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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.

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Articles by Andrew Orr

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News+: 9 Long Press Shortcuts for iOS

Andrew Orr ·

In the latest issue of Mac|Life, Carrie Marshall writes about nine long press shortcuts for iOS. These are especially useful on the iPad. Warning: This magazine is a PDF, and the article can be found on page 96.

We think long presses and 3D Touch are great, but we also think Apple has dropped the ball with them a little bit: there’s no way of knowing whether
a particular icon or keyboard key does anything until you actually hold a finger on it. Some apps use it, some don’t.

This is part of Andrew’s News+ series, where he shares a magazine every Friday to help people discover good content in Apple News+.

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Before Macintosh: The Apple Lisa Documentary

Andrew Orr ·

Before Macintosh is an Apple Lisa documentary on Kickstarter exploring the history behind Apple’s device.

The work of Douglas Engelbart and his team, plus advances from the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) with their Alto and Star workstations were the progenitors of the Graphical User Interface (GUI), but the Apple Lisa stands as the clear foundation for what we all use today — Macintosh — Windows — iOS — Android.

The campaign goal is US$3,600, and it has raised US$2,401 so far.

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BMW Owners Suffer ConnectedDrive Outage, Affects CarPlay

Andrew Orr ·

Some BMW owners have suffered a ConnectedDrive outage, and it affects CarPlay.

What seems to be happening is that because of the ConnectedDrive outage, cars are unable to confirm that users have paid for the CarPlay option in their vehicle. Because the car can’t make that authentication, BMW owners have no access to CarPlay, nor the other ConnectedDrive features.

BMW has purportedly acknowledged the ConnectedDrive outage to customers, but has yet to comment publicly or offer any sort of timetable on when the issue might be resolved.

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In its Current Business, Google Can Never Beat Apple’s Privacy

Andrew Orr ·

Google is in the center of the news lately. It recently had its annual developer conference, and CEO Sundar Pichai wrote as dumb of an editorial as Mark Zuckerberg. Karissa Bell writes how Google is “borrowing from Apple’s privacy playbook.”

Google is trying to beat Apple at its own game, and with much, much, cheaper hardware.

I commend Google for making its data collecting practices relatively transparent. But as long as it earns the majority of its revenue from advertising, it will never meet Apple’s privacy standards.

Nike Training Club Gets a Premium Subscription With Master Training
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Nike Training Club Gets a Premium Subscription With Master Training

Andrew Orr ·

I’ve been using Nike Training Club for a year now, and it’s a great fitness app. Version 6.0.0 brings a premium training subscription. You’ll get workouts hosted by Nike Master Trainers in 4-6 week programs, with expert nutrition advice, wellness guidance including mindset, recovery, and sleep. The app brings new workout formats like on-demand classes and whiteboard workouts for gym-style training. Apple Watch support for the premium program is coming in the future. Finally, workout reminders help you says motivated to continue your routine. App Store: Free (Offers In-App Purchases).

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Will Marzipan Apps Be Locked to the Mac App Store?

Andrew Orr ·

Dave Mark brought up a good question regarding Jason Snell’s article, which is about how the Mac won’t be locked down like iOS with the introduction of Marzipan apps.

Will I be able to download a Marzipan app from a developer’s site and just run it on my Mac? Or will Marzipan restrict apps to the Mac App Store?

I have a feeling they will be restricted to the MAS. If Mark Gurman is right, Apple plans to merge iPhone, iPad, and Mac apps into a single download. After that, the two App Stores could be merged. Locking Marzipan apps would be the logical first step down that road.

