
We share plenty of advice on how to update your Mac, and speed up a slow Mac, but how do you tell if there is really a problem with your Mac rather than you just being inpatient with it? One way to get an idea of how well your Mac is working is to run benchmarks and a set of performance tests on your MacBook or Mac desktop.
Several benchmarking apps will help you find out how fast your Mac is, you can test your GPU and your CPU as well as your Wi-Fi internet speed and even ethernet speed. In this article we’ll run through the best Mac performance test apps, including some free options you can find online.
If you are thinking of buying a new Mac, running benchmarks on your current machine and then comparing them to our benchmarks of the newer models we’ve reviewed will give you an idea of the kind of boost you can expect. (Check our Mac reviews section for the latest Mac benchmarks.)
In this article, we’ll recommend the variety of (usually free) apps we use to evaluate a Mac’s performance (and more specifically, the performance of its components) in a range of scenarios. Carry on reading to find out how to benchmark the CPU, GPU, hard drive, and more, of your Mac desktop or laptop.
How to run Mac speed tests
Want to find out how fast your Mac is (and confirm your belief that it’s been slowing down)? You can run various tests to find out your processor speed, which would give you an insight into how powerful your Mac is. We also recommend checking the speed of your SSD–or hard drive, if you Mac is older.
Before running any of the tests below, we recommend closing any apps on your Mac as they might affect how well the machine performs. Restarting to make sure that any RAM is freed up is also advisable.
How to benchmark your Mac’s CPU
To check your processor speed we recommend Geekbench from Primate Labs. Geekbench is free to use and you can get it on the Mac App Store here. You can also download it from Primate Labs website here.
Geekbench 6 (updated from Geekbench 5 in February 2023) is the most popular tool for gauging how powerful the latest processors are, and because it works for Macs and PCs, as well as iOS and Android you can get a good idea of how your processor compares to another. It is our go-to benchmark tool when reviewing the latest Macs, iPhones and iPads here at Macworld.
Geekbench’s CPU test runs through various tests to stress the CPU and then calculates an overall score–the higher the better. Tests include file compression, rendering web pages and PDFs, running developer scripts, and doing machine-learning tasks like object detection and background blur.
Running these tests could be useful if you think something is wrong with your Mac; you can compare the score to similar Macs and processors. You can view recent Geekbench scores for various Mac processors here.
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How to benchmark your CPU with Geekbench
The main draw of Geekbench is that it’s incredibly easy to use and requires little technical knowledge. Here’s how to use it:
Download the app from the Mac App Store here or Primate Labs website here.
We recommend that you restart your Mac before running the test.
Close any other apps that are running on your Mac.
Open Geekbench.
You’ll see a Welcome to Geekbench message and a request to Upgrade or Enter License. You don’t need to do either of these things. Just click on Later.
Click Run CPU benchmark.
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Geekbench will then measure the performance of your CPU when performing “everyday tasks designed to simulate real-world applications” and can take 10 minutes or more to complete, depending on the speed of your CPU.
Once it’s done, the results will be displayed. You might initially be overwhelmed by all the information on offer, from the Processor ID to the Motherboard hardware, but the only two numbers you need to concentrate on are at the top: single-core score and multi-core score.
The single-core score helps give a sense of how fast the Mac performs under certain situations when only a single processing core is handling everything. Many applications have their performance limited by a single main thread, so single-core CPU performance will determine how fast they run.
Other applications are designed to be multi-threaded so that lots of processes can run at the same time. The multi-core results show you how well your Mac can perform when pushed to its absolute limits, as it’ll use multiple processing cores at once to handle the strain. Think of it as your Mac’s top-end performance.
You can take these results and compare them to other benchmark tests on the Geekbench Browser, allowing you to see how your Mac compares to the latest generation of Macs, and even its competitors from other manufacturers. It should give you an idea of how well your computer is performing at the moment, and whether the upgrade you’re considering is worth it in terms of raw processing power.
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How to check your Mac’s disk speed
One way we used to check how fast the storage inside our Mac was used to be to copy and paste a 4GB folder and then time how long it took to duplicate. That is no longer an effective measure because, since Apple introduced APFS (Apple File System) the folder is no longer duplicated, all you are really doing is creating an alias to the original file.
Therefore the only way to really make a judgment about the speed of the storage inside your Mac is to use a tool such as the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test (free from the Mac App Store here), or the AJA System Test Lite (free from the Mac App Store here) to measure the read/write speeds of your hard drive or SSD.
How to benchmark your SSD with Blackmagic Disk Speed Test
The free Blackmagic Disk Speed Test was designed for video editors to help determine whether their hard drives can handle large files. If you’re not a video editor, don’t fret. the data is still very helpful to gauge performance.
Download Blackmagic Disk Speed Test.
We recommend that you restart your Mac before running the test.
Open the app.
For improved accuracy, and as with all other benchmark tests, it’s best to make sure that no other apps are running.
Select your target drive if your Mac has more than one hard drive (this is done by clicking the gear cog) and click start to begin the benchmark.
While there’s a bunch of data showcased in the Will it Work? and How Fast? charts, that’s mainly for video editors. The numbers you want to focus on are displayed in the big gauges at the top. The write speed is on the left and the read speed on the right, giving you an idea of how fast things will be written to the drive and how fast apps and files will load respectively.
Blackmagic Disk Speed works by running a write test and the Write gauge will eventually stop with a result. Then, it will do the same with a Read test. Then, it starts the process over again with a test of a different file size and will continue to go back and forth between tests until you click the Stop button. You can record any results you see while the gauge is stopped. You’ll find that the results between test iterations are similar.
How to check GPU performance on Mac
Finally, let’s talk about graphical performance. For this, we usually opt for two main benchmark tools: Geekbench’s Compute tests and Maxon’s Cinebench.
How to use Cinebench to benchmark your Mac’s GPU
Cinebench 2024, which you can download here, is another free piece of software that, in addition to testing your Mac’s CPU (much like Geekbench without the ability to compare with other results online), will use an OpenGL and Metal test to benchmark your graphics card.
Cinebench tests the CPU and/or GPU by creating a 3D engine with Maxon’s Redshift render engine. On M3 and later MAcs, Cinebench supports the GPU-accelerated Metal RT hardware ray tracing.
After the tests have run you’ll see the frames per second (fps) result and a score, with the higher the result the better. You’ll see some of the best results following the test, but Maxon doesn’t have an easy-to-search database for different models like Geekbench does.
Maxon
To perform the test, install the app (It’s called Cinebench R24), open it, and click Start next to the GPU test in the top-left corner of the app. It’ll take you through the test, and your final result will be displayed next to the Start button. A test can take 10 minutes or longer.
How to use Geekbench to benchmark your Mac’s GPU
Geekbench doesn’t measure 3D graphics rendering performance like the Cinebench test above. Instead, it uses the GPU to handle computational tasks like edge detection on images, applying a gaussian blur to a 24-megapixel photo, or detecting faces in photos. That is how it measures GPU Compute tasks. For that reason we would suggest that if you want to measure 3D graphics performance you are better off using Cinebench (above). Geeknech Compute is a good general-purpose GPU benchmark.
To measure the GPU using Geekbench download the app from the Mac App Store here or Primate Labs website here.
We recommend that you restart your Mac before running the test.
Close any other apps that are running on your Mac.
Open Geekbench.
You’ll see a Welcome to Geekbench message and a request to Upgrade or Enter License. You don’t need to do either of these things. Just click on Later.
Click on Compute in the sidebar on the left.
Choose between OpenCL or Metal in the GPU API section. On a Mac, Metal is the most important score; on iPhones and iPads, the only supported API is Metal.
Click Run GPU Benchmark.
Having benchmarked your Mac you will have a better idea of whether it is performing as well as should be expected, or if there might be something wrong. Our first suggestion would be to update your software, but if your Mac is just suffering from old age and you decide to look for a new Mac, take a look at our Mac buying guide and be sure to check out the best prices for a new Mac in our various Mac deals round ups:
Best Mac mini deals this month
Best MacBook Air deals this month
Best Mac Studio deals available now
Best MacBook Pro deals this month
Best iMac deals this month
Burned through all the content on Apple TV? This documentary streamer is here to fill the void Macworld
Why does the ever-flowing content stream make us feel like we live in a desert? If you’ve watched everything on Max, Hulu, or whatever new streaming service popped up last week, MagellanTV is an established alternative to mindless binge-watching. And this week, a lifetime subscription is 30% off with code SAVE30.
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Unlike traditional streaming services, MagellanTV offers a rich library of growing content that keeps you hooked. Explore shows like “Diving with Sharks”, “The Last Secrets of the Titanic”, and “JFK: Making of a President.” Or, dive into exclusive playlists like “Wild Weather,” “The Stay-at-Home Travel Guide,” and “Mysteries of the Universe,” Whether exploring ancient civilizations, unsolved crimes, or the wonders of the natural world, you’ll always find something new and fascinating.
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iOS Movie/TV Tracker App Submission rejection for Intellectual Property Hey there, I have worked a long time ago on building a iOS app that allows you to track and find new content to watch – similar concept with Trakt, TV Time and so on. But wanted to make my own version of it. I took a long break and procrastinated on finishing things off […]
Issue with ticketing system Feb 4, 06:58 UTCInvestigating - An internal issue with our ticketing system may cause delays with receiving responses from our support team on existing support cases. Furthermore, some active chats or calls may drop. This does not impact case creation, or viewing existing cases in our support portal.
How much should I charge for this mobile app? Core Features would be * User authentication and account management * Search and filtering * Booking and reservation system * User profiles and preferences * Payment processing (Potentially) * Notification system * Location based services * Rating system I am still a beginner at mobile applications, I have more experience in security and web applications. […]
Get six months of Apple Music for just under $3 Apple Music is running its "biggest offer ever," providing six months of subscription to new users for less than $3.
