How to use Alexa Cast with Amazon Music and Echo speakers

Now you can cast your tunes from Amazon Music to your Echo speakers!

Amazon’s Alexa Cast is a new feature built into the Amazon Music app that lets you cast music to your Echo speakers and control everything from your phone.

While Spotify has allowed you to connect and play music on smart speakers using Spotify Connect, the functionality has been missing from Amazon’s music streaming service. For that reason, many Amazon Prime subscribers are also Spotify subscribers despite Amazon Music included in the price of the Prime subscription.

If you’re a Prime subscriber with Echo speakers around your house but you’ve never checked out what Amazon Music has to offer, now is the perfect time to see what Amazon and Alexa Cast has to offer.

Using Alexa cast in the Amazon Music app

If you’ve used Google’s Chromecast before, you’ll be happy to know that Alexa Cast works nearly identically — in fact, you’ll also see any Chromecast devices show up on Alexa Cast. Here’s how to connect your Echo speaker to your Amazon Music app.

Open the Amazon Music app and log into your account.
Tap the Alexa Cast icon in the top right corner of the screen.

Tap the Echo speaker you wish to connect to.

Now it’s just a matter of choosing a playlist or picking music to play. Alternatively, you can Cast to your Echo speaker from the Now Playing screen in the Amazon Music app. You also use the Alexa Cast menu to disconnect from a speaker and connect to another one in your home — even Chromecast-connected devices.

Tap the Alexa Cast icon. It’s located between the Shuffle and Repeat icons.
Tap disconnect to change to a different speaker.

You’ll be able to see which speaker you are connected to on the Now Playing screen.

How do you stream your music?

Do you use Amazon’s music streaming service? Now that casting functionality is built into the service are you more inclined to check it out? Let us know in the comments!

Amazon Echo

• Tap, Echo or Dot: The ultimate Alexa question
• All about Alexa Skills
• Amazon Echo review
• Echo Dot review
• Echo Spot review
• Top Echo Tips & Tricks
• Amazon Echo vs. Google Home
• Get the latest Alexa news

See at Amazon

Microsoft Launcher picks up custom icon gestures, Android O support, and more

Now you can perform custom actions with nothing more than a swipe of an icon.

Following a couple of weeks in the oven with beta testers, Microsoft is shipping out another new set of features for Microsoft Launcher on Android. Included in the latest update are custom gesture controls for app icons, full Android O support, updates to the relatively new family card, and more.

The most notable of these additions is the new gesture controls for apps. Microsoft Launcher users will now be able to swipe up from icons to perform custom actions. To set the action you want to associate with the gesture, you can tap and hold on an icon to see a new option to add an action to be associated with the gesture. Once you’ve set things up, you’ll be able to swipe up on the icon or folder to take whatever action you’ve chosen.

Other bits tagging along in this update are web filtering for the family card, alphabetical sorting for folders in the app drawer, and general UI and animation improvements. Here’s a look at the full release notes:

• Folder and app icon gestures (swipe to open or click to launch).
• Choose how to use the last row of expanded dock: Apps, pinned contacts, folders, search bar or widgets;
• Parents can enable web filtering through the Family card.
• Folders in the app drawer are now sorted alphabetically.
• UI improvements: Animation adjustments; blur effect as an option; App badges in the app drawer;
• Fully support Android 8.0 and remove support for 4.0.X and 4.1

If you’re already using Microsoft Launcher, you can grab all of these features now via the latest update on Google Play.

See at Google Play

How to master the new Android P gestures

A little practice never hurt.

Android P is almost here, and just like every big yearly update, there’s a lot to get familiar with. This time around, the most notable change is the presence of Google’s new gesture-based navigation bar.

We’ve seen OEMs like Motorola and OnePlus try crafting their own gestures following the release of the iPhone X, and with Android P, we finally have a default method of navigating through the OS that’ll be available for every OEM to use.

You won’t be forced to use these new gestures after updating your phone to Android P, but should you decide to give them a shot, there are a couple things you’ll want to keep in mind to ensure you have as enjoyable of an experience as possible.

