Apple is bringing a more direct form of developer feedback to the iOS and Mac App Stores. Starting in iOS 10.3, which is currently in beta, developers will be able to respond to reviews in the App Store.
Andrew Orr
Since 2015 Andrew has been writing about Apple, privacy, security, and at one point even Android. You can find him most places online under the username @andrewornot.
Articles by Andrew Orr
macOS Sierra: PiPifier Gives You Picture-in-Picture For All Videos
macOS Sierra introduced Picture-in-picture. It’s a feature in which you can watch videos while doing another task. For example, watch a YouTube video while typing up a report. The video is displayed in a small window that you can drag around the screen. This works for most videos on the web, but not all. Here’s how to force PiP for all HTML5 videos.
Peter Dinklage From Game of Thrones Fears His iPhone
What does the actor who plays a character who faces dragons, monsters, magic, and even his very own father fear in real life? If it’s Peter Dinklage—Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones, we’re talking about, it’s his iPhone 7. Mr. Dinklage gave an interview to CNET to promote Rememory, a SciFi film debuting this week at the Sundance Film Festival. In that interview, he said, “I just got an iPhone about six months ago, friends made fun of me. I’m afraid of it.” There’s a reason, though, and that’s concern over how tech is changing the way humans interact. To wit, when people approach him, the interaction has become solely about the selfie-with-Peter. He said, “We’re not even allowing a memory to sink in. They’ll have proof of meeting me, but […] there wasn’t anything to remember, because all you did was just take a picture.” It’s an interesting perspective on this particular concern.
iOS Tip: Avoid Charging Your Wet iPhone 7/7 Plus
This is less of a tip and more of a warning. Apple made the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus water and dust resistant, with a rating of IP67. This means that you won’t have to worry as much if you get a wet iPhone. Step One: Don’t panic, and grab your towel.
Apple Releases New Design Resources for iOS Developers
Today Apple shared some free design resources for iOS developers with an update to its iOS Human Interface Guidelines (via 9to5Mac). The resources include UI and template materials to make it easier to design iOS apps. Apple says the design resources are “comprehensive and accurately depict the full range of UIKit controls, views and glyphs available to developers using the iOS SDK.” The files are available in Sketch and Photoshop formats. This is a change from the Sketch-only files in the past. Interestingly, both light and dark UI elements are given. It adds a small amount of fuel to the fire for a rumored Dark Mode.
How To Fix The iPhone Rainbow Emoji Message Crash
Another messaging crash for iOS devices is making the rounds. This time, it involves the colorful rainbow emoji. The bug affects both iPhones and iPads running iOS 10.1 or below, but a variant of the crash can affect devices running iOS 10.2. Luckily the fix is very easy, and we’ll show you how.
iOS Tip: Create Your Own Live Wallpaper with LivePapers
When Apple announced the iPhone 6s, they debuted a new way to interact with your iPhone, called 3D Touch. 3D Touch lets you “peek” and “pop” your way around apps. The company also introduced Live Photos—animated pictures that you capture and bring to life by 3D touching the photo. Apple provided a handful of Live wallpapers to use, but many people wondered if it was possible to make your own. That is what we’ll explore in this tip.
![Some People Have Found Coins In Their MacBook [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/macbook-featured.webp)
Some People Have Found Coins In Their MacBook [Update]
In today’s weird news, apparently some people have found coins hidden inside their MacBook, specifically the optical drive. Is this an engineering tradition of good luck? Or perhaps an error in manufacturing? We dive in to explore the explanations, and apply Occam’s Razor in a show of logic. Updated with comments from Kyle Wiens of iFixIt.
Apple Music's Carpool Karaoke Will Feature Different Celebrity Host for Each Episiode
Apple Music’s spinoff version of James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke will feature 16 episodes per season, each with a different celebrity host. Announced in July and teased further in August, the news that each episode would a different host was announced by Mr. Corden and the executive producers of the show.
iOS 10: Selectively Control Read Receipts For iMessage
If you’ve been using Apple products, you’re most likely familiar with iMessage read receipts. You probably also know you can turn this feature on and off. But did you know you can fine-tune it? Note that it only works for iMessage and not SMS. Sorry green bubbles!
