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Trump’s China App Ban Will Affect Apple Due to WeChat

President Trump’s ban on Chinese apps, in particular WeChat, is going to affect Apple, writes Michael Kan.

Forty-five days from now, the White House can begin punishing US companies and individuals for making “transactions” that are related to WeChat. That means Apple will likely need to pull the product from the iOS app store.
“For Apple, it would be all iPhone sales in China will go to zero because no one in China will buy a WeChatless phone,” tweeted podcaster Carl Zha.

As I understand it, WeChat is THE most popular app in China. It’s what Facebook aspires to be with Messenger. It’s used for everything like messaging, mobile payments, a hub for businesses, etc. Like Mr. Kan notes, it won’t affect Google because apps can be sideloaded on Android. But the App Store is the single repository of iOS apps.

Government Contractor ‘Anomaly Six’ Used SDK to Track Phones

A U.S. government contractor called Anomaly Six used its SDK embedded in over 500 apps to track people. Which apps have this SDK is unknown.

Users Cannot Remove Storage From Logic Board in New 27-inch iMac

Flash storage cannot be removed from the logic board in the new 27-inch iMac – some models have flash storage expansion.

Security Friday - Intel, LastPass, Clario – TMO Daily Observations 2020-08-07

Andrew Orr and Jeff Butts join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Security Friday news, and a new headphone option coming with iOS 14.

‘Game of Thrones: Tale of Crows’ Arrives on Apple Arcade

“Game of Thrones: Tale of Crows” launched on Apple Arcade Friday. It goes beyond the TV series to explore the 8,000 year history of the Night’s Watch in its vigil on top of the Wall. Players will etch their own tales into the annals of Lord Commanders and their sworn brothers over centuries as they shore up stocks, defenses, and recruits at Castle Black as well as send ranging parties out to navigate the wild North, riding into the lands beyond the Wall unsure of what awaits them.

iPhone 12 Camera Lenses Encounter Quality Control Problems

Camera lenses set for the iPhone 12 have encountered problems, according to a note from analyst Ming Chi Kuo, seen by 9to5 Mac. However, it could save Apple some money.

The problem was spotted during a high-temperature, high-humidity test designed to ensure that the cameras can cope with use in tropical climates… The issues occurred with the camera modules destined for the non-Pro 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch models, with units made by Yujingguang. It’s not yet known whether the company will be able to fix the problem in time for the launch. While Apple will undoubtedly not be impressed by the failure in the iPhone 12 camera lenses, there may be an upside to it. Kuo believes that the lens supplier will be forced to offer Apple a substantial discount on the agreed price in order to win back the business.

New Executive Orders Target WeChat and TikTok

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed Executive Orders banning transactions with Chinese companies behind WeChat and TikTok.

Apple to Donate to Beirut Relief Efforts

Apple is to make a contribution to relief efforts in Beirut, following the devastating blast in the Lebanese city this week.

Apple and T-Mobile Give 1 Million iPads to California Students

Apple and T-Mobile are partnering with the California Department of Education to give up to one million iPads to students in need.

Facebook Gaming App Launches on iOS... With no Games

Facebook hit out at Apple’s App Store policies as it launched its Facebook Gaming app on iOS… without any games.

‘Have I Been Pwned’ Database Now Open Source

Troy Hunt is making his Have I Been Pwned database open source. He says it’s already a community project with companies like Cloudflare providing free services to HIBP.

The single most important objective of that process was to seek a more sustainable future for HIBP and that desire hasn’t changed; the project cannot be solely dependent on me. Yet that’s where we are today and if I disappear, HIBP quickly withers and dies.

Facebook to Continue WFH Until July 2021

Facebook has joined Google in extending its work from home plans. Staff will not return to the office until July 2021, Techcrunch reported. Apple is hoping to have employees return in early 2021.

“Based on guidance from health and government experts, as well as decisions drawn from our internal discussions about these matters, we are allowing employees to continue voluntarily working from home until July 2021,” a spokeswoman told the Reuters news agency. Facebook also said it will provide employees with an additional $1,000 to spend on “home office needs”… Earlier this month, Facebook secured the main office lease on an iconic building in New York, for example — adding 730,000 square feet to its existing 2.2 million square feet of office space.

Meeting The Cast of 'Little Voice' on Apple TV+

In a new video, the cast and creators of Apple TV+ show Little Voice discuss their time on set and how they set about showing young New York life. They talk about the characters and the diversity that makes the series what it is.

Twitter Pushed iPhone Update Notes on Limiting Who Can Reply by Mistake

Twitter pushed an iPhone release suggesting that the ability to limit who replies was being rolled out more widely than it currently has been. However, The Verge found out that the release notes came out by mistake.

Twitter has been experimenting with this feature since May, and yesterday pushed an update to the iPhone version of its mobile app suggesting the feature would be more widely rolling out. A Twitter spokesperson now tells The Verge it accidentally pushed incorrect release notes; the feature is not in fact more widely rolling out, for now. “In May, we tested a new way to have a chat with exactly who you want, so you can create and consume more meaningful changes,” read the update text on the App Store. “Now, everyone can try this new feature and choose who can reply to their tweets.” A Twitter spokesperson says the misconception was due “to some accidentally pushed release notes,” and that “the ability to limit replies on tweets is not currently available to everyone.”

Shot on iPhone - Academy Award Winner Damien Chazelle Creates Vertical Cinema

Apple released a new ‘Shot on iPhone’ video in which Oscar winner Damien Chazelle took famous cinematic styles and flipped them on their side.

20GB Intel Data Leak Spread on Twitter Includes Source Code

An anonymous leaker took to Twitter to leak 20GB of Intel data and says more is coming soon.

The poster encourages downloaders to look for mentions of ‘backdoors’ in some of the Intel source code, and even provides a sample clip of one such listing, but we aren’t sure of the intentions behind the listings in the code.

Hitting Command + F to look for mentions of backdoors, because such backdoors would conveniently be labeled as such, right?

5 Reasons to Use Virtual Phones Instead of Desk Phones at Your Business

The days of regular office equipment and average offices don’t exist anymore. Nowadays, every company is trying to using the most effective and efficient methods to get up the ladder in their industry. Before getting into why you should replace your existing phone system with new technology, here is your brief guide to virtual phones…