Apple Extends iTunes Movie Rental Window to 48 Hours in United States

Alongside the launch of the new Apple TV 4K, which is in the hands of customers today, Apple has quietly updated its iTunes rental policy to extend the amount of time rentals can be watched.

In a support document that was updated today, Apple says customers have 30 days to start watching a movie after it’s been rented. Once a movie is started, there’s an additional 48 hours to finish the movie and/or rewatch it.

Apple’s new 48 hour rental policy will be a welcome change for customers who often rent content from iTunes. Prior to today, customers only had 24 hours after starting a movie to finish it in the U.S., but the 48 hour limit has long been available in other countries.

Rented movies can be watched across multiple devices and downloaded on a single device, so customers can rent a movie, download it, and then watch it over the course of the next 48 hours. Apple says that even with downloaded movies watched offline, the 48 hour timer remains.

With the introduction of the 4K Apple TV, Apple has made many 4K movies available to rent or purchase at the same price as High Definition content. 4K content can’t be downloaded, however, and is only available for streaming.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tag: iTunes
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
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How to Edit Live Photos in iOS 11

Apple originally debuted Live Photos in 2015, alongside the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, marking it as a feature that enhances the smartphone’s photography with pictures that move when a user performs a 3D Touch on them. With the launch of iOS 11, Live Photos can now be edited in a few useful ways, and this guide will help you make a new key photo (which shows up first in your Photo Album), as well as explain how to add new animation effects to a Live Photo.

To begin, taking a Live Photo hasn’t changed with the new iPhone software: simply open your Camera app, tap the circular Live Photos icon at the top center of the screen, and take a picture.

Making a New Key Photo

Open Photos.
Tap the “Albums” tab, then navigate to the Live Photos album to find your image.
Tap “Edit” in the top right corner of the image you select.
At the bottom of the screen, scrub through your Live Photo and find the exact spot you want for a new Key Photo.
Tap “Make Key Photo.”
Tap “Done.”

Changing a Live Photo Effect

Find the Live Photo you want to edit and select it.
From the center of the screen, swipe up.
Here you’ll find three new Live Photo effects.
Choose Loop, Bounce, or Long Exposure.
Swipe down to see the effect in full screen.
Live Photos now have the full suite of editing options previously available to traditional still photos only, including: rotating, cropping, filters, and light and color balancing. You can also choose to mute the Live Photo (volume icon at the top left in edit mode), and automatically enhance it (wand icon at the top right in edit mode). Markup is one editing feature that does not support Live Photos, however.

After you choose a new Key Photo and find a new effect, you can replay your Live Photo like before by performing a 3D Touch action anywhere on the screen of an iPhone 6s device or later.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
Tag: Live Photos
Discuss this article in our forums

Some Apple Watch Series 3 Owners Facing LTE Activation Issues

Apple Watch Series 3 models are being delivered across the United States and the rest of the world today, and as customers start attempting to activate their new LTE devices, some of them are running into serious setup issues.

On the MacRumors forums, several AT&T customers have received messages stating AT&T is not supported. Support reps seem confused about how Apple Watch activation works, with one rep telling MacRumors reader KG87 that his watch needs a new number.

I am having the same problem. I contacted AT&T and they said I need to have a new number created for the watch before it will work and I am almost certain that is not true.

I contacted AppleCare and they said that there are connectivity issues with the watch and the engineers are working very hard to get it fixed.

Basically, this is a nightmare scenario for Apple and we’re left without the #1 reason we made this purchase.

Many of the affected AT&T customers have said the company seems to be having trouble activating watches not purchased directly through AT&T and have been spending quite a lot of time on the phone in an attempt to get the problem ironed out. Some customers are even being told to call back tomorrow. From MacRumors reader Greg:

I have been on the phone for quite a while today with AT&T, transferred over 10 times, only to be told that they can’t activate watches today due to a system issue and to call back tomorrow. It seems to be gaining notice on reddit on the apple watch subreddit.

According to another AT&T support rep, customers who ordered an Apple Watch directly from Apple will not be getting them activated until tomorrow because they’re missing key information Apple was supposed to send them.

