Apple Watch, AirPods, and Other Apple Goods to Be Exempt From China Tariffs

The Apple Watch, AirPods, and some other Apple products will be exempted from a proposed $200 billion tariff on Chinese goods, reports Bloomberg.

An updated list of products affected by the tariffs is expected to be released today, and it will not include a product category that covers Apple Watch, AirPods, and other smart watches and fitness trackers. Five separate sources have confirmed to Bloomberg that the Trump administration will exempt many of Apple’s products.

The product code covers wireless devices, and it was included on a preliminary list the administration released in July. Other Apple products under the code include the HomePod speaker, BeatsWL headphones, and AirPort and Time Capsule internet routers. The value of such imports from China is about $12 billion, according to one of the people.

A preliminary tariff list released earlier this year did include wireless devices like the AirPods and the Apple Watch, and Apple in early September said that several of its products would be affected.

Apple sent a letter to the Trump administration urging it not to apply the tariffs that would affect Apple products, asking the government to instead find “other, more effective” solutions. Apple said implementing the tariffs would lead to lower U.S. growth and competitiveness, along with higher prices for U.S. consumers.

Back in July, Apple CEO Tim Cook commented on the tariffs, saying that Apple was “optimistic” the issue would be sorted out, with the company hoping “calm heads prevail.”

This fourth round of tariffs will cover $200 billion in Chinese goods and it joins several other tariffs that have already been put in place on products like steel, aluminum, and billions of dollars worth of goods.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
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Apple Releases Safari 12 for macOS Sierra and macOS High Sierra

Apple today released Safari 12 for macOS Sierra and High Sierra, introducing the same Safari improvements that are coming to macOS Mojave in the Safari 12 software bundled with that update.

Safari 12 is recommended for all macOS High Sierra users and can be downloaded from the Software Update function in the Mac App Store.

Safari 12 brings support for creating and storing strong, unique passwords, flagging reused passwords in Safari Preferences, preventing social media buttons and embedded content from tracking you across websites, and suppressing ad retargeting by limiting the amount of information available about your Mac.

Apple’s full release notes for the update are below:

The Safari 12 update is recommended for all macOS High Sierra users and contains improvements to privacy, compatibility, and security. This update:

• Adds the ability to view website icons in tabs
• Automatically suggests and fills a strong, unique password when creating an account or changing a password
• Flags reused passwords in Safari Preferences
• Adds support for allowing or blocking pop-ups on specific websites
• Prevents embedded content and social media buttons from tracking cross-site browsing without permission.
• Suppresses ad retargeting by reducing advertisers’ ability to identify Mac devices uniquely
• Automatically turns off Safari extensions that negatively impact browsing performance
• Improves security by only supporting legacy Safari Extensions that have been reviewed by Apple
• Improves security by discontinuing support for most NPAPI plug-ins

The update also includes several fixes for security vulnerabilities, outlined in an Apple support document on the security content of Safari 12.

macOS Mojave with Safari 12 built in will be released to the public on Monday, September 24.

Tag: Safari
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Apps Introducing Support for Siri Shortcuts and Other iOS 12 Features

Apple this morning released iOS 12, and following the update, hundreds of apps are introducing support for the new features, including Siri Shortcuts. Siri Shortcuts let you create multi-step automations using first and third-party apps that can be activated through Siri voice command.

Below, we’ve rounded up some of the more notable apps that have been introducing support for Siri Shortcuts. Siri Shortcuts can be created in the Shortcuts app in iOS 12, but are available for use in iOS 12, in watchOS 5 and on the Siri watch face, on HomePod, and with CarPlay.

ETA – ETA is a navigation app that offers up directions, traffic conditions, and travel time. With the new update, ETA introduces shortcuts for adding a location, calculating and displaying travel time, and getting turn-by-turn directions.

TripIt – TripIt, a travel organization app, is introducing Siri Shortcuts that let users access flight information and upcoming travel plans that are stored within the app.

Bear – Note taking app Bear includes Siri Shortcuts designed to let you create new notes on iOS and use Siri to search through your notes without opening the Bear app. There are also new navigation options, enhanced header linking, new iMessage stickers, and more transparency surrounding syncing. Bear for macOS has also been updated with features like Dark Mode support.

