Apple Seeds Third Beta of iOS 9.3.2 to Public Beta Testers

Apple today released the third beta of an upcoming iOS 9.3.2 update to public beta testers, one day after seeding the third iOS 9.3.2 beta to developers. iOS 9.3.2 comes more than a month after the release of iOS 9.3, a major update that introduced Night Shift mode and other new features. iOS 9.3.2 has been in testing since April 6.

Beta testers who are taking part in Apple’s best testing program will receive the iOS 9.3.2 update over-the-air after installing the proper certificate on their iOS device.

Those who would like to participate in Apple’s beta testing program can sign up through the beta testing website, which gives users access to both iOS and OS X betas.

As a minor 9.x.x update, iOS 9.3.2 appears to focus on performance improvements and under-the-hood bug fixes to address issues discovered following the release of iOS 9.3. We don’t know all of the fixes that will be included in the update, but a significant Game Center bug appears to have been fixed.

iOS 9.3.2 beta 2 also re-introduced a much desired feature — the ability to use Low Power Mode and Night Shift simultaneously for power saving features combined with blue light reduction.

No other outward-facing changes or immediately apparent bug fixes have been discovered in the first three developer betas.

Related Roundup: iOS 9
Tag: iOS 9.3.2
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Apple Seeds Third Beta of tvOS 9.2.1 to Developers

Apple today provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming 9.2.1 update to tvOS, the operating system designed to run on the fourth-generation Apple TV. Today’s beta comes one week after tvOS 9.2.1 beta 2. tvOS 9.2.1 has been in testing since April 6.

tvOS 9.2.1 is a minor update that comes more than a month after the launch of tvOS 9.2, a significant update introducing features like Bluetooth keyboard support, dictation, Siri search for the App Store, app folders, and more.

tvOS betas are more difficult to install than beta updates for iOS and OS X. Installing the tvOS beta requires the Apple TV to be connected to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, with the software downloaded and installed via iTunes or Apple Configurator. Those who have already installed the first two tvOS 9.2.1 betas will be able to update to the third beta over the air.

As a minor 9.x.x update, tvOS 9.2.1 appears to focus on bug fixes and performance improvements that are not readily obvious to Apple TV users. No outward-facing changes have been found in the first two tvOS 9.2.1 betas, but should any new features be found in beta 3, we’ll list them below.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tag: tvOS 9.2.1
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
Discuss this article in our forums

Put these apps in your Mac’s menu bar – CNET

Enlarge Image

Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

The OS X menu bar is a great spot to park lightweight apps for easy access. Here are my six favorite menu bar apps that I use each and every day.

Itsycal

There are more powerful calendar apps than Itsycal, but I prefer Itsycal for its simplicity. It installs an icon in the menu bar that displays the current date. You can click on the Itsycal icon to see the full month. Itsycal also lets you link to the OS X Calendar app and will display upcoming appointments, but you can’t schedule appointments with Itsycal, which is fine by me since I like it just to be able to glance at my menu bar to see today’s date.

Itsycal is free and available direct from developer Mowglii.

XMenu

I use XMenu for quick access to my folders. The app hasn’t been updated in a couple years, but it works well with OS X El Capitan. In XMenu’s preferences, you can set it up to display up to six icons for items including your Applications, Documents and Home folders. There is also an option for a custom, user-defined folder. I use it for quick access to my Home folder.

XMenu is free and available from the Mac App Store.

ClipMenu

ClipMenu is a quick-and-easy clipboard manager. Instead of cutting and pasting items individually, ClipMenu holds your clipboard items so you can do all of your cutting and then use ClipMenu to do all of your pasting. Division of labor is a beautiful thing.

ClipMenu is free and available from the developer.

Skip Tunes

Skip Tunes lets you control iTunes, Spotify and Rdio from the menu bar. It places a small control panel in the menu bar at the top of your Mac’s display. It provides play/pause and fast-forward buttons, and if you click on the musical note button, a small window opens below the Skip Tunes control panel that shows album art and artist and song information. You also get a larger play/pause and fast-forward buttons, along with a rewind button.

