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.

Eddy Cue demos Apple Pay for local news program

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

During a Monday night segment of the Tech Report on local LA news station KTLA, Eddy Cue took host Rich DeMuro on a "shopping spree" to demonstrate how easy it is to use Apple Pay for purchases. The pair visited a number of places, including Panera Bread, Bloomingdale's and the Disney Store.

Using his gold iPhone 6 Plus, Apple's SVP of Internet software and services, pre-ordered food from Panera Bread using the restaurant's app, and paid for it via Apple Pay. He then went to Bloomingdale's to buy sunglasses, the Disney Store for a few toys, and of course they ended up at an Apple Store.

eBay app update allows you to create, pay for and print shipping labels

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Popular auction site eBay has updated its iOS client, bringing the app to version 3.5. The update brings about a handful of improvements, including performance and speed boosts and various new country-specific features.

The release adds new checkout features in Germany and Australia, and a new click and collect option for Argos in the UK. Users can now purchase something from Argos on eBay in-app, and choose to pick the item up locally.

Chinese authorities shut down WireLurker site, suspects arrested

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Chinese authorities arrested three individuals last Friday that are believed to have developed the "WireLurker" malware, according to a police post on Sina Weibo. The authorities were tipped off by Chinese security company Qihoo 360 technology. Additionally, the post says that authorities have also identified and shut down the website that was hosting and distributing the malware.

AT&T bumps 10GB Mobile Share plan to 15GB in limited time promo

Cody Lee ∙ November 17, 2014

AT&T announced a new promotion today regarding its Mobile Share Value plans. The limited-time offer gives qualified customers 15GB of monthly shareable data, for the price of 10GB, which typically runs $100 per month plus device access charges.

The change puts AT&T's 15GB plan on-par price-wise with Verizon's 15GB More Everything share plan, which also runs $100 per month plus access charges. These access charges for both plans run $40 per device, unless you subscribe to Next or Edge.

WhatsApp updated with support for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

The Facebook-owned cross-platform messaging service WhatsApp has updated its iOS client today, bringing the app to version 2.11.14. The team says the new version fixes bugs and crashes, as well as adds support for the new iPhones.

The app now looks great on the larger display of the iPhone 6, and the larger, higher resolution display of the iPhone 6 Plus. WhatsApp, which Apple labels as an App Store "Essential," was one of the few remaining top tier apps to update.

Apple Pay accounts for 50% of McDonald’s tap-to-pay transactions

Cody Lee ∙ November 15, 2014

The New York Times reported on Friday that Apple Pay now accounts for 50% of the tap-to-pay transactions at all of McDonald's 14,000 US stores. Additionally, the outlet claims that Walgreens' mobile payments at its 8,000+ stores have doubled since the service launched.

The figures were nestled in a broader piece regarding Apple's role in mainstreaming mobile payments. Google Wallet and Softcard—backed by AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon—both say that Apple Pay has been a huge tailwind, as they've seen an increase in usage since it debuted.

AT&T says it’s no longer tracking subscribers using perma-cookies

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

AT&T told the Associated Press on Friday that it is no longer using permanent cookies to track its subscribers. In late October, security researchers discovered that the carrier, along with its competitor Verizon, were using unique identifying numbers or "perma-cookies" to track their customers online habits.

A spokesperson for AT&T said that the tracking practice was part of a pilot program to improve targeted marketing called "Relevant Advertising." But it says that the experiment is over, and it has pulled the identifying numbers from their customers' accounts, although it may still sell the data it's collected.

Grocery chains Winn-Dixie and BI-LO now accepting Apple Pay

Cody Lee ∙ November 15, 2014

Winn-Dixie and BI-LO, two major grocery store chains in the southeastern region of the US, are now accepting Apple Pay. MacRumors reports that it was told the companies would begin processing AP payments next week, but the system seems to have already gone live in many stores.

This is a significant coup for Apple, who has been seeing pushback from high profile retailers in recent weeks regarding Apple Pay. Winn-Dixie and BI-LO have over 1,300 locations between them, which are spread throughout North and South Carolina, Georgia and surrounding states.

Verizon tweaks ETF policy to make it more expensive to cancel

Cody Lee ∙ November 14, 2014

Heads up to anyone thinking about signing a new plan or equipment contract with Verizon in the near future, it just tweaked its early termination fee (ETF) policy. Spotted by DroidLife, the policy makes it more expensive to cancel your contract with the carrier during the first 8 months.

Previously, Verizon's ETF with a 2-year contract would decline $10 for each month of the term you completed, so after 8 months your ETF would be 80$ cheaper. But under the new policy, until you complete the 8th month of service, you'd be stuck paying the full $350 ETF for canceling.

Apple Stores to start servicing Beats hardware on November 18

Cody Lee ∙ November 14, 2014

According to a leaked internal notice, Apple Store Genius Bars are going to begin providing after-purchase support of Beats hardware next week. The screenshot was posted by technology website TechnoBuffalo, which said that it was sent in by an anonymous source.

Given the minimal context, it's impossible to tell if the document is legitimate or not, but it does corroborate a report from October along the same lines. Coincidentally, that report also featured a screenshot of an internal memo sent out to Apple service providers.

Staples discounting iPads, Apple TV and Beats headphones in Black Friday sale

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Staples' Black Friday circular has been released, showing what deals it will be offering during the infamous holiday shopping weekend at the end of the month. Like other retailers, it plans to discount a number of Apple and Beats products in hopes to reel in customers.

Among the promotions is a 16GB Wi-Fi original iPad Air for $319, which is a savings of $40 from where it's currently priced. There will also be a $239 16GB Wi-Fi iPad mini 2, which is $30 cheaper than its current sale price. We've listed all of the Apple-related deals below.

DOJ reportedly using fake aircraft-mounted cell towers to spy on mobile phones

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

The US Department of Justice is installing equipment on airplanes that masquerades as a cell phone tower in order to gather mobile phone data, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. The program's goal is to identify criminals, but each plane is capable of collecting data from thousands of phones in a single flight.

The Journal says these spy devices are called "dirtboxes," and have a surface area of two feet by two feet. They're being installed on fixed-wing aircraft by the US Marshals Service's Technical Operations group, and purport to be strong-signaled cell towers. This tricks cellphones into giving them their IMSI info, making them totally trackable.