Halide – Photography app Halide is introducing Siri Shortcuts support that’s designed to let you trigger a shot using a Siri voice command. With the Shortcuts integration, Halide can also show up as a contextual suggestion if you take photos at specific times or places. Halide’s latest update also includes support for iPhone XS Max, wide color, and a new feature called “Technical Readout” that creates a report with system-level details about the iPhone’s camera. There are performance improvements.

Sky Guide – Sky Guide has introduced Siri Shortcuts for identifying objects in the sky with commands like “Hey Siri, what star is that?” with the iPhone pointed at a specific star or planet. Sky Guide’s shortcut will let Siri tap into Sky Guide’s info to provide the answer, with no need to open up the Sky Guide app.

Things 3 – To-do app Things is gaining full support for Siri Shortcuts, which will also enable Siri suggestions for Things tasks. There’s are Shortcuts integrations for adding new items to a Things to-do list, opening up a list you refer to often, and creating repeat lists for tasks you do more than once, such as packing for a trip. Password AutoFill, Landscape Mode, and Dynamic Snooze Notifications are also included. Things will now appear on the Apple Watch on the Siri watch face thanks to Shortcuts integration.

Pandora – Pandora includes support for Siri Shortcuts, with a new option that lets you ask Siri to play a favorite station. Siri is also able to keep track of your favorite Pandora stations and present them as suggestions on the Lock screen.

PCalc – Popular calculator app PCalc introduces support for Siri Shortcuts with options like rounding to a certain number of decimal places when making a calculation or converting currencies or measurements. All of PCalc’s app features can be turned into shortcuts that are designed to run in the background or open up PCalc to perform an action. PCalc users should read MacStories’ complete overview of the PCalc shortcut update for details.

WaterMinder – With WaterMinder’s new Siri Shortcuts, you can create shortcuts for logging a drink, showing the last logged drink, showing your remaining hydration goal for the day, or showing your current daily hydration level.

Carrot Weather – With Siri Shortcuts support, you can get weather reports and forecasts without needing to open the Carrot Weather app. There are options for current weather, weather forecast, rain reports, and more. Today’s Carrot Weather update also supports Apple’s new iPhones and complications on Apple Watch Series 4, and it shows as a data source on the Siri watch face.

Day One – Day One’s iOS 12 update brings Siri Shortcuts that can do things like create a new entry, camera, or audio recording specific to an individual journal, so you can create new content for each of your journals via voice command. The update also introduces a new filter for checklist entries and it includes support for typing Markdown links.

Focus 5 – Pomodoro-based time management app Focus 5 includes Siri shortcuts for doing things like adding new tasks or accessing the app through Siri predictions. The app also includes a new task lit feature for better organizing tasks and it offers a Dark Mode.

Monster Job Search – The app for job search site Monster now supports Siri Shortcuts for your favorite search queries, preventing you from needing to repeatedly type in the same search terms.

For those who are just getting started with Shortcuts, Apple has shared a detailed Shortcuts User Guide, which is a great way to get acquainted with all of the things that the Shortcuts feature is able to do.

The user guide is organized into sections that include Shortcuts basics, creating and using Shortcuts, managing Shortcuts, using advanced Shortcuts, and frequently asked questions.

Know of other apps that have introduced support for Siri Shortcuts and other iOS 12 features? Let us know in the comments. We’d also love to hear the most useful Siri Shortcuts features you’ve found so far in iOS 12.

Related Roundup: iOS 12
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1Password, LastPass, Dashlane and More Updated With Support for iOS 12’s AutoFill Password Feature

Multiple popular password management apps for iOS devices have been updated with support for a convenient new iOS 12 feature, Password AutoFill.

With Password AutoFill, logins and passwords stored in third-party password management apps will be available throughout the iOS 12 operating system right alongside iCloud Keychain, letting you log into websites, apps, and more much more quickly.

1Password, LastPass, Dashlane, and Keeper all now support Password AutoFill features.

Setting Up Password AutoFill

Setting up a password management app to work with Password AutoFill will require you to go to Settings > Passwords & Accounts > AutoFill Passwords to toggle on the AutoFill Password option while also making sure your password management app of choice, such as 1Password, is selected.

How it Works

The Password AutoFill feature lets a third-party app function just like iCloud Keychain, with your sensitive data protected but easily accessible within apps when you need your login information.

When you encounter a login field in an app or on the web, tapping in the entry field will display the stored username and password from your password management app if you’ve saved one right above the keyboard.

From there, you can tap the information to enter it into the app or website’s login window, such as in the Spotify example below.