The app drawer

Prior to Android P, opening the app drawer is something that didn’t require any thought. You swiped up, the app drawer opened, and you went about your day. With Android P’s gestures, that’s not entirely true anymore.

Swiping up from your home screen still takes you to the app drawer, but you can no longer do a mindless swipe up and get there. Instead, you need to be more deliberate with this action.

If you do a quick swipe up from the home screen, you’ll now be taken to Android P’s recent apps page. Here you can cycle through your recently used apps, access the Google search bar, and see five apps that Google thinks you’ll want to open. If you do another swipe up from here, you’ll finally get to the app drawer you know and love.

Doing two swipes to perform the same action that used to require one isn’t fun at all, but thankfully, there are a couple ways to still get to the app drawer with one swipe — you just need to change the way you do it.

Instead of swiping up quickly and taking your finger off the screen instantly, drag it up so that you’ve brought the app drawer up around 60-70% of the way (eyeballing this should be fine). Once you do, let go and the app drawer will pop up into place.

Alternatively, just keep your swipe going to the very top of the screen. It certainly feels awkward at first, but it quickly becomes second nature after enough practice and allows you to open the app drawer in about the same amount of time as before.

Here’s the upside to this. You can still do that same swipe from the bottom all the way to the top to access your app drawer while using Twitter, Instagram, or anything else. So, while the new swiping action may take some time to get used to, you no longer have to go to your home screen just to access all your apps.

Recent apps

I mentioned the recent apps page a couple times already, but lets now talk about how that’s also affected by Android P’s gestures.

To access your recent apps in Android P using the new gestures, just do a quick swipe up from the bottom of your screen. From here, you can easily scroll through all of the apps that you’ve recently used. To open up one of these apps, either swipe down on it or simply tap it.

The recent apps UX feels more alive and fluid than it does on older Android versions.

This all works well for moving between various apps, but if you want to quickly jump back and forth between your two most recently used ones, there’s another gesture that works even better.

When you’re in an app, do a fast horizontal swipe on the navigation bar to the right. This will bring up the app you were previously using before it, and if you do that swipe again, you’ll be taken back to the first app you were in. That may sound confusing at first, but after doing this a couple times, it quickly becomes a natural gesture for quickly going between your two most recently used applications.

If you want to take that gesture a step further, do a horizontal swipe to the right on the nav bar but then hold your finger there for a second. You’ll see a transparent bar appear across the bottom, and once you see this, you can slide your finger across it to cycle left and right through all of your recent apps.

After finding the app you want, take your finger off the screen and it’ll open up.

Questions?

Android P’s gestures can cause for some headaches at first, but after spending a few minutes playing around with them, they should start to feel very natural after a while.

If you have any additional questions/concerns, drop a line in those comments below!

Android P’s gestures are a jagged pill you should learn to swallow

Android P

• Android P: Everything you need to know
• Android P Beta hands-on: The best and worst features
• All the big Android announcements from Google I/O 2018
• Will my phone get Android P?
• How to manually update your Pixel to Android P
• Join the Discussion

Google Pay: Everything you need to know

Here’s what you should know about Google’s big bet to take on Apple Pay.

Gone are the days of messing with Android Pay and Google Wallet. Instead, the home of all things mobile payments on Android now rests on the shoulders of Google Pay.

Google Pay first started rolling out to handsets in early 2018, and while there’s still some work to be done, it’s clear that Google is finally ready to take on Apple Pay with everything it’s got.

From the latest news to all the important details, here’s everything you should know about Google Pay!

• The latest Google Play news
• Everything you need to know

The latest Google Pay news

August 2, 2018 — Google Pay comes to Croatia; now available as a payment method in the Starbucks app

A couple Google Pay tidbits have surfaced over the last few hours, starting first with the service coming to Croatia. This is the third nation in Central Europe to get Google Pay, so be sure to keep an eye out for the app if you live in the area.

Secondly, Google Pay can now be used when reloading your card in the Starbucks app. Google Pay is added to your account automatically, and at this time, can only be used for one-time reloads.

July 20, 2018 — Revolut in the UK is now supported

Good news, UK readers that bank with Revolut! The bank’s been sending out emails to its customers confirming that it’s now starting to support Google Pay.