Verizon users don’t seem to be having as much trouble as AT&T users, but several have been told Verizon’s systems aren’t fully functional. Verizon is said to be doing maintenance to fix the problem and there’s no estimate of when issues will be worked out. Many VZW customers may not be able to make phone calls due to the server issues.

T-Mobile customers also appear to be having significant issues, like MacRumors reader Jesse, who said he’s spent several hours on the phone with T-Mobile trying to work out an authentication error with his social security number. “T-Mobile reps are completely unprepared for dealing with this issue today. Spent many hours on the phone with T-Mobile and Apple already. Apple claims this is T-Mobile issue,” he told us.

T-Mobile customers have also been told the company is having system wide issues affecting the signal T-Mobile users are getting on the Apple Watch.

At least some of the activation issues are due to customers who have incompatible plans. AT&T customers with a grandfathered unlimited data plan, for example, are not able to use the Apple Watch Series 3, despite assurances from AT&T reps that the watch was compatible with the plan.

Across the pond, some EE subscribers in the UK are having the same activation problems, and EE reps are at a loss on how to help

I’m on EE and my Apple Watch wasn’t connecting either so called EE and they did some checks and asked me to restart the watch but still no go. They can’t figure it out either and said they are working on a fix from Apple as lot of EE customers are having issues. They did not have any problem with what type of contract I had with EE as I’m on a monthly 20GB for GBP21 plan.

Though some customers are having issues, others have been able to activate their LTE watches with no problems and have even said it’s an easy process. For the subset of users running into issues, though, it’s been a frustrating afternoon attempting to deal with Apple support and carrier representatives who are still struggling to figure out all the quirks and problems that come along with supporting a new device.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 4
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
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Early Adopters of iPhone 8 Impressed With Glass-Backed Design and True Tone Display

As customers around the world begin to receive their new iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus today, some early adopters have turned to the MacRumors forums to share their first impressions of Apple’s latest smartphones.

iPhone 8 Plus in Space Gray shared by MacRumors forum member Veridis
We’ve already seen iPhone 8 reviews from the media, but opinions shared by regular customers can provide additional insight. We’ve rounded up some of the comments below, which we’ve edited slightly for clarity.

Many of the reviews complimented each device’s new glass-backed design, which has drawn some comparisons to the iPhone 4.

• “Picked up my iPhone 8 Plus from Summit Mall in Akron, Ohio this morning,” said MacRumors reader John. “Coming from the iPhone 7 Plus, I wasn’t expecting a huge surprise, but I have to say the glass back is a thing of beautiful. Love the naked feel in my hand of the iPhone 8 Plus.”

• “I really appreciate the glass back, as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 were just way too slippery, which made it impossible to use them without a case,” said MacRumors forum member borgeindergaard, who said he purchased a space gray iPhone 8 Plus. “I can comfortably use the 8 Plus without a case!”

• “I am impressed,” said MacRumors forum member cleebrown93, who said he purchased a gold iPhone 8 Plus. “I am happy with it. Camera is for sure improved. Speakers are clearer and louder. Glass back is a welcome change back from the iPhone 4. True Tone display works great. It is more of an iPhone 7s, but I still think it was worth it for those not interested in the iPhone X.”

• “Upgraded from the iPhone 7,” said MacRumors forum member ApplePersonFreak. “Love the glass back, and it’s so zippy. For what I use my phone for, it works for me and is a great upgrade. Can’t wait to use wireless charging eventually.”

A few forum members are concerned the glass on their iPhone 8 isn’t properly aligned. With millions of iPhones coming off the production line, it’s common for a few to have manufacturing defects, but based on the pictures shared, it’s hard to see much of any problem being described.

• “Love the glass back, but my phone’s glass on the back is not seamless,” said MacRumors reader Christian Terra. “The bottom right side feels sharp and raised compared to the rest of the back. I will probably take it to get replaced. I don’t want issues with waterproofing or just placing my finger on a sharp edge, as I tend to go caseless.”

• “Just had my iPhone 8 Plus delivered and I’m happy for the most part,” said MacRumors forum member Macs4u. “Only issue I have is that if you look at the phone, the left top seems to have a little more gap between the glass and the aluminium than the right top. I don’t know if that would decrease its waterproofness?”