There are instances where your password management app does not have saved information entirely right or where you have multiple logins, like if you have multiple Twitter or Instagram accounts.

With Instagram, for example, when logging into the Instagram app, I see my two Instagram accounts listed in 1Password (my password app of choice) and I can tap either one to enter my login information.

For apps that your password management app cannot automatically identify, you will be able to access your entire password vault to find the login information that you need.

Where it Works

What’s great about the Password AutoFill API is that it does not require developers to implement any kind of integration with your password management app to function, as was required in previous versions of iOS for this kind of functionality.

It works automatically in most apps and websites, with your password archive available no matter where you’re logging in.

One-Time Passwords

When logging into apps and websites that require two-factor authentication, using a one-time password is also simplified.

If your two-factor authentication setup is linked to a password management app like 1Password, when you log into an app or website that requires two-factor authentication, your password is entered in the field and your one-time authentication password is automatically copied to the clipboard for easy pasting.

For apps that use your phone number for authentication purposes, iOS 12 introduces a feature that takes a code from an incoming iMessage and copies it to the clipboard, so two-factor authentication is simplified no matter the method.

Password AutoFill on Apple TV

Password AutoFill extends to the Apple TV using the continuity keyboard that permits the iPhone to be used to enter passwords and login information on the Apple TV.

For this to work, both the Apple TV and the iOS device need to be signed into the same iCloud account, and from there, the process is identical to using Password AutoFill on the iPhone.

In a text entry field, when prompted to use the iPhone to enter login information, passwords stored in a password management app and linked to Password AutoFill will be able to be entered on the Apple TV.

Note: tvOS 12 and iOS 12 are required for Password AutoFill to work on the Apple TV.

The Password AutoFill feature in 1Password, Dashlane, LastPass, and Keeper is available starting today so long as you’ve downloaded and installed iOS 12 and updated your apps.

Have you tried Password AutoFill? What do you think of the new feature? Let us know in the comments.

Related Roundup: iOS 12Tags: LastPass, 1Password, Dashlane
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Apple’s iWork Apps Gain iOS 12 Support for Siri Shortcuts

Apple today updated its suite of iWork apps for iOS devices, introducing iOS 12 support for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. All three of the apps now support Siri Shortcuts, a feature designed to let you create automations with first and third-party apps that can be activated via Siri voice command.

Several other new features have also been introduced in each of the three apps, as outlined in Apple’s release notes.

Pages

• Animate your drawings and watch them come to life in a document or book.
• When using Smart Annotation, lines connecting text to annotations in the side margins stretch and move with edits.
• Annotations now anchor to table cells.
• Easily save drawings to Photos or Files, or share them with others.
• Support for Siri Shortcuts. Requires iOS 12.
• Adjust the line spacing before and after a paragraph, and set the width for columns of text.
• Pages now supports Dynamic Type.
• Enhance your documents with a variety of new editable shapes.
• Performance and stability improvements.

Keynote

• Adjust text size in presenter notes and invert colors while presenting.
• Easily save drawings to Photos or Files, or share them with others.
• Support for Siri Shortcuts. Requires iOS 12.
• Keynote now supports Dynamic Type.
• Enhance your presentations with a variety of new editable shapes.
• Performance and stability improvements.

Numbers

• Use Smart Categories to quickly organize and summarize tables to gain new insights.
• Group your data based on unique values and date ranges, including day of week, day, week, month, quarter, and year.
• Instantly show count, subtotal, average, maximum, and minimum values for columns in each group.
• Create charts of your summarized data.
• Easily reorder categories to see your data in a different way.
• Easily save drawings to Photos or Files, or share them with others.
• Support for Siri Shortcuts. Requires iOS 12.
• Numbers now supports Dynamic Type.
• Enhance your spreadsheets with a variety of new editable shapes.
• Performance and stability improvements.

Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are all available for free from the iOS App Store. The macOS versions of the iWork apps have also been updated ahead of the release of macOS Mojave with support for Dark Mode and Continuity Camera for easily inserting images into Keynote, Pages, and Numbers for Mac.

• Pages for iOS [Direct Link]
• Keynote for iOS [Direct Link]
• Numbers for iOS [Direct Link]
• Pages for macOS [Direct Link]
• Keynote for macOS [Direct Link]
• Numbers for macOS [Direct Link]

Many third-party apps are also gaining support for Siri Shortcuts today following the release of iOS 12, and we’ve been keeping a running list. Shortcuts requires the Shortcuts app and the iOS 12 update.