In am email Revolut’s been sending out to its 2 million+ users:

Test drive the convenience of paying with your phone by adding your Revolut card to Google Pay, to make quick and secure payments – instantly.

All the big details

Google Pay has replaced Android Pay and Google Wallet

Rather than maintaining two separate services for in-store payments and sending money to friends, Google decided to replace Android Pay and Google Wallet with one new app called Google Pay.

There was an awkward transition period at first in which you had to use a separate Google Pay Send app to send/receive money, but Google’s since brought that feature over to the main Google Pay app.

As such, Google Pay is now your one-stop-shop for all things mobile payments if you’ve got an Android phone.

How to get started with Google Pay

That’s all fine and dandy, but how does one actually start using Google Pay?

Thankfully, Google’s made this fairly simple. After downloading the app, you’ll be able to quickly add credit/debit cards, gift cards, loyalty programs, and more.

Need a helping hand? Check out Marc’s how-to guide right here!

What countries are supported?

Google’s regularly adding support for more and more countries that can use Google Pay, and as it currently stands, the list of supported areas is as follows:

• Australia
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Canada
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Germany
• Hong Kong
• Ireland
• Japan
• New Zealand
• Poland
• Russia
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Spain
• Taiwan
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom
• United States

Make sure your bank/card is compatible, too

Live in a country that supports Google Pay? Awesome! However, that’s just half the battle in ensuring you can use the service.

Even if you live in one of the above countries, you still need to have a bank and card that supports Google Pay before you can start making payments in stores with your phone. Thankfully, Google’s been building up this list for quite a few years meaning there’s a good chance you’re covered.

Major brands like AMEX, Capital One, Chase, Discover, and Wells Fargo are all on-board with Google Pay in the U.S. Along with this, you’ll also find a huge list of smaller banks/credit unions that are supported as well.

See the full list here

You can use the app to store boarding passes, event tickets, and more

In addition to your credit/debit cards, you can also use Google Pay to store gift cards, loyalty programs, and most recently, boarding passes and event tickets.

You’ll find all of these items in the Passes section of the app, and if you’ve got a lot stored in there, you can hold down on an item and move it around to make sure everything’s as organized as can be.

Support for passes/tickets is still relatively new, with brands like Southwest Airlines, Ticketmaster, and the Las Vegas Monorail being among the only ones available at the moment. Similar to what iPhone users have been treated to for years with Apple Pay, you’ll now see an “Add to G Pay” button when ordering a ticket from these brands so you can easily store everything under one single app.

Track your payment activity on the web

While you’ll likely interact with Google Pay on your phone the majority of the time, you can access it from your computer, too, by going to pay.google.com.

Here, you can see all of your Google Pay activity, send or request money, edit/add/remove payment methods, manage any active subscription services you have, edit your addresses, and more.

Google Pay is present in Android Messages and the Google Assistant

Google occasionally fails to make its various services play nicely with one another, but thankfully, Google Pay has been an exception to that rule.

While sending money to people is pretty simple through the Google Pay app, you can also do this through Android Messages and by talking to the Google Assistant on your phone.

In Android Messages, just tap the + icon at the bottom left and you’ll see two G Pay buttons for sending or requesting money from the person in your conversation. Just enter the amount you want, tap attach money, and your payment/request will be sent off just like that.

Alternatively, you can simply open the Google Assistant and say something along the lines of “Send Tom $15 for Pizza.” After confirming your identity (e.g. fingerprint or PIN), the Google Assistant will send the money for you — all without having to ever open up the Google Pay app.

Best battery backups for Lenovo Mirage Solo

Never lose any battery.

With the Lenovo Mirage Solo coming out, you might be wondering how you can take it around with you wherever you go. Since it is USB-C, you can’t go to any store to grab any charger that they sell.

These are the best ways to keep your Lenovo Mirage Solo going while on the go.

