Phone Hacks | Android | iOS | Latest News

Earlier this week, Google made it easy for CarPlay users to use a new navigational option with CarPlay (following the update to iOS 12), and now it looks like Apple is giving Android Auto folks another streaming platform to listen to while in the car. Apple Music for Android was updated today, bringing the version to 2.6.0. There are quite a few new additions to the mix, but the primary one at the top of the list is support for Android Auto. That means you can use Apple Music instead of Spotify or Google Play Music if you prefer Apple’s own streaming option. Meanwhile, the new software also includes the ability to search for music with just a few lyrics if you don’t know the name of it or the artist that makes it. The platform’s new artist pages are now supported on Android as well. Here are all the new features with this latest update: Android Auto. The best of Apple Music in your car. Search by Lyrics. Use a few of the words to find a song. New Artist Page. Play an ...

Whether or not the HomePod is a successful device for Apple is still a bit of a mystery, with analysts not really agreeing on where the device stands in the market months after its launch. Recent reports have put the HomePod at 6% market share , dating back to the second quarter of this year. And we have heard in the past that Apple sold upwards of 3 million of the smart speakers . Now, a new report from Strategy Analytics says that Apple’s smart speaker dominance isn’t there just yet, except for maybe when it comes to expensive ones. According to the data, the HomePod is not in the top 5 of smart speakers globally. Unsurprisingly, Google and Amazon are holding down most of the top spots, with the Google Home Mini coming in at first (20 percent market share), the Amazon Echo Dot in second (18%), the Amazon Echo in third (12%), and the Google Home in fifth (7%). In the fourth spot, Alibaba’s Tmaill Genie (7%). The HomePod? It managed 6 percent of the market, according t...

iOS 12 changes quite a bit when compared to iOS 11, but it looks like the adoption rate isn’t reflecting a mad dash to grab the new software. According to data from Mixpanel, which was shared after the public launch of iOS 12 earlier this week, the newest software from Apple is on 10 percent of devices out there in the wild. 24 hours after launch, according to the data, iOS 12 was installed on 7.8% of devices, and it took 48 hours after launch to reach 10.43 percent. To compare, iOS 11 reached 10% of devices out in the wild after just 24 hours , while iOS 10 was installed on almost 15 percent of devices after its first initial day of availability. If the data is accurate, it points to iOS 12 adoption being a bit slower than what Apple saw in the previous two major upgrades to the mobile operating system. The data is just that, and there is no additional information to go on here. We don’t know why folks out there in the wild may not be updating to iOS 12 — even two day...

Rumor had it that Apple was going to announce brand new iPad Pro models earlier this month, but that ultimately didn’t happen. Which means there’s still room for an event next month! Earlier this week, Apple seeded the first developer beta of iOS 12.1, and it has already shown off quite a bit that Apple probably wasn’t ready to get out there (but should have expected it to). Before we today we saw that Apple is gearing up for landscape support with Face ID, which is not currently supported in current hardware, hinting that a future iPad Pro model will indeed get the feature . Now, developer Steve Troughton-Smith has taken to Twitter to reveal that the iOS 12.1 simulator reveals that the future software will support 4K external displays. As noted in Troughton-Smith’s tweet, that is “not possible on any existing iOS device via the Lightning HDMI adapter”. That seems to suggest that Apple is indeed planning on making an important switch with the 2018 iP...

Yes, you can create your own Bitmoji-like character in iOS 12 and use it just like any other Animoji. But did you know that you can take selfies with your Memoji character superimposed on your face? Apple has basically ripped off Snapchat style Stories feature, complete with filters, text and, doodle effects, right in the Messages app. Here’s how you can use the new Effects feature in iOS 12’s Messages app. Using Effects Camera in iOS 12 So where is this feature? Well, it only shows up when you say a secret chant. Ok, it’s not that bad. But close. You can only access this feature when you’re in an iMessage conversation inside Messages app. Step 1 : Open the Messages app. Step 2 : Open an iMessage conversation. Step 3 : Here, above the keyboard, tap on the Camera button. Step 4 : You’ll now enter the new Camera view. Here, tap on the Effects button. There are two ways that you can do this. You can first click the picture and then go into the Edit view ...

