Recent Articles By Andrew Orr [RSS]

Netflix Says No to macOS Catalina, Won't Port its App Over

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With the release of macOS Catalina and Catalyst, many developers are now porting their iOS apps to the Mac. But not Netflix.

Last year, Apple Inc. software chief Craig Federighi said developers would be able to easily bring their iPad apps to Mac computers, essentially letting coders write an app once and deploy it across millions more devices. So far, the reality has fallen short for some developers and is even leaving consumers paying twice for apps. Major app developers and service providers like Netflix Inc. are also demurring on taking part, at least at this early stage.

I’ll be interested to see if Hulu ports their app over.

Oops! Twitter Accidentally Used Your Phone Number for Ads

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Twitter admitted yesterday that it “unintentionally” used some email addresses and phone numbers for advertising purposes. These phone numbers were specifically used to keep your account safe with two-factor authentication.

We recently discovered that when you provided an email address or phone number for safety or security purposes (for example, two-factor authentication) this data may have inadvertently been used for advertising purposes, specifically in our Tailored Audiences and Partner Audiences advertising system.

This is exactly why SMS-based two-factor authentication needs to go away. SMS is inherently insecure, as the FBI recently noted. Funnily enough, I recently removed my phone number from Twitter, although it’s probably too late.

TripIt Adds a Mac App for macOS Catalina Users

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TripIt is a great app for travelers and lets you plan your entire trip with it. It recently launched an app for macOS Catalina that uses Apple’s Project Catalyst. Starting today, you can access TripIt on your desktop with the new TripIt app for Mac. Simply download the TripIt app for Mac on the Mac App Store to see all of your travel details in one place. With TripIt app for Mac, you’ll get the itinerary-managing power of the highest-rated travel-organizing app right on your desktop, including: A menu bar that makes adding travel plans a breeze, and the availability of more screen real estate and a full keyboard for fine-tuning itineraries; Notifications on your desktop so you never miss a beat; Plane-friendly features, such as offline access to your travel plans and Dark Mode; An enriched pre-trip experience, with access to neighborhood safety scores and links to Maps to help you explore the areas you’ll be visiting. Mac App Store: TripIt – Free

Budget Burndown Gives You a Visual Spending Tracker

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Budget Burndown is a new financial app for the App Store that gives you a nice, visual spending tracker so you can quickly see where your money is going. Features: At-a-glance visibility into how much you’re spending against your monthly budget; View your total amount spent and all of your transactions across multiple cards in a single list; Your bank credentials are end-to-end encrypted, so your information is completely safe; Get helpful features like the home screen widget, custom notifications, editable transactions, and multiple linked cards; and you don’t have to create an account; just link whichever cards you want to track. Additionally, I also personally approve of its privacy policy. App Store: Budget Burndown – Free (Offers In-App Purchases)

Eve for HomeKit Updates for iOS 13

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Eve is a smart home company that builds products that work with Apple’s HomeKit. The company recently updated its app to version 4.0 for iOS 13. It adds dark mode, easier access to your favorite views, and other refinements.

Eve works with all HomeKit-enabled accessories. See your home at a glance. Customize your ecosystem down to the finest detail. Activate scenes in a snap. And easily create automations using timers and rules. With Eve, you’re at the forefront of connected home control – and guided – every step of the way.

App Store: Eve for HomeKit – Free

Zane Lowe Talks About The Future of Apple Music

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Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe talks about where Apple Music is headed in a new interview. When it comes to Beats 1, Apples radio show, the team found something interesting.

It turns out users are four times more likely to complete an album if they’d pre-added it to their collection, 1.5 times more likely to listen to it again and they listen to music four times longer than other Apple Music subscribers. In short, Apple is trying to build a better hype machine than its rivals to counteract the popular, but depersonalised playlists that have come to dominate music streaming.

Apple Shares Trailer for The Elephant Queen

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Apple has shared a trailer for The Elephant Queen.

Embark on an epic journey of love, courage and coming home. Join Athena, the majestic matriarch of an elephant herd, as she is forced to lead her family across the unforgiving African savanna in search of water. This family-friendly adventure is a cinematic love letter to a threatened species. Narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, The Lion King), The Elephant Queen won the Cinema for Peace International Green Film Award of the Year.

You can watch the trailer on YouTube here, and check out our Apple TV guide here.

Create a macOS Catalina Bootable Drive for Installation

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Roman Loyola shares a tip for Apple users looking to upgrade: Creating a macOS Catalina bootable drive.

An external drive that you can use as an installer for macOS Catalina is a handy thing to have. If you have multple Macs to upgrade, it’s a lot more efficient to plug in the USB installer drive and run the installer than to log into the App Store, download the 6.5GB OS installer, and then run it.

U.S. Supreme Court Sides With Apple Over University of Wisconsin

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For several years Apple has been in a patent fight with the University of Wisconsin. But recently the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a bid by the university to reinstate its legal victory over Apple.

The licensing body, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), filed suit in 2014, alleging infringement of a 1998 patent on a “predictor circuit” to help speed the way processors carry out computer program instructions. The patent was developed by computer science professor Gurindar Sohi and three of his students at the university, located in Madison, Wisconsin.

An Apple Sleep App Could be Coming for Apple Watch

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Someone found a reference to a mysterious sleep app on the Apple Watch, and it could be an Apple sleep app.

In the App Store listing for Apple’s preinstalled Alarms app on the Apple Watch, there is a screenshot of an unreleased version of the Alarms app with a “Sleep” label and fine print that reads “set your Bedtime and wake up in the Sleep app.”

There is no Sleep app or references to a Sleep app in the Alarms app on watchOS 6.0.1 or watchOS 6.1 beta, but MacRumors uncovered evidence of Apple working on a Sleep app for the Apple Watch in an internal build of iOS 13 last month, so Apple likely shared this screenshot too early by accident.