Category: Apple Insider

The new feature was first discovered by App Store users who noticed that Disney+ was simply informing them of a recent price hike, instead of asking for them to agree to it. Developer Max Seelemann first noticed the change in App Store policy.

The new price hike alert is positioned as a notification, with a prominent “OK” button to dismiss it. If users want to change their subscription, they would need to tap the smaller “review your subscription” button above it.

It isn’t clear if users need to actually press the “OK” button for the new pricing to take effect. Seelemann said he also received an email from Disney+ that essentially told him the price was raising and he was automatically being opted in at the higher rate.

In other words, the new system seems to automatically opt in users to a higher price unless they explicitly opt out.

That’s different from how Apple’s official development guidelines describe how subscriptions are supposed to work. Under current policy, a notification alerting users to a price hike are supposed to have a prominent “Agree to New Price” button.

Seelemann isn’t the only one to notice the updated notifications. Other users also chimed in to say that they’ve seen similar behavior from other streaming apps.

In a statement to TechCrunch, Apple did not dispute the news. Instead, Apple said that it is currently pilot testing a “new commerce feature we plan to launch very soon.”

“The pilot includes developers across various app categories, organization sizes and regions to help test an upcoming enhancement that we believe will be great for both developers and users, and we’ll have more details to share in the coming weeks,” an Apple spokesperson said.

The pilot test appears to be limited to a select handful of companies like Disney+. According to the report, other developers weren’t able to enable the automatic price hikes on their own apps.

Speaking with Variety, Johnson revealed some details about how the four-part docuseries got its start.

According to Johnson, companies from across the media industry began knocking on his door after he agreed to be interviewed for Michael Jordan docuseries “The Last Dance,” which was released in 2020. The success of that series had companies from NBC to Apple placed bids.

“Everybody called,” Johnson said. “Everybody put in a bid. And then NBC got serious. And Apple said, ‘No way.’ I love their approach, because they waited. They came in and said, ‘This is over.'”

Although Johnson didn’t expand on what that mean, it’s likely that Apple’s deep pockets helped the iPhone maker land the documentary series — and beat out NBC.

In addition to being a professional basketball player, Johnson is also the former president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Apple docuseries will cover Johnson’s global impact and his accomplishments both on and off the court — and will include both archival footage and interviews with Johnson, friends, family, and colleagues.

“They Call Me Magic” is slated to debut on Apple TV+ on April 22.

Apple was among several companies fighting to secure rights to a film about Smith’s life based on his best-selling autobiography published in 2021. However, The Sun reports that Apple has removed its bid for the film.

“Netflix and Apple+ have quietly removed their bids for a Will Smith biopic and will instead relocate the funds and develop original ideas from new black actors,” a source said.

Reportedly, working with Smith has become a “risky business” following the controversy surrounding the actor’s slap. The controversy started when Smith stormed onto the stage at the Oscars and slapped Rock after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

At the Oscars, Smith won the Oscar for Best Actor for his part in “King Richard,” beating out Denzel Washington’s portrayal of the titular character in Apple TV+ film “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”

After seemingly defending his actions during his Oscar acceptance speech, Smith later apologized for his actions and resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Smith is currently slated to star in a new original film for Apple TV+ called “Emancipation.” However, production was halted on the film because of Covid-19. Additionally, Apple was among several companies sued for alleged sexual harassment that took place during the movie’s making.

As time passes, people grow older, and their bodies become more susceptible to issues. With joints wearing and muscles tiring, people can grow to become less steady on their feet over time.

Age is not the only factor affecting a user’s steadiness, as a lack of fitness or the onset of illness or ailments can have a similar effect.

With instability comes the increased risk of falling over, an incident that could result in injuries and long-term discomfort. For those with severe conditions, a fall could make a person’s health significantly worse.

People face the problem that, unless they are consciously examining how they walk, they’re unlikely to notice being unsteady in their daily lives. They may not see it until they fall, and by then, it’s too late.

Changes in a person’s steadiness can also be used as an indicator of other health issues, such as arthritis or Parkinson’s Disease. In some cases, noticing unsteadiness could lead a person to seek medical attention early, which could be helpful for treatable ailments.

According to WHO data, an estimated 684 thousand people die from falls globally, with adults aged 60 years and over suffering the greater number of fatal falls. Approximately 32.3 million falls occur each year that are severe enough to require medical attention, which can cost a person in the form of paying for medical care and potentially the loss of earnings from an inability to work.

