Following the exposure of a major FaceTime security hole earlier today, Apple has now taken Group FaceTime completely offline. This comes after the company said a fix for the FaceTime calling bug is coming “later this week,” but failed to address specifics. As we reported, this major FaceTime bug lets you hear the audio of the person you are calling before they pick up. To do this, you simply start a FaceTime video call with someone in your contacts, swipe up from the bottom and choose “Add Person....

Apple this evening has shared a new advertisement for its Apple TV set-top box. This ad continues the trend of the company highlighting the tvOS App Store that is available on the device, showcasing a handful of the most popular applications available so far. The ad is entitled “Apple TV – The Future of TV is Apps,” which is a slogan Apple has used since the launch of the device back in October....

As we’ve previously reported, Apple began giving away select paid apps in its Apple Store app recently as an added incentive to download and check out the app. This week in particular Apple has replaced the free app with free music from iTunes instead. The playlist is appropriately holiday themed and features songs such as Silent Night by Kelly Clarkson and The First Noel by Mary J Blige. The free holiday playlist is not present in the Apple Store for iPad app, which debuted last month, likely another reason why the application is not universal....

On Apple’s website, the Fibaro Button joins a handful of other HomeKit accessories, including products from Logitech, Honeywell, Phillips, and others. At Apple, The Button costs $59.95, just as it does from other retailers. As we explained in our full hands-on, Fibaro’s The Button allows you to assign actions to single press, double press, and long press clicks, such as turning on or off combinations of accessories. Fibaro’s accessory is fully programmed via the Home application and supports granular control of other HomeKit devices, such as turning a light on to 50% brightness....

The Apple Events app for Apple TV has now been updated to include the details for Apple’s first event of the year. It’s showtime. As Apple is live streaming the event, watching on iOS and Mac is as simple as opening Safari and going to the Apple website. The Apple TV tvOS operating system lacks a browser however, so the Apple Events app is needed in order to watch the stream directly on the Apple TV....

Apple has reached deals for two new films as part of its ongoing original content efforts. According to a new report from Deadline, Apple has inked deals for a documentary called ‘The Elephant Queen’ and an animated film called ‘Wolfwalkers.’ First, Apple has acquired rights to the documentary ‘The Elephant Queen’ from Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble. The documentary is about Athena, an elephant who must lead her family on a search for food and water:...

It’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day today, May 17, and Apple is marking the occasion by highlighting its accessibility features on the apple.com homepage … Under the heading ‘technology is most powerful when it empowers everyone,’ the link points to the company’s accessibility microsite, introduced by a film. The film also offers a transcript which can be read by those unable to see it, using Apple’s VoiceOver feature. The page outlines the accessibility features offered by Apple products in four categories:...

Apple has released the second iOS 11 public beta for the iPhone and iPad. As has been the case with previous public beta releases, this allows users who are not registered developers to test pre-release versions of iOS with new features for free. When it comes to stability and app compatibility, the same warnings apply to any pre-release software: apps might crash, battery life may be sub-optimal, and performance may be sluggish....

Apple today has released the sixth developer beta of macOS Catalina. This comes after Apple released the seventh developer beta of iOS 13, iPadOS 13, watchOS 6, and tvOS 13 last week. Apple took several weeks to release macOS Catalina developer beta 6. The company released beta 5 to developers on July 31st. Hands-on with 200+ iOS 13 changes and features [Video] Hands-on with 50 new iPadOS 13 changes and features [Video] Previewing CarPlay in iOS 13: Light mode, new and improved apps, more watchOS 6 Guide tvOS 13 Guide Hands-on: macOS Catalina top features [Video]

We’re less than one week out since Apple introduced the first iOS 12.4 developer beta for testing, and Apple appears to be ready to release iOS 12.4 beta 2. We also expect iOS 12.4 public beta 2 to be released today. iOS 12.4 beta doesn’t yet include any visible changes for users, but there are some under-the-hood changes to prepare iPhones and iPads for Apple Card, the new credit card coming from Apple later this summer....

