Year: 2016

Case molds depict what iPhone 7 may look like in Gold/Rose Gold, Space Gray and Silver

Italian site Macitynet.it posted this morning a photograph showing alleged 4.7-inch iPhone 7 case molds, giving us a decent indication what the upcoming handset may look like in Gold, Rose Gold, Space Gray and Silver finishes. If anything, the photo reaffirms Apple's rumored design for the next iPhone with cleaner antenna seams and a protruding camera on the back, plus the four colorways.

Rumor: iPhone 7 packs in a notably stronger battery than iPhone 6/6s

A sketchy Weibo post claimed two months ago that the next iPhone would arrive outfitted with a slightly stronger battery than the iPhone 6s. Today, prolific leakster OnLeaks gave us a more specific information as to precisely how bigger the iPhone 7's battery might be in comparison to the current iPhone 6s/Plus and previous-generation iPhone 6/Plus.

According to his Twitter post, the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 will have a 1,960 mAh battery, comparing very favorably in terms of sheer specs to both the 1,715 mAh package found in the iPhone 6s and the 1,810 mAh battery in the previous-generation iPhone 6.

iOS 10 beta 2 opens up live-streaming support for apps and games

Live streaming support for third-party apps is among the 30+ developer-focused features Apple did not discuss publicly during the WWDC 2016 keynote. Realized through ReplayKit Live, a new framework on iOS 10 that lets players share gameplay recordings or broadcast live games to other players and viewers online, the feature was originally absent from the first beta of iOS 10.

iOS 10 beta 2 turns on this functionality and, as a Reddit post noted today, live-streaming can already be found in Apple's Swift Playgrounds app for the iPad.

How to simulate tetherless ‘Hey Siri’ functionality on macOS Sierra like a pro

Apple advertises Siri as one of the headlining new features in the forthcoming macOS Sierra software update. Siri on the Mac performs in much the same way as it always has on an iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, except on the Mac tetherless 'Hey Siri' functionality is currently unsupported.

On iOS, tetherless 'Hey Siri' requires Apple's embedded M9 motion coprocessor to monitor microphone input without taxing the battery. Since the battery isn't a major concern with Macs, the decision not to implement 'Hey Siri' on Sierra is eyebrow-raising. As it turns out, you can easily simulate 'Hey Siri' on Sierra without resorting to dark magic, using a simple trickery.

Read this if you just switched Apple ID to download Pokémon Go

In less than a week, Pokémon Go has become the biggest mobile game in the US history, however, the app is currently limited to App Stores in the United States, New Zealand, Australia and Germany.

Eager to get their hands on some pokémon, some of the tech-savvier international users have resorted to switching their Apple ID in order to download the game only to find their Apple Music libraries wiped as a result, reports The Telegraph.

Google Photos adds new cropping tool, reduces battery and cellular data usage

Google Photos, the search giant's free mobile photo and video manager and cloud storage app, was updated in the App Store this morning with a few new features. Google Photos 1.12.1 for iOS packs in improved support for burst photos and offers a brand new cropping tool. Thanks to under-the-hood tweaks, the app should launch faster than before, promises Google. Last but not least, iPhone users will experience reduced battery and cellular data usage when using the refreshed software.

Lightroom for iOS gains direct RAW imports

iPhone photography fans who use Adobe's Lightroom application to manage and synchronize their photos across the iPhone, iPad, Mac and other devices will be delighted to learn that the latest updates to Lightroom for iPhone and Lightroom for iPad have enabled the ability to import images in the RAW file format. iOS 9 currently lacks RAW support, but iOS 10's been confirmed to bring RAW photo editing to latest iPhones and iPads when it hits this fall.

Camera+ 2.0 for iPad hits: Apple Pencil support, selective brushing, overhauled UI & more

iPhone photography fans, rejoice! Developer taptaptap on Wednesday released a long-awaited iPad-focused update to its popular camera and photo editing application, aptly named Camera+. Camera+ 2.0 for iPad, a free update for those who already own the app, replaces its hopelessly outdated user interface with a thoroughly overhauled, modern-looking one. For starters, the refreshed software supports iOS 9's iPad-only multitasking modes.

More importantly, Camera+ 2.0 for iPad features selective brushing of the various edits and filters and comes with full support for Apple Pencil, enabling you to get very fine, precise control over brushing with the stylus.

At long last, Facebook Messenger implements 3D Touch Peek and Pop

Better late than never: 3D Touch gestures are now available within the free mobile Messenger app from Facebook. The latest Messenger update on the App Store increases the app's version number to 79.0, with Peek/Pop support on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus being the only change mentioned in release notes accompanying the 109-megabyte download.

In terms of daily active users, Pokémon GO is the biggest mobile game in US history

The runaway success of Nintendo's Pokémon GO continues to take the Internet by storm, with a new Survey Monkey study indicating that in terms of daily active users the augmented-reality title has officially become the biggest mobile game in the United States's history, just a week following its launch on iOS and Android. After initially launching in the United States, New Zealand and Australia, Pokémon GO is now available on the German App Store ahead of its expected launch across Europe.