(via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)
Widget or Live Update Hey everyone, I’m building an app that I believe presents upcoming train departures more effectively than Apple Maps. While that’s up for debate, my main goal is to allow users to pin a station or location and see real-time train arrivals at a glance. Initially, I wanted to achieve this through a widget, updating every […]
App Review Team is asrandom as it gets Hi, Im trying to publish my first application on iOS. After my first submit everything went trough fine. I was happy and discovered that I need to do some small changes in the app like padding. So I rebuild it send it for Review aaaaaand. Rejected. Nothing has changed but there was an issue regarding […]
How to create reminders in Calendar in iOS 18 A significant enhancement in the iOS 18 Calendar app is its integration with Reminders, allowing you to manage everything in one app. Here's how to get started.How to add reminders to the iOS 18 Calendar appManaging schedules and tasks can quickly become overwhelming when juggling apps. Apple's iOS 18 update addresses this issue by allowing you to create reminders directly within the Calendar app, streamlining the process and ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.With this new feature, there's no need to constantly switch between apps to keep track of tasks. It's worth noting that this functionality isn't entirely new — similar integration has long been available when using third-party apps like Fantastical. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
WhatsApp will soon let users schedule events right from private chats WhatsApp currently offers a feature that helps users plan events from group chats. Soon, this feature will be expanded to private chats as well, giving WhatsApp users more flexibility to create and manage their appointments.
more…
AltStore brings first porn app to iPhones in the EU, Apple doesn't 'approve' The first native porn app for iPhone called "Hot Tub" may have passed notarization checks, but Apple wants everyone to know it certainly doesn't "approve" of such dangerous things on its devices.Hot Tub arrives on AltStoreApple's App Store Review Guidelines have almost always explicitly stated that apps featuring "overtly sexual or pornographic material" are not allowed, period. However, alternate app stores in the EU can publish anything that passes a notarization check, and that's happened with the first-ever native porn app for iPhone.When AltStore promoted the app, named Hot Tub, it used the phrase "the first Apple-approved porn app" in marketing. Apple was quick to deny that it "approved" of the app, and released a statement to MacRumors. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
SMS Delivery Reports Delay to Onvoy Spectrum Mobile in United States of America via subset of Shortcodes Feb 3, 18:17 PSTResolved - We are experiencing SMS Delivery Delays via another incident - https://status.twilio.com/incidents/24z78fv45bkf. As such, this incident will be merged. For more information, please visit https://status.twilio.com/incidents/24z78fv45bkf.Feb 3, 17:58 PSTInvestigating - We are experiencing SMS delivery reports delay when sending messages to Onvoy Spectrum Mobile in United States of America via subset of shortcodes. Our engineers are working with our carrier partner to resolve the issue. We will provide another update in 1 hour or as soon as more information becomes available.
How long to get company developer account approved? Been waiting for a month and a half now… Apple support just says “you’re in the queue” submitted by /u/Killcrux [link] [comments]
Last call: pick up Apple's M4 Pro Mac mini for $1,279 Time is running out to pick up Apple's M4 Pro Mac mini at the discounted price of $1,279.Get exclusive pricing on Apple's M4 Pro Mac mini.This Mac mini is a top seller due to its blend of affordability with the performance of the M4 Pro chip. Featuring a 12-core CPU and 16-core GPU, this retail model also has 24GB of unified memory and 512GB of storage. Normally $1,399, B&H is knocking $120 off the upgraded configuration (MCX44LL/A) exclusively for AppleInsider readers.Get the exclusive deal Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
Judge Denies Apple's Attempt To Intervene In Google Search Antitrust Trial A US District Court judge denied Apple's emergency request to halt the Google Search monopoly trial, ruling that Apple failed to show sufficient grounds for a stay. The Verge reports: Apple said last week that it needs to be involved in the Google trial because it does not want to lose "the ability to defend its right to reach other arrangements with Google that could benefit millions of users and Apple's entitlement to compensation for distributing Google search to its users." The remedies phase of the trial is set for April, and lawyers for the Department of Justice have argued that Google should be forced to sell Chrome, with a possibility of spinning off Android if necessary. While Google will still appeal the decision, the company's proposed remedies focus on undoing its licensing deals that bundle apps and services together.
"Because Apple has not satisfied the 'stringent requirements' for obtaining the 'extraordinary relief' of a stay pending appeal, its motion is denied," states Judge Mehta's order. Mehta explains that Apple "has not established a likelihood of success on the merits" for the stay. That includes a lack of clear evidence on how Apple will suffer "certain and great" harm.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Apple stops signing iOS 18.2.1, blocking downgrade from iOS 18.3 A week after releasing iOS 18.3 to the public, Apple has now stopped signing iOS 18.2.1. For users, this means that they can no longer downgrade to this version of the operating system if their iPhone or iPad is already running a newer version.
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As Apple Vision Pro Turns One, Here's What's Next Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the Apple Vision Pro launch, which means Apple's $3,500 AR/VR headset has now been available to consumers for a full 365 days.
Over the course of the last year, we've seen numerous reports suggesting that the Vision Pro isn't selling well, which is not a surprise given its high price point. Apple CEO Tim Cook described the Vision Pro as an "early-adopter product" for people who want to have tomorrow's technology today," and the most recent rumors suggest that it might be out of production already.
In October, The Information said that Apple was winding down production of the Vision Pro, with plans to stop making it at the end of 2024. Apple has enough supply to meet demand for now, because Apple apparently plans to make a new version of the Vision Pro as soon as this year.
Apple didn't quite know how the Vision Pro would be received, and its work on a subsequent model seems to be shifting regularly. For that reason, we've heard a lot of mixed rumors about what's next, but we do have some idea of what might be on the horizon.
Vision Pro 2
We started off with rumors about a second-generation Vision Pro, but work on the next-generation headset with a more advanced feature set has apparently been paused so that Apple can work on a more affordable version first.
A Minor Update
It doesn't sound like we're going to get a Vision Pro 2 this year, or at least not a next-generation model with notable improvements, but there could be an incremental update.
Both Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believe that Apple is working on a refresh that includes Apple's upcoming M5 chip, an improvement over the M2 chip in the current model. With the M5 chip, Apple might bring Apple Intelligence features to the Vision Pro, including a more advanced version of Siri.
Right now, Apple Intelligence is limited to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
No other major design changes or feature upgrades are expected for this device, and it will reuse many of the components from the first-generation model to use up any surplus inventory that Apple has. It's not really clear how the M5 chip might change the Vision Pro experience, and a chip upgrade likely isn't going to spur current Vision Pro owners to buy another headset.
There is a possibility that the next Vision Pro could have 5G connectivity with Apple's in-house modem chip, but that is something that the company could also hold for a second-generation model rather than an incremental update.
Low-Cost Model?
Apple wants to make a more affordable version of the Vision Pro that's priced similarly to a high-end iPhone, but it will take some time. Kuo doesn't expect this lower-cost model until 2027 at the earliest, and it could take even longer.
Apple is struggling to cut costs because it doesn't want to compromise the display components. Apple could use a less powerful processor and cheaper materials than aluminum and glass, and it could cut features like the EyeSight display that shows the wearer's eyes.
Rumors suggest that Apple is looking at OLED panels that are up to 2.1 inches in size with a display density of around 1,700 pixels per inch. The Vision Pro has a 1.42-inch display with a ~3,400 pixel density per inch.
Apple Glasses
Apple was developing lightweight augmented reality smart glasses that would be powered by the Mac, but the project was abandoned in January. The glasses would have been the size of standard glasses, with projectors built in to display images to the wearer, but the Mac connection was a dealbreaker.
Apple still hopes to introduce augmented reality glasses one day, but it looks like the company will wait until technology has advanced enough that the glasses won't need to rely on another device for power and battery.Related Roundup: Apple Vision ProBuyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Buy Now)Related Forum: Apple Vision ProThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
Apple explains how to stop your MacBook from booting up every time you open it Ever wish your MacBook wouldn’t boot up every time you open the lid or connect to power? Apple has published an official support document detailing how to disable the feature.
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United States SMS Carrier Maintenance – T-Mobile THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Feb 4, 19:00 PST - Feb 6, 05:00 PSTFeb 3, 14:24 PSTScheduled - The T-Mobile network in the United States is conducting a series of planned maintenances from 04 February 2025 at 19:00 PST until 06 February 2025 at 05:00 PST. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to and from T-Mobile United States handsets.Note, the maintenance will be carried out on each of the following dates and times:04 February 2025 at 19:00 PST until 05 February 2025 at 05:00 PST05 February 2025 at 19:00 PST until 06 February 2025 at 05:00 PST
Court denies Apple’s request to be involved in Google Search antitrust case Apple isn’t the only big tech facing antitrust investigations as Google has also come under scrutiny for its dominant position in the market. Even the deal between Google and Apple over Safari’s default search engine was considered a violation of antitrust laws, and a court has now ruled that Apple cannot intervene in the case.
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9to5Mac Daily: February 3, 2025 – AAPL earnings, AR projects Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
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MEM (Memphis) on 2025-02-04 THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Feb 4, 16:00 UTC - Feb 5, 02:00 UTCFeb 3, 22:00 UTCScheduled - We will be performing scheduled maintenance in MEM (Memphis) datacenter between 2025-02-04 16:00 and 2025-02-05 02:00 UTC.Traffic might be re-routed from this location, hence there is a possibility of a slight increase in latency during this maintenance window for end-users in the affected region. For PNI / CNI customers connecting with us in this location, please make sure you are expecting this traffic to fail over elsewhere during this maintenance window as network interfaces in this datacentre may become temporarily unavailable.You can now subscribe to these notifications via Cloudflare dashboard and receive these updates directly via email, PagerDuty and webhooks (based on your plan): https://developers.cloudflare.com/notifications/notification-available/#cloudflare-status.
TabView issue with navigation titles Hi guys, I'm relatively new to learning swiftUI and have ran into an issue that I cannot seem to resolve. I am using a navigation coordinator to manage navigation throughout the entire app (trying to keep it pretty clean MVVM and keep navigation away from the views). When I push to a tabview it seems […]
Run out of space? Free up your iPhone storage with these tips Macworld
Storage shortage is a reality for many iPhone owners: whether the culprit is apps, music, Messages or (most commonly) photos and videos, most of us have run out of space at a key moment. Perhaps just as you are trying to update the operating system, or as you were trying to install a hot new app.
Unfortunately, you can’t upgrade an iPhone’s internal storage. But all is not lost. We have a few tips for managing and optimizing the storage available on your iPhone, getting the most out of every last gigabyte and freeing up space for new apps and photos.
As an aside, please note that even though you can’t upgrade the internal storage, you can supplement an iPhone’s capacity with external storage accessories and you can use iCloud storage to extend your capacity to 2TB and beyond.
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1.
Find out what is taking up space and delete the biggest culprits
Foundry
The first thing to do is find out what is taking up the space on your iPhone. Luckily there is a simple way to do this.
Open Settings.
Go to General.
Tap on iPhone Storage.
This will take you to a screen where you can see what is taking up the space on your iPhone. You’ll need to be patient while it calculates how much storage is being used and by what. Eventually, you will see a bar chart divided up into Photos, Apps, Messages, iOS, System Data, and other types of files. System Data (which used to be called Other in older versions of iOS) can often run to tens of GB of storage, leaving many to wonder how to delete Other or System Data on an iPhone.