Apart from the first set of Apple Watch Series 4 reviews, the first unboxing video of the wearable is now also live on YouTube. The unboxing video shows how the packaging of the Apple Watch Series 4 has changed from previous versions of the watch. The new retail box of the Apple Watch Series 4 puts the actual device inside a small pouch of its own. The power adapter and the wireless charging adapter are packed separately in the box. Make sure to watch the full video below to know how the Apple Watch Series 4 performs in various scenarios as well. The first set of Apple Watch Series 4 reviews largely praise the wearable for its slimmer design, bigger display, and ‘all-day’ battery life. Given the improvements Apple has made with Apple Watch Series 4, it is now easily the best wearable around, with no other smartwatch coming close to it. It is definitely a pricey investment though, with a starting price tag of $399 that can easily run up to $500 or more. If you are still in tw...

Apple  released the first public build of iOS 12  at the beginning of this week. Unlike the last few releases of the OS, iOS 12 is all about performance improvements. The highlight of this update is the performance improvements it brings to the table and not any crazy new feature. Due to this, many users might be at first disappointed with iOS 12 after installing the update on their device. However, over time, they are likely to start appreciating the performance improvements offered by the OS as it can have a significant impact in daily use. In fact, if you own a particularly old iOS device like the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 , or the iPad Air, iOS 12 is easily going to extend the lifespan of your device by another year. It will make your old iPhone or iPad usable from the current junk that it has become with constant lags and dropped frames. It is not like iOS 12 does not come with any new features. It does introduce Screen Time, Enhanced Do Not Disturb, Grouped Notifications, Password Aut...

Pre-ordered the iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max ? Or plan on getting your hands on either of them during launch day? Well, to go along with the device, you must also purchase a screen protector to protect the beautiful OLED panels. This is because irrespective of what Apple says, the iPhone XS and XS Max screen are susceptible to scratches.  Apple does claim the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max use an even more durable glass than the iPhone X . However, the company made similar claims with the iPhone X last year and that did not stop its screen from picking up scratches. In fact, if anything, most people found out the hard way that their iPhone X display was prone to picking up scratches easily than previous iPhones. Nonetheless, if you are not already, you should consider buying a screen protector for your iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max. You definitely don’t want their beautiful cover glass to be scratched up in just a few weeks. To help make this decision easier, we have collated a list of th...

Apple launched three new iPhones earlier this month, with two of those models sitting at the top of the pyramid due to just a few changes in their specs compared to the third, less expensive model. While the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max boast price tags that will see buyers forking over $1,000 or more, the iPhone XR scales things back with a price tag that starts at $749. The top-of-the-line model, the one outfitted with 256GB of built-in storage, actually retails for just $899, making it the only new iPhone model not to reach the $1,000 mark. And the best part is that the iPhone XR isn’t really that much different from the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, save for some important differences. Which is why when the reviews for the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max started circulating yesterday, I wasn’t too surprised that a lot of them were suggesting some folks should just wait for the iPhone XR, rather than opt for one of the newer, more expensive options. This is definitely an ...

With iOS 12, Apple is finally bringing automation right to the heart of the iPhone and iPad. Simple, sandboxed and third-party supported automation is now bundled in the OS. Oh, and it works with Siri. So now, you can be the James Bond of your dreams. Just pull up Siri on your AirPods, say your custom phrase, and watch as your iPhone initiates the 10 step shortcut that you’ve created. Siri Shortcuts feature is sprinkled across iOS 12. The term Siri Shortcuts encompasses too many things. There’s the proactive Siri Suggestions in Lock screen and Spotlight, the Add to Siri functionality for actions you perform regularly, and then there’s the brand new Shortcuts app. The Shortcuts app is basically Workflow 2.0, the app that Apple acquired last year. Yes, it can be a bit confusing so let us walk you through it. Let’s dive in: How to Use Add To Siri and System Level Siri Shortcuts How Shortcuts App Works How to Add Shortcuts from Gallery How to Import Shortcuts From The Web How to Creat...