Apple’s new Beats Pill+ app is in the Play Store
Apple has their second Android app now available in the Play Store. It’s first app was an easy way for people to move from Android to iOS… This new app allows users to manage a Beats Pill+ bluetooth speaker.
The Beats Pill+ app allows you to do basic things like rename your Beats Pill+, check it’s battery life, link two Pills together, and more. At least this time around they made an app that is actually useful to Android users too.
However, we are still waiting for Apple’s next app which is supposed to allow Apple Music on Android.
Come comment on this article: Apple’s new Beats Pill+ app is in the Play Store
Access to Past Beats 1 Radio Shows Now Limited to Apple Music Subscribers
Access to Apple Music’s Beats 1: Replay feature, which allows users to listen to previously broadcast Beats 1 radio shows, is now limited only to Apple Music subscribers. MacRumors readers and users on reddit have both noticed a recent change that no longer allows those without an Apple Music subscription to access Beats 1 radio segments they’ve missed.
According to the reddit thread, past Beats 1 radio shows became inaccessible to non-subscribers approximately two weeks ago. The Apple Music Help Twitter account has confirmed that Beats 1 Replays now require an active Apple Music subscription.
@adrow You are correct. Beats 1 replays do require that you have an active subscription with Apple Music.
— Apple Music Help (@AppleMusicHelp) October 30, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The Beats 1: Replay feature was first introduced in early August when all Apple Music users were still under the free three-month trial period. It offers full show replays with guests, commentary, and music. Without access to Beats 1: Replay, those who do not subscribe to Apple Music will only be able to listen to missed Beats 1 radio content by catching it on the second playthrough, 12 hours after the first airing.
Attempting to access a past Beats 1 radio show via an artist’s page now brings up an Apple Music login screen for non-subscribers, while subscribers are still able to access the content. Playlists are also inaccessible, but content uploaded to a Beats 1 radio DJ’s connect page, such as select interviews, can be listened to without a subscription.
Access to past Beats 1 shows is not the only feature limited to Apple Music subscribers. Asking Siri questions about music charts, such as “What was the top song in March of last year?” is off limits to non-subscribers. Siri tells non-subscribers that an Apple Music subscription is required, likely because these music chart questions cause the song in question to begin playing.
Apple’s decision to limit past Beats 1 shows to Apple Music subscribers has undoubtedly been done in an effort to encourage Beats 1 radio fans to purchase a subscription, which is priced at $9.99 per month for individuals and $14.99 for families. In a recent interview, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple Music had 6.5 million paying customers along with 8.5 million still on the free trial.
(Thanks, Adam!)
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Apple publishes new Android app for managing Beats Pill+ speakers
Apple has just released their second app for the Google Play Store, and this one allows users to manage their Beats Pill+ speaker. This app follows up their less-than-diplomatic premiere Move to iOS, a release that saw some pretty hilarious responses.
This Beats Pill+ app is far more functional and less passive aggressive than Move to iOS, and it sports features that allow users to synchronize multiple speakers to achieve greater depth of sound and stereo effects, as well as the ability to let more than one user control music playing from a single speaker.
This companion app promises to give you and your friends greater control over your music. It was developed exclusively for the Beats Pill+ speaker, and it uses Bluetooth pairing to manage and control the device from your phone or tablet.
The Beats Pill+ is a small speaker designed by Apple that aims to provide rich, powerful sound in a tiny, sleek package. Advertised as sounding “bigger than its size,” the Beats Pill+ uses a “stereo active 2-way crossover system” that creates an “optimized sound field for dynamic range and clarity across all genres of music.” The device can also function as a speakerphone when connected with a mobile device and has a 12-hour battery life.
Although it’s not the long-awaited Apple Music, Beats Pill+ actually provides Android users who are not interested in swapping operating systems some utility. You can find it in the Google Play Store.
Walmart Selling 16GB iPad Mini 2 for $199 Starting Tomorrow
Beginning tomorrow, November 1, Walmart will begin offering Apple’s 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad mini 2 at a significant discount, selling it for $199 instead of $268. $199 is a solid deal and one of the lowest prices we’ve seen on the iPad mini 2, which was the first of Apple’s iPad mini line to ship with a Retina display.
Compared to the current-generation iPad mini 4, the iPad mini 2 has a slower processor, less RAM, and it lacks Touch ID, but it’s still a very capable device with an A7 processor, a 5-megapixel rear camera, and 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera. It’s also thicker and heavier than the newest iPad mini.