Included as part of iOS 15, the Walking Steadiness feature of Apple’s Health app can use the sensors on an iPhone to determine how well you walk. Using algorithms, it can assess your balance, stability, and coordination as you walk around.

These metrics include your walking speed, step length, double support time, and walking asymmetry.

Once enabled, Walking Steadiness will gather new data and analyze existing data collected by other Health functions.

Though not enabled by default, you can turn on Walking Steadiness notifications in iOS. Once enabled, you will be given periodic notifications whenever the iPhone detects a dip in steadiness.

The path to enable Walking Steadiness notifications in the Health app in iOS 15.

The feature classifies results into three levels: OK, Low, and Very Low.

OK means your walking steadiness is typical, and you don’t have an increased risk of falling in the next 12 months.

A Low designation means you’re at an increased risk of falling in the next year. A Very Low level of walking steadiness infers the user is not stable when on the move and therefore has a high risk of a fall.

• Open the Health app.
• On the Summary screen, scroll down to Walking Steadiness Notifications and tap Set Up.
• Tap Next.
• Confirm your date of birth, height, and weight, which will be present if you ever entered the data before. Correct or enter data if required, then tap Next.
• Tap Next.
• To enable the notifications, tap Turn On.
• On the Setup Complete screen, you can elect to add Walking Steadiness to the Favorites list for easy access. Tap Done.

You can access Walking Steadiness in the future by tapping Browse within the Health App, then selecting Mobility followed by Walking Steadiness.

The screen will present graphs over time, including month, six-month, and year-long views. You can scroll through the times by swiping sideways.

An example of the data generated in Walking Steadiness.

Orange dots and blocks appear on the graph, appearing in either the OK, Low, or Very Low sections. The higher the block is on the chart, the better the user’s steadiness.

Further down the page, Apple offers articles to read about understanding walking steadiness and exercises to improve your stability. Even further down, you can see apps that report extra data to the feature, an option to add it to your favorites list, and the ability to see related data and data sources.

Maybe you’ve known about Cricut for a while from the company’s marketing to crafters. Or perhaps you’ve only recently seen them at your local Big Box Store, and you’re suddenly interested in what this machine can do.

If you’re in the market for one of these devices, we’ve compiled a helpful guide that walks you through the differences between machines, which can help you make a more informed purchasing choice based on your needs.

There are a few things to keep in mind before buying a Cricut. First, you’ll want to make sure that you have a space for it, as many of the machines can be considerable in size.

Secondarily, of course, you’ll want to make sure that the machine you purchase works for the projects you’d like to do. If you’re planning on primarily cutting paper, vinyl, and cardstock, a model in the Explore lineup will work well here.

Cricut Explore 3 | Image Credit: Cricut

To cut thicker materials — or if you need to cut fabric — the Cricut Maker series will be a better bet.

If you’re just starting into machine cutting or interested in getting a machine for a younger member of your family, the Cricut Joy may be for you, too.

It’s a smaller, more portable machine that you can use to do smaller projects. For example, the Cricut Joy is primarily used for cutting smaller stickers and decals, cards, and labels.

Here’s a handy chart that provides a bit of information about the machines at a glance:

Cricut allows users to quickly swap various tools in and out to perform multiple tasks. Most of these tools are miscellaneous craft knives and blades, but the Cricut can do more than cut.

In fact, the Cricut also draws, scores, perforates, engraves, debosses, and can do foil transfers — depending on the machine.

Regardless of which machine you pick — with the exception of the Cricut Joy — there are a few tools that work with both machines. These include:

• Fine-Point Blade
• Deep-Point Blade
• Bonded-Fabric Blade
• Scoring Stylus
• Cricut-branded pens and markers
• Foil Transfer Tips

However, in addition to the tools listed above, the Cricut Maker lineup has several other tools that it can make use of. These include:

• Scoring Wheel
• Double Scoring Wheel
• Wavy Blade
• Knife Blade
• Rotary blade
• Engraving Tip
• Debossing Tip

Because the Cricut Joy is smaller, it actually only takes Cricut Joy branded tools. It cannot use any of the tools that work with other machines.

Cricut Joy | Image Credit: Cricut

The tools that work with the Cricut Joy are:

• Cricut Joy Blade
• Cricut Joy Foil Transfer Kit
• Cricut Joy markers

While Cricut doesn’t use the terminology “basic” or “advanced,” it’s worth noting there’s a pretty significant difference between the Explore and Maker lines. The Maker lines, for instance, can cut over 300 materials, while the Explore line cuts around 100.

