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Apple (again) reminds developers that iOS 11 won’t run 32-bit apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 29, 2017

Following the iOS 11 public beta release, Apple has reminded developers that iOS 11 will be 64-bit only. The notice posted yesterday on Apple's Dev Center cautions that all 32-bit apps previously installed on users’ devices will not launch after they upgrade to iOS 11.

“As a reminder, new iOS apps and updates submitted to the App Store must support 64-bit,” reads the notice. Apple recommends that developers who haven’t updated their apps to support 64-bit submit an update “so your users can continue to run your apps on iOS 11”.

TUTORIAL: How to identify 32-bit apps installed on your iPhone and iPad

Because iOS 11 is 64-bit only and doesn't support legacy 32-bit apps, users should experience a bit faster performance and fewer crashes. That's because iOS 11 will never need to load 32-bit frameworks, libraries and the kernel alongside their 64-bit counterparts needed to support legacy apps, which effectively strains the RAM and other resources.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hoPcMPvL88

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Apple’s Clips app already requires a 64-bit iOS device and iOS 11's new Files app is optimized for 64-bit computing, too. Starting with iOS 10.3, Apple began naming and shaming legacy apps via a new App Compatibility section in Settings → General → About → Applications.

The new advisory regarding 32-bit apps was posted just a day after the company invited developers to update their product pages on App Store for iOS 11's much-improved, thoroughly redesigned App Store.

iOS 11 will be in the hands of “hundreds of millions of customers” this fall.

Instagram unveils offensive comment filter, anti-spam tool in 9 languages

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 29, 2017

Instagram today announced some much-needed new tools to help users of its mobile app enjoy the service without toxic comments and spam. One is a new filter designed to block certain offensive comments and the other is basically a spam filter supporting nine languages.

Instagram claims that the pair of newly announced tools at their users' disposal will help keep the service a safe place for self-expression and inclusive communities.

Clamping down on toxic comments is now easier with the comment filter that automatically blocks certain offensive comments on your published posts, as well as in live video.

The new offensive comment filter is in addition to Instagram's existing arsenal of tools, like comment reporting, account blocking and so forth. To access this automatic filter, tap Instagram's “...” menu from your profile, then tap the new Comments option.

“We’ll launch this comment filter in English first, but will offer it in more languages over time,” notes the Facebook-owned company. The filter is optional and can be turned off at any time.

To help fight spam, Instagram is rolling out another new filter. Powered by machine learning, it looks for any obvious spam in comments and blocks it from your posts and live videos.

According to Instagram:

Our team has been training our systems for some time to recognize certain types of offensive and spammy comments so you never have to see them. The tools will improve over time, enabling the community’s experience of sharing to improve as well. We hope to make these filters available in more languages as our algorithms improve.

At launch, this dedicated filter will remove spam written in a total of nine languages—English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, French, German, Russian, Japanese and Chinese—with additional language support to be implemented in the future.

Instagram is available free of charge via App Store.

New video provides one of the best looks yet at iPhone 8 dummy unit

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 29, 2017

A new video that surfaced yesterday offers an up-close look, one of the clearest yet, at the prospective design of Apple's OLED-based iPhone 8. Shared by Steve Hemmerstoffer of OnLeaks, in partnership with Tiger Mobiles, the clip depicts a dummy device with a nearly full-screen face protected by a curved 2.5D glass cover.

The dummy unit has minimal side bezels. A Touch ID fingerprint sensor is built into the display and there's an area at the top of the display that will presumably accommodate the front-facing FaceTime camera along with a 3D sensor and potentially other sensors.

On the back, we see a vertically aligned dual-lens camera system like on prior leaks. The dummy unit measures 144mm long, 71mm wide and 7.5mm thick without the camera bump (with the bulge included, the thickness increases to 9.1mm).

And here's the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW1gx086ZxU

This particular iPhone 8 dummy unit is a CNC mockup manufactured based on CAD files that were posted to Twitter back in April. Because it's just a mockup based on the months-old CAD files and design schematics that have been circulating on the web for quite some time now, it may or may not be representative of the real iPhone 8 design.