Apple Shares Best of 2016 Video For Content
A few weeks ago, Apple released its annual ‘Best Of’ lists to showcase the most popular content for the year. Today the company shared a quick video to show top content across all of its categories. We’ll share the video and break down each category.
Tip: Fix The Vincedes3 iMessage-Crashing Bug With One Tap
A new bug has been found that can disable Apple’s Messages app on the iPhone. All it takes is one text message, but luckily there’s a solution. Andrew Orr walks us through the bug and how to fix it.
My 3 Favorite iOS Apps From 2016
As 2016 comes to an end, it’s nice to look back and reflect upon the year. I’d like to share my three favorite apps that I’ve used this year, and why I liked them: Cryptomator, RNI Flashback, and Curiosity.
AirPod Alerts for Your Local Apple Store
When AirPods went on sale for preorder on December 13, Apple quickly became backordered. Customers found that delivery estimate for their order were up to 4-6 weeks out. Apple Stores have been receiving shipments of AirPods every day or so. Other stores like BestBuy and Target are also getting regular shipments. If you haven’t ordered AirPods yet, and don’t want to have to check with each store, you can use this handy website to get AirPod Alerts. You enter your email address and the physical address of your local Apple Store. Then, you’ll be notified whenever your store gets a new shipment of AirPods.
How to Transfer Files Between Mac and iPhone With iTunes
There are multiple ways to share files between Apple devices. You can use AirDrop, iMessage or even email. But an oft-overlooked feature is iTunes File Transfer. Andrew Orr explains how to use this feature to transfer files between your iPhone and Mac.
iOS Developers Get More Time To Use ATS
At its World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) this year, Apple announced that all apps on its platform must support App Transport Security (ATS). The company told developers on Friday, however, that it is extending that deadline.
Russia And Turkey Ask Apple to Unlock Killer's iPhone 4s
Apple’s encryption debate isn’t over yet. Several days ago, a man assassinated the Russian ambassador to Turkey before turning the gun on himself. Now, Russian and Turkish authorities have asked Apple to unlock the shooter’s iPhone 4s.
Apple Stopped Signing iOS 10.1 and 10.1.1 - What That Means
Now that iOS 10.2 is officially released to the public, Apple has stopped signing iOS 10.1 and iOS 10.1.1. Users won’t be able to downgrade if you run into issues with iOS 10.2. Andrew Orr explains what that means.
macOS Sierra: Sharing Apple Notes
One of the updates that macOS Sierra brings to the table is collaboration, specifically in Apple Notes. Sharing notes is a great way to collaborate with your friends, family or coworkers.
How to Setup a VPN on iPhone with iOS 10
You might (or might not) know about using a VPN to keep your Mac secure. But did you know you can also use a VPN on your iPhone? Here’s how to set one up.
Apple Pay Expands with Causemo And GoDaddy
On Wednesday, Apple added domain registrar GoDaddy and startup Causemo to Apple Pay. Apple has steadily expanded the list of retailers and other companies who accept Apple Pay online, increasing the service’s footprint.
Here Are the 104 New Emojis in iOS 10.2
Yesterday Apple released the long-awaited update to iPhone: iOS 10.2. With this version, iPhone users can make use of 104 new emojis. There’s nothing specifically telling you which ones are new, however, so we gathered them together for you.
![How To Use Email Aliases In Apple Mail [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/macbook_apple-mail02.webp)
How To Use Email Aliases In Apple Mail [Update]
At some point in your life, you might find yourself juggling multiple email addresses. Maybe you have several personal addresses, or a personal address and a work address. In any case, it can be a bit of a hassle to manage all of them. A way to solve this is to use an email alias. [Updated for clarity when setting up aliases in the web version of Mail on iCloud.com]
2017 iPhone Rumor Roundup
iPhone 7 is still wet behind the ears, but Rumors are already flying over 2017 iPhone. It will be the iPhone’s tenth anniversary, and expectations are high for Apple’s next model. It’s still early in the rumor cycle, but here are some of the highest-profile rumors and supposed leaks so far, as well as what they might really mean.