You’re probably still wondering what basic and advanced materials are, so we’ll break down what those mean below.

Most average craft projects are going to involve basic materials. These are materials that can be cut with either the fine point or deep point blades, and they include:

• Vinyl, including iron-on, permanent, removable, metallic, stencil, chalkboard, and whiteboard vinyl
• Cardstock, including but not limited to glitter, foil, and textured cardstock, as well as photo paper
• Adhesive foils
• Certain fabrics, including burlap, bonded fabrics (fabrics that have an adhesive adhered to them, making them more rigid,) paper thin faux leather, thin felt, fusible fabric, thin leather and suede
• Mylar
• Wrapping paper

The general rule is that if you think you could cut through it relatively easy with a craft knife, you may be able to figure out how to cut through it with a Cricut Explore machine.

There may be cases where you want to cut through unbonded fabrics or particularly fussy materials. For that, you’re going to want to snag a machine from the Maker line. The Maker can handle all basic materials, as well as:

• Soft woods up to 2.4mm thick, including balsa and basswood
• Wood veneers
• Craft foam
• Unbonded fabrics (using the Rotary Blade)
• Chipboard up to 2mm thick
• Matboard up to 1.5mm thick
• Artboard
• Leathers up to 2.4mm thick

Typically these materials need specialized blades, such as the rotary blade for unbonded fabrics or the Cricut Knife blade for thick materials.

Additionally, the Cricut Maker can engrave soft metals, deboss leather and paper, and use tools such as the perforation blade and wavy blade.

Cricut has also created a new line of materials dubbed “Smart Materials.” They are designed to be used without a cutting mat, which means they can have a much longer maximum cut.

This is specifically useful when you need to make a cut longer than 1.9 feet. In fact, you can cut up to 12 feet in one go using Smart Materials. However, that is only useful if you’re making banners, signage, or wall art.

Smart materials come in a variety of material types, including types of vinyl, sticker papers, and iron-on.

Only the Cricut Explore 3 and the Cricut Maker 3 are compatible with the main lineup of Smart Materials. There is, however, a limited lineup of Cricut Joy-specific Smart Materials, as well.

All Cricut machines — including the Cricut Joy — can use Cricut Design Space. This is the only software that can be used to control your Cricut.

Design Space is available on Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, and Android.

In our opinion, it’s probably best to purchase from the Cricut Maker lineup rather than something from the Explore line. Frequently, both Amazon and Cricut hold sales that make the price between the Cricut Maker and the Cricut Air Explore 2 somewhat negligible.

Unless you’re planning on creating wall art or signage, the Maker 3 is not a significant upgrade over the Maker. The slightly faster-cutting speed paired with the ability to use the Smart Materials isn’t worth the extra $150.

Unless you have a very small space or you only plan on cutting tiny projects, the Cricut Joy is probably a bit too limited for the average home user.

If you’re interested in snagging your own Cricut, you can get the following machines on Cricut’s website, or with two-day shipping at Amazon:

Customizable basic shapes are now available, allowing users to select from a library of shapes that can be resized while keeping the design consistent.

The new Adobe Color integration allows users access to a large collection of preset palettes and themes. Users can also search and see suggestions by Adobe to fit different themes and moods.

Two new quick actions have also been added to the iOS app. There is a Crop Quick Action to allow the user to quickly edit an image on their iPhone or Android device. A Resize Video feature has also been added.

Finally, there are improvements to common productivity functions such as drag-and-drop and replace.

Adobe has most recently updated its CC Express apps in February 2022, with a focus on PDF quick actions.

YouTube TV picture-in-picture support for iOS and iPadOS is now rolling out for all users. The feature was initially tested on YouTube Premium subscribers in August.

The official YouTube TV Twitter account announced the soft launch in a tweet.

The feature will allow the video to stay on the screen in a minimized player with concentrated playback controls. There will also be an option to hide the player for audio-only streaming.

The Picture-in-Picture feature will be gradually made available will adopt iOS and iPadOS‘ native player. Like with other apps that use the native feature, it will allow the user to enjoy content while having the ability to fully utilize other apps.

The exclusive deals deliver $120 to $200 in cash savings when shopping through the activation links below from a laptop or desktop.