Skip Tunes costs $2.99, £2.29, AU$4.49 in the Mac App Store.

If you are looking for only menu-bar control of iTunes, check out the free BarTunes app.

Flux

If you are enjoying Night Shift on your iPhone, then you’ll like Flux for your Mac. It adjusts the color temperature of your Mac’s display according to the time of day. So, cooler temperatures during the day when the sun is up, then warmer colors at sunset and even warmer at bedtime.

Flux is free and available from Download.com.

Bartender 2

If you start accumulating menu-bar apps, you’ll need an app to keep them organized. Bartender 2 is that app. It basically provides a second menu bar for when your Mac’s menu bar starts to feel crowded. For an in-depth look at Bartender 2, read use Bartender to supercharge your Mac’s menu bar.

Bartender 2 costs $15 and is available from the developer’s site, but you can try it free for four weeks.

For more, get six tips for organizing your Mac’s menu bar.

Google brings its YouTube Space initiative for content creators to Canada

Google has announced the opening of a new YouTube Space in Toronto, Canada. The space will serve as a creative incubator, offering aspiring content creators with the opportunity to learn from leading experts in the field, utilize filming equipment and network with resident YouTubers.

The YouTube Space is located at George Brown College’s Centre for Arts, Design and IT, and will offer said workshops and programs at no cost to attendees. Those who head to the dedicated space will be able to learn from experienced personnel, connect with other content creators and even create, edit and publish work from within the college.

Toronto, Canada joins eight other cities who have similar initiatives to cater for local talent. Should you wish to learn more about the YouTube space in Toronto, be sure to check out the official website and sign up to the newsletter.

Nextbit unveils major Robin software update, AIAIAI headphone collaboration

Android 6.0.1 update brings battery, sound and camera improvements, as Nextbit partners with AIAIAI for custom headphones and launches Robin on Amazon.

Nextbit, the company behind minty cloudphone Robin, has announced the first major software update for the handset, alongside a new partnership with Danish audio brand AIAIAI.

First off, the Nextbit Robin will receive its update to Android 6.0.1 starting today, bringing with it the April 2, 2016 Android security patch and an influx of new emoji.

Together with the latest code from Google, Nextbit includes new low-level tweaks for quicker performance and improved battery life — an increase of up to 5 percent, the firm tells us. Robin’s camera has also been overhauled, with an entirely new camera app and faster, better photos from the 13-megapixel shooter. And there’s also new sound tuning from audio software firm Arkamys for clearer audio through the phone’s front-facing speakers and headphone jack.

What’s more, Nextbit has announced a partnership with AIAIAI to sell a special pair of TMA-2 headphones direct from Nextbit.com. The cans, which sell for $225, have been tuned for the Robin handset, and come with a built-in cable button and mic — in Nextbit mint, naturally. The AIAIAI partnership also sees Nextbit introducing new “curated” Robin ringtones from leading DJs, the first of which come from Giraffage (“Breeze”) and Lauren Lo Sung (“Patricia”) and will be available from the Robin community site.

And finally, Robin launches today on Amazon.com in “mint” and “midnight” flavors, at the standard $399 price point, along with free shipping for Prime members.

See Nextbit Robin on Amazon (Mint) See Nextbit robin on Amazon (Midnight)

Will you be updating your Nextbit Robin today? Tempted to pick one up at Amazon? Shout out in the comments and let us know what you think!

Nextbit Robin

• Nextbit Robin review
• Nextbit Robin unboxing
• Nextbit Robin specs
• Join the Nextbit Robin forums

See at Amazon

BBC and Google join forces with service providers to help keep children safe online

The BBC and Google have joined forces to help keep children safe when browsing online and using the internet. The two parties have joined Internet Matters, which was set up a few years back by UK service providers, including BT, Sky and Virgin Media. While the BBC and Google already promote online safety for children, this move represents a more collaborative approach.

From the Guardian report:

“Both organisations are already working with Internet Matters. The BBC is collaborating on an online guide called iWonder and will promote its work at its events. Google will work with the organisation on its visits to UK schools under its pilot Internet Legends programme, which aims to teach 10,000 children about issues such as image sharing and privacy, and could be rolled out further. Other projects are expected to be developed under what Internet Matters has described as a long-term partnership.”

