Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of iOS 10 to Developers
Apple today seeded the fourth beta of iOS 10 to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the third beta and almost two months after first unveiling the new operating system at its 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference.
The iOS 10 beta 4 update is available as an over-the-air download to those who installed the first three betas or the beta configuration profile and it’s available for direct download through the Apple Developer Center.
iOS 10 is a major iOS update with ton of new features and design tweaks, including a new Lock screen experience with 3D Touch-enabled notifications, a more easily accessible camera, a redesigned Control Center, and a new widgets screen. According to Apple, iOS 10 is the company’s biggest ever iOS update.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
The Messages app has been entirely overhauled with features that include background animations, bubble effects, Digital Touch, handwritten notes, Tapback replies, predictive emoji, and a dedicated App Store, and Photos has gained new facial and object recognition capabilities along with a Memories feature for rediscovering forgotten moments.
Over the beta testing period, Apple is tweaking the features introduced in iOS 10 to refine them ahead of the public release of the operating system. In iOS 10 beta 3, Apple introduced a new locking sound and haptic feedback when pressing the power button, an iOS 9 style Touch ID accessibility option, a new keyboard sound, an option to send Health data to Apple, and more. We’ll list any new changes found in beta 4 below.
iOS 10 is currently available to developers and public beta testers, with a full public release planned for the fall. For full details on iOS 10, make sure to check out our iOS 10 roundup
What’s new in iOS 10 beta 4:
Emoji – There are new emoji designed to promote gender equality. Many professions and activity emoji are now available in both male or female options. Emoji have a new texture and many emoji have seen slight design tweaks.
Control Center – There’s an intro screen when opening Control Center for the first time that instructs people to swipe left to access the different Control Center cards.
Haptic feedback – In iOS beta 3, Apple added haptic feedback when pressing the power button on the iPhone to lock it. In beta 4, this feature has been removed. There’s no longer a haptic feedback buzz when locking an iPhone.
Notification Center – The widgets screen, accessible by swiping to the right in the Notification Center, now displays the date. In previous versions of iOS 10, the date was not available.
Home – In the Control Center, the Home app icons have been tweaked again.
Keyboard sounds – Keyboard sounds have been slightly tweaked. Backspace now has a distinctive sounds unique from other key press sounds, and there’s a new sound for space, return, shift, and number/emoji shift.
Wallpaper – Some older wallpaper options have been removed and the mountain wallpaper with stars from an earlier version of iOS has been re-added.
Related Roundup: iOS 10
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple Releases iTunes 12.4.3 With Playlist Syncing Fix
Apple today released iTunes 12.4.3, a minor update that fixes a bug that could cause playlist changes made on iPhones or iPads to not appear in iTunes. Following the update, syncing should function as intended, with playlist changes showing up across all devices.
This update resolves an issue where playlist changes made on other devices may not appear in iTunes.
The new 12.4.3 update can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.
Today’s iTunes update comes two weeks after an iTunes 12.4.2 update that fixed an issue causing playback issues when listening to Apple Music tracks shorter than 60 seconds.
Tag: iTunes
Discuss this article in our forums
OnePlus 3 Soft Gold in pictures: If bling is your thing
As affordable mid-range phones go there are few better than the OnePlus 3. This £329 beauty comes with a flagship specification but without the flagship price.
And now you can buy it in a Soft Gold finish instead of the standard Graphite colour – the latter which most would just call silver and black, really. The newer gold version won’t cost you a penny more, either, making the choice very much yours to make.
READ: OnePlus 3 review
Rather than the black front of the Graphite model, the Soft Gold opts for a white finish, with gold highlights around the front fingerprint scanner. It looks very fetching indeed.
Every other edge is encased in that gold colour. Even the OnePlus “1+” logo to the rear is embossed in reflective gold for some added sheen.
Pocket-lint
However, the plastic antenna bandings top and bottom of the device take on a slightly different gold-meets-beige finish to try and match with the metal shell.
There’s no added golden colour to the included USB Type-C cable, though, which is the trademark bright red that OnePlus has led with since its inception.
Take a look through our gallery of pictures for a closer look at the OnePlus 3 Soft Gold
So if bling is your thing, then the OnePlus 3 in Soft Gold might be exactly the affordable handset to suit your needs – without breaking the bank.
BBC iPlayer will require a TV licence from September
For years, people have used BBC iPlayer as a way to avoid the licence fee. If you watched everything on-demand, rather than tuning in live, it meant you didn’t have to pay the age-old subscription. The British government has wanted to close this “iPlayer loophole” for some time and, finally, their wish is being granted. From September 1st, you’ll need a licence fee for (almost) anything TV-related by the BBC. It doesn’t matter which device you use — smartphone, PC or set-top box — everything will count.