TimeMover Lite lets you customize the position of your Lock screen clock for free

Anthony Bouchard ∙ June 29, 2017

The Lock screen clock appears at the top center of the Lock screen on any stock device out of the box, but with a new free jailbreak tweak called TimeMover Lite by iOS developer NeinZedd9, you can re-position it anywhere you'd like.

If the concept sounds familiar, that’s because this is a free version of the TimeMover tweak that we showed you a couple of weeks ago, but it’s still plenty powerful.

Could this be the new iPhone 8 wireless charging chime?

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 28, 2017

Unlike iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, your Apple Watch plays its own charging sound when placed on its magnetic charging disk. Going by same logic, iPhone 8 should play a distinctively unique charging chime when connected to its wireless charger.

Polish YouTube user “MAKS+” claims to have discovered a brand new charging sound file in the latest beta of iOS 11. To be sure, there's no way of telling if it signifies a new wireless charging chime for iPhone 8.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAgpgtgrh88

As you can clearly tell yourself by listening to both sounds in the video above, the new wireless charging chime in the file named “engage_power.caf” does sound distinctively different compared to the regular charging sound in the audio file named “connect_power.caf”.

Don't get your hops up high: as noted by MacRumors, there are several other sound files in iOS 10 and 11 that are unused and do not have a purpose.

Put simply, there's really no way to confirm if this particular sound has been added as the new audible indicator that an iPhone 8 has been placed on an inductive wireless charger.

Thoughts?

New demos show how easy it is to bring 3D models to life with ARKit

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 28, 2017

One of the best aspects of ARKit, Apple's new framework for building augmented reality apps, is the fact that it does all the incredibly complex heavy lifting like detecting room dimensions, horizontal planes and light sources, freeing up developers to focus on other things.

ARKit analyzes the scene presented by the camera view, in real time.

Combined with sensor data, it is able to detect horizontal planes, such as tables and floors, as well as track and place objects on smaller feature points with great precision.

And because it uses the camera sensor, ARKit can accurately estimate the total amount of light available in a scene to apply the correct amount of lighting to virtual objects.

First, check out this demo from Tomás Garcia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G2YbQuQHps

Children's bedtime stories will never be the same come this fall!

Another developer has put together a quick demo showing off his AI bot, named “Pepper”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brFKo_tSkw8

According to the video's description:

I've been working on an AI bot for a while now. To be short, it's like V.I.K.I in the movie “I, Robot”. With the help of ARKit, I was able to bring it close to a real life assistant.

Due to obvious reasons, I'm not demonstrating her functionality in this video. So I ended up showing you guys how easy and simple it is to bring 3D models to life with Apple's new framework.

These videos clearly demonstrate how easy ARKit makes it for developers to match the shadows of their virtual objects to lighting conditions in the real world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQt96saECfM

Here are some additional ARKit-enabled demos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o7qr1NpeNI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJR_f7XCuvA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQt96saECfM

ARKit requires A9 or A10 processors, meaning ARKit apps will require an iPhone 6s or newer or one of the latest iPad Pro models, either the 9.7-inch or the 10.5-inch one.

If anything, these videos demonstrate just how easy Apple has made it to put together an AR app. Are you looking forward to ARKit, and why? Leave a comment below to let us know.

Watch new iPhone 7 ad: “A Portrait of Canada”

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 30, 2017

Apple's YouTube channel was updated Wednesday with a new commercial in the company's “Shot on iPhone” series. Titled “A Portrait of Canada”, it features words by Humble the Poet plus videos and depth-of-field photographs made possible by iPhone 7 Plus's dual-lens camera.

The photos and videos featured in the ad were snapped by photographer Caitlin Cronenberg and Canadians in locations across the country, ranging from Toronto to the Canadian Rockies.