MacRumors forum member Alexander.Of.Oz shared a few beautiful photos he shot with his iPhone 8 Plus—the first with the stock Camera app and the second with third-party app PureShot—but he did note some shortcomings.

Shot on iPhone 8 Plus with default Camera app

I took the first photo using the built-in Camera app with Portrait mode turned on and set to natural, then exported the image as a JPEG. I made the built-in camera expose for the highlights on the iris’s pistil, where all the white and yellow is, and made it lock the exposure for that as I took the shot. As can be seen, it didn’t cope very well with the highlights presented here—there’s very little detail there and in other sections of the flower with whites present.

Shot on iPhone 8 Plus with PureShot app

I took the second image using the app called PureShot, which allows manual control of the camera. I used spot metering on the whites, selected where I wanted the focus to be, underexposed by a stop, and exported the image as a RAW file. PureShot does not have the portrait mode background blurring—the background here is what the lens actually sees. There’s a lot more detail to this one, both in the darker and lighter regions, which gives a good indication of what the camera is actually capable of.

Many early adopters were also impressed with the new True Tone display on the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

With True Tone, which debuted on iPad Pro, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus displays automatically adapt their color and intensity to match the color temperature of the light in the surrounding environment.

If you are standing in a dimly lit room with incandescent light bulbs, for example, the display would appear warmer and yellower. If you are standing outside on a cloudy day, the display would appear cooler and bluer.

• “True tone works as advertised and is a welcomed feature,” said MacRumors forum member gmillz22.

• “Man, did I miss this on my iPhone 7,” which doesn’t have a True Tone display, said MacRumors forum member gui0312. “Having the 10.5-inch iPad Pro with True Tone was awesome, and now on the iPhone, it just completes the package. At least for me, this little thing makes a nice difference among others.”

• “Got my space gray iPhone 8 Plus this morning,” said MacRumors reader Keenan. “Really love it over the iPhone 7 Plus. The screen with True Tone is great and I love the glass back. The extra weight feels better in the hand. The pictures from the camera also seem a lot brighter than the iPhone 7 Plus.”

• “So I upgraded from an iPhone 6s Plus to an iPhone 8 Plus,” said MacRumors forum member Creep89. “I love the True Tone display. The only thing missing is the higher frame rate like on my iPad Pro.”

iPhone 8 Plus in Silver shared by MacRumors forum member AintDutchNotMuch
MacRumors forum member AintDutchNotMuch gave an all-around positive review of the iPhone 8, in which he said he is impressed with its battery life, performance, louder speakers, cameras, and build quality.

I really love my iPhone 8 Silver 64GB. Battery life is amazing. Around 8 to 10% of battery loss in an hour of browsing, watching YouTube videos and taking pictures with brightness set at 50%. It’s blazing fast, loud speakers which provide quality sound, great camera also in low light and the build quality is very good too. The glass back is grippy and it seems like it’s made of a solid kind of glass too. Apple did a great job with this phone!

Not everyone was impressed with every aspect, or felt it is worth upgrading to, the iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus.

• “I got my iPhone 8 Plus this morning and I am moving from an iPhone 7 Plus,” said MacRumors forum member earthdog. “Honestly, I am already struggling to find a good reason to keep it. The differences are so slight. I am going to use it over the weekend to see if I can justify the move. I really want to love it, but right now I just am not impressed.”

Overall, however, those who aren’t waiting for the iPhone X are mostly impressed with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. Share your thoughts in our first impressions discussion topic on the MacRumors forums.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8
Buyer’s Guide: iPhone (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

How to Use Instant Notes on iPad in iOS 11

If you have an iPad Pro, there’s a new feature in iOS 11 that’s designed to let you open up a new document in Notes just by tapping the Apple Pencil on the iPad’s display.

The feature, Instant Notes, works even when the iPad is locked, so you can pick up the iPad and get right to writing without having to go through the hassle of unlocking the device, opening the Notes app, and creating a document.