See the Lenovo Mirage Solo at Amazon

• Anker PowerCore+ Charger
• Anker PowerCore Compact Charger
• RAVPower Multiple Port Portable Charger
• Poweradd Pilot Power Bank
• RAVPower Single Port Portable Charger
• RAVPower 26,800mAh USB-C Charger
• AUKEY 20,000mAh External Charger

Anker PowerCore+ Charger

This Anker portable charger is a great option for someone who doesn’t mind spending a bit of extra cash on a charger. For $66, you get a 20100mAh charger with a USB to USB-C, a USB-C to USB-C, and a USB to microUSB port.

Although it is expensive, it’s a great charger if you’re willing to spend that kind of money.

See at Amazon

Anker PowerCore Compact Charger

Another great charger by Anker that will cost you less money than their larger charger. This charger has 13000mAh and two ports for USB to USB-C and it comes with a microUSB to USB so you can charge it. If you don’t have a USC to USB-C cable, you can get one on Amazon.

You can get your hands on this charger for just $32.

See at Amazon

RAVPower Multiple Port Portable Charger

RAVPower is another company that makes great chargers, and this is one of their highly rated ones. With 22000mAh and two USB ports for USB-C connection, it’s a great option for just $42.

It’s a great middle of the road charger for anyone who’s looking for something that’s quality but not over the top.

See at Amazon

Poweradd Pilot Power Bank

Poweradd has a great charger at a cheaper price than the other brands listed. If you’re on a budget, you can get a 10000mAh charger with a USB and USB-C port for $17.

It’s a great deal if you’re looking to save some since you just got the Lenovo Mirage Solo.

See at Amazon

RAVPower Single Port Portable Charger

This RAVPower charger is a better option by RAVPower that’s a single outlet charger. Since it’s a single outlet, it has less mAh, with only 10000mAh as compared to 22000, and one USB-C output/input along with a USB port.

Although it’s a single port, it still comes in at $54 which is a bit pricey.

See at Amazon

RAVPower 26,800mAh USB-C Charger

RAVPower has one more great option for those that want the absolute biggest battery they can manage. And this 26,800mAh is the largest battery capacity you can take on a commercial flight in the United States without jumping through hoops, so it’s a great investment if you want a lot of capacity for your Mirage Solo and other gadgets. The battery itself can charge from the same USB-C cable you use with the Mirage Solo, or with a Micro-USB charger if you so choose. The USB-C port can output at 30W, meaning it may be powerful enough to charge your laptop as well.

RAVPower’s 26,800 mAh USB-C charger is available for $82.

See at Amazon

AUKEY 20,000mAh External Charger

Another common name in the tech accessory world is AUKEY. It makes headphones, charging cables, and of course battery packs. AUKEY’s 20,00mAh USB-C charger offers plenty of charge and some cool tricks. It can charge over Micro-USB, USB-C or Lightning, and it’s not as bulky as other chargers, meaning it may be a better fit in your backpack or purse. The USB-C port only outputs at 15W — powerful enough for the Mirage Solo, but not enough juice to double as your laptop charger. In addition to the USB-C port, you get three USB-A ports for your other small gadgets.

AUKEY’s 20,000mAh External Charger is available for $40.

See at Amazon

Which is your pick?

Which battery are you planning to use with your Mirage Solo? Let us know down below!

Updated July 2018: Added the RAVPower 26,800mAh charger and the AUKEY 20,000mAh charger.

Sidestep pesky airline fees with this $6 AmazonBasics luggage scale

Keep it under 50 pounds!

This AmazonBasics digital luggage scale is down to $6.49 on Amazon. It usually sells for $10 and has never dropped this low before. In fact, it hasn’t dropped from its $10 price since last year. This is the perfect time for it, too, if you’re planning any summer trips.

With this scale, you can see how much your bags weigh before you ever drop them on the scale at the ticketing counter. Don’t get surprised when the airlines try to charge you more for a bag that weighs too much. The scale can carry a max load of 110 pounds and has an easy-to-read digital display. You can also switch between pounds or kilograms and use a function to zero out the scale when necessary. It comes with the battery it needs for power. Users give the scale 4.3 stars based on 590 reviews.

Be sure to check out these other great tips for some more ways to save on baggage overages.

See at Amazon

Apple Shares Details on Planned Tower Theatre Flagship Store in Los Angeles

Apple has long been rumored to be working on plans for an Apple Store at the iconic Tower Theatre in Los Angeles, and today, Apple shared details on the upcoming location with the Los Angeles Times.