Scroll down to see which of your apps are taking up the most space.
In images above you can see Photos is using more than 49GB, Messages nearly 20GB. There are ways to manage these apps and how much they store that we will discuss below.
If you scroll through the various apps taking up space (they are sorted so that the largest are at the top) you will be able to quickly locate the ones that are worth removing. The figures include any media stored in the app, so expect your Photos, Music, and Messaging apps to be near the top.
This view also shows when you last used an app, so you can confidently delete an app you probably won’t use any time soon. Don’t worry, once you’ve bought something it’s tied to your Apple ID so Apple knows you own it and you’ll be able to download it again.
Scroll through the list and be ruthless. If an app you rarely use is taking up 300MB of space then delete it. You can always download it again for free if you want to.
Find an app you want to delete.
Swipe from right to left on it.
Choose Delete App. Alternatively, you could choose Offload App, which will delete the app but keep any documents and data so that if you download it again you can access the data you had in it.
There’s another way to delete apps that we will discuss next.
Once an app has been deleted you will see it in this list with a download icon beside it, so this is a good place to go if you ever want to re-download something.
2.
Delete apps from the Home screen
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There is another way to delete apps that might be slightly quicker if you just want to free up some space in a hurry. You can delete an app from the Home screen, including the App Library.
How this works depends on the version of iOS you are using.
In the most recent iOS versions, press and hold on an icon until the menu comes up.
Then tap Remove App.
You’ll then see a window pop up to confirm you want to delete the app.
Choose Delete App to remove it from your iPhone.
On older versions of iOS you could tap and hold on its icon and wait for it (and the other icons too) to start jiggling about – this means you’re in Edit Mode. Then tap on the X in the left corner to delete the app. You can still hold your finger down until you’re in Edit model and tap the (-) in the corner of the app icon to delete it, if you wish.
There is more advice about deleting apps here: How to delete apps on iPhone & iPad.
3.
Work through Apple’s recommendations
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When you’re in Settings > General > iPhone Storage, you’ll see some recommendations for optimizing your storage. You will probably see two, as well as an option to Show All so you can see more recommendations.
The reason why we didn’t start with this is that, although a great way to manage storage in the future, it’s not the quickest way to recover a bit of storage in a hurry. However, it will stand you in good stead if you take Apple’s advice and put the various storage management suggestions into play.
One option you will see here (if you haven’t already set it up) is to use iCloud Photo Library. This will store your photos and videos in the cloud. iCloud Photo Library is a great solution if you want to have access to all your photos on all your devices, just make sure that Apple stores optimized versions of the photos on your device, rather than full res versions.
Another option is to Auto Delete Old Conversations from the Messages app. We haven’t done this primarily because we don’t want to lose access to old messages from people long gone, but it’s a great way to reduce the amount of storage given to messages. Because of the images and videos stored in Messages, this can often free up several gigabytes.
In a similar vein, the Review Large Attachments allows you to delete photos, videos and other media shared in attachments. So if you have a habit of sharing images via Messages expect to find lots of photos or videos here which you can delete if you know you have them in your Photos app.
You could also choose to Review Downloaded Videos. If it’s an option for you tap on the arrow beside it and delete any downloads you see here that you don’t need to keep. Tap Edit > Tap the red circle beside the program you want to delete > Tap Delete.
You may also see the to Offload Unused Apps. Here Apple volunteers to automatically offload apps that are rarely used when you start to run out of storage. ‘Offloading’ deletes the app itself, which is easy to replace by redownloading. But it keeps the documents and data, which are likely to be irreplaceable. You can also find the option to Offload Unused Apps under Settings > App Store. Make sure that Automatic app downloads is not selected here, so that apps don’e automatically download when you add them to other devices.
iOS will tell you how much storage you stand to gain from enabling these suggestions.
4.
Delete app data and cache
Foundry
Apple offers to remove the app while preserving the data, but perhaps it’s the data you want to delete. Maybe you have old videos and books you no longer plan to watch taking up space in an app you still want to use. Some apps will have a lot of data associated with them that you could delete without having to remove the app itself.
To look deeper into the storage being taken up by apps, return to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and click on the arrow beside one of the apps listed there. This way you can see how much data is used by the app itself, and how much additional space is being used by documents and data.
Video apps tend to be a big culprit here, but the Review Downloaded Videos above should have solved that for you. Another place to look is your video editing apps, and book reading apps like Kindle and Books.
To delete the data you will need to go to the app itself. We’ll walk through how to delete data from a number of apps below, including Books, Notes, and Messages. Other places to look include:
Google Maps: Tap your profile and select “Offline Maps” to see if there’s any map data you don’t need to store locally.
Prime Video/Netflix/Disney+ etc: Open the app and view your downloads. You should be able to select the ones you wish to delete.
Another way to free up space is to clear your browser cache. To delete Safari cache follow these steps:
Open Settings.
Scroll down and click on Safari.
Click on Clear History and Website Data.
If you use Chrome you have to remove the cache from inside Chrome. In that case, follow these steps:
Open Chrome.
Tap on Options.
Tap Settings.
Tap Privacy.
Now tap on Clear Browser Data.
Select what you want to delete.
Tap Clear Browsing Data.
5.
Delete text messages
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As we mentioned above, you could choose to auto-delete conversations from the Messages app, which would free up a lot of space. But you might not want to do that if you have messages you want to keep for sentimental reasons.
You can still delete, en masse, a lot of the Messages on your phone while keeping the ones you don’t want to lose.
Swipe from right to left on any message that you want to delete.
Choose Delete.
A better way to filter out messages that are safe to delete and then mass delete them is to filter your messages by Unknown Senders.
Tap Filters in the upper left of the main Messages screen.
Tap on Unknown Senders.
Once in the Unknown Senders view tap on the three dots at the top.
Choose Select Messages.
Tap on Select all.
Double-check that you aren’t deleting anything you might need. Deselect those messages.
Tap Delete.
If you don’t have any reason to keep messages you have two choices. You can delete messages over a year old or you can delete messages that are just 30 days old. To do this follow these steps:
Open Settings.
Scroll to Messages and tap.
Scroll to Message History and tap on Keep Messages.
Now choose between 30 days, 1 Year, and Forever.
6.
Delete photos you don’t need
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If your photos are taking up a considerable amount of space on your iPhone you might want to consider deleting a few of the ones that you have no desire to keep.
Perhaps, like us, you often take screenshots of train times when you are commuting. If you want to delete screenshots from your phone you can do so really easily by opening the Photos app and, under Media Types, look for Screenshots. In there, you can find the screenshots you no longer want to keep and delete them.
Or you take a ton of photos just to get the perfect shot. There is no need to keep these shots. We try to get into the habit of deleting these extra shots close to the time we take them, or at least favoriting one of the collections so we can easily go back and delete lots at a later date.
(If you’re not in this sensible habit, a free app may be able to help. See How to delete duplicate photos on iPhone.) We’ve tried a free option called Remo Duplicate Photos Remover, but there are plenty more you can try such as the paid-for Duplicate Photos Fixer.
In the Utilities category there is a Duplicates folder. If you select it, you can see all your identical photos and choose which to merge into a single photo.
Similarly, if you’ve been using Burst Mode you may have hundreds of near-identical images you really don’t need taking up space on your iPhone.
To remove extra shots from Burst Mode find the Bursts folder under Media Types, and remove all the unwanted images.
7.
Delete images from Messages
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Another way to save a ton of space on your iPhone is to delete images that have been shared via Messages. Again you might have images here you want to keep for sentimental reasons, so beware.
This is a good option if you don’t want to mass delete a lot of images, as you can free up space by just deleting the space-hogging images or videos associated with iMessages.
Open a conversation.
Tap and hold an image within the thread. You’ll see a menu below the image.
Tap More, and you’ll see little circles next to each message and image. (The one you tapped and held will have this pre-ticked.)
You can now select as many images (or other files) as you wish, then tap the bin icon at the bottom left to delete them.
If there are likely to be a few images you want to delete you might want to go straight to the images library associated with that message. To do this follow these steps:
Click on the name or group at the top of the message.
Now scroll down the page to the Photos section.
Tap on See All.
Now tap Select.
You can tap on any images you want to delete now.
Once they are deleted tap on Delete.
You can also show just Screenshots, which might help you filter out the things you are most likely to want to delete. Unfortunately, you can’t select all here though.
8.
Beware of iCloud Photos
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Signing up for iCloud Photos can save you a lot of space if you have gigabytes and gigabytes of photos, reducing the space they take up on your iPhone to something much less greedy, so it’s definitely worth turning this one on.
However, a lot of people have a misunderstanding of what iCloud Photos will do for them. It’s a useful service that lets you automatically upload and store your entire photo library in iCloud so you can access photos and videos on all your devices.
iCloud Photo is not a way to back up the images on your iPhone so you can delete them from your iPhone. If you were looking for a way to back up your photos so you could delete them iCloud Photos is not it. You cannot delete the images from your iPhone once they are in iCloud because deleting any image will delete it from all your devices. We have a separate article on backing up your Apple photo library and we recommend you read that for tips if that’s what you want to do. We also explain How to move photos to iCloud to save space on an iPhone in another article.
If you do use iCloud Photos you also need to make sure you choose Optimize iPhone Storage to ensure that if you lack space your iPhone will only keep small versions of images on the device, thereby saving space. Alternatively, you could select Download and Keep Originals, but that would take a lot of space up!
9.
The movie rental trick
Foundry
This tip can create space on your iPhone (from 1/2MB to over 1GB sometimes) using magic. Not really, but we’re not quite sure how it’s done, only that it works if your iPhone is almost at maximum capacity. And no, your iPhone doesn’t need to be jailbroken, nor does it void the warranty.
Before we begin, head to Settings > General > About and make a note of how much storage you have.
Then, head to the TV app and find a large title – we recommend The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at a whopping 6.83GB. Once you’ve found a suitable movie, tap the Rent button twice (don’t worry, you won’t actually end up renting it) and dismiss the popup informing you that there’s not enough space to download the movie.
Now, head back to the About section of the Settings menu and take a look at your available storage. If all has gone well, you should see a difference of a few hundred megabytes, possibly more. While it won’t work for everybody, users on Reddit report that following the steps several times allowed them to keep freeing up more storage.
We’re not quite sure what Apple is deleting when it does this, as it’s not apps, photos or other important data. We assume it’ll be clearing out caches and other areas that make up the “Other” section on your iOS storage breakdown.
10.
Sign up for iTunes Match or Apple Music
Foundry
You don’t have to store every Music track you could ever possibly need to listen to on your iPhone. If you sign up for iTunes Match (for $24.99/£21.99 a year) or Apple Music ($10.99/£10.99 a month) and you will then have every track you own available to you via the cloud.