We’ll likely see similar deals on the iPad mini 2 during the month of November due to Black Friday, but for now, Walmart’s discount is one of the best deals to be had. Walmart will be selling the 16GB iPad mini 2 for $199 for approximately 90 days, the standard amount of time Walmart price rollbacks generally last.
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How to Use 3D Touch on iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
Apple’s iPhone 6s and 6s Plus has been selling strongly since its launch last month, thanks in part to a number of new features including 3D Touch. With it, users can access Quick Actions from the home screen and Peek and Pop from within a variety of stock and third-party apps.
If you’re wondering about what all of the hubbub is about, or want to know how to make it work better for you, we’ve put together this handy guide for 3D Touch.
If you are still trying to decide whether to upgrade to the iPhone 6s model, why not stop into an Apple Retail store and test out 3D Touch (along with the device’s other great features) for yourself on one of the many demo units.
Quick Actions
You can only use Quick Actions on an app’s icon, and it works as shortcut to specific features within the app. For example, the Pinterest app includes direct access to trending pins, the search function, and board creation. Instagram’s Quick Action lets you create a new post, view your activity, search, or send a direct message.
To trigger Quick Actions, give a firm press on an app’s icon. When the menu appears, drag your finger to the shortcut you would like to use. The app will open directly to that feature. If you don’t press hard enough to pop up the shortcuts and feel a bit of haptic feedback, your phone will instead register a long press that allows you to enter the familiar mode where you can rearrange and delete apps on the home screen.
Apple Offering $50 Off Apple Watch With Any iPhone Purchase in Select Apple Stores
Apple has started a new limited time in-store promotion that offers customers $50 off an Apple Watch Sport or Apple Watch with the purchase of any new iPhone, including the latest iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, the company confirmed to MacRumors. Apple Watch Edition and Apple Watch Hermès models are ineligible for the discount.
The promotion is available at participating Apple Store locations in California and Massachusetts, including Burlingame, Chestnut Street, Corte Madera, Hillsdale, San Francisco and Stonestown in the Bay Area, and Boylston Street, Burlington, CambridgeSide and Chestnut Hill in the Boston metro area.
Apple confirmed that the promotion runs from October 30 through November 15, 2015, and is not available online. The deal does not require purchasing AppleCare+ or other accessories and add-ons. The offer is only valid when the qualifying iPhone and Apple Watch are purchased together on one transaction.
(Thanks, Robert!)
Tags: Apple Store, San Francisco, Boston
Buyer’s Guide: iPhone (Buy Now), Apple Watch (Neutral)
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Review: Quarter is an External Battery for the iPhone That Charges With a MagSafe Cable
Beaver Electronics Co. has debuted a unique fast-charging external battery for the iPhone, which it’s dubbed “Quarter,” because it takes less than a quarter of the time to charge compared to a normal external battery. The secret lies in the charging method — Quarter has a built-in MagSafe port that allows it to be connected to MacBook’s MagSafe Power Adapter.
Apple does not allow third-party companies to use its MagSafe technology, so Quarter has been created without Apple’s permission and with components Apple likely would not approve of, but its super fast charging capabilities are undeniably enticing.
Design wise, Quarter is similar in size to an iPhone 6 Plus. It’s just as wide and a bit shorter, but quite thick and heavy. It’s 12.5mm thick and it weighs 180 grams. It’s made from aluminum and has an an extra lip at the top with a hole that could be attached to a bag or backpack, but given its size, I’m not sure anyone would want to use it that way so that extra bit of material is extraneous and an unusual design choice.
There are four indicator lights on the Quarter that are lit by a built-in LED. These lights let you know how much power is left, activated by shaking or tapping the Quarter. A shake or a tap is also how the Quarter is turned on to begin charging a device it’s plugged in to.
Apple’s iPad Pro may go on sale November 11th
With Apple’s iPad business continuing to slow down, the upcoming iPad Pro is one of the more important products in the company’s pipeline. Apple introduced it in early September but declined to give a release date, only saying it would arrive sometime in November. For Apple, that usually means the end of the month, but it seems that’s not the case this time. According to the well-connected Mark Gurman at 9to5Mac, Apple’s 12.9-inch iPad should go on sale on Wednesday, November 11th both online and in stores. Alongside the giant new tablet, Apple will also start selling its new Pencil stylus and Smart Keyboard for $99 and $169, respectively. If you’re ready to buy into Apple’s vision of a big-screen tablet, get ready to dive deep into your wallet: the iPad Pro starts at $799 for 32GB of storage and goes all the way up to $1,079 for 128GB of storage and LTE connectivity.