According to Apple, the Tower Theatre store will be one of the world’s most prominent Apple retail locations when it is completed, with the company planning to entirely overhaul the interior of the building to turn it into retail space and an interactive community area.

In a rendering shared by Apple, the Tower Theatre store preserves the ornate Renaissance Revival style of the interior of the theatre for an Apple Store that will indeed be one of the most unique. The building, which features French, Spanish, Moorish, and Italian elements, was built to mimic the Paris Opera House.

The Tower Theatre is in disrepair, though, and the area around it has become outdated, leaving the building’s owners and city council members eager for Apple’s revitalization efforts. Apple is using the original Tower Theatre blueprints and photographs to restore original theatre elements like murals, decorations, and the leaded-glass window over the entrance.

BJ Siegel, senior director of retail design at Apple, told the Los Angeles Times that Apple was inspired by the Tower Theatre’s history and many of its firsts — it was one of the first air conditioned buildings in Los Angeles.

“All of that cool technology inspires us because we are a technology company and we are bringing new technology to the place,” Siegel said.

According to Siegel, while many people picture Apple retail stores as “big glass boxes,” that’s not true of all stores the company designs. Other similar stores include Covent Garden, the Opéra store in Paris, Apple Kurfürstendamm in Berlin, Apple Amsterdam built in the famous Hirsch building, Apple’s Grand Central store in New York, and the planned Carnegie Library store in Washington, D.C.

The Tower Theatre location will be very different than other Apple retail stores in Los Angeles, says Siegel, describing it as “in the upper echelon of what Apple does.”

Siegel expects some events at the upcoming store to draw hundreds of people, while other events will be planned for smaller groups. Apple will use part of the store for its Today at Apple sessions, where it provides tutorials and help with various Apple products, along with seminars and programs for children.

Apple is aiming to file plans with the city this week to gain approval for its planned renovation of the location.

Related Roundup: Apple Stores
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Deals: Best Buy’s Apple Watch Flash Sale and B&H Photo’s Back-to-School Savings on MacBook Pro and More

A new one-day-only flash sale has opened up at Best Buy, with nearly 30 models of the Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular) marked down by up to $250. Sale prices begin at $299.00 for the 38mm Aluminum models and $329.00 for the 42mm Aluminum models, but there are also savings on Stainless Steel and Ceramic versions of the 2017 Apple Watch.

With this sale, Best Buy is offering the best prices online for the GPS + Cellular models of the Apple Watch Series 3, with the entry level Aluminum cases coming in $100 cheaper than rivals like B&H Photo and Walmart.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Below we’ve listed a few of the discounted models, but be sure to head over to Best Buy’s Daily Deals page to see the full list of Apple Watches on sale and make your purchase before the day ends.

• 38mm Space Gray Aluminum, Black Sport Loop – $299.00, down from $399.00

• 42mm Space Gray Aluminum, Midnight Fog Nike Sport Loop – $329.00, down from $429.00

• 38mm Space Black Stainless Steel, Black Sport Band – $449.00, down from $599.00

• 42mm Stainless Steel, Soft White Sport Band – $499.00, down from $649.00

• 38mm White Ceramic, Soft White/Pebble Sport Band – $1,049.00, down from $1,299.00

• 42mm Gray Ceramic, Gray/Black Sport Band – $1,099.00, down from $1,349.00

Additionally, B&H Photo this week launched a new sale focused on back-to-school savings available to students getting ready for the new school year. The sale extends across numerous product categories on B&H Photo, including MacBooks, iPads, microSD cards, portable hard drives, cameras, headphones, and more.

Below we’ve highlighted a few of the sales in a list, but be sure to head over to B&H Photo to browse the full array of its back-to-school discounts.

