Category: Apple Insider

By design, a HomeKit smart plug doesn’t have a lot going on. It should be compact, offer backup physical control, and reliable. VOCOlinc largely succeeds in following these through.

The SmartBar is small and compact enough that two can be plugged into a standard set of wall outlets. There is a small button on the side which can be used to turn the outlet on or off manually, sans your phone. Otherwise, it is unassuming.

Smart plugs can be very useful in a home. Depending on where installed, they can be more convenient than light bulbs, especially with a physical lamp that has several bulbs installed in it.

Physical button on the side of the VOCOlinc SmartBar

Getting creative with your smart home devices is best, but there are several staples of how these can be used. Obviously, it is a just a simple measure to take a lamp and make it smart, but there is much more you can do.

For example, in a living room, there may be built-in light fixtures as well as standalone floor lamps. A good setup is to put a HomeKit switch on the wall and a smart plug on the lamps.

Then, you create a rule that says when the light switch is turned on, turn on the smart plug, as well as the inverse of that rule.

HomeKit pairing code on the rear of the SmartBar

Another great application is using a motion sensor. By tying it to the sensor, the smart plug can turn on whenever motion is detected, such as a human or a pet.

Using your location, the lights can turn off when you leave and come on when you get home, even based around the time of day.

These lights can also be programmed to come on if a smoke detector detects anything to make it easier to see or wake you up in the case of an emergency.

Not everything regarding the VOCOlinc SmartBar is all rainbows and sunshine. It has its flaws that make it frustrating at times.

For a start, the SmartBar posed problems for us when we attempted to install firmware updates. While in the VOCOlinc app, we’d select the smart plug and it would alert us to the availability of said update.

It asked us to do the update and to not leave the app during the process, but it would frequently fail. No other information was provided as to why it failed, leaving us to repeatedly try again without any guidance to help assist the process. Eventually, the update did manage to go through.

For what it’s worth, perhaps this update in part fixed this process, making updates more reliable. No other updates have been available during our testing so it isn’t known for sure if we will run into this issue the next time.

The VOCOlinc SmartBar is rather unextraordinary. It doesn’t have a nightlight as the iDevices model does. It doesn’t track energy consumption as the Eve Energy does. But what it does bring to the table is incredible value.

It is a Wi-Fi-connected HomeKit smart plug for a great price. Four of them can be purchased for $46.99, but VOCOlinc is further discounting with a $7 off coupon that can be clipped on its Amazon page. That brings them to less than $10 each.

VOCOlinc SmartBar

In the world of HomeKit where prices can easily be above the Amazon Alexa counterpart, it is great to see this affordable option. WeMo, Eve, iDevices, iHome, et cetera are all more expensive.

There are certainly reasons why one would buy those other brands. Their design, unique features, or improved reliability with updates. But for many, this low-cost Wi-Fi option is preferred, even if just a way to tiptoe into the platform or expand an existing setup.

• Wi-Fi rather than Bluetooth
• Slim enough to fit two into a standard outlet
• Physical button on the side for control
• Easy setup
• Good reliability
• Affordable cost

• Issues performing updates
• Occasionally went unresponsive
• No energy consumption monitoring

VOCOlinc SmartBars are available on Amazon from solo packs to a four-pack. As mentioned, they are currently running a deal that takes $7 off the four-pack, bringing the price down to $39.99, or less than $10 apiece.

Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), chair of the House’s antitrust panel, in an interview with Bloomberg said he expects executives from Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook will volunteer testimony in the ongoing antitrust probe after their presence was requested in formal letters sent out last week.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai committed to appear before lawmakers in letters to the committee this week, though their involvement is conditioned on testimony from other executives involved in the inquiry, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos signaled intent to testify on Monday, while Apple has not yet agreed to make Cook available.

While Cicilline believes all four executives will offer testimony on their own volition, he said the committee will issue subpoenas to obtain the information it needs to come to a decision. Bezos, for example, was previously threatened with a subpoena before Amazon communicated a willingness to participate.

“We are going to get the documents and the witnesses we need to complete the investigation,” Cicilline said on Friday in reference to Cook’s testimony. “It is my hope that that will happen voluntarily, but it has always been the intention of the committee that if it does not happen voluntarily, that we will rely on compulsory process to do so.”

