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Apple Event 2019 Date Confirmed; The iPhone 11 Launch Being the Biggest Highlight of the Event

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June 2019, Apple gave some hints on its keynote event to take place in September, where the company would be revealing its new shiny range of iPhones. And finally, the company has confirmed the date too. The company’s mega-event will be taking place on 10th September at 10th at 10 AM PT, 1 PM ET, at the Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino, California.

This is the 11th annual event that the company is hosting, and like the previously held events, Apple will launch the new iPhone series at the event; this time the iPhone 11. Along with the iPhone, Apple will also be talking about the new updates and the iOS that usually are launched one or two weeks after the launch of the new iPhones.

The Apple event is always the most anticipated one, and the rumours about the event always start making rounds months before it. So like every other time, the big news agencies also have been talking about the event and the products, days before the event; iPhone 11 being the major highlight. For now, the new iPhones are considered as their successor. According to some reputed news hosts, Apple iPhone will be almost like the iPhones launched last year, there will still be some of the advanced features to make the difference.

Apple event invitation
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Apple, like previous year, will be launching three iPhones this year too, and for the very first time, two of the three iPhones will be having a triple-camera setup on their rear. There may be a slight increase in the size of the smartphones, and the rumoured size is a 6.1 inches display. The experts are also expecting a faster processor and improved battery life for the new iPhones.

One of the expected upgrades may also include the support for bidirectional wireless charging for the Airpod, through their new wireless charging cases. Like every other year, the iOS 13 will also be launching soon after the launch of the iPhones. With the launch of iOS, Apple may introduce the dark mode and rich updates to Photos, Maps, and privacy-protecting features like Sign In with Apple.

There is also rumours that the company may launch or reveal new Apple Watches, iPad as well as new Macs. Believing the rumours the MacBook Pro and iPad Pros may be upgraded with a new and faster processor.

The company has already sent the invitations to its guests. Though the invitation does not say much about the new upgrades and the iPhones, it simply reads “By innovation only” accompanied by a colourful multi-layer Apple logo. The different colours used in the logo may be an indication of the availability of these colours for the new range of iPhones. There are also high expectations from the company over the colours of the new iPhones, like a green iPhone for a change.

Waiting for the Whatsapp Dark Mode? Get it on Android, iOS Smartphones Before the Release

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The dark mode on Whatsapp has been in a buzz for at least a year now, and there have also been a few leaks about the features that the dark mode from Whatsapp will possess. The Whatsapp’s owner company Facebook has already provided the dark mode or the night mode for Facebook Messenger, and soon it will be available for all the Whatsapp users too.

Whatsapp dark mode
Image Source: cnbctv18.com

Though the dark mode for Whatsapp has still not been launched officially, the company has provided a way to get the beta version of dark mode, before it will be released for the general public.

The first condition to get the Whatsapp’s dark mode on an Android smartphone or the iPhone is to get the latest Android Q on an Android phone and iOS11 or the latest version of iOS on the iPhone. So, this is clear that a lot of people will not be able to enjoy the new dark mode at least for some more time.

Android Q is still in beta which is also available for only a few Android smartphones, including Google Pixel 2, 2 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, OnePlus 6T, Huawei Mate 20 Pro, LG G8, Nokia 8.1, Oppo Reno, Realme 3 Pro, Sony Xperia XZ3, Vivo X27, Vivo Nex S, Nex A, Xiaomi Mi 9, Mi Mix 3 5G, Essential Phone, Asus 6Z.

So who are among the owners of mentioned phones or the ones who can get the Android Q on their Android phones, can follow the steps below to get the dark mode on their Whatsapp:

  • Go to the Settings of the phone and select Display from the list.
  • In the Display settings, select the Theme option and then Dark.
  • Again you need to go to the Settings under which you need to select About Phone option.
  • Now tap on the Build Number seven times in order to activate Developer Mode.
  • As the Developer Mode has been activated, go to the Developer Option and then tap on Override Force Dark.

Now the dark mode will be activated on every single app on your phone. Though after enabling the dark mode, you will need to change the background wallpaper of your Whatsapp to make the dark mode completely enabled.

To get the dark mode for the Whatsapp on the iPhones, you need to take the following steps:

  • Go to the Setting and select General.
  • Under the General settings, select Accessibility and then Display Accommodations.
  • Here you will find the Invert Colours option, under which you need to select Smart Invert.