The licence fee is a divisive topic in the UK. Some Brits feel it’s an expensive and outdated form of funding, penalising viewers that rarely want to watch its programming. Others believe it’s the cornerstone of the BBC, freeing the broadcaster from a “race to the bottom” driven by advertising and viewership figures. The licence fee, the argument goes, is the reason why the BBC holds such a stellar reputation in the media industry (although its value for money has been questioned) and why it can produce such a diverse range of programming for people in the UK.
The BBC’s scope is shaped by its public service broadcaster (PSB) responsibilities, which are set out by the BBC Charter. That document, which is reviewed every 10 years, is now up for renewal. A white paper, published in May, reiterated the government’s desire to close the iPlayer loophole, offering “more flexible payment plans” and the ability to make content “portable” — meaning, Brits can continue to access and watch BBC iPlayer while they’re travelling in other EU countries. While the content and outcome of that review is still being debated, it seems the decision to incorporate on-demand iPlayer viewership has already been made.
If you want programming from other UK broadcasters, such as ITV and Channel 4, you still don’t need a TV licence. The same holds true for modern streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Two other notable exceptions are the Welsh television broadcaster S4C and BBC radio, which is funded through the licence fee but free to listen to.
Via: The Guardian
Source: TV Licensing
You can cut this display with scissors
Want a display that can take any shape? You might not need a factory to cut it for you in the future — you may only need a pair of scissors and a steady hand. Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science has developed a flexible, organic/metal hybrid polymer display that you can cut without wrecking it. The technology only needs a few seconds of power to adjust to its new shape, and it even maintains its last information when you switch it off, a lot like e-paper.
The existing design only displays in one color and has a limited display area. It’s easy to see the practical purposes even now, though. You could make your own clothes with integrated displays, or craft smart wearables that fit the exact shape of your wrist. The researchers also envision a world where you could change the colors of car interiors, sunglasses and windows thanks to displays that fit just about anything. Any such breakthrough is undoubtedly years away, but the very fact that it’s a possibility is noteworthy.
Via: Science News Journal
Source: NIMS
Introducing Engadget’s 2016 back-to-school guide!
Oh yes, it’s already that time of year. Temperature are still sitting in the triple digits in some places, but many of you are just four weeks away from a new school year, heralding the end of summer. Once again, Engadget has put together a back-to-school gear guide, but this time, we did something a little different.
This year’s guide was curated with college students in mind (sorry, high schoolers), with sections for five broad archetypes: party kids, academics, jocks, freshmen and study abroad students. (What’s that you say? You’re a scholar-athlete and you’re spending the semester in Madrid? Have we got picks for you!) As always too, we endeavored to recommend things across different price points, with a few free options, some more aspirational objects and lots of stuff in between. Check out the whole guide here, and stay tuned throughout the month as we spotlight different picks for different students.
Source: Engadget’s 2016 Back-to-School Guide
Twitter will livestream the ‘Suicide Squad’ NYC premiere
After livestreaming the Democratic National Convention, Wimbledon and MLB and NHL games, Twitter is diving into the entertainment space with a stream of the Suicide Squad red carpet premiere in NYC. It’ll kick off at 6 PM tonight from the Beacon Theater, Variety reports,and the stream itself will be displayed on a special page alongside realtime tweets. The streaming event is being produced by Buzzfeed Motion Pictures, and you can expect chatter from Buzzfeed’s Try Guys personalities Keith Habersberger and Zach Kornfeld. Given Twitter’s big push into live video, it makes sense for it to start with one of the biggest film premieres of the year. It also reemphasizes the company’s new branding, which centers on what’s happening now.
Source: Variety
Facebook and Twitter try to attract YouTube stars with ad money
Ask a YouTube star why they don’t share videos directly to Facebook or Twitter and they’ll probably tell you that there’s no money in it — they make far more from YouTube ads and sponsored clips. The social networks are doing something about that, though. Bloomberg understands that both Facebook and Twitter are working on ad models that would give internet celebrities an incentive to post directly to their services.
To start, Facebook has confirmed that it will test a “bunch of different formats” that give creators a cut of the ad revenue. In one case, they’d get the same 55 percent as they would on YouTube. You should see this in the “coming months,” Facebook says. Twitter is already offering a slice of revenue through its Amplify program, but a Bloomberg source claims that it’ll give individual creators the same 70 percent of sales revenue that it would offer to big-name media outlets. Both sites, meanwhile, want makers to label sponsored videos as ads and get cash from the brands they’re pitching.
There’s no guarantee that major YouTubers like Ricky Dillon (above) or Miranda Sings will embrace the concept. Their audiences know where to go to find them, and they could just as easily post links to their YouTube videos. However, this might give them an incentive to repackage clips specifically for social networks and boost their overall income. That’s good for Facebook and Twitter, of course, but it would also help stars both expand their audiences and reduce their dependency on one site — if YouTube ever shrank their revenue or kicked them off, they could still make a living.