Controversy over App Store policies came to a head this week when Apple rejected updates to Basecamp’s new Hey email app on the basis that the software failed to include an option for in-app purchases. Basecamp founders David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried subsequently spoke out against the decision on Twitter, in interviews and a via blog post posted to Hey’s website.

Ciicilline, who appeared alongside Heinemeier Hansson in an episode of The Vergecast podcast this week, called Apple’s App Store fees “highway robbery.” That sentiment was echoed in today’s interview.

“This is very concerning that the use of the App Store, you know developers who are startups, are basically being forced to pay a ransom of 30% or they are denied access to that marketplace,” he said. “And, you know, it’s just coincidentally that Google and Apple arrive at the same thing, a third of the profit. [] And so for a developer, it puts them in the position of either you pay them the ransom or you go out of business or your app is not a success. That’s a perfect example of an abuse of your market power to bully and exact unfair profits.”

For its part, Apple says App Store guidelines are in place to cultivate a consistent consumer experience, not to generate excess profit. Critics, including some developers, view the Hey debacle as Apple chasing its customary 15% to 30% cut of App Store transactions.

“I get why there’s a question here, but that’s not what we’re doing,” Apple SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller told TechCrunch on Thursday, adding that policies like in-app purchase requirements are designed to foster customer satisfaction.

Fried in a blog post today countered Apple by arguing in-app purchase restrictions hurt customer relations by erecting a false barrier between app makers and their users.

Despite the kerfuffle, Apple is not considering a rule change or exemption for Hey, Schiller said. Whether that stance will soften in the coming days remains to be seen. Apple is slated to host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference next week, a gathering often viewed as a celebration of the tech giant’s relationship with third-party developers.

Available on all Apple Watch models from Apple Watch Series 2 to the current Series 5, Water Lock is a Control Center option that prevents inadvertent touchscreen input when swimming or using Watch near liquids. It also clears water from the speaker cavity after the device is submerged.

Like most speaker systems, the miniaturized mechanism in Watch is designed to propagate acoustic waves through air. When fluids are introduced onto or near the speaker diaphragm, the system is unable to accurately reproduce generated sound, leading to muffled output.

To allow Watch to operate in all conditions, and maintain a clear diaphragm-to-air interface, Apple implemented a unique solution capable of expelling water that might become trapped behind the speaker grille.

Described by Apple as a “series of tones,” Watch pulses its speaker at relatively low frequencies. This vibrates the diaphragm and causes water and other liquids to break free of the membrane and be pushed out of the small speaker chamber.

As seen in today’s video, the system is quite effective at moving large quantities of water out of the device. That said, the operation can leave some residue behind.

Apple is expected to include Water Lock in a next-generation “Apple Watch Series 6” that should see introduction this fall.

The program will allow customers to trade in older Mac devices in return for credit toward a new purchase. While in-store trade-ins of products like iPhones and Apple Watches have been available for some time, Mac trade-ins were previously restricted to an online program.

While the program launched in the U.S. and Canada as of June 17, it may not have rolled out in all areas. AppleInsider encourages anyone interested in trading in their Mac in-store to call ahead to make sure your device will be accepted.

As the coronavirus pandemic is ongoing, it may be worth checking whether your Apple Store is fully open, serving customers by appointment only, providing curbside-only support, or closed. Our helpful list has shows which locations have opened and in what capacity.

Apple on Tuesday published a YouTube landing page that will serve as the Worldwide Developers Conference’s livestream hub once festivities kick off next week.

The page invites viewers — expected to include thousands of developers and members of the general public — to set a localized reminder for the upcoming livestream slated to begin on Monday, June 22, at 1 p.m. Eastern, 10 a.m. Pacific.

Apple’s placeholder features imagery that has been used to advertise the all-virtual conference since its announcement in March. Specifically, Memoji avatars are seen sitting behind MacBook screens emblazoned with WWDC 2020 stickers and other paraphernalia.

The tech giant has in the past turned to social media outlets to advertise upcoming events. In 2018, the company issued a promoted tweet that, when “liked,” enrolled users to receive an automated reminder to tune in to what would be the launch of iPhone XR and XS. The same Twitter feature was used earlier that year for WWDC 2018.

Apple first used YouTube’s livestream reminder mechanism when it debuted iPhone 11 in 2019.

This year’s developers conference is expected to bring word of iOS 14, macOS 10.16, watchOS 7 and tvOS 14, with each platform anticipated to gain new features and capabilities. Fresh hardware, like a rumored 2020 iMac redesign, might also see unveiling at the keynote on Monday.