Therefore you can delete your music from your iPhone knowing that every song you may wish to listen to is but a download away. Here’s how to sign up for iTunes Match and here’s our guide to Apple Music.
Once you have signed up for either of these Apple’s services, all your music on all your Apple devices will be uploaded to iCloud (even tracks you have imported from CD). This means you can download any track you fancy listening to on your iPhone whenever the mood takes you.
You can download a track or a whole album, or a whole playlist. Just click on the iCloud download icon beside the title.
If you then want to delete the track from your iPhone, just swipe left on it, to delete. It will still be available to download from iCloud another time.
11.
Remove Books you’re not reading
Foundry
Have you got any iBooks downloaded on your iPhone? Do you need them to be there? If you delete them they will still be available in iCloud to download again, so why not save yourself a few MB by removing the novel you’re reading on your iPad from your iPhone.
Our Books app is 35.5MB, but carries 1.65GB of data.
Using the Books example, to delete the data you need to open the Books app.
Open Books.
Go to Library.
Tap on Edit.
Look through the books on your device – any that aren’t currently stored on the iPhone will have a cloud logo beside them.
Now tap on any book you wish to remove from your device.
Then tap on the Trash in the bottom left to delete it.
Tap on Remove Downloads to remove it from your device.
You can choose to Delete This Copy, rather than delete it from all your devices.
Also, check Settings > Books and make sure you deselect Automatic Downloads so that when you buy a book on another device it doesn’t automatically download to your iPhone too.
12.
Record video at a lower resolution
Foundry
Newer iPhones offer you the option to reduce the quality of the videos you record.
As the screenshot shows, a minute of video can take up 400MB of space on your iPhone if you record it at 4K, so you probably won’t want to be doing that.
The iPhone should default to 1080p HD at 60 fps, but you could economize further by recording at 720p HD and 30fps: just 40MB for a minute, rather than 90MB.
You can change the settings in Settings > Camera > Record Video.
13.
Check your other photo-editing apps
Foundry
There are photo-editing features in Photos, but you may use separate apps for photo editing. Those apps could have some old images lurking within that you could delete.
Check apps like Instagram, Snapchat and the like for images stored in the app itself.
14.
Spring-clean your Notes
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If you use your iPhone’s Notes app fairly heavily you may be wondering how much space you could save by deleting old notes.
To see how much storage the app is taking up, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, then find and tap on the entry for Notes. This will show separate entries for the app itself (a paltry 12MB) and the documents and data it holds (a slightly less paltry 64.2MB, in our case).
To be honest, this still isn’t a massive number, and it’s unlikely to make a huge difference. We deleted a fair few notes and didn’t notice any change at all in our phone memory; it doesn’t strike us as worth the effort.
But if you’re desperate (and prepared to be drastic), or if you use Notes to store attachments and other media, then it may make a crucial difference.
15.
Optimize storage using a third-party app
Foundry
If the free tips above aren’t for you, there are myriad third-party apps available that’ll make the process simpler and quicker. Here one of our top suggestions:
iMyFone Umate
This is an app for Mac and Windows that can free up a huge amount of space on your iPhone.
Plug in your iPhone and run a scan. The app will tell you how much free space you could potentially gain by clearing out temporary and junk files, backing up photos, and deleting large files, then showcases your app collection for rapid (but selective) deletion.
Interestingly, the app offers the ability to compress your photos instead of completely deleting them. It backs the original photos up to your Mac or PC, then will compress your entire library to free up extra space (up to 75 percent, according to the company).
You can grab a trial of iMyFone Umate for free, or you can pay $19.95 (around £15) for the full app.
SMS Delivery Delays to Onvoy Spectrum Mobile in United States of America via Subset of Short Codes Feb 3, 14:11 PSTInvestigating - We are experiencing SMS delivery delays when sending messages to Onvoy Spectrum Mobile in United States of America. Our engineers are working with our carrier partner to resolve the issue. We will provide another update in 1 Hour or as soon as more information becomes available.
Judge denies Apple’s attempt to intervene in Google search engine lawsuit Apple is attempting to defend its lucrative $20-billion-plus search engine agreement with Google amid Google's antitrust lawsuit, but…
The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.
Microsoft adding one of Apple’s best recent Mail features to Outlook for Mac Microsoft is updating Outlook for Mac to include one of the best new features Apple has added to Mail in recent years. The update also brings Outlook for Mac up to speed with the Windows and web version when it comes to this capability.
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Can I use App Intents to feed data into my actual app from a share extension? I really, really do not want to figure out a shared container for my coredata containers Basically, I see that I can call intents from a live activity extension. Very great. But can I do the same from a Share Extension? submitted by /u/undergrounddirt [link] [comments]
Apple Notes recently got a power user feature I’ve long wanted Apple Notes gained a variety of great features in iOS 18 last fall, like collapsible sections, color highlighting, audio recording with transcripts, and more. But I recently discovered one more change that answers one of my long-time feature requests, and could satisfy a lot of power users.
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Gemini 2.0 Flash rolling out to Gemini app on Android, iOS Following Thursday’s announcement, Gemini 2.0 Flash is now appearing in the Gemini app on Android and iOS.
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Weird flaky test around time formatting I have no clue what is wrong with these tests. They run fine on the CI, but they don't on my machine. Which is usually the opposite, if you know what I mean. 😆 I won't place the full test, but it boils down to the phenomenon I will place below. Can someone explain why […]
Apple Says It Doesn't Approve of EU Porn App Apple does not approve of the "Hot Tub" pornography app that was released for the iPhone in the EU using alternative app distribution, Apple said in a statement to MacRumors. Further, Apple is concerned about the potential user safety risks with a pornography app, and says that it undermines consumer trust in the Apple ecosystem.
We are deeply concerned about the safety risks that hardcore porn apps of this type create for EU users, especially kids. This app and others like it will undermine consumer trust and confidence in our ecosystem that we have worked for more than a decade to make the best in the world. Contrary to the false statements made by the marketplace developer, we certainly do not approve of this app and would never offer it in our App Store. The truth is that we are required by the European Commission to allow it to be distributed by marketplace operators like AltStore and Epic who may not share our concerns for user safety.
Apple's statement references the first native iOS pornography app that is available through AltStore, an alternative app marketplace in the European Union. Apple is required to allow app marketplaces in the EU by the Digital Markets Act, and Apple has little control over the kinds of apps that are offered.This article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
Rhys Ifans cast in ‘Star City,’ spinoff of Apple TV+ hit series ‘For All Mankind’ Rhys Ifans has been selected as the first cast member for the new Apple TV+ series "Star City," which is a spinoff of "For All Mankind."
The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.
Suggestions for inviting friends in my app (there is no global feed or a way to discover others) So as the title says, there is no global way to discover other users like in X or Instagram but I would still like to give users the ability to add other friends (obviously whomever they may know in real life). My current implementation is that I have a button that shares their user UUID […]
Skip Tools – Build Native iOS and Android Apps Using Swift & SwiftUI Skip framework allows you to create native iOS and Android applications in Swift & SwiftUI. Here are few resources to get you started. – What is Skip Tools? https://youtu.be/ts0SuKiA5fo – Installing and Running Your First Step App https://youtu.be/o6KYZ5ABIgQ – Displaying Maps Using Skip https://youtu.be/Cq17ZlKdz0w#iosdev submitted by /u/Select_Bicycle4711 [link] [comments]
How to get your 2025 Apple Music Replay playlist It's not just Spotify that has a year-end wrap-up feature — Apple Music does too, and it's year round! Here's how to get your Apple Music Replay playlist, today.Apple Music Replay 2025Spotify has a unique feature called Spotify Wrapped that shows off your top artists, songs, and genres of the year. It is a trendy function that gets shared all over social media at the end of each year, but Apple Music fans need not miss out. In fact, the 2025 Replay playlist has already been released.The Apple Music Replay function isn't as in-depth as Spotify Wrapped, but it does offer some interesting stats and specialized playlists. Stats include the number of hours of music listened to for the entire year, the number of artists listened to, and top artists with the number of hours listened to each. Continue Reading on AppleInsider
This AirTag 2 feature could have the biggest impact for Apple and you Four years after the first AirTag debuted, Apple is planning to ship its successor later this year. When AirTag 2 arrives, it will include one feature in particular that could have the biggest impact—for both Apple and users.
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Judge Again Denies Apple's Attempt to Intervene in Google Search Engine Lawsuit Apple is fighting to defend its multi-billion dollar search engine deal with Google as Google is prosecuted for antitrust violations, and so far, the court isn't making it easy. Last week, Apple filed a motion for an emergency stay that would give the Cupertino company time to intervene in the lawsuit, but the judge overseeing the case denied Apple's motion [PDF] and won't hold off on moving forward.
In November, Apple asked the court to allow it to be more involved in the case as the court decides what steps to take to prevent Google from continuing to violate antitrust law. The court said no, so Apple appealed the ruling, but it will take time for the appeals process to play out. While it waits on an appeal, Apple wanted the court to pause the proceedings, but the judge isn't inclined to do so.
According to the court, Apple did not demonstrate that it will suffer "certain and great" harm that would justify a stay, nor has it adequately explained why it needs a bigger role in the lawsuit or what new evidence it has to present. The court also does not feel that Apple has proven that a mistake was made when its initial motion for intervention was denied. Further, the judge feels that moving forward is important to prevent Google from continuing with its antitrust violations.
As the court stated in its order denying intervention, this case has been pending for over four years, and the delay from postponing the evidentiary hearing would be months, not weeks.
What's more, the court has concluded that Google violated federal antitrust law by entering into exclusive search distribution agreements with various companies (including Apple) to achieve and maintain a monopoly in both the general search services market and the general text advertising market.
Preserving the status quo by granting a stay, as Apple urges, would only perpetuate this unlawful activity and is therefore contrary to the public interest.
Last year, Google was found guilty of violating antitrust law, and its search engine deal with Apple was a main focus of the case. Google pays Apple billions each year to be the default search engine for Safari, and the court decided that deal and other Google practices violate antitrust law.
The U.S. government has asked the court to prevent Google from entering into search contracts with Apple and other companies, and Apple does not want that to happen. Apple will be losing upward of $20 billion annually if Google is barred from continuing on with the search engine deal, and Apple would still have to offer Google Search as an option to users.
Google is also facing more extreme remedies, and it could be forced to sell the Chrome browser or uncouple Android from products like Google Search and the Google Play Store. Apple feels that Google will prioritize defending Chrome and its other properties over its search deal with Apple, which is why Apple wants to step in.
