Cody Lee

Cody Lee, iDownloadBlog.com’s longest-serving Editor, joined the site in 2008. He specializes in uncovering the best deals on Apple products, apps, and accessories. With years of experience in technology journalism, Cody helps readers save money while staying informed about the latest trends and updates in the Apple ecosystem. Cody’s history with smartphones goes almost as far back as he does. As the son of a Nokia employee, he was exposed early on to handsets like the N91 and the Communicator. He has since been involved in nearly every aspect of the mobile phone industry. While going to college, he worked at a Nokia factory, building handsets, and later moved on to a sales position at a major wireless carrier.

Messages app updated in iOS 10 with new emoji features, Bubble effects and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Also getting a big update in iOS 10 is the Messages app. New features include inline rich links, which open YouTube videos, images and other types of media—videos now play right within the app!—a built-in Camera viewfinder, and some great emoji improvements.

These improvements include 3x bigger emoji images within your messages, so you can see the icons in greater detail, and predictive emoji. Apple calls this "emojifiable." So the Messages app in iOS 10 can essentially guess emoji images for the words you tap on.

Maps app gets smarter in iOS 10 with improved search, Quick Controls and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Eddy Cue is on stage right now, at Apple's WWDC keynote, talking about the new Maps app in iOS 10. The stock mapping application gets a lot smarter in the upcoming update, with improved search, en route traffic information and a new feature called Quick Controls.

"We're making Maps do more for you in advance," says Eddy Cue. The new Maps app can proactively deliver directions to where you most likely want to go next, based on your routine or appointments on your calendar. Once a route is planned, Maps can search along the route for gas stations, restaurants, coffee shops and more and provides an estimate of how the stop impacts the length of your trip.

Apple introduces macOS Sierra with Siri, Auto Unlock and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

We know OS X is now macOS, and the first major version is macOS Sierra. So what new features does it have? SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi is on stage at Apple's WWDC keynote running through the new additions and improvements in the software, and there are some great ones.

The main focuses for this update are going to be Continuity, iCloud and "the fundamentals of the Mac experience." The first big new feature for the group is Auto Unlock, which allows you to automatically unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch—meaning, if you have your Watch on, you don't need to type in your password.

Apple rebrands OS X as macOS

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

That Apple would rebrand OS X as 'MacOS' was one of the worst-kept WWDC secrets ahead of today's keynote, and Apple just made it official. SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi just announced on stage that from here on out, the Mac operating system is going to be called macOS.

Apple announces new Remote app with Siri, game controller and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

You wanted a new Remote app for iOS? You got it. At its WWDC keynote today, Apple introduced a completely rebuilt app for controlling your Apple TV. It has essentially the same features as the physical Siri remote that comes with the fourth generation ATV.

Activity Sharing brings social challenges to Apple Watch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

After demonstrating several new Apple Watch features, Apple VP Kevin Lynch invited Director of Fitness and Health technologies Jay Blahnik to come up on stage and talk about some new fitness features. Perhaps most notable is a new feature in the Activity app called Activity Sharing.

As the name suggests, Activity Sharing brings social challenges to the Apple Watch, allowing users to easily send fitness achievements and stats to friends and family, fostering competition. This is something that has helped Fitbit grow and popularity and is a welcome addition to the Watch.

App Store has surpassed 2 million apps, 130 billion downloads

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple's long-awaited WWDC keynote is now in full swing, and as usual, CEO Tim Cook has taken the stage to kick things off. Cook began on a somber note, asking attendees to participate in a moment of silence for the victims of yesterday's tragedy in Orlando, and then got down to business rattling off new stats.

Among the most interesting numbers the executive shared is that the App Store recently surpassed 2 million apps. In the most recent data Apple shared on app numbers, it was still around the 1.5 million mark, so this is a new development for sure. We've got some other interesting numbers for you listed below.

Bumpers, Winnie, BitCam and other apps to check out this weekend

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

It's going to be a long weekend for Apple fans, as we anxiously await the company's big WWDC keynote on Monday. But never fear, we've picked out some great apps and games to help you pass the time. These include a new audio recording and sharing app, an old school camera app, and of course two great new games.

Amazon to take on Apple and Spotify with new streaming music service

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Amazon is preparing to launch a new standalone streaming music subscription service, reports Reuters. The tech giant is currently finalizing licenses with labels for the service, and it's aiming for a late summer or early fall launch.

Of course, Amazon already offers a limited music service for free to Prime subscribers. But this new service will cost $9.99 per month and offer a much more competitive catalog, putting it squarely up against Apple Music and Spotify.

Rumor: Apple to announce Apple Pay for websites at WWDC

Cody Lee ∙ June 10, 2016

Apple is preparing to take on Pay Pal and others by expanding Apple Pay to the web, reports Digital Trends. Citing an anonymous source, the outlet claims that the company will announce that it's launching Apple Pay for websites during its WWDC keynote on Monday.

The report offers up few details about how web-based Apple pay will work, and whether or not it'll be compatible with non-Touch ID devices. The site does say, however, that the service will initially be limited to select retail partners, and it'll be much faster than PayPal.

Rumor: iPhone 7 to come in new deep blue color

Cody Lee ∙ June 9, 2016

Apple's next flagship smartphone, currently being called the iPhone 7, may come in a new "deep blue" color, reports Macotakara. Citing an informed source, the website says that Apple plans to add the new colorway this fall as a replacement for its Space Gray offering.

It's not hard to imagine Apple introducing new color options for its handset this fall, as it's done so several times in the past. And with few major aesthetic changes expected for the iPhone 7, this would be a way for customers to distinguish the new model from its predecessors.

Check out this awesome MacBook Pro concept with OLED touch panel

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Well known designer and mockup artist Martin Hajek released a new concept for the MacBook Pro on Thursday. As usual, Hajek's renderings are gorgeous, and the details of the laptop design match up closely with recent rumors and reports.

Perhaps the most prominent feature is the OLED touch panel that sits above the keyboard, in place of the function keys. The panel first popped up in an investor note from Ming-Chi Kuo, and it has since been corroborated by other sources.