This way, you will get the dark mode for the Whatsapp on iPhone. Though you still need to change the wallpaper in order to get the dark mode completely.

The sparkling AMOLED displays in smartphones are clearer but brighter. There are only a few people who reduce the brightness of their phone while using it. Getting dark mode on the phones will help people with their vision, that is at risk because of their increased screen time. In fact, Apple has also included a dark mode in its latest iOS13.

Tencent Replaces PUBG with a Less Popular But Patriotic Alternative for Chinese Players

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One of the top games in the world, PUBG, has been pulled out from its homeland China, following the new rules the China government introduced last month for the video games. Though it will no longer be available for the Chinese consumers, the company is providing them with less-popular, but a politically acceptable option, i.e. Heping Jingying or Elite Force for Peace.

pubg china
Image Source: mensxp.com

The company had to take the decision as the new rules from the government was restricting the company from securing the license for the game, that would allow it to collect the revenue from it. In fact, after a month-long freeze on approvals, the Chinese government restricted the title from making any money ever in the country. Until now, the company was running the game under testing, but finally, it has pulled out the plug for the game as it failed to monetize the game in the Chinese market.

Tencent brought the title Elite Force for Peace as soon as it circulated a message about it ending the testing period for PUBG on Wednesday. The title belongs to the same Hunger Games-style genre and resembles the widely-famous PUBG. The game is a tribute to the Chinese military and the Chinese Air Force. In fact, the company developed the game by taking advice from the recruitment department of the Chinese military.

The game has been developed by the similar Korea-based publishers as of PUBG, ie. Krafton (earlier known as BlueHole). Including the graphics of the game, there are a few other similarities to PUBG, except its missions targets on vanishing the terrorists in the game. Many of the players have also claimed that their achievements and the progress in PUBG has even transferred to the Peace game.

The game allows the players to add money to their accounts, enabling Tencent to monetise the game. PUBG had to suffer financially due to the Chinese license freeze last year, and this is the time for the company to buckle up to get back on the track. Force for Peace is a game which can be played by the players of age above 16 and is only available for the android users only.

Apple Makes Guidelines for the App Developers to Offer Discounts to Entice Past Subscribers

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Apple has posted an article regarding how the iOS, macOS, and tvOS app developers will be able to offer discounts on the subscription plans to their app users. Due to the increase in the subscribers for many apps in the past time, the company was working on its guidelines and tools in order to manage those subscription apps. The company released the news through a blog post on Monday.

Previously, the company had produced more strict guidelines on how the subscription plans should work. But the new guidelines will help the app developers to offer new discounts to its existing subscribers and to lure the new ones. The offers will also help the developers to regain their former users.

According to the ‘current’ guidelines, the discounts are only available on the limited time subscription plans (at the beginning), which are the part of introductory promotions, and as soon it ends, the subscribers have to pay the full amount of the subscription fee. Also withdrawing from the subscription plan is quite a tedious job. Even the developers are not allowed to make changes to those subscription plans.

But the new guidelines will make it easy for the subscribers to cancel their subscriptio. And, the developers will also be able to produce new offers to attract their former and new subscribers. This will provide the developers more control over their apps, as now they will be able to drop or raise the price of their subscription according to the demand, like offering discounts on the subscription plans during the festive or holiday season, etc.

The new guidelines from Apple will allow the developers to offer ten types of different deals to promote their apps’ subscription plans. And, if any user decides to withdraw from the subscription, the developers can suggest more tempting offers to them to make them stay. According to the previous guidelines, the developers were also unable to see the users with disabled auto-renewal of the plan, but now they will not only be able to see those users but also offer them discounts to draw them to opt for the auto-renewal.

Apple Warns the App Developers to Stop Recording User Screens Without Permission

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TechCrunch had reported that many companies having their iOS apps are using the analytics services to record the users’ activities over their iPhone without their knowledge. Upon this Apple has asked the app developers, to disclose the analytic code to the user, or remove the code from their iOS apps, else Apple will remove the apps from Apple Store, itself.

Using the code, these apps capture the users’ data, like their taps, swipes, and even records their full screen, without giving a hint of that to the user. Recording such activities is called Session Replaying. According to App Store’s Review Guidelines, Apple completely prohibits Session Replay feature, without the proper consent of the user.

An Apple spokesperson wrote in an email, “Protecting user privacy is paramount in the Apple ecosystem. Our App Store Review Guidelines require that apps request explicit user consent and provide a clear visual indication when recording, logging, or otherwise making a record of user activity.”