In Semiosis, You Have to Watch out for Alien Plants
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In Semiosis, You Have to Watch out for Alien Plants

Andrew Orr ·

Semiosis by Sue Burke has an interesting premise: When you land on another planet, what if instead of worrying about alien life forms or animals, you had to keep an eye on the plants? It’s a wholly unique book that I had fun reading. Instead of following the same characters, we’re presented with a new cast in every chapter. We start with the original colonists as they land on Pax, then follow each subsequent generation as they have to deal with the land, the flora, and the actions of the previous generation. Will the children of the Parents adhere to the rules, or will they rebel? I thought the book was great, and look forward to the second book coming later this year. Apple Books: US$9.99 | Kindle: US$9.99

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How to Break Into an iCloud-Locked iPhone

Andrew Orr ·

Hackers, thieves, and independent repair companies can find ways to break into iCloud-locked iPhones.

The iCloud security feature has likely cut down on the number of iPhones that have been stolen, but enterprising criminals have found ways to remove iCloud in order to resell devices…Making matters more complicated is the fact that not all iCloud-locked phones are stolen devices—some of them are phones that are returned to telecom companies as part of phone upgrade and insurance programs.

TL;DR: Phishing, mugging, and social engineering are methods. You can even remove the CPU and reprogram it by stealing an unused IMEI.

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Get Apple News Original URLs Using This Shortcut

Andrew Orr ·

A Mac app called StopTheNews has been making the news rounds lately. It lets you open Apple News original URLs directly in Safari. I wanted to share a shortcut that does the same thing on iOS.

Share an Apple news article to this shortcut, and get the original URL back. Prompt at the end lets you pick between copying the URL to your clipboard or sharing it somewhere else.

Unlike macOS, you can open an Apple News article in Safari on iOS. Then from Safari you can copy the URL. But this shortcut removes that step, so you can share the article to the shortcut, then copy the URL to the clipboard or share it elsewhere.

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New Federal Bill Would Outlaw Video Game Loot Boxes

Andrew Orr ·

Under federal legislation proposed by Republican Sen. Josh Hayley (Mo), video game loot boxes would be prohibited.

Hawley’s proposed bill, outlined Wednesday, covers games explicitly targeted to players under age 18 as well as those for broader audiences where developers are aware that kids are making in-game purchases. Along with outlawing loot boxes, these video games also would be banned from offering “pay to win” schemes, where players must spend money to access additional content or gain digital advantages over rival players.

I think this is a good move. Companies like EA would have to make good games again, instead of relying on a player’s “sense of pride and accomplishment.”

Urban Armor Gear Apple Watch Straps are Here
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Urban Armor Gear Apple Watch Straps are Here

Andrew Orr ·

Urban Armor Gear Apple Watch straps are here. Known for rugged device cases, this is the first line of Apple Watch accessories from UAG. There are two straps: Active, Nato, and Leather. Sporting stainless steel custom hardware and a hook & loop fastener security, the Active Strap allows for you to dive deeper, surf longer, and play harder with your Apple Watch. The Leather Strap, the most premium of the straps, is built exclusively for the modern wanderer. Designed with soft leather, stainless steel custom hardware, and a unique snapping collar, the strap offers refined protection that can keep up with your daily grind. Active Strap: US$59.95; Leather Strap: US$69.95.

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FCC Warns of Increase in One-Ring Robocalls

Andrew Orr ·

The FCC is warning of an increase in one-ring robocalls. Scammers call you once, the hope you’ll be curious enough to call back.

A long-running hustle that is reportedly seeing a resurgence involves a scammer calling someone and then hanging up after just a couple of seconds. The perpetrator hopes that curiosity will prompt the person to call back. But doing so will result in expensive per-minute charges, leaving the caller with an expensive bill if the scammer succeeds in keep them on the line for any length of time.

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Jamf School Launches as an Apple Education Technology Solution

Andrew Orr ·

Jamf is a mobile device management company for Apple devices. Today it announced the launch of Jamf School.

Jamf School is an Apple education technology solution purpose-built for educators. It wasn’t designed for the expert IT user; instead it was designed with an intuitive interface and workflows to empower teachers to seamlessly manage and use their Apple devices for creating an active learning environment. It joins Jamf Pro to offer schools a solution choice that best fits their needs. With the launch of Jamf School also comes powerful apps.