A couple of days ago, a report showed that Microsoft tried to negotiate with Apple to release Xbox-exclusive games on the App Store. Now a new story reveals that the Redmond company wasn’t the only one trying to do so as Sony was also planning to bring PlayStation Now to mobile phones.

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The post Sony planned to bring PlayStation Now to the iPhone, shows papers from Epic v. Apple case appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been testing Home Widget for HomeKit, and it’s become an app that I’ve started to use daily. If you want quick access to all your HomeKit accessories without needing to launch the app or go to the control center, keep reading to learn more.

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The post This app brings HomeKit widgets right to your iOS home screen appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Apple @ Work is brought to you by Mosyle, the leader in modern mobile device management (MDM) and security for Apple enterprise and education customers. Over 22,000 organizations leverage Mosyle solutions to automate the management and security of millions of Apple devices daily. Request a FREE account today and discover how you can put your Apple fleet on auto-pilot at a price point that is hard to believe.

360-degree cameras might have been used a bit before COVID, but now they are a mainstay in every conference room, classroom, etc. Meeting Owl has been the gold standard here with its tight integration with macOS and Windows, but also easy management with the COOLPO 360 degree camera is rough 2/3rds the cost with a robust feature set, making it a great option if you’re looking to upgrade multiple rooms or even upgrade your home office.

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The post Apple @ Work: COOLPO 360 degree camera is a perfect low-cost alternative for plug and play macOS video conferencing appeared first on 9to5Mac.

9to5Mac is brought to you by MacStadium. Migrate to M1 easier with Orka and MacStadium. Orchestrate macOS VMs with Kubernetes in a mixed cluster of M1 and Intel Macs. Watch the tech preview and sign up to be a beta participant.

One of the hallmark new features available in macOS Monterey is Live Text. As Apple puts it, this features makes text “completely interactive in your photos,” allowing you to copy and paste it, use lookup, translation, and more. Head below for the full details on how Live Text works.

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The post Here’s how to use macOS Monterey’s most useful new feature: Live Text appeared first on 9to5Mac.

It’s storytime with Zac leading into a discussion about just how hard it can be to keep backups of iCloud Photos. Meanwhile, Apple avoids the Epic deadline, launches hotel keys in Apple Wallet and Ming-Chi Kuo releases some specs for the upcoming AR/VR Apple headset.

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The post 9to5Mac Happy Hour 359: iCloud Photos backups, keys in Apple Wallet, AR headset specs appeared first on 9to5Mac.

A new exploit called “Log4Shell” has been giving security teams at large technology companies a headache. When exploited, the vulnerability lets hackers run malicious code on vulnerable servers, and it can reportedly affect platforms such as iCloud and Steam.

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The post iCloud and other services vulnerable to new ‘Log4Shell’ exploit impacting logging systems appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Although Apple’s AirPods earphones often receive firmware updates, there’s no easy or intuitive way to update them. Now it seems that Apple has realized this, as the company has developed a tool to manually update AirPods’ firmware – but it’s not available to everyone.

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The post Apple finally makes a firmware updater for AirPods, but you can’t use it appeared first on 9to5Mac.

The much-anticipated sixth entry in the mainline Halo series titled Halo Infinite on Xbox has finally landed, and you may be wondering if you can play it on your iPhone or iPad. Good news! You can, and it’s extremely easy to get set up. To play Halo Infinite on your iOS device, you’ll need an Xbox game pass subscription that costs $14.99/month and requires a decent internet connection.

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The post Here’s how to play Halo Infinite on your iPhone or iPad with Xbox Game Pass appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Earlier this week, a report indicated that both Snap and Facebook are using a loophole in Apple’s App Tracking Transparency guidelines to continue sharing ‘aggregated’ user data. A new report from The Information sheds more light on this, with a specific focus on the workaround Snap is using.

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The post More details emerge on how Snap, Facebook, and others are skirting App Tracking Transparency appeared first on 9to5Mac.

You might’ve heard that 9to5Mac recently launched a merch store. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should do so right now. We’ve got tons of really cool apparel designs, stickers, and yes a polishing cloth. Our polishing cloth is bright blue and features our iconic clock logo in the lower right corner. It also doesn’t break the bank and only costs $5, a quarter of Apple’s extremely hard to obtain cloth.

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The post 9to5Mac’s polishing cloth cleans your Apple devices for a quarter of the price of Apple’s appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Just three days after releasing the RC builds of iOS 15.2 and macOS Monterey 12.1, Apple on Friday released new updates to developers. iOS 15.2 RC 2 and macOS 12.1 RC 2 can now be downloaded on the Apple Developer website or as an OTA update.

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The post Apple releases updated iOS 15.2 RC and macOS 12.1 RC builds to developers [U] appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

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The post 9to5Mac Daily: December 10, 2021 – AirPods updates, Apple Watch lawsuit appeared first on 9to5Mac.

I’ve tested more HomeKit cameras over the years than I can likely remember. However, I recently had the opportunity to start using the Homam camera with HomeKit Secure Video support, and I can say without a doubt that it’s the best option if you want premium hardware with robust software outside of the Home app.

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The post HomeKit Weekly: Homam takes the crown for high-end HomeKit Secure Video camera options appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Friday has arrived and all of the best deals are now up for taking. First up, we have a new all-time low on Apple’s AirPods 3, which are on sale for $140. That’s alongside the best price yet on the Apple TV 4K and a one-day Apple Watch sale at Woot. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

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The post Deals: AirPods 3 fall to new low of $140, Apple TV 4K hits $150, Apple Watch sale, more appeared first on 9to5Mac.

It’s no secret that the new M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pros are impressive machines. We’ve covered their impressive performance multiple times already, and new reports continue to emerge emphasizing it. Now, CNET has published a new report showcasing the power of the M1 Max MacBook Pro for photo editing.

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The post Latest tests show the power of the M1 Max MacBook Pro with Adobe Lightroom appeared first on 9to5Mac.