Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones News - Page 1

If you're a user of the Safari web browser from Apple and use Google when searching for websites and other information, you aren't alone. Google is the default option, although it can be changed, so it stands to reason that it's probably the search engine that many users are already making use of without even thinking about it. And that, it seems, is something that's worth a cool $20 billion.

That's how much Google paid Apple in 2022 in order to make sure that it remained the default web browser in Safari. The news came out as part of the release of antitrust court documentation that both Google and Apple had sought to keep out of the public eye. Instead, Bloomberg reports, the figures were made available as part of the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit against Google. It's alleged that Google holds a monopolistic position in the world of online search and advertising, although Google argues otherwise.

This trial began last fall with Apple execs confirming that Google paid it billions of dollars to remain the default option. However, nobody confirmed just how many billions were involved - although Google did say that it paid Apple 36% of the revenue it earns from search ads. That should perhaps have given us an indication of the kinds of figures that were changing hands.

Apple has confirmed that it intends to hold a streamed, online-only event on May 7 and there have been plenty of rumors about what that event will involve. We've been hearing for months now that Apple intends to announce a slew of new iPads, and that seems most likely. But a new report suggests that there could be something of a tease for what comes next, too.

That report, coming out of The Washington Post, suggests that Apple CEO Tim Cook will offer a hint at new AI features that will be announced later this year. More specifically, they're expected to debut at WWDC on June 10, with the company thought to have some big changes in store for iPhone owners. Those changes look set to be AI-based, although it's still unclear exactly what those new features will be.

The report doesn't suggest that Cook will go into details, simply saying that he will hint at new artificial intelligence features. Apple's iOS 18 and macOS 15 software updates are thought to be the biggest of the bunch this year, both benefiting from Apple's new focus on AI technologies. The company is thought to be in talks with both OpenAI and Google about using their generative AI technologies, but Apple is thought to have its own in-house solution available for some features, too. With the software set to be announced in June, Apple isn't expected to make any of the new updates available to the public until the fall.

Following the implementation of the European Union's Digital Markets Act in March Apple was forced to make some changes to the way the iPhone worked, specifically relating to the App Store. The implications were only for the iPhone at the time, but following news that the EU has now added the iPad to its list of gatekeeper platforms Apple was left with a decision - either make similar changes to the iPad, or appeal the decision.

Apple has chosen to go the former route, and the company has now confirmed that it will be making the same changes that it made to the iPhone in March to the iPad, with the update coming this fall. That would suggest that we can expect iPadOS 18 or a version of that update to be the one that makes the big changes for iPad owners in the EU.

Those changes will mean that EU developers will have the option of distributing their apps outside of the App Store, whether that's via a third-party app marketplace or via their own websites. The iPad will also start to offer third-party web browsers to users while developers will also be able to choose to sign a new contract with Apple that will change the way payments are handled. Apple will not take the same commission from sales that happen outside of the App STore but will instead charge a Core Technology Fee - its way to get paid for the development of iPadOS and infrastructure.

If you woke up this morning and wondered why it was so late, that's probably because your iPhone's alarm didn't go off. Or, to be more precise, it did but didn't make any sound. It's an issue that has started to pop up for more and more people around the globe over the last few days, and it could be happening to you.

The issue, which was first reported by NBC's Today Show, doesn't appear to have a known fix just yet - but the report does suggest that Apple is already aware of the issue and that it's working on fixing whatever it is that's gone awry.

People around the world use their iPhone as an alarm for all manner of things, whether that's to remember to do something or because they need to be woken after a good night's sleep. But there are issues at hand, and they could mean that you miss an appointment or get to work late, and that's far from ideal.

When Apple announced the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus back in September of last year, there were tons of different colors for people to choose from. However, the lack of a (PRODUCT)RED version was a surprise, especially given the fact the (PRODUCT)RED version of previous iPhones had proven so popular among customers. There was a suggestion at the time that perhaps Apple was holding the (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 15 back for a mid-season refresh, and that's something that's popped up once again.

That's after (RED)'s X social network account posted a photo of a (PRODUCT)RED iPhone atop some donuts. The caption simply suggested that people should have an Apple before their donuts, but it's as-yet unclear what the iPhone in question actually is. It's possible that it's just an old iPhone 14 of course, but that would be a surprise given the fact that the device is no longer the latest and greatest that Apple has to offer.

With that in mind, this could actually be an iPhone 15 although there's one possible complication here. The iPhone 15 has a color-infused back glass which is matte and has a very distinctive look. This iPhone, shown in the X post embedded above, doesn't appear to have that feature which does make us think this isn't an iPhone 15 after all.