Using Instant Notes

On a locked iPad, press the Home button or the sleep/wake button to activate the display.
Tap the Apple Pencil anywhere on the iPad’s screen.
Once you’ve tapped the Apple Pencil on the display of a locked iPad, it launches straight into the Notes app, creating a new note for you (or allowing you to edit an existing note, depending on your settings).
Because the iPad is still locked when the Instant Notes Apple Pencil gesture is used, you can’t access additional notes or any other apps until you unlock the device with Touch ID. In this locked mode, you can access all of the Notes features, including the pen tools, the document scanner, the camera, and the sketch tools.

Instant Notes can only be activated from the Lock screen on the iPad. When the iPad is unlocked, you’ll need to access your Notes through the app or through the new Notes option in the Control Center.

Turning Off Instant Notes

If you don’t want to allow the Apple Pencil to open the Notes app, you can turn off Instant Notes in the Settings app.

Open the Settings app.
Scroll down to Notes and tap it.
Choose “Access Notes from Lock Screen.” The feature is toggled on by default.
Select “Off.”

Adjusting Instant Notes Settings

You can also adjust your Instant Notes options in the Settings app. A tap with the Apple Pencil can be set to create a new note, resume the last note created on the Lock screen, or resume the last note viewed in the Notes app.

When using the two options to resume the last note created on the Lock screen or in the Notes app, you can also set time limits. For the “Resume Last Note Created on Lock Screen” option, you can choose to automatically create a new note instead of resuming after a set time period.

For the “Resume Last Note Viewed in Notes App” option, you can set a time limit after which a passcode will be required to view the note. This makes sure someone who gets a hold of your iPad can’t access sensitive data.

An Apple Pencil is required to activate Instant Notes, so it only works with iPad Pro models including the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
Discuss this article in our forums

Piggy Wiggy is just another physics puzzler (review)

There have been a lot of physics-type mobile games that have gone on to huge success in the market. From Angry Birds, to Cut The Rope, to Chalk Ball…these are houlehold names these days. The best-known ones provide a unique twist, mechanic, or other feature that the masses gravitated to, and millions of downloads later these titles have become household names.

Following on these success stories, there are plenty of titles now in the Play Store. One such title is Piggy Wiggy, a family-friendly physics-type puzzle game from the developer Qaibo Games that follows the Cut The Rope style of game mechanic. Let’s take a look at how this game tries to pull you in.

Premise

We’re giving stuff away to help celebrate our tenth anniversary. Are you in?

How to describe the idea of Piggy Wiggy? Each level gives you a combination of pigs & acorns. The goal for each level is to move the pigs around the screen to gobble up all shown acorns….doing so in either the fewest moves and/or the most creative way maximizes your points for that level.

To help with your goal, each level is also loaded with a combination of pulleys, hinges, platforms, plates, and explosive balloons. Each combination of these items can provide you with a multitude of ways to solve the acorn-eating puzzle (particularly so in the later levels)

Setup & Gameplay

To get started with Piggy Wiggy, download the game from Google Play. Once installed, simply open and off you go. There aren’t any settings to fiddle with, save for toggling the sound effects and background music on & off.

From there it’s pretty standard puzzler fare. At first you’re presented a few ‘tutorial’-style levels where the developer provides direction on how to play with simple animations, in lieu of on-screen text.

You play by using your finger to identify a connecting “pulley”. From here you swipe to the piggy of your choice, stretching a band that connects the piggy to said pulley. This launches the piggy towards the pulley in a physics-based arc. In the beginning this in enough to collect (eat) the acorns in between; but as the levels get harder you start using these bands to swing piggies into other objects/tools to set up, and then engage the movements that will complete the level.

As you progress in the game, more and more challenging puzzles emerge, including sequential moves that are required to collect all acorns. These can include various tools such as boulders, popping (exploding?) bubbles, and rail cars that can be slid as-needed to place your piggies right where they need to be.
The visuals and sound effects are clean and colorful; though the constant intermittent oinking gets on the nerves after a while.

Moving up through the levels….

….provides more tools at your disposal.

