A report shows that cable companies typically increase prices using hidden fees by up to US$450 per year. Here’s what a survey found.
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
Amazon Prime Video Will Return to the App Store Soon
Amazon Prime Video was removed from the App Store today due to some kind of technical issue. But it will return soon.
Amazon Prime Video is currently unavailable in the App Store across iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Amazon had updated the iOS version of the app shortly before it was removed from the App Store, but it is unclear why the app was pulled or whether this is a temporary move.
Update: MacRumors has been informed this was a technical issue and the app should be back up shortly.
iPadOS: How to Open Multiple App Instances in Split View
iPadOS has great multitasking features like having two windows of the same app open at once. Here’s how to open multiple app instances.
Private Social Network MeWe Reaches 6 Million Members
Private social network MeWe has reached six million members in 2019 and was named the Best Entrepreneurial Company for this year.
MeWe expects over 100 million members by the end of 2020, having achieved 405% growth in 2018 and growing twice as fast on a daily basis in 2019. 60% of MeWe’s traffic is international and 35% of members are active—exceeding industry standards.
I’ll be honest, I haven’t used MeWe since I reviewed it. But I’ll gladly promote alternatives to Facebook, especially if privacy is the number one focus.
Apple Chooses India's Bandra Kurla Complex for Next Store
Apple has picked India’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) commercial hub as the location for its next retail store.
Microsoft says Iranian 'Phosphorus' Group Tried to Hack U.S. Presidential Campaign
In a blog post today Microsoft says that Iranian hackers attacked a U.S. presidential campaign, current and former U.S. government officials, journalists covering global politics and prominent Iranians living outside Iran.
Four accounts were compromised as a result of these attempts; these four accounts were not associated with the U.S. presidential campaign or current and former U.S. government officials. Microsoft has notified the customers related to these investigations and threats and has worked as requested with those whose accounts were compromised to secure them.
No word yet on what time President Trump asked Iran to interfere with our elections.
Tim Cook Criticizes Facebook's Libra Currency
Tim Cook spoke with French newspaper Les Echos where he said that currencies should stay in the hands of governments, not private companies.
One Year Later: Bloomberg Hasn't Retracted its iCloud Spy Chip Story
This story doesn’t need me piling on, but I think it’s astounding that a media organization with integrity, gravitas, etc. etc. still hasn’t retracted its debunked theory one year later. And the journalists who wrote the story are now in charge of Bloomberg‘s cybersecurity division. If by some miracle we learn that there really are spy chips I will most certainly apologize. But with zero evidence, I think that probability is low.
There’s been a lot of smoke, but no firings. Quite the opposite. It’s been a year since Bloomberg Businessweek published an extensively debunked story claiming that companies including Apple and Amazon had been hacked. Yet since then, all of Bloomberg‘s few responses and actions have only doubled down on how this publication lacks credibility on the topic.
Apple's 'The Banker' Movie to Close AMI Fest November 21
Apple’s movie called The Banker will close out AFI Fest on November 21. It joins crime thriller Queen & Slim which will open the festival.
IMF Calls on Policymakers to Address Digital Currencies
Economists at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are calling on policymakers around the world to address the “notable risks” of privately-issued digital currencies, otherwise known as stablecoins. Facebook’s Libra is one such example. Should central banks issue their own digital currencies?
The two economists suggest that stablecoins could undermine financial stability, and that stablecoin users risk losing their money: “Whether stablecoins are indeed stable is questionable.” It depends on the safety and availability of the underlying assets, and whether they are “protected from other creditors if the stablecoin provider goes bankrupt.”
One of the worries is that technology companies don’t have the same consumer protection rules as banks do. I look forward to seeing how this will play out. I certainly trust banks more than I do Facebook.
Report Says iPhone SE 2 Will Have an iPhone 8 Body
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that the iPhone SE 2 will appear in Q1 2020 but it will have the form factor of an iPhone 8.
The iPhone 11 Glows Thanks to its Glass Back
Someone noticed that their iPhone 11 glows when you turn on the flashlight. The latest models have a special matte glass material on the back. While the iPhone 8 and later have had a glass back, it wasn’t matte and so didn’t produce this effect (Or at least, this is the first time I’ve seen this).
When you turn the flash light on, the iPhone 11 glass back glows. Not sure if the iPhone XR did this too, but I thought the effect was pretty cool.
You can watch it in action on YouTube here.
32BitAppCheck Helps You Transition to macOS Catalina
32BitAppCheck is an app that scans for 32-bit apps on your Mac. It can help you prepare for macOS Catalina because this release will end support for 32-bit apps. It takes about 30 seconds to scan your computer (longer if you have hard drives plugged in). Once it’s finished it will present a list of all the 32-bit apps it found, which you can save as an .RTF file.