First up is Apple’s 14-inch MacBook Pro with the company’s M1 Pro chip featuring a 10-core CPU and 14-core GPU. This particular Space Gray model has 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD — and it’s discounted to $1,999* ($200 off) for a limited time only. Considering the standard 14-inch MacBook Pro with an 8-core CPU retails for $1,999, it’s like getting two additional CPU cores for free.

Up next is another triple-digit discount* on the M1 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro — this one with Apple’s 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU. Like the configuration above, this Space Gray model has 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD. Priced at $2,179 after a $120 markdown, units are in stock at press time, beating Apple’s own ship times by nearly a month.

Both MacBook Pro deals include free shipping within the contiguous U.S. as well. Payboo cardholders can also save on sales tax in eligible states — or opt for special financing for 12 months.

To activate the exclusive pricing, you must shop through the special pricing links in this post or the B&H links in our 14-inch MacBook Pro Price Guide from a laptop or desktop computer. We’re sorry, but the offers cannot be redeemed in B&H’s mobile app at this time.

If you’re looking for the best deals on Apple hardware, it’s worth checking out our Apple Price Guide. Updated daily, there are hundreds of exclusive discounts on everything from iPads to MacBooks. Here are a few specials heading running this week:

The messages notified the user that their bill had been paid and that they would receive a free gift if they clicked the included link.

The messages appeared as though they had come from the user’s phone. Tapping the phone number in the sender’s details would redirect to the user’s own contact card.

These spam texts also contained phrases like “free msg,” “bill is paid,” and “gift” — all of which are common phrases used by malicious actors. However, Alex Lanstein noted on Twitter that Verizon’s spam protection systems have failed to block messages containing multiple of these phrases.

The Verge remarked that while iMessage on iOS offers a “Filter Unknown Messages” feature, these texts still managed to successfully breach the filter and appear on his iPhone.

Welch also noted that when he clicked the link in the message, it would take him to the website for Channel One Russia, a Russian state television site. Other affected users have reported being routed to similar Russian websites.

While the links in this most recent scam appear to be harmless, messages such as these often are part of “smishing” — or SMS phishing — scams.

Phishing scams are when malicious actors impersonate official communications and websites from otherwise reputable companies to trick users into entering their account credentials under the guise of official business.

These scams typically attempt to recreate the look of an official email or text communication coupled with a link to an external website. On the website, the victim would be prompted to enter their personal information, often their account name and password.

Any time you receive unsolicited texts, it is advised that you do not click the links within them. This includes texts from people you know, as many phishing scams will use compromised accounts to trick potential victims into clicking links.

During Sunday’s 94th Academy Awards, Apple TV+ was represented by a pair of films that were nominated for a total of six awards, with “CODA” alongside “The Tragedy of Macbeth” for three categories apiece.

“CODA” took the top prize of the awards, winning the Best Picture category. The Apple TV+ beat out nine other major movies that were up for the award, including “Drive My Car,” “Dune,” “Licorice Pizza,” “The Power of the Dog,” and “West Side Story.”

The film is a landmark winner in a number of ways, including being the first Best Picture nomination for Apple TV+. It is also the first movie featuring a predominantly deaf cast to be honored in the category and the first movie from a streaming service to win the award.

Troy Kotsur, who played father “Frank Rossi” in “CODA,” won his category of Best Actor in a Supporting Role, following earlier accolades at the BAFTAs and other ceremonies. Kotsur also made history by being the first deaf male actor to ever receive an Oscar nomination, arriving 35 years after co-star Marlee Matlin won best actress for 1987’s “Children of a Lesser God.”

Sian Heder picked up the award for Best Adapted Screenplay for “CODA,” beating out the writers behind “Drive My Car,” “Dune,” “The Lost Daughter,” and “The Power of the Dog” to the gong.

Denzel Washington’s portrayal of the titular character in “The Tragedy of Macbeth” wasn’t quite enough to win Best Actor against Will Smith. The nomination was Washington’s tenth at the Oscars, and he previously won Best Actor for “Training Day” in 2002 and Best Supporting Actor for “Glory” in 1990.

Bruno Delbonnel narrowly missed the Best Cinematography award for his work in “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” in a category that also included “Dune,” “Nightmare Alley,” “The Power of the Dog,” and “West Side Story.” Greig Fraser ultimately won for his work on “Dune.”

Stefan Dechant didn’t win the category for Best Production Design for “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” with it won by Patrice Vermette and Zsuzsanna Sipos for “Dune.”