It’s been a tough week for Zoom, one of the rare companies that has benefited tremendously as people get to increasingly work from home amid the coronavirus pandemic. In the past week or so, we also heard some encouraging rumors regarding the next iPhone SE, received new Apple OS Â developer betas, uncovered more hints about possible new features in iOS 14 and published a bunch of tutorials, many of which are designed to boost your work productivity.
Table of contents
Use the links below to jump directly to a section that interests you.
- “Let’s Talk iOS” podcast
- Wallpapers
- Deals and discounts
- News and rumors
- Tips, tricks and tutorials
- Apps, games and updates
- Jailbreak tweaks
Our weekly recap follows right ahead.
Weekly recap: March 30 – April 5, 2020
Welcome to a new installment of iDownloadBlog’s Editor’s Desk weekly column in which we round up everything published on the site from March 30 through April 5.
“Let’s Talk iOS” podcast: A strange phenomenon
Episode #337 of iDownloadBlog’s “Let’s Talk iOS” podcast chats about whether the new iPad Pro is worth upgrading at this time and new iOS 13.4 features, but Cody and Seb also share the one app they would ever need and discuss what they’re currently watching on TV.
Be sure to follow your hosts @Sebastien and @melvco and don’t forget to send a tweet to @LTiOS_fm if you’d like your question answered at the end of next week’s podcast.
Wallpapers: neuomorphism pack
This week’s collection showcases a growing design trend — neumorphism backdrops that promote a softer interface, somewhere between flat design and skeuomorphism.
Submit images for consideration to our wallpaper wizard Jim Gresham via @jim_gresham.
News and rumors to check out
Check out new stories that we covered this week.
Coronavirus
- US using phone location to track virus spread
- Apple continues work on new gadgets in 2020
- Apple doubles COVID-19 donations to $7 million
Apple news
- Video: laser dots of 2020 iPad Pro LiDAR scanner
- Apple TV+ British comedy “Trying” launching May 1
- New “Helpsters” episodes arriving April 3
- Apple Music playlist for times of global lockdowns
- How Cook tried to make China tariffs less damaging for Apple
- Beta 1 of iOS 13.4.5, tvOS 13.4.5 and macOS Catalina 10.15.5
- iOS 13.4.5 adds Apple Music → Instagram Stories sharing
- iOS 13.4.5 hints at iPhone SE 2 with Touch ID
- Apple stops signing iOS 13.3.1
- First watchOS 6.2.5 beta now available
- FaceTime issues spotted in iOS 13.4 and macOS 10.15.4
- iOS Personal Hotspot issues persist
- Publix rolling out Apple Pay support at checkout
- Cook tried to make tariffs less damaging for Apple
- Some Apple Store employees work from home
- Video: connecting iPhone to optical disc drive
- T-Mobile/Sprint merger is now complete
- Animated film “Here We Are” coming to Apple TV+ April 17
- Apple Card users can defer April payments
- Tile slams Apple over anticompetitive behavior
- AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support coming to 2018 LG TVs
- Laurene Powell Jobs, others launching America’s Food Fund
- Apple support leaks AirTags name
- Ron Jonson praises Apple’s COVID-19 response
- iPhone SE branding in 2020
- Hardware disconnect for 2020 iPad Pro mic
- US Apple Stores closed until early May
- Apple TV+ adds “Amazing Stories” season finale
- Apple Card lowers base APR to 10.99% for some
- Future iPads may use your face to orient onscreen content
- Facebook tried to buy Apple spying tool
- Apple employees can now get HomePod for just $149
- US senators take issue with Apple’s COVID-19 app
- Apple buys Voysis to boost Siri capabilities
Apple rumors
- Apple considered buying AR display maker Plessey
- 4 bug-fix iOS 13 updates may release before iOS 14
- Low-cost iPhone SE 2 may go ob sale April 22
- UAG’s iPhone SE 2 case listed with April 5 stock date
- iOS 13.4.1 may fix nasty VPN bugs
- Low-cost iPhone SE 2 may drop on April 15
- Target leak confirms 4.7″ form factor for iPhone SE 2
iOS 14 spelunking
- watchOS 7: Kids Mode for Activity rings
- iCloud Keychain to gain 1Password-like features
- Wallpaper collections and Home screen widgets
Tips, tricks and tutorials to master your devices
Learn something new with our tutorials, tips and tricks.
Productivity keyboard shortcuts
Productivity tutorials
- 10 iPhone tips in 2020
- 10 iPad mouse and trackpad tips
- 5 iPhone Shortcuts for help around the house
- Making Dropbox open folders in Finder
- Concentrating on work with Screen Time
- Team collaboration with Spark
- Printing and exporting comments in iWork
- Using drop caps in iWork
- Getting through your workday with Apple Watch
Mac tutorials
iOS tutorials
Apps, games and updates to unwind
Check out new apps and games, updates and related news.
Software news
- Dark Sky: Apple confirms buying the popular weather app
- Apple Maps: Dent Reality AR partnership to boost indoor navigation
- YouTube: Taking on TikTok with Shorts
- Zoom:
New apps
- Facebook Messenger: Mac app rolls out in US, UK and more
- Logitech: Streamlabs OBS streaming software enters Mac beta
- Office 365: Now called Microsoft 365, with new subscriptionsÂ
- ProRes RAW: Now available in beta on Windows 10
- Spotify Kids: Curated playlists, better privacy and no ads
New updates
- Amazon Prime Video: iOS/tvOS purchase support
- iWork: iCloud Drive folder sharing and more
- Fantastical: iPad cursor support, “1 minute before” alert
- Spotify: Siri integration launches in Apple Watch app
New games
- Apple Arcade: Adventure game Legend of the Skyfish 2 launches
New app roundups
- Mac: The best free distraction-free writing apps
- Apps of the week: Impressions, Wavejam, Stones and more
Accessories
We’ve tested and written some cool accessories.
- Powerbeats: 24-hour review of the refreshed earphones
- Twelve South: Miniature AirPods carrier launched
Jailbreak tweaks for your pwned iPhone
We told you about these jailbreak tweaks this week.
- AirDropConfirm: Confirmation dialog for AirDrop UI
- Audicy: Full-fledged media importer
- Clockator: Haptic feedback in the stock Clock app
- FingerLock: Customizable Lock screen button for iPhone unlocking
- Folded: Extensive folder customization options
- PokeBar: Pokémon-inspired notification banners
- Rofi: App launcher accessible from anywhere in iOS
- SwipeExtenderX: Useful new features for iOS keyboard
- UltraPowerSavingMode: Apple Watch-like power reserve mode on iOS
- Roundup: Audicy, SwipeExtenderX andd other Jailbreak Tweaks of the Week
Your favorites?
Your favorite picks from the roundup? Let us know in the commenting section down below!