There has been a lot of talk about the upcoming iOS 18 software update for the iPhone of late, much of it revolving around an expectation that Apple is going to bring some new AI capabilities to bear. While we haven't yet had confirmation as to what those new features will be, there's a lot of excitement about what they could offer iPhone users around the globe. However, not all of the new iOS 18 upgrades will be related to AI, and some of them will be good old-fashioned feature improvements. And a new report suggests that there will be improvements to the way people manage tasks and their time on their devices.

According to a new AppleInsider report, Apple plans to make changes to the Calendar app in iOS 18 and macOS 15 software updates to allow people to add reminders via that app for the first time. Currently, reminders must be added via the dedicated Reminders app, but that now looks set to change.

Citing unnamed sources who are reportedly familiar with the iOS 18 and macOS 15 software updates in their current pre-beta state, AppleInsider says that people will be able to right-click on a date in the Calendar app and then choose to create a new Reminder for that day. Creating a new reminder via this method will offer people the chance to choose a title, add a note, or assign a tag as a way of making it easier to find again at a later date.

The AYANEO Pocket S has launched. It's a new flagship Android gaming handheld that is slim, sleek, and powered by the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 gaming platform. The physical design and form factor are more smartphone than PC gaming handheld, with the AYANEO Pocket S sporting a thin 14mm body with a lightweight 350-gram build.

It's a low-power device, too, with its long-lasting 6000mAh battery powering the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2's efficient 15W gaming performance. Although thin, there is an active cooling system here, which makes sense when the GPU is clocked at 1 GHz and the 8-core Kryo CPU reaches up to 3.36GHz.

Throw in 16GB of memory and 1TB of storage, and it's an impressive unit. AYANEO claims that it outperforms pretty much any Android gaming handheld or gaming phone. The AYANEO Pocket S is available in two flavors: one with a 6-inch 1440p screen that will begin shipping in May 2024 and a 1080p edition that will ship at the end of June 2024.

There have long been strong rumors that Apple is working towards bringing some big new AI features to the iPhone and Mac via the iOS 18 and macOS 15 software updates, respectively. Now, a new report has detailed how the company has been going about setting itself up to make that happen.

According to a paywalled Financial Times report, picked up by MacRumors, Apple has shared dozens of AI engineers from Google and then set them up in a new lab in Zurich, Switzerland. The report claims that at least 36 engineers have made the switch from Google to Apple including John Giannandrea. He moved from Google to Apple in 2018 and was installed as its AI executive, while many others have followed suit since then.

The report claims that those working in the lab have been looking into the technology that powers OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot and other similar offerings that use Large Language Models to perform tasks. Apple is expected to use these learnings as part of the iOS 18 rollout that will handle some AI-based tasks on-device, increasing performance and privacy.

Apple is expected to announce the new iOS 18 software update for the iPhone during WWDC in June, and now a new report has detailed some of the features that we can expect that software update to bring to the table including AI-based browsing options.

The new 18 software has long been rumored to have big new AI-powered features in the works, but details on what those features would be have so far been difficult to come by. Now, AppleInsider has detailed the features that iPhone owners can expect to use when the new software arrives, including an AI-enhanced browsing and test summarization feature.

Dubbed Intelligent Search, the new feature will apparently live within Safari's address bar and will use Apple's on-device Ajax machine learning model to identify the topics and key phrases within a web page to then summarize the information for users. It's suggested that Apple intends to give users a way to visit a webpage and then have the information distilled into a shorter, more easily digested chunk of information. However, the feature isn't currently enabled by default according to unnamed engineers evaluating the latest builds of Safari 18.

If you woke up this morning and found that you were late for school or work, or missed that important appointment that you had planned, you aren't alone. It seems that a bug has prevented some people's iPhone alarms from making any sound, and people have been taking to social media to complain ever since.

The issue seems to have started affecting some people a few days ago, and although it isn't impacting everyone who sets an iPhone alarm, it definitely seems to be enough of an issue for Apple to act soon - an NBC report notes that Apple is already aware of an issue causing some iPhone alarms not to play a sound when required and that it's already working on a fix.

Unfortunately, Apple hasn't yet said what the issue is or when the fix will be rolled out, so we also don't know whether there is a workaround that people can use in the interim. The result is that people who would normally rely on their iPhone's alarm to make sure they get up in the morning might want to consider taking another route for the foreseeable future.