Related Roundup: iOS 12Tags: iWork, Pages, Keynote, Numbers
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Cheesy Kickstarter campaign wants to bring solar energy to students in East Africa

A playful new Kickstarter campaign aims to supply remote communities with a steady source of renewable energy while giving backers a handful of dairy-inspired tech devices. The campaign, SunMade Cheese, is the newest venture from Yolk, the inventor of the wildly popular Solar Paper, a thin and light solar charger that raised over $1,000,000 in 2015.

For Kickstarter backers, the SunMade Cheese collection includes a solar charging station, a power bank, and an assortment of forbidden dairy snacks. Look again. The block of Swiss cheese is actually a speaker. The teardrop of caciovallo is actually a lighter. The ricotta wheel doubles as a flashlight and a mood-setting lantern. And the slice of brie serves as a power outlet.

As fun as the Kickstarter rewards may be, the real purpose of the SunMade Cheese campaign is to fulfill the company’s “Solar for Everyone” promise and provide a source of renewable energy for remote communities in East Africa. Some families have to walk hours multiple times a week just to find an outlet to recharge their cellphone.

Yolk wants to bring the power to them. The company recently delivered a cow-shaped metal frame equipped with udders that act as a solar charging station to a primary school in Pokoy, Kenya. Throughout the day, the charging station converts sunlight into electricity, which students can access using power banks fastened underneath.

For each pledge to the Kickstarter campaign, Yolk has vowed to donate one power bank to a child in East Africa. The goal is to incentivize parents to send their children to school, where they can collect electricity to power devices like smartphones.

“Parents already know that education is important for their children’s future,” Sungun Chang, Yolk’s founder, told Digital Trends. “But they often can’t let them go to the school because they have urgent economic issues [at home]. The solar cow project is meant to provide some value to the parents under the condition that they simply send their children to school.”

As for the SunMade Cheese devices, Chang explained that the idea was to make solar power seem more appealing to the masses. After all, who doesn’t like cheese?

“Cheese is very casual,” she said. “Our mission is to give everyone easy access to solar energy. So rather than a very techie and geeky design, we went with something casual and humorous.”

With five weeks left to go, the campaign has raised around $33,000 of its $100,000 goal. Backers can get a SunMade Cheese plate, including a power bank and all the cheeses, for under $200. They’ll retail for around $380.

Editors’ Recommendations

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‘Pokémon Go’ could be a game for everyone — but it isn’t there yet

When Pokémon Go launched over two years ago, the possibilities seemed limitless. Using GPS and AR technology, Niantic promised to give Pokémon fans something they’ve dreamed of since they were kids: a real Pokémon game. As they walked down the street, they’d run into monsters waiting to be battled and captured, and special PokéStop locations scattered throughout their town could be used for acquiring items needed to continue enjoying the game.

It seemed like the perfect Pokémon game, though it wasn’t long before its technical instability and limitations pushed some players away. Niantic eventually patched Pokémon Go so that it didn’t constantly freeze and crash, but it still didn’t feel like a game for everyone. Recent updates have us hopeful that the popular Pokémon-catching app is getting closer to being accessible to all fans regardless of who they are or where they happen to be, but some work still has to be done.

Fortunately, Pokémon Go has started rolling out features that could change how the game is played in less-populated areas, particularly rural and suburban towns. First coming to users in Brazil and South Korea, the PokéStop nomination system will let players submit their own choices for future PokéStop locations. All it takes is a picture of the location, a description, and a submission to the users at the Ingress Operation Portal Recon project who will determine whether it’s a good choice.

For two years, PokéStops have been limited to the locations already included in the game, as well as those established through a sponsored partnership. If you didn’t have a Starbucks or a Sprint store near your house, you’d likely be out of luck. Even in areas where these stores do exist, they’re often inaccessible without a car, defeating the game’s mission of getting players to walk and experience the real world with just their phone and a pair of tennis shoes.

While you can still catch Pokémon in an underpopulated area – I’ve done it myself  – in order to get more Poké Balls or potions, there’s little choice but to hop in a car and take a drive to all the closest PokéStops. For those in more remote areas, this can result in a long car trip. If Niantic opens up PokéStop submissions to a wider user-base, this would no longer be the case. Single-location restaurants, cool art around your neighborhood, and historical spots would all be eligible, and could give players in rural communities the chance to get all the free items and bonuses of those in crowded cities.

