Apple has launched an official Twitter account on Friday. With @Apple, the company now has yet another channel for releasing important announcements and promoting products and events to the public.
Apple launches an official Twitter account
Apple
“Hey Siri, call Sébastien on Skype”
Apple's made a rare move of publishing multiple blog posts to whet our appetite for Siri's upcoming third-party integration on iOS 10. We already detailed how Siri will work with popular messaging/payments apps and allow you to search photos inside third-party apps like Pinterest, just by using your voice.
Now, we take a closer look at how Apple's personal digital assistant can interact with VoIP apps like Skype, Vonage and others.
Apple’s free app of the week: Noodles!
Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with the game Noodles!. This means from now through next Thursday, you’ll be able to pick up the addictive puzzler for free for both iPhone and iPad, a solid savings of $2.
For those who aren't familiar with it, Noodles! is a strategic game in which you must connect tube-like objects to create a desired shape. Your score depends on how fast you can solve the level, and it gets more complex as you progress.
Apple previews photo-search capabilities coming to iOS 10 via Siri app integration
iOS 10 marks the first time Apple has allowed other people's apps to integrate with Siri. The following app categories are permitted to take advantage of the new SiriKit in iOS 10: ride hailing, messaging, photo search, mobile payments, VoIP and workout apps.
The company already detailed Siri integration in popular messaging and payments apps and now a new blog post shows you how Siri can find photos inside apps like Pinterest, Vogue and more.
App Store Review Guidelines updated with details on subscriptions, SiriKit and iMessage
In addition to beefing up App Store quality control by removing poorly maintained apps and those with 50+ characters in their name starting September 7, Apple also updated the official App Store Review Guidelines with details on app subscriptions, SiriKit and downloadable iMessage content. “As you plan and develop your apps for the upcoming releases of iOS 10, macOS Sierra, watchOS and tvOS, make sure to read these updated guidelines,” writes Apple.
Apple to impose 50-character limit on app names, remove poorly maintained apps
Apple just sent an email blast to its registered developers to inform them that it's implementing two suggestions from the developer community starting September 7, 2016, the same day the iPhone 7 event is scheduled to take place. The first concerns “abandoned” apps that no longer function as advertised and the other deals with funny tricks some developers resort to in an effort to game the system.
Apple issues Security Updates for OS X El Capitan and Yosemite
Apple on Thursday issued Security Updates for OS X El Capitan and Yosemite. The releases patch multiple vulnerabilities that allow an application to disclose kernel memory, and executive arbitrary code with kennel privileges.
If this sounds familiar, it's because these are the same exploits patched in the latest iOS 9.3.5 update. Apple again credits Citizen Lab and Lookout research firms with the find, and recommends that all users install the updates.
Facebook Messenger picks up live-streaming feature, called Instant Video
Facebook today announced a new live-streaming feature on the mobile Messenger app, dubbed “Instant Video”. Similar to the live-streaming feature built into the mobile Facebook app, Instant Video allows you to start streaming live video with a friend on Messenger by tapping a new button found in chat windows. The video streams in a small window so that you can continue chatting while streaming.
iPhone 7 Plus could come bundled with Apple’s new AirPods Wireless Earphones
Another day, another iPhone 7 leak. A high-resolution photograph of an alleged iPhone 7 Plus packaging that surfaced this morning would have us believe that a 5.5-inch iPhone 7 model could ship with Apple's new wireless earbuds in the box.
The info sticker on the back of supposed packaging shows the details for a 32-gigabyte handset model, suggesting the purchase is bundled with an “AirPods Wireless Earphones”. The purported photo was uploaded anonymously and sent to AppleInsider.
Apple Watch 2’s thinner screen & larger battery allegedly caught on video
Supply chain rumors have asserted that a second-generation Apple Watch 2 could offer a few additional hours of battery life while replacing the current models' Glass on Glass (G/G) touchscreen with a thinner and lighter screen based on One Glass Solution (OGS) display technology. These two features—a thinner display assembly and a bigger battery—are allegedly shown in a video posted by Byte, a UK-based retailer that sells Apple-certified accessories.
Apple shares examples of Siri’s third-party app integration on iOS 10
Following first hands-on demonstrations of Siri's app integration that select developers gave to The Wall Street Journal's Nathan Olivarez-Giles last week, Apple on Thursday published an article of its own to share more details regarding Siri integrations for payments, messaging apps and more.
As a quick backgrounder, Siri on iOS 10 will work with your apps thanks to Apple's new SiriKit framework which was designed to help developers integrate Siri functionality into their own apps.
New Beats products to be unveiled at iPhone event next week
Beats emailed French media earlier this morning to inform them that “a selection of new Beats by Dre products will be unveiled” at the iPhone 7 event on September 7. However, it would seem that Beats' public relations department sent the email prematurely as at least one French outlet, iGen.fr, was contacted by Beats PR and asked to take down the screenshot from the email, which they did.