He further added, “We have notified the developers that are in violation of these strict privacy terms and guidelines, and will take immediate action if necessary.”

To capture the users’ activities through the apps, the developers embed code from a third-party company, in this case, those apps used the Glassbox for Session Replaying. Tech Crunch gave a few names that were using Session Replay feature in their apps, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Hotels.com, Air Canada, Hollister, Expedia, and Singapore Airlines.

Those companies are violating Apple’s guidelines as there is no mention of users’ screen recording in their Privacy Policy. Although there has been no confirmation from those companies on capturing the users’ data, Apple has already warned one of those companies to remove the analytics code from their apps. Apple wrote in an email to the developer, “Your app uses analytics software to collect and send user or device data to a third party without the user’s consent. Apps must request explicit user consent and provide a clear visual indication when recording, logging, or otherwise making a record of user activity.”

Apple has also asked the companies, that wants to keep the user experience analytic code embedded in their apps, to include a little red icon on the upper left corner of the iPhone screen, to let people be aware of the apps recording their screen activities.

Upon the whole screen capturing issue, Glassbox has also taken its dig on the matter and has said, “TechCrunch’s piece was interesting but also misleading. Glassbox and its customers are not interested in ‘spying’ on consumers.” The company further said. “Our goals are to improve online customer experiences and to protect consumers from a compliance perspective. Since its inception, Glassbox has helped organizations improve millions of customer experiences by providing tools that record and analyze user activity on websites and apps. This information helps companies better understand how consumers are using their services, and where and why they are struggling. We are strong supporters of user privacy and security. Glassbox provides its customers with the tools to mask every element of personal data. We firmly believe that our customers should have clear policies in place so that consumers are aware that their data is being recorded — just as contact centres inform users that their calls are being recorded.”

The matter clearly is not about Glassbox but is about how the customers’ personal data is being compromised. Apple is serious about the privacy of the data that those apps are capturing, so those app developers must do something in this regard in order to keep their apps running on the iPhone.

Apple’s Next-Generation iOS 12 Available On the Latest iPhones

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Apple, on Monday, launched its iOS 12, two months later the announcement of its launch in June. The much-awaited Apple iOS 12 is out and is available for the iPhones and iPad released in 2013 and later. The new iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and XR model will have this version of iOS inbuilt. Last year the release of iOS 11 was quite a disappointment as those flashy updates could not do any better for the iPhone’s performance, but slowing down the speed. After iOS 11, all the older users have been sceptical about the new updates as it had worsened the performance of their phones instead of making any improvements.

The iOS 12 has been pushed out with the claims of having better performance and new features added to it. It is good to know that this time Apple has put all its efforts in enhancing the performance of the iPhones, i.e. 40 per cent faster speed. Unlike the iOS 11, that just had a few flashy changes and redesigned the look and the appearance of the OS and the Apps.

Apple iOS 12
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In the earlier iOS versions, there used to be 10 different notifications for a single app at the same time. Now, iOS 12 has introduced group notifications for a single app. You can now manually turn off or mute the notification, for any of the apps, to avoid the disturbing notification sounds.

Like the new Android 9, Apple has also become considerate about the screen time of the user. The iOS 12 has provided an option for tracking and limiting the time the user spends on a particular app or on the phone. You can also set the time of sleep, and the app will notify you to stop using the phone and the screen will become grey. Although, you can still continue running the phone by changing the settings.

Also, the iOS has also updated its password management by providing two-factor authentication services. Similar to the iPhone X, now you can also swipe between the apps, notifications, and access the control centre, using the gesture navigation. You can also add your conversations and instructions to Siri with its new shortcuts.

The iOS 12 is also added with the feature for creating the Avatars, by mixing emojis and animoji, i.e., Memoji. You can create custom animated Animoji avatars that you can use in the real time on top of live pictures, messages and videos. The feature is currently available in the latest iPhone XS, XS Max, or XR models.

There have been many other changes as well, including easy photo sharing, easy photo searching, easy browsing eBooks, real-time object measurements, improved ARKit 2, Google Maps embedded to CarPlay, Group Video calls for up to 32 users. The group call feature has not been launched yet and will be available by the end of the year.

It is great that Apple has been thinking of improving its performance instead of the design of the iOS. And, the smaller iPhones and the older iPads will also enjoy these features without worrying about the poor performance.