"If Apple's appeal is not resolved until during or after the remedies trial, Apple may well be forced to stand mute at trial, as a mere spectator, while the government pursues an extreme remedy that targets Apple by name and would prohibit any commercial arrangement between Apple and Google for a decade," Apple wrote in the filing asking for a stay.
Apple now plans to file a motion to expedite its appeal of the initial ruling barring it from further participating in the Google lawsuit. The remedies portion of the antitrust lawsuit against Google is set to begin in April, so the appeals process may have time to play out before then if Apple can get the case expedited.Tags: Apple Antitrust, DOJ, GoogleThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
BofA ups Apple target to $265, sees minimal tariff impact on earnings On Monday, BofA Securities reaffirmed its "Buy" recommendation for Apple stock, increasing its price target from $253 to $265…
The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.
Average iPhone selling price tops a whopping $900 The average selling price of iPhones has been on the rise as the popularity of Apple's higher-priced models increases.
(via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)
Apple forced to approve porn app on EU iPhones due to DMA Apple has been legally required to approve a pornography app for iPhone users in EU markets due to regulatory actions put in place by Europe’s Digital Markets Act. Since launching the App Store in 2008, Apple’s policy has been to prevent apps explicitly for distributing pornography from being listed in the App Store.
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Apple Stops Signing iOS 18.2.1, Preventing Downgrading Apple today stopped signing iOS 18.2.1, which means that iPhone users who have upgraded to iOS 18.3 can no longer downgrade to the prior version of iOS 18. Apple released iOS 18.3 a week ago.
When new versions of iOS are released, Apple stops signing the prior version after a week or two. An update that is not signed is not able to be installed on an iPhone because there is a server-side software verification check. As of right now, iPhone models compatible with iOS 18 are only eligible to download and run iOS 18.3.
By preventing customers from downgrading to older versions of iOS, Apple ensures that devices are kept up to date with the newest security improvements.
Apple's iOS 18.3 update included a handful of Apple Intelligence updates and more than 20 security updates. One of those fixes addressed a vulnerability that may have been actively exploited on some devices, demonstrating why it is important to keep iOS software up to date.This article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
Fitness+ adds hours of Kendrick Lamar themed workouts to celebrate Super Bowl LIX Apple announced a few months ago that Kendrick Lamar would be headlining the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime show on February 6th. Last night at the Grammys, Kendrick Lamar was able to add an additional five Grammys to his now total of 22! Given his current popularity, Apple has added a few Kendrick Lamar-themed workouts for its Fitness+ subscribers.
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Apple just rolled out iOS 18.3 — for just the iPhone 11 family Apple has rereleased iOS 18.3, but this time it's specifically for an iPhone lineup that is more than five years old.The iPhone 11 familyNo, you aren't experiencing deja vu — Apple has released iOS 18.3 again. But this time, the update arrives solely for the iPhone 11 family.While iOS 18.3 build 22D63 was released for other iPhone models last week, a new build, build 22D64, has been rolled out to address issues that seemingly only affect the older model. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
SMS Delivery Failures to AT&T Network in the US for a Subset of Long codes Feb 3, 11:32 PSTResolved - Twilio SMS was degraded for 86 minutes between 03:44 and 05:17 Pacific Time on 02/03/2024. During this period of time customers may have experienced failures to ATT network. The issue has now been resolved.
Apple kicks off Super Bowl LIX with 6 months of Music for just $3 Macworld
Apple on Monday announced a special deal for the Apple Music streaming service. New and eligible customers can get six months of Apple Music for $2.99/£2.99. That’s $8 off the regular price of $10.99 per month, which kicks in at the end of the six-month trial.
To sign up for Apple Music, launch the Music app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and go to the Home section. This offer is available in the U.S., U.K., and Canada until February 27, 2025. Apple’s press release doesn’t explain what “eligible” means, however.
The Apple Music deal is part of Apple’s promotion tied to Super Bowl LIX and its sponsorship of the halftime show starring Kendrick Lamar (who won multiple Grammy awards on Sunday night). The company offers several related promotions, including a section of Apple Music for “Kendrick Lamar’s Road to Halftime,” an interview on Thursday, February 6 at 10 a.m. Central with Lamar on Apple Music, Super bowl-related Apple Music Radio programming, and more.
Apple Music subscriptions are also part of Apple One, a bundle of six iCloud services for one monthly price. Plans range from $19.95/£19.95 for an Individual plan to $37.95/£37.95 for a Premier plan. Learn more about Apple One.
How to delete unused iCloud containers? Created a couple for testing in Xcode. Wanted to clean up but couldn't find the delete button anywhere. Only has the + icon. Looks like what we should do is to simply ignore unused ones and create new containers?? submitted by /u/LifeIsGood008 [link] [comments]
EU's AltStore Gets Apple-Approved Pornography App In the European Union, app developers can launch apps through alternate app stores. While Apple checks apps for malware and other malicious content, there are few restrictions on subject matter, unlike Apple's own App Store. As a result, EU users can now download the first dedicated native pornography app created for the iPhone.
Called Hot Tub, the app is available through the AltStore PAL, an Apple-approved EU app marketplace from developer Riley Testut. The app promises a private and secure way to browse adult content, without ads or tracking. "An elegant, native porn app. Thoughtfully designed, ethically made, and free to use," reads the app's description. As noted by TechCrunch, the app lets users search and play videos from a number of other sites like Pornhub and Xvideos.
The App Store in the European Union, U.S., and other countries has clear rules against sexual or pornographic material, which means Hot Tub is not an app that could exist without the option for alternative app distribution. Outside of the European Union, adult content is limited to web browsers.
For apps distributed through marketplaces like AltStore, Apple uses a Notarization process to check for malware, security threats, and fraud. Apple also ensures that apps are functioning as promised, but sideloaded apps don't have to adhere to App Store content rules and can distribute pornography, or feature other prohibited content like hate speech, weapons, tobacco, vaping, alcohol, and legal drug consumption.
AltStore was one of the first alternative app marketplaces to launch in the European Union after Apple implemented changes to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act last year. Alternative app marketplaces are required to pay a Core Technology Fee for each install, and while the AltStore initially charged €1.50 plus tax per user per year, Epic Games gave it a "MegaGrant," which means AltStore is now free to download.
Hot Tub may also need to pay an Apple fee at some point, but that will depend on number of downloads and revenue earned. The app is free, but there is a pro subscription available. Apple charges apps a Core Technology Fee (CTF) for each install after their first one million installs, but the fees don't kick in right away for small developers.
As of Apple's latest rule change in May 2024, apps that earn under 10 million euros per year do not have to pay the CTF for a three-year period. Apps that earn over 10 million euros but under 50 million euros will only pay a maximum of one million euros for three years.
Hot Tub is available as a beta right now, and it is available to all users in the European Union. U.S. users are not able to download the app because sideloading apps is not permitted.Tag: European UnionThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
Apple set to launch ‘Confetti,’ a new iCloud-based e-vite service Apple is preparing to launch “Confetti,” a new iCloud-based events and invite service, as early as this coming week…
The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.
MagSafe Monday: Lisen’s ultra-slim 0.3’’ MagSafe battery is the product Apple should have launched alongside the iPhone 16 Apple released a single version of its MagSafe battery a few years ago but was never upgraded or replaced. It eventually was removed for sale. It was a great product, and I wish it had stayed around. It was never designed to be the biggest battery, but it was great for getting through a heavy-use day. That’s exactly what the offers. It’s what I envision a modern Apple MagSafe battery would look like.
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MagSafe Monday: Lisen’s ultra-slim 0.3’’ MagSafe battery is the product Apple should have launched alongside the iPhone 16 Apple released a single version of its MagSafe battery a few years ago but was never upgraded or replaced. It eventually was removed for sale. It was a great product, and I wish it had stayed around. It was never designed to be the biggest battery, but it was great for getting through a heavy-use day. That’s exactly what the offers. It’s what I envision a modern Apple MagSafe battery would look like.
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Price drop: Add 128GB of storage to your iPhone (or other device) with 4-way flash drive With four connectors (USB-C, Lightning, USB 3.0 and micro-USB), 4-in-1 Smart Flash Drive lets you add 128GB of storage to almost any device.
(via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)
On Call Engineers are Investigating an issue Feb 3, 10:49 PSTResolved - We have fully investigated the filtering issue triggered by our automated alert, and it was determined that there is no noticeable customer impact. All systems are operational.Feb 3, 10:28 PSTInvestigating - Our monitoring systems have detected a potential issue with AT&T filtering, Our engineering team has been alerted and is actively investigating. We will update as soon as we have more information.
Apple has re-released iOS 18.3 for an older iPhone model Have an iPhone 11? Apple just released a new build of last week’s iOS 18.3 software update just for you.
iOS 18.3 build 22D64 is now available for iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. The five-year-old model received the same update to iOS 18.3 last week as other iPhone models. The new build suggests something specific to the iPhone 11 line needed resolved with a new build.
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Apple has officially launched the 2025 Swift Student Challenge Apple's Swift Student Challenge is officially open, with participants vying for the top prize — an all-inclusive three-day trip to Apple Park.Swift Student Challenge 2025 is now openJust as it did in 2024, Apple will select 350 winners in total and, recognize 50 of them as Distinguished Winners for their "outstanding submissions." Distinguished Winners will need to demonstrate "excellence in innovation creativity, social impact, or inclusivity."All 350 Challenge winners will receive a year of membership in the Apple Developer Program, a complimentary voucher to take the App Development with Swift certification exam, and a special gift from Apple. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
Is Your PIN Easy to Guess? In the latest installment of “People Are Bad at Security,” reporters from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation use a heatmap to illustrate the prevalence of 29 million PINs from the Have I Been Pwned? database.Read original article
Apple Releases New Version of iOS 18.3 for iPhone 11 Apple today released an updated version of iOS 18.3 that's designed specifically for the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. The update has a build number of 22D64.
iPhone 11 users can download the new software by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
Apple first released iOS 18.3 last Monday, and it is likely that this new version has a fix for a bug that was impacting iPhone 11 models.
The main features in iOS 18.3 were Apple Intelligence related and included Visual Intelligence and changes to Notification summaries. As the iPhone 11 line does not support Apple Intelligence, there are few features in iOS 18.3 for the devices.
The update adds a new Calculator feature that causes the last mathematical operation to repeat when pressing the equals sign, and it fixes an issue where Apple Music playback could continue until a song ends even after the app was closed.Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18This article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
How to clear Safari’s cache and cookies on Mac Macworld
There are a handful of situations when clearing Safari’s cookies or cache–one of the places where Safari stores website data to avoid having to download it afresh each time you access a site–can help improve your browsing experience.
