Apple's Legions of users love FaceTime, but there's a problem with the highly popular app. It only allows you to see and talk to one person at a time. Apple fans have been clamoring for Group FaceTime for almost as long as the app has existed, and soon, they'll get their wish. Beginning with iOS 12, Group FaceTime will finally be "a thing," allowing you to simultaneously talk with up to 31 of your contacts. Even better, the new functionality will allow you to turn any iMessage group chat … Read more
Latest IPhone Update Syncs Messages Across All Devices
If you use Apple products, you may have noticed an annoying "feature". If you're using the messaging app on your phone and texting someone and then you move to your Mac and access the same program there, the conversation you were having on your phone isn't present. The two devices are messaging islands that can't reliably communicate with each other. Since they can't, you can't start a conversation on one device and then pick it up later on another. True, Apple fans have found workarounds … Read more
Windows 10 Gets iTunes App For Apple Users
Apple promised that its iTunes app would be available on the Microsoft Store by the end of 2017. The announcement was greeted with enthusiasm, but unfortunately, the company didn't meet their own deadline. They cited the need for more time to build a more robust user experience for Windows users. The wait is finally over, and its big news, because some Windows 10 machines can only download apps, and prior to this, iTunes was offered as a standalone download only. The app is fairly … Read more
Apple Will Officially No Longer Sell Routers
After more than two decades in the business, Apple is officially going to stop selling routers. The writing has been on the wall for a while now, since the company's "AirPort" family of products hasn't received a significant update in more than five years. When Apple first introduced its AirPort product line, wireless computing was still something of a rarity, and Apple's offerings were ahead of their time. In the years between then and now though, the market has changed significantly. … Read more
WiFi Sync on iOS Vulnerable To TrustJacking
Owners of Apple devices have a new attack vector to worry about, called "TrustJacking." Symantec researchers recently stumbled across a pair of scenarios that take advantage of Wi-Fi syncing of various Apple devices. These are scenarios that also take advantage of the trust users have in the security of their own devices, allowing hackers to take complete control over those devices. The flaw is a consequence of the way that iTunes Wi-Fi Sync is designed. The vulnerability manifests when a … Read more
Apple Recall Affects Some Macbook Pro Batteries
If you recently bought a 13-inch MacBook Pro (without a Touch Bar), you'll want to head to Apple's website. The company didn't make a big announcement, but they've quietly introduced a battery replacement program that impacted what the company described as a "limited number" of laptops. The company didn't provide many details, but apparently, on certain machines an unknown component failure can cause the built-in battery to swell. There's no danger of an explosion and no fire hazard … Read more
Apple Releases Major iPhone and iOS Device Update 11.3
There's a lot to talk about in Apple's latest update to iOS. Version 11.3 boasts some significant changes and is well worth getting. We'll go over the highlights below. Battery management is the biggest and most significant change. Last year, the company found itself in hot water when they began quietly throttling older phones and slowing down their performance because older phones have batteries that begin to degrade. In the absence of throttling, it's entirely possible that a user's … Read more
You Can Now Search Google From iMessage With App Download
There's a fun, new update for Apple's iMessage app that will probably make lots of power users happy. As long as you also have Google's iOS app installed, you'll be able to perform Google searches from within iMessage itself. In order to make it work, you'll have to go into the app drawer (App Store icon) and enable the iMessage extension. Once enabled, all you have to do to use Google search is to tap on the Google shortcut icon to get the search box. Even better, the update includes … Read more
New Freemium Offer Mines Cryptocurrency
Freemium software is certainly nothing new. They are free apps that offer premium features if you don't mind ads displaying while you're using it or paying a small fee to have the ads removed. At least one company is trying a new business model on for size, albeit with limited success. The company is Qbix, and their freemium app is called "Calendar 2." It's a solid calendar app with more features than Apple's default app, and the Qbix offers its users premium features if they're willing to … Read more
New Apple Update Available for Character Bug Solution
Recently, another "exotic character" bug was found in iOS. If someone sends this particular character (a special character that's part of the Indian language pack) to your phone via any messaging app, it will not only crash your phone, but cause a variety of messaging apps to stop functioning. When the bug was initially reported, Apple treated it as a somewhat low priority item and announced their plan to fix it with the release of iOS 11.3 later this spring. The company's loyal user base, … Read more