The ad, according to the description on Apple's Canadian website, was meant to serve as “a portrait of Canada's inclusive spirit shot on iPhone, brought to life by three Canadian artists as well as Canadians across the country.”

And here it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpREAlYHiMU

Song: “Suplex (feat. Northern Voice)” by A Tribe Called Red

Canada turns 150 years old next week and Apple is joining the celebrations with a new “Unapologetically Canadian” page on the Canadian App Store.

“Canadians may be famous for saying we’re sorry, but when it comes to building great apps, there’s no need to apologize,” reads the page's description.

“Canada is home to some of the world’s greatest talent, and we’re thrilled to celebrate these inspiring creators as part of Canada’s 150th birthday. Scroll down to explore the list of Canadians’ 150 most-downloaded apps and games of all time.”

How do you like Apple's new ad that celebrates Canada's cultural diversity?

Let us know by posting a comment below.

Barclays: iPhone 8 to ship with 10W USB-C power adapter with fast charging

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 28, 2017

Apple's 5.8-inch iPhone 8 is expected to ship with a stronger ten-watt power adapter in its box, featuring a USB-C connector and fast-charging support. That's according to Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis's note to clients Wednesday, a copy of which was obtained by MacRumors.

Current iPhones include a five-watt power adapter in the box.

The analyst claims that iPhone 8 will include a dedicated USB-C Power Delivery chip that enables fast charging capabilities. The new ten-watt power adapter will also sport an integrated USB-C Power Delivery chip. Both chips will be supplied by Cypress Semiconductor and it's basically the same CYPD2104 part used in Apple's new 10.5-inch iPad Pro.

It should be noted that iPhone 7 already supports fast-charging capability when connected to Apple's 29-watt USB-C power adapter for MacBook via a Lightning to USB-C cable.

The new 12.9-inch iPad Pro and the 10.5-inch iPad Pro are capable of fast charging, too.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in March that the OLED-based iPhone 8 would retain its Lightning connector and have a dedicated USB-C Power Delivery chip on the logic board.

Assuming Curtis is right, iPhone 8 might come bundled with either a Lightning to USB-C cable or a female USB-C to male USB-A adapter with an integrated fast-charging chip so that customers could use their existing Lightning to USB cable to fast-charge the phone.

iPhone 8 concept courtesy of iFanr.

Facebook brings animated reactions, filters, masks and effects to Messenger calls

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 28, 2017

As part of celebrating its two billion monthly active users milestone, Facebook on Monday unveiled new video chat features for its mobile Messenger app, such as the beautifully animated reactions, interactive filters, masks and effects. “Video chats with your friends and family in Messenger just got a whole lot more fun,” said the firm.

You can use these new video features in one-on-one video calls, as well as in your group video conversations. The new capabilities let you easily share your emotions during a video call with one of the five Facebook reactions, alter your appearance (how about making your friend laugh with a bear mask?) by taking advantage of the many built-in filters and much more.

I like how reactions animate onto the screen and then disappear.

Many reactions have different versions, depending on whether your face is on or off the screen. For instance, tap the love reaction when the camera is facing you, then tap it again when the camera is facing outward to see the difference.

A variety of in-call filters are now available to Messenger users, ranging from subtle lighting tweaks to color changes, like black and white, red or yellow. Each one has a live preview so you can test it on yourself before letting others see it. Many new masks are available for video calls, too, including some with hidden effects that react to your facial movements.

From the Facebook blog:

We have also added animated effects, like falling hearts and twinkling stars, to give your video chats expressive flair. Check out what happens when you wave your arm in front of the camera while using one of those effects! Unlike reactions, masks and effects stay on the screen for the duration of the video chat (or until you take them off or switch to another one).

One of the best new in-call video features is the screenshotting ability.

During an one-on-one or group video call with one or more friends, tap the camera icon at the bottom to take a screenshot of your time together and share it with other friends via Messenger Day or other social media accounts

The image of your video conversation will be saved to your iPhone's Camera roll. Plus, you can quickly send the screenshot to the person or group that you’re video chatting with.