The first is when websites simply stop working when you access them on Safari. Perhaps Facebook stops updating with new posts, for example, or the images on a site don’t appear as they should. If this happens, it’s likely the cache has become corrupted.
Alternatively, if you find that personal info automatically completed on sites isn’t correct, deleting cookies can help. These are small files sites use to save data about you and what you do on the site.
Even if none of these problems affect you, periodically cleaning browser data can help protect your privacy from snoops who want to discover what you’ve been up to online. Therefore, this article explains how to clear Safari’s cache and cookies on Mac.
We also have an article that explains How to clear cache on a Mac.
How to clear Safari cookies and cache for websites
Cleaning cookies and the cache data for individual sites can be done via Safari’s Settings/Preferences.
Open Safari
Click on Safari in the menu at the top of the screen.
Click on Settings or Preferences (depending on the version of macOS you are running).
Go to the Privacy tab.
Click on Manage Website Data.
Choose Remove All or select websites individually to remove.
Foundry
After the data is loaded you’ll probably see a long list of websites. You can choose to Remove All or just select individual websites you want to remove from this list. If you want to select several different sites, you can click on one and then press and hold the Command key to select a second, third, fourth, and so on. We recommend that you don’t select hundreds this way; it’s better to delete in batches just in case you have to start over.
If you would prefer to select all and then deselect the ones you want to keep you can do so. Use Command+A to select all, then press and hold Command while clicking on any website you are happy to keep in this list. Just click Remove afterwards, not Done, as that will just undo all your hard work. There’s also a search field you can use to track down individual sites.
Bear in mind that deleting cookies might remove autocompleted login usernames and passwords for sites, and will almost certainly log you out of that site if you’ve configured it to automatically log in each time you visit.
How to clear Safari cache
The hidden Safari Developer menu can be used to clear just the cache, leaving cookies and the browser history in place. This is a very useful diagnostic step to take before removing those two items if a website behaves badly.
If you just want to clear all your cache you can do so by following these steps:
Open Safari.
Click on Safari in menu bar at top of screen and select Settings/Preferences (depending on the version of macOS you are running).
Click on the Advanced tab.
Check the box beside Show Develop Menu in Menu Bar or Show features for web developers.
Now there will be a new Develop tab in the menu at the top of your screen. Click on this.
Click on Empty Caches.
Alternatively click on Option+Command + E.
Close any open Safari windows and select Empty Caches on the Develop menu. Then click File > New Window to start Safari with a clean cache.Foundry
How to remove autocomplete data from AutoFill
Safari’s AutoFill tool can fill in username and password details on websites as well as credit card details and other elements like your address and email details. This can be really useful, but it can also be annoying if the data it fills in is incorrect or out of context. It’s also a problem when AutoFill enters old or incorrect passwords or emails and addresses.
You can change this data, or delete it by following these steps:
Open Safari.
Click on the Safari menu.
Click on Settings/Preferences.
Choose the AutoFill tab.
Here you can edit contact information, usernames and passwords, credit cards and other data. Click on Edit beside the category you want access to.
You’ll need to enter your password or use Touch ID to gain access.
Foundry
Delete incorrect data: If you are finding that Safari is autofilling incorrect data about you (your address, for example), click Edit beside “Using information from my contacts.” This will open up your Contacts app. Your card will be at the top or under My Card. You can add and amend data about yourself here.
Delete incorrect passwords and site logins: In versions of Safari before 18.2, you can manage site passwords within Safari. If you want to delete incorrect passwords, you can click on the Passwords tab. If you know which password you want to remove search for the website or service and then find the older password option (if there is more than one) and select it and then click on the “-” below the column to remove it. You can then select Delete Password. If that means there is no password saved for that website, you can then recreate the entry for the site by clicking the Add button. You’ll first need to provide the URL of the site (that is, something like https://facebook.com), and then type the username and password alongside (hit the Tab key to move from field to field).
If you are using macOS Sequoia or later, website passwords are now managed in the new Passwords app. You need to open this app to delete incorrect passwords. Learn more about the Passwords app (the linked review is about the iPhone version, but it is the same as macOS). We’ll also cover the Passwords app in the section below.
See: How to autofill passwords, bank cards, names and addresses for more.
Delete logins and passwords system-wide
If you are using a version of macOS before Sequoia, site logins can also be accessed via the Keychain Access app, which you’ll find in the Utilities folder of the Applications list in Finder, although you should be very careful using this app because it pretty much controls the entire security operation of your Mac! However, by removing errant username and password entries here you’ll stop virtually all of your Mac apps using them, and not just Safari.
Just type the name of the site into the Search field, and look in the list of results for entries of the kind Web Form Password. Right-click the entry and select Delete.
Foundry
For macOS Sequoia or later, Apple introduced a new Passwords app. You can find it in the Applications folder. (The Keychain Access app still exists, but it is hidden. You can find it by doing a Spotlight search for “Keychain Access” but when you open it, you’ll get a notification stating that Passwords is the preferred way to manage passwords.)
Type the name of the site in the search field, and look at the list of sites that appear. Click on the one you want to modify and click Edit in the upper right to modify the password, or Control-click the website and select Delete in the pop-up menu to delete it.
Foundry
If you want to delete your Chrome or Firefox cache, cookies or browsing history read: How to delete your Mac browsing history. For alternative web browsers take a look at: Best web browser for Mac.
Apple Calendar’s ‘Confetti’ could offer three advantages over competitors Apple is reportedly about to launch a new iCloud-based service, codenamed Confetti, that’s tied to the iOS 18.3 Calendar app. Here are three advantages Apple’s offering could provide over its competition.
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The History of Screen Savers At Tedium, Ernie Smith explores the origins of screen savers, revealing a history that stretches back further than most might think. Although Apple seems focused on its high-resolution Aerial video screen savers, screen saver design seems to be returning to just darkening the screen.Read original article
Sophie tangles with evil British aristocracy in Surface season 2 [Apple TV+ trailer] When is British aristocracy ever at fault? Well, in "Surface" season 2's trailer, Sophie's search for lost memory leads her to a big scandal.
(via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)
Judge swiftly tells Apple it can't delay the Google trial Apple's motion for a stay on the forthcoming Google remedy trial has been quickly denied, meaning Apple will have little say in the potential end of its annual $20 billion iPhone search deal with the search giant.Google faces a remedy trail over its monopolistic practicesAt the conclusion of the Department of Justice's case against the company, Google was legally declared to be a search and advertising monopoly in August 2024. A remedy trial is planned to determine what steps Google can take to address this, and Apple has been trying to be a major part of the process.According to MLex, however, Judge Amit Mehta has now denied Apple's motion to obtain what's called an emergency stay of the trial. The ruling came 24 hours after Apple filed its motion in response to Judge Mehta's previous refusal to allow it any significant participation. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
Apple Relaunched the HomePod Two Years Ago Today Apple relaunched the HomePod two years ago today, debuting a second-generation model almost five years after the original model's introduction.
The original HomePod was announced at WWDC in 2017 and launched in 2018 after a heavily delayed release. The device was met with mixed reviews; critics praised its outstanding sound quality but pointed out its high price, missing features, and limited functionality compared to rivals.
Apple dropped its price from $349 to $299 in April 2019 and, in March 2021, the company announced that it was discontinuing the first-generation HomePod, instead shifting its focus to the HomePod mini, which launched the previous year. The decision left a gap in Apple's product lineup for a full-sized smart speaker until the company introduced the second-generation model via a press release on January 18, 2023.
The second-generation HomePod looks virtually identical to the original, although it is 0.2 inches shorter and has a larger edge-to-edge LED touchscreen on top. It also boasts a range of upgrades and changes compared to its 2018 predecessor, including the S7 chip, a U1 ultra wideband chip, a removable power cable, a temperature and humidity sensor, and sound recognition. However, it features two fewer microphones and horn-loaded tweeters.
While Apple's potential plans for a third-generation HomePod are unclear two years after the current model was introduced, there are a multitude of rumors surrounding a smart home "command center" product with an LCD touchscreen display arriving this year as Apple looks to rethink its smart home lineup.This article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
Apple TV+ debuts trailer for ‘Surface’ season two On Monday, Apple TV+ unveiled the trailer for the upcoming second season of “Surface.” Starring and executive produced by…
The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.
How to get Microsoft Word for free on Mac Macworld
Microsoft Word remains the standard way to create and share text documents, whether you’re in a corporate or educational organisation. In recent years, it’s definitely had its iron-clad grip loosened by the likes of Google Docs, but in many instances Word is the preferred or expected software to use. There’s only one problem with that: it’s not free. So, if you don’t want to add another monthly bill to your account, how can you still use the software without shelling out? Here’s how to get Microsoft Word on your Mac for free, plus the various paid versions and some useful alternatives.
How to use Microsoft Word for free on the web
Microsoft offers completely free versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint, all of which you access online at its Microsoft 365 hub. You’ll need a Microsoft account, but these are free and you may find that you already have a Hotmail or Outlook account that you created a while back. If you don’t, they only take a few minutes to create.
Once this is done, you’re free to access the various apps and use them in your browser. This used to be called Office.com but Microsoft now calls it Microsoft 365 to keep it in line with its other productivity software.
Read our review of Microsoft Word 2024 for Mac, plus everything you need to know about Microsoft Office for Mac vs Microsoft 365.
It’s true that you don’t get the full suite of tools that the paid versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint possess, and you have to save documents to OneDrive, but if you just need a word processor that can accurately create and handle .docx file types, this is a handy way to get it for free.
Get Microsoft Word for free for one month
You can run Word, Excel, PowerPoint and all the apps Microsoft offers in the Microsoft 365 bundle for one month for free thanks to Microsoft’s 30-day free trial.
When you set up the trial you will need to add your payment information, so If you don’t want to pay anything you could set a reminder for yourself to cancel before your subscription starts. If you miss that date your subscription can be canceled by turning off recurring billing.
Best deals right now!
U.S.
The Digital License shop is offering Microsoft Office 2024 with lifetime licenses for Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint for $49 for Mac users (it’s cheaper on the PC).
Get the deal from Digital License for £49
U.K.
Groupon has a deal where you can get lifetime access to Microsoft Office Standard 2024 Mac for £29 – that’s 85% off and includes lifetime licenses for Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.
Get the deal from Groupon for £29
Wowcher has the same deal. Get Office Standard 2024 for £29. It includes lifetime licenses for Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.