Source: 9to5Mac
New Apple TV Tidbits: Limited App Discovery, User Guide, Amazon Pulls Apple TVs, and More
The new Apple TV officially launched today at Apple Stores and select resellers in the U.S. and other first wave countries. As customers begin receiving their new Apple TV deliveries around the world, the following are useful tidbits about the new fourth-generation device.
Apple TV Support and User Guide – Forum Discussion
Apple has updated its Apple TV Support portal for the new Apple TV, including an official Apple TV User Guide that contains detailed information about how to set up and use the streaming box. The user guide is broken down into several categories: Getting Started, Basics, Siri, iTunes, App Store, Photos, Music, Home Sharing, Search, Accessibility, Safety and more.
Apple TV apps – Forum Discussion
iMore has shared a video that scrolls through all of the new Apple TV apps currently available through the tvOS App Store. Due to the current lack of discoverability, the video searches tvOS apps based on their first letter in alphabetical order.
Eli Hodapp at our sister website TouchArcade explains in his Apple TV first impressions:
If screenshots on Apple pages are any indication, categories for the Apple TV App Store are coming (maybe?) but as of this writing, there’s a distinct division between the haves and the have-nots in the Apple TV app world. Currently, the Apple TV App Store only shows what’s featured. If your game isn’t featured, it effectively doesn’t exist. There’s no way to browse genres, top lists don’t exist (this arguably might be a good thing), and finding something that isn’t featured requires typing its name in the search field.
MacRumors recently published an Apple TV apps roundup that goes into more detail about some of the new apps and games, including Airbnb, Alto’s Adventure, Crossy Road, Plex, Sing! Karaoke, Withings Home and more.
Charging and Using the Siri Remote – Forum Discussion
Apple has published a support document with step-by-step instructions on how to charge your Siri Remote and get help if it isn’t working. Apple TV will alert you when your Siri Remote needs to be charged, or you can manually check the remote’s charge by navigating to Settings > Remotes and Devices > Bluetooth and selecting the remote.
In countries and regions that support Siri, the remote is called the Siri Remote. Elsewhere, it is called the Apple TV Remote, but has identical functionality otherwise. International users can easily access Siri by changing their Apple TV’s region to the U.S. or other supported countries.
Amazon Removes Apple TV
Apple TV and Chromecast devices are no longer listed on Amazon
Following through with its plans, online retailer Amazon has removed all Apple TV and Chromecast listings from its website, per Variety. Amazon removed the Apple and Google streaming media players because they are incompatible with its Prime Video streaming service, which it believes may cause confusion for customers.
In a statement provided to BuzzFeed News, Apple emphasized that the lack of Prime Video support on the new Apple TV is solely Amazon’s decision.
Incidentally, that Amazon Prime Video is the exception to the conga line of content offerings above is entirely Amazon’s doing. A ~magnanimous~ Apple tells BuzzFeed News that “all are welcome” on its new Apple TV platform. But Amazon — which recently purged Apple TV from its store — doesn’t have a Prime Video app in the Apple TV App Store. And as of a few days ago, it hadn’t submitted one.
Amazon told BuzzFeed News the company “doesn’t have anything to share” on the topic.
Visit the Apple TV section on the MacRumors discussion forums for more tidbits.
Tags: Amazon, Apple TV apps, User Guide, Siri Remote
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
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Apple to Start Selling iPad Pro on November 11
Apple’s much-anticipated larger-screened iPad Pro will go on sale both online and in Apple retail stores on Wednesday, November 11, reports 9to5Mac. Apple has thus far remained tight-lipped on the tablet’s release date, giving only a general November release timeline.
Previous rumors suggested the iPad Pro would go on sale in early November, perhaps during the first week of the month, but Apple’s release plans can shift ahead of an important launch. It is not clear if the company will offer pre-orders for the device ahead of the Wednesday, November 11 launch date.
Along with the iPad Pro, Apple also plans to begin selling its accessories, the Apple Pencil and the Apple Smart Keyboard, on November 11, both online and in retail stores.
Pricing on the iPad Pro starts at $799 for the 32GB Wi-Fi only version and goes up to $1,079 for a 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard are sold separately for $99 and $169, respectively.
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