It’s positive to see corporations banding together to work with other parties and the education sector in promoting a safer online experience for children. With more and more kids gaining access to internet-enabled devices, it’s paramount that measures are taken to ensure they understand potential dangers and have the knowledge to take steps in protecting themselves.

• Setting up a kid-friendly Android device

Samsung Dev Con 2016 opening keynote liveblog: 9:30 a.m. PT April 27!

Get the scoop on SDC 2016 with the opening keynote.

Samsung’s annual Developer Conference is kicking off in San Francisco, and it all starts with the opening keynote at 9:30 a.m. PT on April 27. Android Central is there to cover the big news and upcoming trends coming from Samsung Dev Con, and that means we kick things off with a liveblog of the keynote.

The keynote should be plenty interesting with speakers like president of Samsung Mobile D.J. Koh, and executive VP of R&D at Samsung Mobile Injong Rhee, among others.

Follow along with the liveblog here. The official keynote start time is 9:30 a.m. PT — that’s 12:30 p.m. ET and 5:30 in the UK — but we’ll be in there a little early to set the stage and get ready for the show. Join us!

Instagram is testing a new design that ditches color to help your photos pop

Instagram is testing a new design for its Android app, one that ditches the familiar blue for a simpler, white design. In fact, white is the dominant color across the board in this test version of the app, from the feed to the camera.

A screenshot of the Android app redesign was posted to Twitter by Thomas Pepall (via Reddit):

What has Instagram done to me pic.twitter.com/3eTob12Vkf

— Thomas Pepall (@thomas_pepall) April 26, 2016

Instagram appears to only be testing this design with a very small group of people on both Android and iOS, which it does from time to time, as the company told Mashable. Because of this, it’s unclear if this design will eventually roll out to all Instagram users.

Netflix lets Android users pay with their Google Play account

Netflix is giving Android users a new way to settle their monthly bill. As its Play Store listing reveals, the Netflix app on Android will “soon” be updated with a Google Play Billing option. That means customers can choose to have their account charged directly through Google Play, provided they already have some form of payment method stored. In a statement to Variety, the company said it would roll out over “several weeks” to a “segment of members in supported regions.” So for now, it seems the option will be restricted to a small group of users. Bummer.

The same feature was added to the Netflix for iOS app last September. If you’re lucky enough to gain access, the Android equivalent is worth considering. Switching to Google Play Billing means you can reduce the number of companies that have access to your card details. With the Google Play Store, you also have some additional payment options, such as physical gift cards. Such an option could prove valuable for families and younger Netflix users that don’t have access to a debit or credit card.

Source: Netflix (Google Play)

Google Play Music’s podcasts are convenient but lack features

Google announced last fall that it would finally bring podcasts to Google Play Music, and last week a collection of shows debuted in the web app. This means that if you have a subscription to the service, all of your listening material is in one place — just like Spotify. You’ll no longer need to use Stitcher, Pocket Casts or the like to listen to shows. But is Google’s new integration the best option? I’ve been waiting for the feature to arrive on the Play Music Android app, and now that it has, I can offer some impressions.

A big thing Google’s new podcast offering has going for it is convenience, especially if you’re a Play Music subscriber. Podcasts are available from the Music app’s main menu alongside options for top music charts, your library, new releases and more. You don’t have to download another app and futz with the setup since podcasts appear just like other streaming content. As you might expect, the main podcast landing page is a top chart of the popular shows across all categories.

There’s a handy drop-down menu for categories above the list of popular podcasts, allowing you to filter out everything but the comedy options, for example. Each show tile on the web has a play button so you can fire up the latest episode immediately as well as options for subscribe and share. On mobile, you actually have to select a show and head to its page before you’re able to hit play.

On that main podcast page, there’s also a tab for “Your Podcasts,” where all the shows you’ve subscribed to reside. That personal library is a mirror image of the top charts on the main page: a grid of artwork and show titles with quick-play functionality that starts with the latest episode. This tiled arrangement of podcast options is common in other apps, including Pocket Casts and others. Again, you’ll have to tap through to a show’s landing page to hit play on mobile. Here you’ll also find a list of episodes with a brief description of the podcast itself.

