iTunes

Speed up or slow down iTunes playback for podcasts, audiobooks, and music with Speed-Up

Still enjoying iTunes despite the beautiful mess it has become on macOS? If the answer is yes, perhaps listen up for this one. Every once in a while, seemingly low-key and low-price apps pop up in the market, claiming to have identified an imperfection or gap in Apple’s software, and in the next breath promising the fix for it. Some of these apps are superfluous to the user for the simple reason that the touted feature is already in place in Apple’s mothership software (in some shape or form), other apps are gimmicky or overly flawed.

Speed-Up for Mac firmly sits in the opposite camp, the one where ostensibly small apps are extremely wholesome and deliver on the promised goods. So what does it promise you ask? Put simply, to speed up or slow down your iTunes playback, an option otherwise notably absent on macOS. If this sounds surprisingly succinct or sober to you, that’s because it is.

Speed-Up treasures simplicity over bells & whistles, and is probably worth a look if you have ever caught yourself wishing for a speed lever in the thick of an Audiobook or Podcast session on your MacBook.

iTunes carrier billing now available in Italy, Singapore and Austria

Customers in Italy, Singapore and Austria who lack a credit or debit card can now take advantage of carrier billing on iTunes to have app and media purchases made on Apple's content stores (including Apple Music subscriptions) billed directly to a monthly mobile phone bill from their carrier.

As per Apple, carrier billing's been enabled for select carriers—in Austria for Drei customers, Italy for Three customers and Singapore for M1 Limited users.

How to downgrade (or update) to iOS 10.2

We recently covered the release of Luca Todesco's first build of yalu102. This tool will eventually allow all 64-bit devices to jailbreak iOS 10. iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be able to use it on iOS 10.0-10.1.1, all other 64-bit devices will be able to use it on iOS 10.0-10.2.

As the signing window for iOS 10.2 could close at any time, the pressure is on to downgrade to iOS 10.2 if you are currently on a higher firmware. Some people on a lower firmware should also upgrade to iOS 10.2, but not everyone. In this guide, we'll talk you through how to upgrade/downgrade to iOS 10.2 from a lower/higher firmware, if you are one of the people who should be there.

Amazon and Apple end Audible exclusivity deal to avoid antitrust probe by German government

Quietly announced two weeks ago following discussions with both the European Commission and the German Federal Cartel Office, Apple and Amazon have decided to end their deal which made Amazon-owned Audible an exclusive provider of audiobooks for iTunes.

According to a Reuters report Thursday, the move puts an end to antitrust complaints by the German government and is likely to boost competition.

The agreement had been in place for over a decade, since 2003.

Apple’s new TV app doesn’t like ripped DVDs, here are some workarounds

Apple's new TV app on iOS 10.2 struggles to play videos that have been ripped from DVDs and other sources and loaded into iTunes for Mac. It’s unclear whether this is a simple bug, but that didn't stop people from flocking to Apple’s Support Communities forum to express their disdain for the app.

The TV app has replaced the old and mostly useless Videos app.

Thankfully, dedicated apps let you easily play non-iOS-friendly media on iPhone, like FireCore's versatile Infuse video player. Handbrake for Mac, which recently exited beta after 13 years, packs in a comprehensive set of tools for easy video conversion with handy presets for turning ripped DVDs into an iPhone-compatible format.

How to convert music tracks to Audiobook in iTunes

Venturing into the depths of iTunes is no longer an activity for the faint-hearted, as Apple’s gold mine is famously becoming more convoluted with every update. It is by no means impossible to keep up with the changes, but staying on top of every small cosmetic shift does pose a decent challenge today.

As somebody very fond of the spoken word on iTunes, I can attest that this general rule holds true for audiobooks as well. So as I was fiddling around with some old school CDs the other day and trying to move audio files within my iTunes library to the Audiobooks tab, I noticed my old methods were already outdated again. If you’re not up to speed on iTunes, here’s a refresher on how to get your talking book to properly identify as Audiobooks inside the application, followed by an encore for CD enthusiasts with regard to joining tracks during import.

Here are 5 top-grossing holiday movies of all time on U.S. iTunes Store

Apple on Thursday released a list of the top five best-selling holiday movies of all time on iTunes Store in the United States. Elf, originally released in 2003 and starring Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf, is the all-time best-selling holiday movie on iTunes Store.

In addition to the list of the top five holiday movies on iTunes Store, the Cupertino company yesterday launched limited-time movie bundles at discounted prices, a bunch of 99-cent rentals and films under $10.

iTunes 12.5.4 is out with support for TV app, Touch Bar-enabled scrubber & more

In addition to releasing macOS 10.12.2 Sierra today, a second major update to the Mac operating system following the initial Sierra release in October, Apple also released iTunes 12.5.4 today. The new version of iTunes includes minor app and performance improvements, as well as official support for Apple's new “TV” app and the ability to jump to different parts of your media during playback using a Touch Bar-compatible scrubber.

How to convert any barcode into a pass for your Wallet with Pass2U Wallet

Based on the continuous growth of Wallet for ticketing services and Apple Pay, Apple’s bid to render cards and printouts a memory of the past has come a long way. Wallet makes handling and storing any type of ticket considerably simpler, which is why it is easy to get irritated today when presented with no other delivery option but an old-school paper pass. Thankfully Apple and other retailers are increasingly swinging towards the digital platform, but there are still countless cases where you just cannot add a ticket or voucher to your Wallet - even though it would make life so much easier.

Pass2U Wallet, a free app for iOS, taps into that need and conveniently bridges the gap. Just like Wallet itself it offers to scan hard copy barcodes in order to convert them to Wallet passes, however contrary to Apple’s Wallet it will practically work with any piece of paper imaginable. As such, Pass2U Wallet complements and enriches the stock Wallet app nicely, making sure you will be able to add anything you like to your iPhone’s Wallet. Find out more about the app in our review below.