At the moment, there are only a few ways to get more Poké Balls and other consumable items. You can level up, but this is largely done by catching more Pokémon, and if you happen to run out of Poké Balls then your only remaining option is to throw down actual cash to acquire packs of items. This leads to players in less-populated areas being forced to pay for a game their peers get to play for free, and they can’t take part in one of Pokemon Go’s main joys – traveling to destinations where players can meet up and play together.

Players that travel to different PokéStops will occasionally receive closed gifts that they cannot open themselves. These contain anything from potions to Poké Balls and even special eggs. If they send them to someone on their friends list, the receiver can open them and enjoy the rewards. Though these gifts help to level the playing field, and only provided that you have friends in cities who are enjoying the game, it certainly doesn’t eliminate the issue entirely.

These issues aside, making Pokémon Go accessible to players in different locations or of different economic status isn’t enough to turn it into a game for everyone. One more hurdle remains that prevents some players from enjoying the game to its fullest potential and it impacts those with disabilities. In its current state, Pokémon Go features no options that cater to people who struggle with mobility or vision impairment. Software to simulate walking has been banned from use and accounts caught doing so have been suspended.

This problem will be especially important by November when Pokémon: Let’s Go launches for Nintendo Switch. Though it will be more accessible to those with physical disabilities, it features connectivity with Pokémon Go, and its failure to address the mobile game’s limitations could lead to an incomplete experience for some.

Niantic has certainly taken large steps toward making Pokémon Go a game enjoyable by everyone, but the company simply isn’t there yet. While it’s started branching out into creating AR games for other franchises including Harry Potter, Niantic needs to make sure to meet the needs of its current players first. It would be a shame for a game so innovative and influential to ignore the needs of its marginalized players.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best ‘Pokémon Go’ tips and tricks
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• ‘Pokémon Go’ studio Niantic plans to add trainer battles by the end of the year
• Has science gone too far? ‘Pokémon: Let’s Go’ lets you give Eevee bangs

Microsoft may go back to black with 2018 Surface Pro and Surface Laptop

My Smart Price

Microsoft may be going back to its hardware roots on October 2 by introducing the next-generation Surface Laptop in black. Black was originally used on the Surface RT and the first two generations of the Surface Pro series, but Microsoft eventually switched to silver for its tablet lineup. The Surface Laptop, similarly, had a silver model, but Microsoft also added several color options — burgundy, platinum, cobalt blue, and graphite gold — for the laptop to make it more appealing to students and home users.

The black Surface Laptop variant was initially reported by Windows United, and an image of the the black laptop was shown on MySmartPrice. Thurrott is backing up this claim, and the publication added that the Surface Pro may also get a black color when it gets refreshed next month. “Along with updated internals, Microsoft plans to offer a new color for the Surface Laptop and will return to a classic color for the updated Pro,” Thurrott writer Brad Sams reported. “Microsoft is going back to black. A black Surface Laptop is on the agenda and the updated Pro will also be offered in black as well.”

Aside from a new color choice, it’s rumored that these devices will also ship with updated processors. Originally, it was reported that the Surface Pro may undergo a larger redesign, but it’s been suggested recently that Microsoft may not introduce a new Surface Pro design until next year. Instead, this year’s Surface Pro refresh may be more modest. Both current generations of the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop only ship with USB-A ports, and it’s unclear if the refreshes introduced early next month will add the USB-C port that’s found on many modern laptops. Microsoft did squeeze in the port when it refreshed the Surface Book earlier this year, but unlike its rivals, the USB-C port did not come at the expense of the laptop’s USB-A port or the magnetic connector used for charging and docking.

If Microsoft keeps its current color choices, black would represent the fifth color available for the Surface Laptop, and the new color could help increase the notebook’s appeal among Microsoft’s business customers. The current Surface Pro, on the other hand, is only available in a singular silver finish. We’ll likely learn more about Microsoft’s plans for the Surface Laptop and the Surface Pro along with the planned black option early next month during a scheduled press event.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Microsoft Surface Laptop review
• Surface Go vs. Surface Pro
• Refreshed Surface Pro 6 could arrive at Microsoft’s October 2 event
• Microsoft Surface Go review
• Microsoft Surface Pro 6: Everything we know

Firm warns that almost half of all U.S. calls could be scams by 2019

Feel as if you’re constantly fending off scam calls to your mobile? You’re not alone — according to a report from call and data provider First Orion, the number of scam calls being made to U.S. phones is on the rise and it could get even worse in 2019.