MacBook Pro and MacBook Air – Save $100 on 2017 models

• MacBook Air (1.8 GHz, 8GB RAM, 128GB HD) – $899.00, down from $999.00
• 13-inch MacBook Pro (2.3 GHz, 8GB RAM, 128GB HD) – $1,199.00, down from $1,299.00

MacBook Pro – Save $1,000 on a 2016 model

• 15-inch MacBook Pro (2.9 GHz, 16GB RAM, 2TB SSD) – $2,899.00, down from $3,899.00

9.7-inch iPad – Save $20 on a 2017 model

• 128GB, Wi-Fi only – $379.00, down from $399.00

10.5-inch iPad – Save up to $150 on Wi-Fi + Cellular models

• 64GB – $734.00, down from $779.00
• 512GB – $949.00, down from $1,099.00

Head over to our full Deals Roundup for more information on the latest sales and bargains going on this week.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals
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Apple is Officially a Trillion Dollar Company as Shares Cross $207 Mark

Apple has officially become the world’s only trillion dollar publicly traded company, in terms of market capitalization, which is simply the company’s number of outstanding shares multiplied by its stock price.

Apple achieved this milestone by hitting a stock price of $207.05 and above in intraday trading today, giving it a market cap slightly over $1,000,000,000,000, based on its 4,829,926,000 outstanding shares as of July 20, 2018, which the company disclosed in its quarterly 10-Q filing with the SEC on Wednesday.

While some publications declared Apple a trillion dollar company earlier in the day, this was based on an outdated number of outstanding shares in Apple from tools such as Yahoo Finance, which powers Apple’s own Stocks app.

Apple beat out other large tech companies, including Amazon, Microsoft, and Google parent company Alphabet, in the race to a trillion dollars. As with most milestones of this nature, however, Apple reaching exactly a trillion dollar market cap doesn’t have too much significance, beyond the vanity of it.

Apple’s stock has appreciated over eight percent since the market closed on Tuesday, following its record-breaking earnings results. Apple set a new fiscal third quarter record with $53.3 billion revenue, easily topping Wall Street expectations, and there were also indications that the iPhone X is selling quite well.

The milestone is a testament to the strength of Apple, which has already been the world’s most valuable company for several years. Aside from 2016, which is now an outlier, Apple has been steadily increasing its revenue and profits since 2003, fueled by the massive popularity of products like the iPhone and iPad.

Apple will look to build upon its success with a wide range of new products expected later this year, including a trio of iPhones, iPads with Face ID, Apple Watch Series 4 models, updates to several Macs, new AirPods, and much more.

Update: Apple’s stock price has since dipped below $207 as it continues to fluctuate on the intraday market.

Tag: AAPL
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Mimeo Photos Releases Themes, Book Sizes, and Templates ‘Identical’ to Apple Photo Books as Apple’s Service Ends

In July it was discovered that Apple is planning to discontinue its physical Photo Books printing service on September 30, 2018. With Apple’s first-party option disappearing, users will be left to create and buy physical books from third-party companies, and now one such company — Mimeo Photos — has announced the release of “identical” formats, templates, and book sizes that Apple Photo Books currently offers its users.

This means that those users who opted for Apple’s printing service in the past will now be able to transition to Mimeo Photos and its macOS extension to find all of the features that they’re used to. Specifically, in Mimeo Photos the company says customers will now find design themes, product sets, templates, book sizes, materials, and print quality that is all “the same” as Apple’s Photo Books service.

“This is a real opportunity for us to expand our successes as a prominent Apple Photos extension since the beginning,” said John Delbridge, CEO, Mimeo. “We are really excited to see an increase in demand from countries like Australia and Japan in addition to our strong US customer base.”

The company points out that in addition to the same Apple themes, book formats, and other materials now found within the extension, Mimeo Photos also offers a few other features for designing and creating physical photo books, cards, and calendars. Users can crop and move photos easily with in-depth transformation tools; write personalized texts in numerous fonts, colors, and sizes; add colors into pages with various background options; and choose from a “large variety” of layouts.

Pricing for the two services also appears largely similar, with Mimeo Photo’s softcover landscape books starting at $9.99 in a medium size and increasing to $49.99 for extra large hardcovers. There are also calendars available for $19.99 and cards starting at $0.99, just like Apple Photo Books.

Those interested can download Mimeo Photos for free on the Mac App Store [Direct Link].

Related Roundups: macOS High Sierra, macOS Mojave
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