Check out the new Messenger video features in Facebook's video embedded below.

Earlier today, Microsoft started rolling out a much redesigned Skype for iPhone with a Snapchat-like Stories feature, dubbed Highlights.

Moreover, Skype for iPhone now lets you talk to Cortana and other chat bots, as well as post message and in-call reactions by adding huge emoticons, live text and photos with drawings to an overlay that appears on top of the call.

Facebook Messenger is available free on App Store.

Skype for iPhone gains chat bots, its version of Stories, message & in-call reactions and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 28, 2017

Following a preview at the start of June, Microsoft today began rolling out a redesigned Skype for iPhone app with a refined user interface and new capabilities such as chat bots, a Snapchat-like Highlights feature, message and in-call reactions, easier photo capture and more.

Aside from Microsoft's own smart assistant Cortana, other chat bots now available or coming soon to Skype for iPhone include Gfycat, Giphy, MSN Weather, Bing, Polls, Expedia, Stubhub, BigOven, YouTube and Upworthy.

With in-call reactions, users can add live emoticons, live text and even real-time photos to an overlay that appears on their video and voice calls. Similarly, message reactions let you inform your chat participants how you feel by adding expressive reactions to your chats.

The new Home screen launches with your chat view, but you can now swipe left to get to the Skype camera or swipe right to show your Highlights. Speaking of which, Highlights is a new Snapchat-like feature that lets you share your day-to-day with friends and family on Skype while keeping up with what they are up to.

Your highlight is basically a collection of photos and videos that you can decorate with emojis and text. Only people who follow you on Skype can see your highlights.

You can also respond to others' highlights by reacting with emoticons or even use them as a conversation starter. Unlike Snapchat, your published highlights remain live for a full week.

It remains to be seen if Highlights gains any traction given that every major chat app now has a similar feature of its own. Between Snapchat Stories, Facebook and Instagram Stories, I'm not sure I have the time to update Skype Highlights for my contacts on a daily basis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qItfRVJFljM

Microsoft readily admits that Highlights is a Snapchat clone.

“There’s a new medium that has risen,” Amritansh Raghav, Corporate Vice President of Skype, said recently of Stories in a comment to TechCrunch. “When you think about this new way of interacting, we want that to be available also in this app.”

The new features are available in Skype for iPhone, but not in Skype for iPad. Skype for Mac and Windows computers will receive the new capabilities within the next few months.

According to Microsoft, a future version of Skype will integrate gaming features into video calls and users will have the ability to synchronize and watch streaming videos together.

Visit skype.com/new to learn more about the app's latest feature additions.

Skype for iPhone and Skype for iPad are available free on App Store.

You can now edit text files right from Dropbox app

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 28, 2017

Cloud storage provider Dropbox today updated its app on App Store with the ability to edit text files right from the mobile app. Now when you browse the files in your Dropbox, simply view any text file then tap a new Edit icon to enter the app's new built-in text editor.

When done editing, tap Save to save the changes directly to the text file in your Dropbox. No more emailing the file back and forth. The bast part is, no longer do you need to use a third-party editor just to make a few quick changes to a text file saved in your Dropbox.

Aside from the built-in text editor, Dropbox for iOS version 54.2 has gained a new auto-capture function. When scanning documents, simply focus on the document and this feature will take a picture automatically.

Dropbox for iOS is a free download via App Store.

Auto SilentMe silences your iPhone based on calendar events

Anthony Bouchard ∙ June 28, 2017

There are times when you can take notifications, and then there are times when you just can't. While Do Not Disturb is a great tool for this, it’s not the perfect solution to avoiding unwanted notifications because it relies on you to manually enable or schedule it, and sometimes we forget.

That’s a weak link that a new jailbreak tweak called Auto SilentMe by iOS developer IArrays hopes to strengthen, as it brings new notification-suppressing features to your device that will prevent embarrassing notifications from coming in when you don't want them knocking at the door.