Information then collected in the app’s window begins with a list of 32-bit applications, followed by 32-bit preference panes found in System preferences. Then, you will see 32-bit system extensions, and 32-bit system frameworks. These software will include both Apple and 3rd-party software. You can then edit the information, changing fonts, and adding notes. Click Save to save the information in an RTF file. The most recent information with you edits is also saved within the app.
You can download the app here. As this is an app outside of the Mac App Store, I scanned it for malware using VirusTotal, and it appears to be clean. For an additional resource I’ve also written about Go64, which does the same thing and the UI is a bit more friendly.
Did China Ask Apple to Remove This Hong Kong Protest App?
Apple recently removed a Hong Kong protest app from the App Store, saying that it encouraged users to break the law.
DuckDuckGo Survey Shows People Taking Action on Privacy
A recent survey (n=1,114) by DuckDuckGo found that 79.2% of U.S. adults had taken privacy measures in the past year, like adjusting privacy settings on social media or just using social media less.
43.1% (± 2.9) removed personal information or posts that they didn’t want the network or others to see.
35.0% (± 2.8)made their profile completely private.
34.8% (± 2.8) stopped adding location tags to their posts.
38.2% (± 2.8) changed which data they allow the network to collect and share about them.
I think it’s great to see more people paying attention to their privacy. For most people, privacy is something that you don’t notice often until you start losing it.
How Motorola Helps Enable Government Surveillance
Since 2017 Motorola Solutions has invested US$1.7 billion to support or buy companies that build police body cameras, train the cameras with facial recognition, find suspects in videos, and track vehicle movement via license plates.
The company provided a statement that described its plan to add artificial intelligence products, including object detection and “unusual motion detection,” to a package it sells to public safety agencies. The systems can help flag a potential trespasser or the appearance of smoke, the company said. The company emphasized that the new tools are not meant to make automatic policing decisions but to help officers decide how to act.
Apple Files Amicus Brief in Support of DACA
Apple has filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court to support the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy.
Apple has filed many briefs before the Court, but this is the first time that Apple’s CEO Tim Cook and Vice President of Retail and People Deirdre O’Brien are named too.
In its brief, Apple notes that it employs 443 Dreamers who come from more than 25 different countries spanning four continents. Dreamers at Apple run the gamut of roles within the company, including hardware engineering, software engineering, retail, customer support, and operations across 36 states.
iOS 13.2 Code Reveals AirPods With Noise Cancellation
Code found within the iOS 13.2 reveals that Apple may release in-ear AirPods with noise cancellation and could be used with Live Listen.
New Surface Duo Folding Phone Looks Like Courier Tablet
Microsoft announced a range of new products today, one of which is a Surface Duo phone with two screens and running Android 9 Pie.
Ikea Smart Blinds Suffer From Second Delay
The Ikea smart blinds Fyrtur model have suffered a second delay. The after the first delay they were supposed to be released on October 1. But now the company says “later this year.”
The delay is already obvious to anyone who has been feverishly refreshing the US listing, hoping their local Ikea suddenly shows in-store availability. The blinds are on sale elsewhere. In the UK, for example, the Fyrtur blackout blinds are available for home delivery. Moreover, they’re also selling the less expensive, and more translucent, Kadrilj model that won’t be on sale in the US.
iOS 13.2 Developer Beta 1 Releases Today
Apple is seeding the iOS 13.2 developer beta 1 today, as well as iPadOS 13.2. This release brings the iPhone 11’s Deep Fusion feature.
Russian Man Sues Apple for Turning Him Gay
A Russian man is suing Apple for US$15,300 over allegations that using his iPhone turned him gay because of the cryptocurrency Gay Coin.
Siri Will Work Better With Third-Party Messaging Apps
Apple said that later this year an iOS update will enable Siri to work better with third-party messaging apps. If you use the assistant to send messages, it will default to whatever message you use the most, instead of defaulting to iMessage or Phone. You can currently use third-party apps with Siri but you have to specify “Send this message via WhatsApp.”
For example, if an iPhone user always messages another person via WhatsApp, Siri will automatically launch WhatsApp, rather than iMessage. It will decide which service to use based on interactions with specific contacts. Developers will need to enable the new Siri functionality in their apps. This will be expanded later to phone apps for calls as well.
If Elizabeth Warren Wins Mark Zuckerberg Will Sue the Government
Mark Zuckerberg is scared of Elizabeth Warren over her plan to break up Big Tech monopolies, and a leaked audio recording reveals a rant in which he pledges to sue the government if she wins. You know, just your typical Tuesday stuff.
You have someone like Elizabeth Warren who thinks that the right answer is to break up the companies … if she gets elected president, then I would bet that we will have a legal challenge, and I would bet that we will win the legal challenge. And does that still suck for us? Yeah. I mean, I don’t want to have a major lawsuit against our own government. … But look, at the end of the day, if someone’s going to try to threaten something that existential, you go to the mat and you fight.