Apple hasn’t released any new gadgets this week so it’s pretty safe to assume that Tim Cook & Co. have probably exhausted the company’s pipeline of new gear that, by all accounts, should have been released during a rumored March event which was never held due to the coronavirus. But that hasn’t stopped leakers from leaking some of Apple’s secrets for 2021…
Weekly recap: May 11—18, 2020
Welcome to a new installment of iDownloadBlog’s Editor’s Desk weekly column in which we round up everything that was published on iDownloadBlog.com from May 11 through 17, 2020.
Let’s Talk iOS: Revisiting Home screens
In episode #343 of our “Let’s Talk iOS” podcast, Seb shares tips about starting a fire while Cody explains how he makes money on the weekends. Both share what’s on their Home screen.
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: Sunset canvas iPhone collection
This week’s wallpaper collection features more than two-dozen gorgeous sunset backdrops that have been prettified with a cool canvas effect.
News and rumors to keep tabs on
Check out the week’s new stories we covered:
Apple news
- HomePod launches in India
- Apple ramps up hiring for cloud computing
- iFixit puts Magic Keyboard trackpad under X-rays
- Germany investigates Apple store temperature checks
- Bloomberg outlines Apple’s back-to-office plan
- Concept: iPad Air with in-screen Touch ID
- 10 Italian Apple Stores reopen May 19
- T-Mobile to start phasing out Sprint brand this summer
- Apple buys VR startup NextVR
- NextVR for Android pulled following acquisition
- TSMC to open Arizona chip plant
Apple rumors
- iPhone 12 Pro: ProMotion, 3x optical zoom, 4400mAh battery
- iPhone 12 could start with 128GB of storage and $50 less
- 14″ MacBook Pro may launch in 2021
- Apple over-ear headphones could be branded as AirPods Studio
- AirPods Studio: head/neck detection, ANC, equalizer settings
- Apple planning to record audio of Apple News stories
- Jon Prosser: Apple AR glasses arriving March-June 2021
Apple TV+
- Apple TV+ documentary “Dads” arrives June 19
- “The Custom of the County” coming to Apple TV+
- Apple, Ridley Scott sign first-look Apple TV+ deal
- Apple TV+ “Mythic Quest” special quarantine episode on May 22
Tips and tutorials to learn something new
Learn something new with our tutorials, tips and tricks:
iOS tutorials
- Adding music to your Facebook profile
- Disabling moving faces in group FaceTime
- Stopping autoplay video in ESPN app
- Disabling COVID-19 exposure notification
- Sharing Apple Music songs on Instagram/Facebook Stories
- Creating subtasks and indenting list items in Notes
- Saving Notes photos, videos and scans to Photos
- Using comments in Pages, Numbers and Keynote
macOS tutorials
- Changing Mac mouse buttons
- 7 common Finder preferences and settings
- Seeing Twitter lists you’ve been added to
- Viewing note count in Notes
iOS/macOS tutorials
macOS keyboard shortcuts
Apps, games and updates to unwind
Check out new apps and games, updates and related news:
Software news
- Apple: 2nd gen AirPods firmware bumped to version 2D14
- Adobe: Security flaws fond in Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Epic Games: Unreal Engine 5 impressive real-time demo
- Facebook: Zuck & Co. acquire GIF-sharing service Giphy
- Google: Chrome will soon start limiting battery-killing ads
- Microsoft: Family Safety for iOS enters preview
- Spotify: New Group Sessions feature enters beta
- Spotify: Web player working in Safari again
- EDITORIAL: Unreal Engine 5 demo has sealed the deal for me
- EDITORIAL: How I overcame my iCloud Photos fears
Latest apps
- Endurance: Boosts your Mac notebook battery life
- ROUNDUP: Top apps of the week
App roundups
Major app updates
- Apple COVID: Practice info for quarantining, CDC guidelines
- Apple Store (iOS): Dark Mode support
- Facebook: Messenger Rooms now supports 50 people
- Gmail (iOS): Staggered Dark Mode rollout continues
- Instagram (iOS): Deleting comments in bulk launches
- Logic Pro X (macOS): Live Loops, beat-making tools
- Office (iOS): Split View in Word and PowerPoint
- Slack (iOS): Redesigned layout, simpler navigation
- Spotify Kids (iOS): Parents can access kids’ listening history
Latest games
- Apple Arcade:: Finger-wiggling puzzler “Winding Worlds”
Accessories to enhance your Apple world
Accessory reviews and news that might interest you:
- Apple: 4 new colors coming to Powerbeats Pro
- Eero: Mesh Wi-Fi routers hit Apple.com
- Mophie: 10,000mAh Powerstation Wireless XL
- SteelSeries: Nimbus+ MFi controller launches, has 50-hour battery
- ACCESSORY SPOTLIGHT: Satechi Aluminum Multi-Port Adapter V2
Jailbreak tweaks for pwned devices
We covered the following jailbreak tweaks this week:
- BetterQueuing: Song-queuing for Apple Music
- Calendate: Month label on Calendar app icon
- Chapter: Name your Home screen pages
- ColorMyHome: Colorize Home indicator
- FixLSDate: Lock screen date suffix
- GamingNotification: RGB effects in notifications
- LetMeScrub: Now Playing widget scrubber
- MessagesUnread: Mark read messages as unread
- MusicModule: Music widget in Reachability
- NoRedditFireEffect: No fire effects on Reddit Ignite award comments
- NowPlayingIcon: Music icon shows media artwork
- StickyNote: macOS-inspired note-taking
- WeatherModule: Weather details in Reachability
- You Up?: Solve math to shut off alarms
- Zenumbra: Shows installed packages from each Zebra repo
- ROUNDUP: Jailbreak tweaks of the week
Your favorites?
Your favorite picks from the roundup?
Let us know in the commenting section down below!