Get the deal from Wowcher for £29
How to get the paid version of Microsoft Word for less
If you need the full range of tools that Word has to offer, not to mention the ability to work offline and save files into other folders or online storage services, then you’ll need to pay. There are two routes open to you: one-off payment, or a subscription.
We already pay for plenty of things each month, so the idea of adding another bill to the list might not appeal. Thankfully, you don’t have to, as Microsoft still offers a one-and-done approach to buying Word. It’s not cheap, though, as buying the app outright will set you back $179.99 / £159.99, although there are no more payments afterwards.
But there’s an even cheaper way to get Microsoft Word for one payment and you actually get Excel and PowerPoint too! You can get a lifetime license for Office Home 2024 that includes all three apps for $149.99 / £119.99.
Microsoft Word for Mac
Read our review
Price When Reviewed:
Lifetime license, Office Home 2024, one device: $149.99; Lifetime license Word, one device: $179.99; Microsoft 265 Personal, one device: $99.99 a year ($9.99 a month)
Best Prices Today:
$99.99 at Microsoft (one device, one year) |
$119.99 at Microsoft Office Home 2024 |
$179.99 at Microsoft (lifetime license)
However, the best option, especially if you really want to save money and only need Word temporarily, is to sign up for the Microsoft 365 subscription for a month or so and then cancel. Microsoft 365 costs $99.99 a year or $9.99 a month / £84.99 a year or £8.49 a month – sign up for the monthly deal if you want the flexibility to cancel in a few months time.
Microsoft 365 Personal
Price When Reviewed:
$99.99 a year ($9.99 a month)
Best Prices Today:
$99.99 at Amazon |
$99.99 at Microsoft (one license, one year)
With Microsoft 365 you not only get Word, but also Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook and 1TB of OneDrive storage. Microsoft keeps you on the latest version of the apps at all times, so you never need to deal with outdated software or miss out on new features. Another benefit is that you can use the Office apps on up to five devices, including an iPhone and iPad (if you buy the lifetime licenses its only for use on one Mac).
If you want more accounts, there’s the Microsoft 365 Family tier which allows 2-6 people to use the service and boosts the storage up to 6TB. This costs $129.99 / £104.99 per annum or $12.99/£10.49 per month.
Microsoft 365 Family
Price When Reviewed:
$129.99 a year (or $12.99 per month)
Best Prices Today:
$129.99 at Amazon |
$129.99 at Microsoft (six licenses, one year)
To see how the subscription version compares to the bought one, take a look at our Microsoft 365 vs Office 2024 buying guide.
Should you get Office 2021?
We’ve noticed a few stockists still selling Microsoft Office for Mac 2021, so you might find this on sale for less than Office 2024.
Do bear in mind when buying this older version of Office that Microsoft has said it will no longer support it after October 2026.
Office for Mac 2021: Home & Student
Price When Reviewed:
Was $149.99
Best Prices Today:
$149.99 at Microsoft
Watch out for scams and hacks
Microsoft
It takes about 30 seconds to find videos on YouTube that will show you how to download, install and get Word (plus all the other MS Office software) up and running on your Mac for nothing. If the instructions are similar to the ones in this article, then you should be fine, but many of the ones we’ve seen require some sort of serial code-cracking program to be bought and downloaded to your machine. While this might seem like a victimless crime to some–Microsoft is a multi-billion-dollar company while the user is just a single person with no money–the real victim is most likely to be you.
It’s true that some hackers are benevolent, wanting only to free the information so that anyone can use it, but sadly others are most definitely not. Downloading and installing things like this on your Mac is one of the easiest ways to contract malware or spyware software that can cause havoc with your data. That’s aside from the fact that you’re contravening copyright, which is rather naughty.
Our advice would be to keep well away from these ‘free’ routes to Word.
Free alternatives to Microsoft Word
Unless you specifically need Microsoft Word, you’ll find that there are plenty of great word processors out there that won’t cost you a penny. Any new Mac will come with a free copy of Apple’s Pages software, which is a hugely powerful tool for creating and editing documents, and also works well with its iOS/iPadOS counterpart app.
Google Docs is a perennial favourite as the web-based software is free and easy to use. You won’t find incredibly advanced features like those on the full-blown Microsoft Word, but for most people it’s all they’ll ever need.
LibreOffice Writer is another one that’s always worth checking out. The open-source software is completely free and yet offers a complete solution for those who want the functionality of MS Word. Yes, it’s not quite the smooth and aesthetically pleasing experience of its inspiration, but you can get so much done on Writer that you won’t care.
For a roundup of other options, check out our Best Mac word processor roundup.
Don’t miss your chance to get AirPods Pro 2 at a huge discount Take advantage of AirPods sales and save on the best wireless earbuds for Apple devices. There are discounts on the full range.
(via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)
Don’t miss your chance to get AirPods Pro 2 at a huge discount Take advantage of AirPods sales and save on the best wireless earbuds for Apple devices. There are discounts on the full range.
(via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)
Apple's WWDC 2025 Swift Student Challenge Now Live Apple's 2025 Swift Student Challenge kicked off today, which means that students from around the world can showcase their coding skills and creativity by developing app concepts using Swift Playground or Xcode.
Students have had time to prepare because Apple announced that the challenge would be held in February 2025 way back in October 2024, plus Apple gave an exact date in January. Apple also hosted an online session to provide students with info on participating in the challenge, with tips from former Challenge winners and Apple engineers.
Apple holds the Swift Student Challenge each year. In past years, it has been timed with the Worldwide Developers Conference, but in 2024, Apple began holding it earlier in the year. Students are tasked with creating an app concept, with Apple providing Develop in Swift tutorials to help students learn the foundations of coding.
Apple plans to select 350 winners based on "innovation, creativity, social impact, or inclusivity." 50 of the winners will be invited to spend three days at Apple Park in Cupertino, California this summer. The trip is expected to coincide with the 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference.
Submissions are open as of today, and will remain open for a three-week period before judging begins. Students can learn more through Apple's developer website.Tag: Swift PlaygroundThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
Apple’s newest AirPods 4 have dropped below $100 for the first time Macworld
Our favorite new AirPods are cheaper than they’ve ever been as the price drops just below $100. That’s a 22 percent discount from its usual $129 for the version without Active Noise Cancelation. These are Apple’s new AirPods that haven’t been around for a very long time, and it’s the first deal where we see them drop this low.
We reviewed the ANC version of these AirPods, which are otherwise identical to this model. We gave them a 4.5-star rating, appreciating the great overall audio quality and the wireless charging case. (If you’re interested in the version of AIrPdos 4 with ANC, you should know you can get it for $30 off as well, although the discount isn’t nearly as enticing.)
“I was also impressed with the clarity and volume of voice recordings in podcasts and during phone calls. I didn’t think voices would be as good as with the AirPods Pro with their ear tips–it’s not, but it’s close, and I can say the AirPods 4 produced excellent voice quality,” we noted about using the AirPods 4 for calls. They also have Hey Siri support, long battery life, and a new design for better ear fit.
We really like the AirPods 4 at $129 but love them at under $100. So go ahead and get your own AirPods 4 without ANC for $100 at Amazon because we can’t know for sure how long this deal will be around.
Buy now at Amazon
As breaches rise, Surfshark Alert with free Data Leak Checker can help With big data breaches on the rise, your personal information is a greater risk than ever. Get Surfshark Alert with Data Leak Checker.
(via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)
Built an Esports Prediction Game with AI in 3 Months – Here’s What I Learned We recently launched PickR, our esports match prediction game built with the help of AI, and I wanted to share some of my biggest takeaways from building a project from scratch with AI’s help. I have many years of experience with iOS development, but this was my first time relying so heavily on AI throughout […]
Apple Music kicks off Kendrick Lamar’s Road to Halftime ahead of Super Bowl LIX Apple on Monday announced Apple Music is celebrating Kendrick Lamar’s Road to Halftime with a spotlight on the era-defining artist who…
The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.
Deals: AirPods 4 $100 all-time low, AirPods Pro 2 $170, MacBook Pro $210 off, Apple Studio Displays, more After a steady string of iPad mini, M2 iPad Air, and M4 iPad Pro deals to kick the year off, we are now seeing our first chances to save big on the latest AirPods releases. Amazon has now dropped the AirPods 4 down to a new $100 all-time low there while the lauded AirPods Pro 2 have now dropped from the $249 regular list price to $170 shipped. Those offers join a $210 price drop on a couple different M4/Pro MacBook Pro configs as well as up to $299 off the gorgeous Apple 5K Studio Display lineup. You’ll also find a $100 price drop on Sonos Ace headphones, Beats deals, Anker Apple Watch power banks, and more.
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Today in Apple history: iPhone comes to Verizon at last On February 3, 2011, the iPhone arrived on the largest U.S. carrier. Bringing iPhone to Verizon Wireless ended four years of AT&T exclusivity.
(via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)
YouTube removing ‘Guest’ profile from TV apps, but the mode is still there YouTube appears to be removing the “Guest” profile from its TV apps, starting on Apple TV and Roku.
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The AirPods 4 is $29 Off Now’s your chance to get an upgraded AirPods at a discounted price. Today, the AirPods 4 is down to just $99.99 from its original price of $130 on Amazon. The Apple AirPods 4 is improved in every way, including the charging case, battery life, Personalized Spatial Audio, and call quality. It’s been rebuilt from the […]
The post appeared first on iLounge.
Apple reveals 2025 Black Unity collection Apple recently showed off its Black Unity collection for this year’s Black History Month. The collection, said to be ‘inspired by the rhythm of humanity’, includes iPad and iPhone wallpapers, a Black Unity Sport Loop for the Apple Watch, matching watch faces, and more. In line with this, Apple will support global organizations such as […]
The post appeared first on iLounge.
Powerbeats Pro 2 might debut on February 11 The next Beats wireless earbuds might be announced on February 11, according to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg. Last year, Apple teased the launch of the Powerbeats Pro 2 and said that the wireless earbuds will be unveiled in 2025. Gurman said the device will be priced at $250 and serve as a fitness-centric product to […]
The post appeared first on iLounge.
Software sharpens text on MacBook Pro rig’s external 4K display [Setups] MacBook Pro setup user with 32-inch 4K BenQ monitor finds BetterDisplay software sharpens text on the external display.
(via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)
Software sharpens text on MacBook Pro rig’s external 4K display [Setups] M2 Pro MacBook Pro setup user with 32-inch 4K BenQ Thunderbolt display finds software sharpens up text nicely.
(via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)
Apple TV to start showing MLS season pass again The regular season for the Major League Soccer has begun, with games kicking off on February 22. MLS games will be broadcast in 100-plus regions and countries via the MLS Season Pass in its 30th season. Apple TV users can watch them without any blackouts. The regular content is supplemented with exclusive ones, analysis, and […]
The post appeared first on iLounge.