Source: Bloomberg
Wear a vibrating bracelet while playing ‘Pokemon Sun’ and ‘Moon’
Pokemon Go isn’t the only adorable-monster-hunting game to get a physical accessory — Pokemon Sun and Moon will connect to the Z-Ring, a peripheral that lights up, vibrates and makes noises whenever players use special Z-Moves in the games. Z-Moves are new to the series; they’re strong attacks that can only be used once per battle. A Z-Move unleashes the full combined power of the trainer and the Pokemon, and it’s activated when the trainer has a Z-Ring (in-game) and Z-Crystals. If the trainer’s crystals are the same type as the battling Pokemon’s, then together they can use a Z-Move.
Tomy International is making the real-life Z-Ring and it’s set to hit store shelves alongside Sun and Moon on November 18th. Note that despite its name, the Z-Ring is actually a bracelet.
How the Z-Ring works in-game (left) and the physical model
Pokemon Sun and Moon are set on a series of tropical islands known as the Alola region, a resort destination packed with new Pokemon and challenges. In the lore, a handful of existing Pokemon have grown up in Alola and adapted to the area with new evolutions, including Exeggutor, Vulpix, Ninetales, Sandshrew and Sandslash. Along with these fresh forms, Nintendo today also revealed a handful of new Pokemon coming to November’s games — check them all out in the gallery and video below.
Former Apple Store Employees Provide Amusing Glimpse Into Company’s Retail Culture
A trio of former Apple Store employees recently delved into some stories of their tenure at various retail locations of the company’s well-recognized brand. Although their names were changed to keep their identities a secret, the group which spoke with Thrillist included: Lucas, a Lead Genius with five years of experience; David, who worked part-time as a Sales Specialist for four-and-a-half years; and Tony, a Family Room Specialist for five years at an Apple Store.
Some of the topics tackled by the former Apple employees were Apple’s much-discussed secrecy that would sometimes trickle down from corporate, the comical lengths customers went to in order to get a product replaced, and the power dynamics inherent within every Apple Store location. David had some first-hand experience with a particularly extensive reach for secrecy implemented by Apple during the launch of the iPhone 5, which also ditched the 30-pin charging adapter for the now ubiquitous Lightning cable.
David: “We were never given inside information on any new product releases or designs. I remember when the iPhone 5 came out, we got a shipment of the newer Lightning Cables a little bit before the announcement. Even something as simple as the design of the new cable was such a secret that when they originally sent them to us, they were disguised inside of a mock enclosure that mimicked the older, 30-pin cable design. When the new cable was unveiled, they sent us instructions on how to pry these enclosures open to reveal the newer connector secretly housed inside of the older ones. Crazy stuff.”
All three of the former employees chimed in on the awkward stories surrounding customers bringing in “completely destroyed” Apple devices and attempting to walk out of the store with a new replacement. Lucas mentioned a man who claimed an iPhone “erupted into flames,” while further evidence suggested it was microwaved in a misguided attempt to remedy accidental water damage. Tony and David provided weirder tales still.
Tony: “I had a guy try to convince me that the liquid damage was some kind of E.T. fluid from when he was abducted [by aliens]. It was hard to keep a straight face during that.”
David: “One time we had a guy bring in a completely destroyed iPhone in a plastic bag. I mean this thing was 100% unrecognizable. He told us it wasn’t working right, so he took it out behind his house and shot it with a rifle because he was so fed up with the thing. We did not replace it.”
Lucas and David went further into the specifics of the “distinct hierarchy” of the Apple Store, detailing an “odd” dynamic imbalance between entry level employees and those higher up. Most of the full-time positions were “seen as an accomplishment” due to Apple’s extensive training program that flew out applicants to Cupertino or Austin for a few days. This created an “off-putting” atmosphere for new employees trying to get by in the store and still years off from being able to take advantage of the company’s perks. According to Lucas, no one at an Apple store — seasoned or newly employed — could tell any customer “no.”
Lucas: “Under no circumstances could we tell a customer directly, ‘No, I cannot help with this issue.’ This was a tricky one in certain situations. For example, if a customer had to pay $199 to replace their broken iPhone screen, they’d get very upset. If they say something like ‘So you’re telling me you can’t help me with this, you can’t fix my phone?!’ we were trained to reply with ‘Yes, I absolutely can help you and I’d love to. The replacement is $199.’ This could loop around in circles for quite awhile.”
Earlier in May, Apple celebrated the 15th anniversary of the first two Apple Stores, which opened their doors on May 19, 2001 in Tysons Corner, Virginia and Glendale, California. Since the opening of those two pioneering locations, Apple has expanded to operate nearly 500 stores in over a dozen countries — spearheaded by Senior Vice President of Retail, Angela Ahrendts — which undoubtedly contributes to unique stories like the ones that have been divulged to Thrillist.
Tony, Lucas, and David go into detail about many other areas of working at an Apple Store, including the wayfaring strangers who take advantage of the store’s multiple internet-connected computers and the sometimes sensitive material discovered during data migrations of iPhoto. You can read the full article detailing a few slice-of-life stories from the former Apple Store employees here.
Tag: Apple Store
Discuss this article in our forums
