It’s now official: when you can’t get people to get into shape for their own good, bribery will probably work. That’s what an Australian health insurance company discovered in making Apples Watches available to clients for free so long as they met exercise commitments.

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After delaying the public beta of Pokémon TCG Live last November, the Pokémon Company International just announced the game will be available for Canadian players next week.

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Google has announced plans for blocking cross-app tracking on Android phones, following Apple’s lead on iPhones, claims a new report today.

However, there are a number of problems with the report, suggesting it may be a case of ‘The headline giveth, and the small print taketh away’ …

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One of the biggest antitrust issues facing Apple has been around its monopoly on the iOS app market. One proposed solution has been to allow competing app stores, while another has been for Apple to allow sideloading of iOS apps in exactly the same way it does on Macs.

Apple argues that sideloading would be dangerous, opening up the iPhone to malware and scam apps – but Jason Snell has put forward an interesting argument that it could make iOS apps better, rather than worse …

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Uber today announced it’s making an important change on its app, as passengers can finally see their star rating in detail.

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Twitter Safety Mode is a beta feature that aims to automatically block trolls from appearing in your Twitter feed. Previously in limited testing, the company is now making it available to around half of its users in a number of English-speaking countries…

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The new head of the federal broadband administration has revealed that part of his role will extend to reviewing competitiveness in the mobile app ecosystem, adding yet another source of antitrust pressure to Apple’s App Store.

This reflects an executive order from President Biden stating that ‘it is the policy of my Administration to enforce the antitrust laws to combat the excessive concentration of industry, the abuses of market power, and the harmful effects of monopoly’…

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Popular code and text editor BBEdit was updated on Tuesday with multiple new features. Version 14.1 of the macOS app brings new Shortcuts actions and adds support for multiple Notebooks.

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As 5G spreads around the world, more people have access to faster, low-latency cellular data connections – and that includes iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 users who benefit from the new technology. As reported by OpenSignal, average cellular data speeds have increased “almost everywhere” since the launch of 5G.

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Back in June, YouTube announced that it was beginning to roll out Picture-in-Picture (PiP) to the iOS app for Premium subscribers. That said, the Google video site has yet to make it widely available, though it just extended the opt-in testing period again.

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The post YouTube testing of PiP for iOS app continues as desktop site trials more browsable comments list appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Apple today released the third betas of macOS Monterey 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4. These updates contain the long-awaited Universal Control feature, and today’s macOS Monterey 12.3 beta continues to iterate on the feature — specifically in regard to controls in System Preferences.

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Luxshare has become a key supplier of Apple as of late. The Chinese company, which assembles AirPods and most recently iPhones, announced today its joint venture with The Chery Group. Chery is an electric vehicle maker based in China.

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The post AirPods maker Luxshare invests in EV production as Apple Car rumors continue appeared first on 9to5Mac.

We’ve been covering everything new in iOS 15.4 since the release of the first beta version in January, and Apple continues to add more features to its mobile operating system. In addition to enabling Face ID while wearing a mask and Universal Control, the update also lets Apple Podcasts users filter episodes by seasons, downloaded episodes, and more.

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One of the useful and somewhat buried health features on Apple Watch is VO2 max. The measurement can be estimated by Apple Watch when recording specific workouts but it isn’t enabled by default and actually goes by another name. Follow along for a look at how to use VO2 max with Apple Watch and iPhone including why it’s important, how to set it up, and how to view your VO2 max levels.

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iOS 15.4 is certainly a big update ,as it brings features like Face ID while wearing a mask and Universal Control, but it seems there’s more to come. Following the release of iOS 15.4 beta 3 to developers on Tuesday, some people have noticed that the system now prompts users to review their Emergency SOS settings after the update.

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New data is out from Counterpoint Research providing their analysis on U.S. smartphone market shares in 2021. The data shows the market shares between leading smartphone brands such as Apple, Samsung, Motorola, OnePlus, and others with iPhone defeating each brand in every quarter.

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The post iPhone ruled the smartphone market in 2021 despite supply chain issues appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Update: watchOS 8.5 beta 3 is also available to public beta testers now.

Apple is releasing today watchOS 8.5 beta 3 to all developers. This version comes five days after the company made available watchOS 8.4.2 to all users.

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The post Apple releases watchOS 8.5 beta 3 to developers [U] appeared first on 9to5Mac.

After launching the first macOS Monterey 12.3 beta to developers and public testers with the exciting Universal Control feature enabled at the end of January, the third beta has arrived today.

Update 2/16: Apple has made the latest macOS beta available to public testers.

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Update: Public beta testers can now download the third test version of tvOS 15.4. HomePod 15.4 is still limited to selected developers to try.

A week after releasing beta 2 of tvOS 15.4 and HomePod 15.4, Apple is now seeding the third beta of these operating systems to developers.

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The post Apple releases third beta version of tvOS 15.4 and HomePod 15.4 [U] appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Update February 16, 2022: iOS 15.4 beta 3 is now rolling out to public beta testers.

One week after releasing the second beta to developers, Apple is now rolling out iOS 15.4 beta 3 to developers. The company also has a new beta of iPadOS 15.4 as well as watchOS 8.5. Head below for the full details on these latest releases from Apple. 

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The post iOS 15.4 beta 3 now rolling out to developers ahead of rumored March release [U: Public beta] appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Fresh off of the Super Bowl on Sunday, Apple has some football news of its own. It’s not quite an actual game, but the NFL is coming to Apple TV+ … sort of.

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The post Apple TV+ picks up NFL doc on New England Patriots with focus on Tom Brady era appeared first on 9to5Mac.

macOS has gone through a handful of visual changes over the last several years, but one thing that has stayed largely the same is System Preferences. A new concept imagines how Apple could revamp the System Preferences app design, with a focus on striking a balance between maintaining familiarity with the classic System Preferences design while also bringing it more in line with Settings on iOS and iPadOS.

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The post macOS ‘Settings’ concept shows just how dated System Preferences on the Mac actually is appeared first on 9to5Mac.

In December of 2020, Google acquired a Chromium-based operating system that turns old PCs into Chromebook-like devices. CloudReady is now becoming “Chrome OS Flex” and is launching in early access today.

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All of today’s best deals are headlined by an iPad mini 6 Amazon low at $50 off. Plus, a rare chance to save on the Logitech Crayon for iPad at $58 and this Philips Hue HomeKit lightstrip starter set at $92. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

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The post iPad mini 6 returns to low of $50 off in Tuesday’s best deals, plus Logitech Crayon and more appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Today, Twelve South refreshed one of its more popular accessories, delivering an updated design for Apple’s new 24-inch M1 iMac. The new BackPack for iMac arrives to position everything from hard drives and USB-C hubs out of the way on your setup by resting right on the back of Apple’s latest deckstop Macs. Now available for purchase, you can get all of the details down below.

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The post Twelve South’s popular aluminum Backpack shelf refreshed for 24-inch M1 iMac appeared first on 9to5Mac.

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