What We Liked

Piggy Wiggy is a pretty simple game, and one that is safe for all ages. It’s a title you can have on your device, and feel OK with your little ones picking up and playing. Not only is it safe for their age, but it also can be pretty easy for them to figure out and progress through.

What Could Use Improvement

There really isn’t anything to improve, per se. The problem is that this genre of game has been done a whole lot of times before already. And while fairly polished, smooth, and well-thought-out, Piggy Wiggy doesn’t really give you any new, clever, or otherwise unique angle to make you want to play the game….or play it above any of the other established titles in the genre. It’s just, there. It does what it does well, but it’s also pretty forgettable once you put it down.

Download Piggy Wiggy from the Play Store here.

For a limited time, score a professionally recertified MacBook Pro for just $500

There is no denying that new Apple hardware can cause sticker shock for many. There’s also no denying that these products remain popular for a variety of reasons: They’re well-made, intuitively designed, have great software, and they simply work well. You don’t have to shell out a small fortune to enjoy Apple stuff if you’re deal-savvy, however, and buying professionally refurbished tech is easily the best way to score deep discounts on big-ticket items like laptops.

For a very short time, NeweggFlash is offering a deal on recertified MacBook Pro notebooks, so if you’ve been eyeballing an Apple laptop, now is your chance. Three different models are available, and they all feature a 13.3-inch HD display with a widescreen resolution of 1,280 x 800, 4GB of RAM, and Apple’s classic brushed aluminum finish that is as durable as it is attractive (not to mention fingerprint-resistant).

Although these are slightly older models, the laptops still boast great specs for work and general use including Intel i5 dual-core CPUs that deliver between 2.4 and 2.5GHz of juice, which, along with the 4GB of RAM, provide plenty of power for daily tasks like streaming, photo and video editing, and light gaming. All three machines also come with Mac OS X 10, Apple’s sleek and intuitive operating system.

As far as internal storage, you can choose between a 500GB rotary hard drive or a 120GB solid state drive depending on whether or not you need more space for your files and software or prefer the snappier speeds of the SSD. Each laptop has a built-in FaceTime HD webcam as well.

Newegg has the refurbished 13-inch MacBook Pro available for as little as $500 with free shipping, giving you up to a 62 percent discount of $799 off of its normal sticker price of $1,299. This is a limited-time flash sale, so this deal is only available through Saturday, September 23, or while supplies last. Unlike some other used items, these MacBooks are professionally inspected, cleaned, tested, and recertified, and all are fully covered by a 90-day warranty.

NeweggFlash

Looking for more great deals on computers, Apple gadgets, and other electronics? Check out our deals page to score some extra savings on our favorite tech.

We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and choose what we cover carefully and independently. If you find a better price for a product listed here, or want to suggest one of your own, email us at dealsteam@digitaltrends.com. Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.

Facebook algorithms used a screenshot of a death threat to promote Instagram

Why it matters to you

The latest algorithm fail supports an ongoing argument on relying too much on computers to spot inappropriate posts.

Score another point for human oversight — Facebook algorithms are once again being criticized for inadvertently promoting an inappropriate post. In an auto-generated Facebook post for Instagram, the algorithm promoted a screenshot of an email containing a death threat as part of the effort to encourage users to try out Instagram.

Instagram “notification posts,” as the company calls them, on Facebook are pretty common. An algorithm chooses a photo based on the number of interactions, then promotes the image on Facebook along with a list of all that user’s friends who are also on Instagram to help encourageFacebook users to join both platforms. When that same algorithm chose one of reporter Olivia Solon’s most popular posts, it was this one (be warned, the post contains graphic language):

Instagram is using one of my most "engaging" posts to advertise its service to others on Facebook ???? pic.twitter.com/lyEBHQXMfa

— Olivia Solon (@oliviasolon) September 21, 2017

Solon, a reporter for the Guardian, took the screenshot to demonstrate the type of hate mail she receives because of her job. The post resulted in several comments (though only a few likes), which was apparently enough for the algorithm to decide it was a good shot to use to promote Instagram to Solon’s Facebook friends.

Instagram apologized to Solon and said the post was not a paid promotion, but rather a notification post “designed to encourage engagement on Instagram.” According to Instagram, these types of notification posts are only viewed by a small percentage of a Facebook user’s friends.