SMS Delivery Delays to Orange Network In Congo Feb 3, 08:26 PSTInvestigating - We are experiencing SMS delivery delays when sending messages to Orange Network In Congo. Our engineers are working with our carrier partner to resolve the issue. We will provide another update in 1 hour or as soon as more information becomes available.
Valentine's Day Deals: Get All-Time Low Prices on AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and More We're just over one week away from Valentine's Day, which falls on Friday, February 14, this year. Similar to years past, many third-party Apple resellers and accessory companies have opened up notable discounts on Apple products and accessories to coincide with the holiday.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Additionally, there are a few solid discounts on Apple products like AirPods, Apple Watch, iMac, and iPad. In this article you'll find deals from third-party retailers collected first, including special Valentine's Day themed sales from AT&T, ZAGG, Casely, and more.
Valentine's Accessory Sales
Best Buy - Purchase $100 Apple gift card, get a $10 Best Buy e-gift card
Anker - Save on Anker's newest chargers and more
Sonos - Get up to 25% off soundbars, speakers, and subwoofers
AT&T - iPhone 16 Pro at no cost with eligible trade-in
Samsung - Save up to $1,250 when purchasing the new Galaxy S25 smartphones
Twelve South - Get $30 off HiRise 3 Deluxe
ZAGG - Save 30% off your entire cart when you purchase two or more products
Casely - Get 15% off sitewide with code LOVE15
OtterBox - Buy one, get one 30% offAirPods
Amazon this week has major discounts on a few AirPods models, including a new all-time low price on the AirPods 4. You can get the base AirPods 4 for $99.99 on Amazon, down from $129.00.
$29 OFFAirPods 4 for $99.99
Amazon also has the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation for $148.99, down from $179.00. We did track these at a lower price during the 2024 holiday season, but that deal never returned and today's is the best we've seen so far in 2025.
$29 OFFAirPods 4 (ANC) for $148.99
Additionally, you can get the AirPods Pro 2 for $169.00 today on Amazon, down from $249.00. This is the lowest price we've tracked so far in 2025 on the AirPods Pro 2, and it's an overall solid second-best price.
$80 OFFAirPods Pro 2 for $169.00Apple Watch
Amazon is discounting the 40mm GPS Apple Watch SE to $169.00 today, down from $249.00. This is the best price we've tracked so far in 2025, and it's available in Starlight, Silver, and Midnight Aluminum color options.
$80 OFFApple Watch SE (40mm GPS) for $169.00
Additionally, you can get the 44mm GPS Apple Watch SE at an all-time low price of $199.00 today on Amazon, down from $279.00. This one is also available in Midnight, Silver, and Starlight Aluminum colors, and multiple band sizes.
$80 OFFApple Watch SE (44mm GPS) for $199.00
For Series 10 models, Amazon also has all-time low prices on these devices. You'll find $70 off both 42mm and 46mm GPS Apple Watch Series 10 in multiple case and band colors. Prices start at $329.00 for the 42mm GPS model and increase to $359.00 for the 46mm GPS model.
$70 OFFApple Watch Series 10 (42mm GPS) for $329.00
$70 OFFApple Watch Series 10 (46mm GPS) for $359.00iPad
There are numerous iPads on sale in early February, and we're starting with a $70 discount on the 10th generation model at Amazon. You can get the 64GB Wi-Fi iPad for $279.00, down from $349.00, which is the best price we've tracked in 2025 so far and an overall second-best price.
$70 OFFiPad (64GB Wi-Fi) for $279.00
$70 OFFiPad (256GB Wi-Fi) for $429.00
Amazon has nearly every model of Apple's M2 iPad Air on sale this week at $100 off, all of which are matching the record low prices for each tablet. The cheapest model is the 128GB Wi-Fi 11-inch iPad Air for $499.00, down from $599.00.
Note: You won't see the deal price until checkout.
$100 OFF128GB Wi-Fi 11-inch iPad Air for $499.00
$100 OFF128GB Wi-Fi 13-inch iPad Air for $699.00iMac
Amazon has up to $175 off a collection of Apple's M4 iMac computers this week, and it's matching a few all-time low prices on the higher-end models. The cheapest M4 iMac available is the 8-core/16GB RAM/256GB 24-inch iMac at $1,149.99 with an on-page coupon, down from $1,299.00.
Note: You won't see the deal price until checkout.
$149 OFF24-inch M4 iMac (8-core/16GB RAM/256GB) for $1,149.99
You'll also find the 512GB models on sale, and each configuration has multiple colors available at these discounts. For the steepest markdown, Amazon has the 10-core/24GB RAM/512GB 24-inch iMac for $1,724.00 in two colors, down from $1,899.00.
Apple Accessories
We're tracking a few notable discounts on Apple accessories on Amazon below, as well as a great deal on the MagSafe Duo Charger at Woot.
AirTag 1 Pack - $22.99, down from $29.00
AirTag 4 Pack - $69.99, down from $99.00
Apple Pencil USB-C - $69.99, down from $79.00
Apple Studio Display (Standard Glass) - $1,299.99, down from $1,599.00
Apple Studio Display (Nano-texture Glass) - $1,599.99, down from $1,899.00
Magic Keyboard Folio (10th Gen iPad) - $199.00, down from $249.00
Magic Keyboard for 13-inch iPad Pro - $303.99, down from $349.00 Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.
Deals Newsletter
Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2025? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!
Related Roundup: Apple DealsThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
Today's top 24-inch iMac deals deliver prices as low as $599 Apple's 24-inch iMac is on sale today, with limited-time discounts driving prices down to as low as $599.99.Grab a 24-inch iMac from $599.99 today - Image credit: AppleThe lowest price across closeout models can be found at Amazon-owned Woot, where the closeout M1 spec with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is marked down to $599.99. This is a refurbished model that comes with a 90-day Woot limited warranty. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
New iPhone buyers actually do care about Apple Intelligence Apple positioned the iPhone 16 as the first model “built from the ground up for Apple Intelligence.” But until the company shared iPhone sales numbers, we didn’t know whether customers would care or not. Now, the answer seems clear.
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Get to know Kendrick Lamar before his Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Apple's Kendrick Lamar Road to Halftime events ahead of the rapper's Super Bowl show include playlists and a press conference.
(via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)
AirTag 2 rumors, Matter ice maker, & Logitech's presence sensor on HomeKit Insider On this episode of the HomeKit Insider Podcast, your host covers the latest news for the week including the release of iOS 18.3, AirTag 2 rumors, and a Matter update for the Govee ice maker.HomeKit Insider PodcastLast week, Apple released iOS 18.3 to the masses. While this was expected to include support for robots vacuum cleaners, it ultimately did not.Perhaps it will arrive in the upcoming iOS 18.4 beta. That's likely to have its first beta released this week. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
Pinterest Clone SwiftUI Excited to launch my new SwiftUI Pinterest Clone tutorial series! I'll be building a Pinterest-style app using SwiftUI, Firebase & Cloudinary! 🔥 ✅ Basic & advanced UI implementations ✅ Google & Facebook Sign-In ✅ Email/Password Authentication ✅ iOS 17's Observation framework for state management ✅ Multi-language support with String Catalogs ✅ …and a lot more! […]
Apple celebrates Kendrick Lamar's 'Road to Halftime' with bonus content, special offers, and more Kendrick Lamar is set to headline the Super Bowl LIX halftime show for Apple Music, so Apple has packed its services with special features related to Kendrick and the Super Bowl.Image Credit: AppleLast September, Apple announced that Kendrick Lamar would be heading up the 2025 Super Bowl Half-Time show. In preparation, Apple Music has a week's worth of exclusive interviews, new playlists, and even a new Apple Music offer for new subscribers ahead of the February 9 event."Throughout his career, Kendrick Lamar hasn't met the cultural moment so much as he's defined it," Rachel Newman, Apple Music's global head of content and editorial, said in the press release. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
iPhone 15 leads 2024 sales & boosts global smartphone revenue Apple's iPhone 15 led global sales in 2024, with Pro models close behind, as premium device demand drove a revenue rebound.iPhone 15 modelsAccording to Counterpoint Research, global smartphone revenue grew 5% year-over-year, with the average selling price (ASP) reaching an all-time high of $356. Despite economic challenges in previous years, improved consumer sentiment and demand for premium smartphones fueled the turnaround.Global smartphone shipments also rose by 4%, marking the first annual increase since 2021. Analysts attribute this to expanding 5G adoption, better cameras, and faster processors, making upgrades more appealing. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
This canceled Apple TV+ series is getting new life on the stage Apple TV+ is over five years old now, and in its early days series were rarely canceled—but that’s started to change. The cancellation I’ve been most disappointed by is Schmigadoon!, but now it seems the show is getting new life thanks to a stage adaptation.
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Apple Music Offering Six-Month Trial for Just $2.99 Through February Now through February 27, new and "eligible" subscribers in the U.S. can try out Apple Music for six months for just a single $2.99 payment.
Beyond first-time subscribers, Apple does not explain who is "eligible" for this offer. If you have subscribed to Apple Music in the past, we recommend heading to the offer page on Apple's website to see if you qualify.
Apple says the offer can be redeemed from the Home tab of the Apple Music app, on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac running the latest software.
After the six-month trial, the subscription will automatically renew at Apple Music's standard price of $10.99 per month until cancelled.
This is the "best offer ever" for Apple Music, according to Apple.
Apple Music is the official sponsor of the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, featuring hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar. In the Apple Music app, there is a variety of content related to Lamar's upcoming performance at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
Lamar is also a featured artist in Apple Fitness+ right now, and Apple News has launched a dedicated hub for Super Bowl LIX coverage.Tag: Apple MusicThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
Apple to drop prepaid multi-year AppleCare+; move to subscription-only model Apple products will still include one year of AppleCare with purchase, but the company is reportedly planning to shift its extended…
The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.
Apply for the Swift Student Challenge now through February 23 Submissions for the Swift Student Challenge 2025 are now open through February 23. You have three more weeks to design, test, refine, and submit your app playground for consideration to be named one of 350 winners.What to know:
The Challenge is free to enter — you just need access to an iPad or Mac with Swift Playground or Xcode.
The best app ideas are personal — let your passion shine through your work.
No formal coding experience required — the Challenge is open to students of all levels.
Your app playground doesn’t need to be intricate — it should be experienced within 3 minutes or less.
Where to start:
Explore tools and tutorials to build an incredible app playground.
Get inspired by last year’s Distinguished Winners, learn about their winning apps, and read about their experiences at Apple Park.
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