According to the report, scam calls made up just 3.7 percent of all U.S. mobile traffic in 2017, but made a huge jump to 29.2 percent in 2018. The bad news doesn’t stop there either — First Orion predicts that if nothing is done to quell the rising tide of spam and scam phone calls, that percentage could rise as high as 44.6 percent in 2019. That means that almost half of all U.S. phone calls could cause you to groan and hang up — or worse — succeed in scamming your family or friends.

First Orion is hoping that the scary figures could help to push the industry into taking action and implement more robust measures against nuisance calls. First Orion is advocating its own software solution, named CallPrinting, that it claims will help to cut down on the number of calls, and can help to combat new techniques used by the scammers.

Many scammers now use a method known as “neighborhood spoofing”, which hijacks a local area code to try and fool the receiver into taking a call. While third-party call blocking apps sometimes aren’t able to react to this tactic, First Orion claims that its CallPrinting software is able to protect against such spoofing by making “real-time decisions on incoming calls, intelligent analysis of phone call and network-wide data”, and using machine learning to continuously update its protection.

But while an increase of scam calls is scary, does that increased percentage say more about the evolving marketplace than it initially seems? With a multitude of messaging apps available, younger generations have fewer and fewer reasons to rely on the humble phone call to check up on family members, organize themselves, or just have an idle chat. The BBC recently reported that the number of phone calls made in the U.K. dropped for the first time ever in 2017 — and this is a trend that could continue.

For now, though, make sure you stay protected from scam calls, and never offer information over the phone unless you’re absolutely sure you know who called.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Red Magic Phone review
• Google Phone app will feature direct-to-voicemail spam filtering
• Essential PH-1 Phone: Everything you need to know
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The best Micro-USB cables

I understand. USB-C is the new hotness. But for all your legacy devices (and to charge tons of peripherals still), a good Micro-USB cable can go a long way. These are the best of the best around.

Long-distance dependability

Anker 10-foot Nylon Braided Micro-USB cable

Anker’s 10-foot Nylon Braided Micro-USB cable is a good choice if you have limited power outlets in a large room and you need the reach. Constructed of durable, tangle-resistant braided nylon, customer reviews seem to back this up. Its gold-plated connectors aid in resisting corrosion as well.

$8 at Amazon

I have the power!

Anker PowerLine Micro-USB cable

The Anker PowerLine Micro-USB cable is rated highly by consumers, as well as The Wirecutter. Made of Kevlar — the same stuff that bulletproof vests are made from — Anker boasts that this durable cable has a 10,000 bend lifespan, which customer reviews appear to confirm.

$5 at Amazon

Pick your pack

iXCC Micro-USB cable

iXCC’s cables come in lengths of 3, 6, and 10 feet, and you can get a singles, doubles, or 3-packs if you need to stock up on charging cables for your car or backpack. iXCC claims a lifespan of over 20,000 bends and over 4,000 5-star reviews attest to the durability of the cables.

$4 at Amazon

Braided beauty

Rampow braided nylon Micro-USB cable

If you’re looking for a durable option, then braided nylon is the best way to go. It holds up better to bending than rubber cables and doesn’t tangle as easily. Rampow’s cables feature stainless steel connectors and an unconditional lifetime warranty. If anything at all goes wrong with your cable (aside from you cutting it up with scissors), give Rampow a shout and it’ll replace it for you.

$8 at Amazon

Multi-colored multi-packs

Ailkin 6-foot braided nylon Micro-USB cable

Braided nylon is a fantastic solution to the tangled cable problem, and Ailkin’s 6-foot cables are the perfect option for anyone who’s looking for major bang for their buck. You get a five-pack of colorful cables for only $12 on Amazo. They come in multipacks of various sizes and a wide variety of colors, making this one the perfect option for a family — everyone gets their own color!

$12 at Amazon

Short and sweet

iSeekerKit 1-foot Micro-USB cable

If you’re at your desk, on your laptop, or charging your phone in your pocket via a power bank, then cut down on excess slack and check out iSeekerKit’s three-pack of 1-foot cables. They’re wrapped in braided nylon and come in eight colors to suit your style.

$8 at Amazon

And you?

We’ve laid out our picks for best Micro-USB cables, but how about you? Which Micro-USB cables are you using and why are they awesome? Let us know in the comments below.

Updated September 2018: The EZO and the reTrak cables have been removed due to changes in availability.