Update: Apple has also released a new version of iOS 13 developer beta 3 to all developers. Apple today is releasing the second public beta of iOS 13 and iPadOS 13. The update comes two weeks after Apple released the first public beta of the new operating system to users. If you’re running the public beta of iOS 13 or iPadOS 13, you’ll be able to update via the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad....

Apple announced two changes to its iAd platform today, expanding the reach and available formats of the ad network in an attempt to reel in more advertisers. The first of these changes is support for brand new iAd styles, including those pre-roll videos we’ve all come to know and love on YouTube. Full-screeninterstitial have also been added to the selection, with both new formats detailed in an updated implementation guide....

Apple Stores are so effective at bringing shoppers into malls that the company has been able to negotiate much lower rent deals than most shops, the Wall Street Journal said in a report today. While most tenants have worked out deals to pay about 15% of their sales in rent, Apple’s ability drive traffic has enabled the company to keep its rent as low as a meager 2%. The only way things could get better for Apple, it seems, is if the Cupertino tech maker was able to secure the same agreement as large department stores, which pay nothing in rent and simply pay fees to help manage the up-keep of the mall’s common areas....

Apple this afternoon evacuated employees from a building at its Austin, Texas campus briefly due to a fire located on the roof, according to several local and reader reports. Local KXAN News reported that solar panels on the roof of offices at 5500 block of West Parmer Lane were the cause of the fire. The Austin Fire Department later confirmed the fire was extinguished and that employees, none of which reported injuries, were waiting to return to the building....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9CdISVlWGs&feature=youtu.be Update: the app seems to be back to normal now. Several users have reported that Apple’s official Podcasts app has suddenly stopped working on iOS. Users experiencing the issue report that the latest version of Apple’s Podcasts app, version 2.1.2 released on May 29th, no longer launches or functions on iOS 7.1.1, the latest stable version of the iPhone software. While the Podcasts app will download from the App Store, opening the app quickly crashes it after a few seconds as seen in the video above....

Apple today updated its executive profiles webpage to remove mention of “online stores” from retail chief Angela Ahrendts’ bio, reflecting a recent change to the executive’s official title. Ahrendts’ new title is, simply, Senior Vice President Retail. It appears the new title is a cosmetic change for its retail branding rather than a change in roles for Ahrendts. It’s my understanding that the title change is to better reflect Angela’s role that merges both retail stores and online retail operations, and not a result of any shift in responsibilities....

An Apple support representative has told TNW that iPhone 6/Plus phones that have experienced warping in normal use would qualify for replacement under warranty if they pass a test known as “a visual mechanical inspection.” It should be noted that this is simply one AppleCare rep speaking, and not an official statement by Apple. Apple was not able to provide any information on what the test involves, though one commentator below suggests that it is simply comparing the phone to a set of reference photos used to distinguish phones damaged by misuse from those considered faulty....

The service has been offered in select stores from late last week, but has officially launched today according to Belkin’s website. The main benefit of the service is the assisted application, which prevents bubbles or imperfections from appearing on the screen when the protective cover film is applied … Air bubble problems are common with third-party screen protectors, as they have to be applied naively by hand. For the official experience, Apple employees will use a cloth to remove any dust from the iPhone before applying the protector with the mechanical system....

In the midst of the global health crisis, Apple has released an uplifting new video today focusing on how community and creativity will help us get through these difficult times. The video shows a variety of Apple users from kids to adults being crafty with learning, teaching, playing, and creating. We even get a behind the scenes look at John Krasinski’s Some Good News YouTube show, Oprah’s recent livestreams, and more....

Apple TV+ today announced the release date for upcoming dark comedy limited series starring Will Ferrel and Paul Redd. Based on the podcast of the same name, The Shrink Next Door will premiere on Apple’s streaming service beginning November 12. The show is an eight-part limited series, and also stars Kathryn Hayn, playing the sister of Ferrell’s character. The adaptation of the popular ‘true crime’ podcast will show the story of a psychiatrist who abused his relationship with wealthy patients for personal gain....