Each selection has the usual title, description, date and run time, but if you want to see the full episode notes, you’ll have to click the information icon to browse them. Tapping that “i” icon also reveals the option to download an episode for offline listening inside the Play Music mobile app. Once you start an episode, the run time flips to show the time remaining if you’re listening on a desktop, letting you know if you can finish what you started at the office during your evening commute. Unfortunately, that run time doesn’t flip to a countdown on mobile, so the only way to see how much time is left is to swipe over to the audio player.

There are also podcast stations for all the times you can’t decide what you want to hear. Despite a mention and active links in Google’s announcement post, I wasn’t able to find the podcast stations inside the Music app. I think this could be a great tool for discovery, but right now it’s difficult to find on both the web and mobile. Stations function the exact same way as stations for Google Play’s music streaming (or any service, really), only the playlist is composed of podcasts instead of songs. For example, the “Learn Something New” option pulls content from shows like Stuff You Should Know, Planet Money and How Your World Works.

If you’ve used Play Music before, you know exactly what to expect in terms of the player. The UI is the same as when you’re streaming music or playing tunes from your library, complete with Google Cast support. The only difference is the addition of the “skip back 10 seconds” and “skip ahead 30 seconds” controls. Those controls are also available in the Android app on the main player interface and from the lock screen and by swiping down on the notifications bar. This means you won’t have to navigate to the app to skip around or hit pause, which will come in handy if you’re at the gym or using another app.

When you start a playlist or album, a menu icon on the player interface offers easy access to the queue. Here you can see the list of episodes and play them without having to head back to the show page. Unfortunately, you can only clear that playlist, and when you hit play on one episode, it automatically populates with more episodes from the same show. There’s no way to queue up the latest episode from It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s a Podcast to play after you finish listening to Welcome to Night Vale or to make a playlist so you won’t be interrupted by trying to find another show.

The addition of podcasts isn’t seamless, though, as some key features are missing that make apps like Pocket Casts so attractive. First, the search functionality is pretty terrible. If the podcast you’re looking for has a rather unique name, chances are it will appear at the top. I had no trouble finding Good Beer Hunting, for example. However, if what you’re after has some commonly used words in its name, you’ll see results for albums, songs, radio stations and video first. The podcast results will be all the way at the bottom. Pocket Casts and Stitcher both handle search much better; however, they’re only sorting through podcasts and not an entire streaming library. And no, there’s no way to search just for podcasts in Play Music on the desktop or in the Android app. Bummer.

There are also a few notable omissions from the podcast library. Serial, Fresh Air, This American Life and others aren’t available inside the app. It’s a bit odd, because other NPR shows like Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me, Pop Culture Happy Hour and Bullseye show up in search results. For sports fans, only a smattering of local ESPN shows are available, so you’ll have to go to the network’s own app or another piece of software to stream those national radio episodes. I only listen to a handful of podcasts, and I was able to find them all save for two: Serial, which I already mentioned, and Men in Blazers from NBC Sports. Missing shows is one of the downsides to Spotify’s podcast library as well, and it’s the main reason I still use Pocket Casts.

I have two main gripes with the new Play Music integration: the inability to build custom playlists and the omission of a number of popular shows. Dedicated podcast search wouldn’t hurt, but I can survive without it. If a robust feature set is what you’re after, Pocket Casts is probably still the best option on Android. It’s worth the $4, in my opinion. Even so, Google’s new podcast offering is a massive improvement over Stitcher, an app that goes down for days and sometimes weeks at a time.

Podcasts are a welcome addition to the Google Play Music app on Android. Unfortunately, iOS users will have to wait to take advantage, and the company hasn’t said when that will happen. Of course, podcasts have been a part of iTunes and iOS since the jump, and they’re only now making it to Google’s Music app. By nesting podcasts inside the Play Music app, Google provides a convenient way to access the episodic content — as long as the shows you like are available there.