The incident follows Facebook’s public apology after an organization discovered that promoted posts could be targeted to demographics like “jew haters.” Facebook temporarily disabled the feature until the issue was corrected and said the company would be adding more human oversight to the process. Like the automatically generated Instagram notification post, the demographic issue was a result of a lack of human oversight, allowing users to type in whatever they want into the bio sections. More than 2,000 people typed “jew hater” into one of the education fields, which meant the demographic was available for advertisers to choose from when creating a targeted post.

Facebook isn’t oblivious to the problem. Earlier in 2017, the company released a series of blog posts called “Hard Questions” that discusses how the social media platform handles topics such as hate speech and discrimination and what the company is doing to improve. Along with improving current algorithms, the company said at the time that they would be adding 3,000 employees before the end of the year to help catch what the computer misses.

Take your tunes to the gym (wirelessly) for $37

Working out is always better with music, and it’s always better when it’s your own music and not whatever garbage station the gym is pumping over the loudspeaker. That being said, your own tunes and end up being more of a pain than you originally intended, since being caught up in headphone cords is not really the most graceful way to go for a jog or pump iron.

Wireless headphones are the way to go. Bluetooth is a godsend when it comes to exercise, since you can have your phone down by your bench or in your pocket or in an armband, and you don’t have to be tethered to it in order to enjoy your music. Full freedom.

The Treblab XR500 Wireless Sport Earbuds are Bluetooth headphones that are joined by a cable that can either sit on the back of your neck or in front of it. They regularly retail for $179.99, but through Android Central Digital Offers, you can snag ’em for only $36.99, a savings of 79%. They come in black, white, green, pink, and purple, and feature a 9-hour battery life, passive noise cancellation, and an excellent mix of crisp treble, deep bass, and an overall great sound.

The XR500s have a 38-foot Bluetooth range and only take 2 hours to charge, so you can get up and go more quickly than many other wireless headphones. With the earbuds comes a carrying case, a cable clip, three sizes of foam and three sizes of silicone ear tips, and a USB to micro USB charging cable. With an IPX7 water resistance rating, you can even take these earbuds in the shower with you (but you probably shouldn’t take them swimming).

If you’re looking for a way to enjoy your tunes wirelessly so that you’re not constantly having to adjust your headphone cable while working out, then check out the Treblab XR500 Wireless Sport Earbuds at Android Central Digital Offers, and save 79%!

See at Android Central Digital Offers

RAVPower’s 22000mAh power bank includes 3 high-speed USB ports for $32

If you have long days ahead, this portable battery pack is a must-have for your bag!

There have been a lot of advancements when it comes to battery life on current smartphones and gadgets, but sometimes they still don’t last long enough to make it through our busy days. This is where portable batteries come in handy, and RAVPower’s latest option is a great one to consider.

Right now, you can pick up RAVPower’s 22000mAh power bank with 3 high-speed USB charging ports for just $31.99 at Amazon when you enter the coupon code PB052USA during checkout. This is a savings of $8 from its regular price, and only a few dollars more than its lowest price ever.

Whether you have a smartwatch that doesn’t last you the day, or your travel days take a toll on your phone’s battery, these are a great thing to have in any bag you take on the go with you. 22000mAh is enough to charge many devices up to 8 times on a single charge, and recharging the battery is more than twice as fast thanks to its 2.4A high-speed charging input.

• Multiple Charging with 3 USB Ports: Charge up to 3 devices simultaneously with a total current output of 5.8A. Note: Does not support Qualcomm Quick Charge
• Speedy Recharging Time: Fully charged in just 11-12 hours with a 2.4A charger – twice as fast as a 1A charger
• High-Density Li-Polymer Battery: Portable, lightweight build unleashes 22000mAh of power to charge an iPhone 7 for 8 times, a Galaxy S8 4.4 times, or an iPad mini over 3 times

Stop worrying about making it through the day, or having your phone die before you make it home that evening, and grab one of these for yourself now!

See at Amazon

More from Thrifter:

• How to get the most out of your Amazon Prime membership
• How to save money when driving

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