Facebook a month and a half ago began testing a pure black interface in Messenger's mobile app, and today a new Dark Mode setting has gone live for all Messenger users globally.
Facebook takes Messenger’s Dark Mode global
Apple
Amazon may challenge Spotify, Apple with free music that’d be available only if you ask Alexa
Amazon is allegedly in talks to launch an ad-supported music offering in a few days. While free of charge, it would come with a twist—you'd need to ask Alexa to play a song.
FT: Apple is investing half a billion dollars to get its game subscription service off the ground
Apple is reportedly spending to the tune of "hundreds of millions of dollars" to secure new exclusive games for its forthcoming subscription service, dubbed Apple Arcade.
iOS 13: app windows with detachable panels, new undo gesture and volume HUD, more
iOS 13 will shrink the gap between mobile and desktop computing further by adopting some of the well-known desktop metaphors, including windows, detachable panels and more.
Charging your Apple Pencil 2 could prevent you from unlocking your car
Wireless charging in the second-generation Apple Pencil may interfere with your car's key fob and cause intermittent issues when attempting to unlock the vehicle, Apple has acknowledged.
As first noted by French blog iGeneration.fr (Google Translate), a recent update to Apple's support document covering using Apple Pencil with iPad or iPad Pro explains that the wireless charging feature of Apple Pencil 2, when being used, tends to clash with key fobs.
Should that happen to you, store the stylus separately so it doesn't charge wirelessly when attempting to unlock the car or simply move the tablet away from the key fob.
If you're charging your Apple Pencil (2nd generation) with your iPad Pro and your car's keyless entry device (key fob) is nearby, signal interference might prevent you from unlocking your car with your key fob.
If this happens, you can simply move your iPad Pro away from the key fob or remove your Apple Pencil from your iPad Pro and store it separately. When Apple Pencil is finished charging, any resulting signal interference will cease.
I own both the latest iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, but have yet to experience this issue (for context, I drive my car every day and my iPad goes with me everywhere I go). Aside from Apple's advice, I'd also recommend trying holding your fob closer to the antenna, usually located near the radio antenna, that communicates with the door locks.
In one example, a DJ’s light-control panel was designed to send out intermittent signals but somehow transmitted a continuous stream of data on the same frequency used by some vehicle remote controls, as explained in a recent WardsAuto article:
Since the beginning of the year motorists in a section of Yonkers, 15 miles (24 km) north of Times Square, were unable to unlock their cars with remote-control fobs. Some drivers of cars without keys simply were unable to enter their vehicles because of unexplained electronic interference.
Due to poor shielding or wiring, some key fobs can generate harmonic interference and even unintentional interference. The same goes for a whole host of other wireless devices, including your iPad Pro's Wi-Fi and the tiny wireless charging coils in the new Apple Pencil.
Key fobs generally trigger signals on two bandwidths: 315 mHz and 434 mHz.
Photo: A Tesla key fob has an option to pull the car forward and backward remotely
Disney+ details: pricing, roadmap, content, device compatibility, Apple rivalry & more
During yesterday's important presentation for analysts and Wall Street investors, Disney finally took the wraps off an upcoming content-packed video-streaming service, dubbed Disney+.
Ugreen’s lightweight charger for Apple Watch offers convenient cable-free charging on the go
The original charging disk that came with your Apple Watch gets the job done, but its poor design leaves a lot to be desired. It's just a magnetic wireless charging module with a 0.3-meter cable that's impractical to carry around and very inconvenient to use.
Skype is testing the ability to share your iPhone’s screen during video calls
Skype users may soon be able to share their iPhone's screen during video calls.
Facebook might reintegrate Messenger back into its eponymous mobile app
Facebook might be prepping to reintegrate basic messaging functions back into its main mobile app for iPhone and iPad, eight years after separating Messenger into a standalone app.
Sharp’s prototype phone folds vertically to turn into a clamshell device akin to Motorola’s Razr
Motorola's Razr phone with its striking appearance and thin profile went on to sell more than 130 million units, becoming the best-selling clamshell phone in the world to date, and now Japan's Sharp is promising to revive the concept with a little twist to it.
Apple Podcasts gains web playback ahead of a dedicated Podcasts app in macOS 10.15
Apple has refreshed the Podcasts Preview interface on the web with improvements like a built-in player, streamlined navigation, enhanced design, updated navigation and more.
Dutch watchdog investigates if Apple gives its own apps preferential treatment
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) announced today that it's launching an investigation to determine whether Apple is giving preferential treatment to its own apps on App Store after receiving complaints from Dutch news apps developers.