News

T-Mobile unveils two anti-scam network features, here’s how to enable them

Wireless carrier T-Mobile on Friday announced a pair of new anti-scam features aimed at blocking robocalls and scam calls on your iPhone or other smartphone. Called Scam ID and Scam Block, the new tools were designed to either automatically block incoming calls identified by the system as scam (Scam Block) or warn you that a call is coming from a mobile phone number possibly related to spammers (Scam ID).

Apple: iPhone and Mac vulnerabilities detailed in WikiLeaks CIA dump were fixed years ago

WikiLeaks yesterday published a new batch of internal CIA documents which highlighted some of the hacks and programs that the spy organization has been developing internally for years. Those tools were specifically designed to infest Apple’s all-in-one iMac desktop and MacBook notebooks if an agent was able to gain physical access to the device.

One of the methods involved utilized patched Thunderbolt EFI exploit. Apple told TechCrunch that the documents detail old exploits fixed years ago.

Red iPhone 7, new 9.7″ iPad & updated iPhone SE now available

Apple's new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition, a new 9.7-inch iPad model (called simply “iPad”) and iPhone SE with twice the storage are now available to order. The red iPhone can be purchased worldwide via Apple's online stores and brick-and-mortar locations. The new iPad can be ordered from apple.com and starts delivering to customers and arriving next week in Apple Stores, through select carriers and Apple Authorized Resellers.

Instagram unveils blurred posts, Two-Factor Authentication now available to everyone

Facebook-owned Instagram is continuing to build a safer, kinder community for all its customers by introducing helpful features aimed at increasing user security and privacy on the service. Thursday, the company announced a pair of important updates in the form of a Two-Factor Authentication security feature, now available to everyone, and blurred posts aimed at reducing “unwanted experiences” in the app, a free download from App Store.

Barclays: iPhone 8 to launch in September, but will be hard to come by

According to the latest research from Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis, Christopher Hemmelgarn, Thomas O'Malley and Jerry Zhang, obtained by MacRumors, Apple may still launch iPhone 8 in September alongside the iterative iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus series, albeit in limited quantity. However, the majority of iPhone 8 stock may not be available until much later in the fourth quarter.

In other words, the company's Tenth Anniversary iPhone aka “iPhone Edition” may be hard to come by when it debuts in September (like Jet Black iPhone 7 models last year).

Apple responds to ransom threat: iCloud, Apple ID and other systems have not been breached

Yesterday, a hacker group known as “Turkish Crime Family” told Motherboard it had obtained access to hundreds of millions iCloud and Apple ID accounts. They've threatened to reset passwords and remotely wipe Apple devices of all their data, including photos, videos and messages, unless the company pays a ransom of either $75,000 in the Bitcoin/Ethereum cryptocurrencies or $100,000 in iTunes Gift Cards, by April 7. Today, Apple denied the hacking claims, telling Forbes that iCloud, Apple ID and other systems haven't been hacked into directly.

WikiLeaks details CIA’s infestation software targeting iMac and MacBook computers

Following the initial release of documents, dubbed “Year Zero,” which detailed tactics the CIA leverages to breach iPhones, iPads, Windows, smart TVs and other devices, WikiLeaks today published additional “Vault 7”-series materials. Code-named “Dark Matter,” the latest batch of secret files provides an insight into other CIA hacks and programs that have been internally developed and maintained for years with the goal of infesting Apple's all-in-one iMac desktop and MacBook notebooks.

Google Photos gains faster backup and sharing on low or spotty connections

Google's mobile Photos app recently gained the ability to automatically adjust the white tone of your images to given them a more natural look. During an event in São Paulo, Brazil today, the search company announced that Google Photos for iOS and Android now includes faster backup and sharing on low connectivity. They're rolling out these improvements in Google Photos for iOS and Android starting today, ahead of a wider rollout in the coming days.

File sharing hits Google’s Allo app

Google held a media event today in São Paulo, Brazil, revealing that its messaging app Allo, which debuted last September, has gained a pair of new features: file sharing in group chats and support for the app's Smart Smiley feature in Portuguese. Noting a lot of users have requested the ability to share documents in group chats, Google said that Android users everywhere can now share documents with friends on Allo, including files like PDF documents, ZIP archives, MP3 tracks and more.

Google didn't say when file sharing might hit Allo for iOS, but it shouldn't be too long.

Audio calling coming soon to Google’s Duo app

At an event in São Paulo, Brazil today, Google announced that its one-on-one video calling app, Duo, will be soon gaining audio-only calling on iOS and Android. The feature is already available starting today to customers in Brazil and will be rolling out to users around the world in the coming days. With the update, Duo for iPhone now supports both video and audio calling and effectively becomes a viable alternative to Apple's FaceTime.

Google’s Snapseed app picks up new Double Exposure filter + Pose & Expand tools

Google just pushed a new version of Snapseed for iPhone and iPad to App Store. Snapseed version 2.17 includes a new Face Pose tool, the app's second tool that focuses on working with portraits and selfies. There's also a new Double Exposure filter for blending two photos using analog film techniques and digital image processing. You can grab the latest version of Snapseed for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch at no charge from App Store.