More significant to Apple’s future, recent rumblings claim the company will use WWDC 2020 as a platform to announce a long-rumored shift to ARM-based Macs. An ARM-powered device is not expected to ship until the end of 2020, at the earliest, but the decision to move away from Intel will mark an important step toward owning Mac’s hardware stack.

Alongside the YouTube stream, Apple will air WWDC’s special keynote address on Apple.com, the Apple Developer app, the Apple Developer website and through the Apple TV app, while Tencent, iQIYI, Bilibili and Youku are scheduled to present the event in China. AppleInsider will offer live coverage of the day’s proceedings starting at 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern.

The 20% bonus discount is valid on full price and in-stock items at NomadGoods.com with coupon code DADSNGRADS. With many premium wireless chargers, leather iPhone 11 cases and even designer Apple Watch bands to choose from, it’s a great time to pick up a last-minute gift for the Dad or Grad on your shopping list.

As mentioned above, the coupon applies to full price and in-stock items only (medical supplies are excluded), but shoppers can enjoy greater savings on a majority of items compared to Nomad products on Amazon, which tend to sell for MSRP.

Great gift ideas

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running additional exclusive deals on hardware that will not only deliver the lowest prices on many of the items, but also throw in bonus savings on AppleCare protection plans, business software and more. These offers are as follows:

Maybe you’re like us— you always seem to need a spare wall charger to keep your tech powered up. Stashing spares at your significant other’s apartment, at the office, or in the glove box of your car is usually a good plan, provided the extra chargers are compact and don’t take too much space wherever they are hidden.

That’s where the Aukey Omnia chargers save the day. The small size means it fits perfectly backpacks, messenger bags, and purses— it’s perfect for your daily trek to the office or a weekend getaway.

Both chargers provide 65W of power, making them ideal for powering up a wide range of devices. They’ll work great for USB-C compatible phones, iPad Pros, the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the 2017, 2019, and 2020 MacBook Air, and more.

Of course, they’ll even charge your MacBook Pro that takes an 85W charger — such as the 15-inch MacBook Pro — albeit a bit slower. However, we advise against using a 65W charger for an i9 MacBook Pro.

If you have a USB-C to Lightning cable, you’ll be able to fast charge your fast-charge compatible iPhone — that’s any iPhone from the iPhone 8 to the current lineup — or any other compatible device. A built-in smart chip — called the OmniaChip — prevents overcharging and throttles the current as needed, meaning you can charge older devices as well.

Aukey Omnia Dual USB-C 65W fast charger

The primary difference between the two chargers is the number of USB-C ports they provide — the standard AUKEY Omnia Fast Charger provides a single USB-C port and one USB-A port, while the Dual USB-C Omnia Fast Charger provides two USB-C ports and no USB-A ports.

The Dual USB-C Omnia charger provides 45W of power to the main port and 18W of power to the secondary port when both are in use.

The Standard Omnia Fast Charger provides 45W of power to its USB-C port and 12W of power to its USB-A port when both are in use. The USB-A port does not offer any fast charging, even if it is the only port in use.

Overall, we like these chargers. They didn’t get notably hot, even when powering multiple devices, which is often our main concern. After spending a few weeks with them, we feel as though they’re safe and reliable.

While both are great, if you plan on charging both a MacBook and an iPad Pro at the same time, it’s probably worth springing for the Dual.

You can pick up the Aukey Omnia USB-C and USB-A 65W Fast Charger from Amazon for $39.99. If you’re interested in the Aukey Omnia Dual USB-C 65W Fast Charger, you can grab it from Amazon for $48.99. Aukey is currently running a promotion that allows customers to take an extra $10 off when you click the coupon on the Amazon store listing.

You can declutter your Mac, but sometimes you just want to delete apps. In which case, drag an app to the Trash, then choose Empty Trash, and you’re done.

It would be great if that were all it took to delete an app on an iMac — and it so very nearly is. The majority of the time, it truly is all that you absolutely have to do.

The way Mac applications work means that it’s common for them to be one single file or maybe one single folder in Applications. Simply dragging them to the trash will get rid of them.

Just, not for all apps, and even apps that will go gentle into that good night tend to leave bits behind. Typically it’s just some settings files within your Mac’s Library and they take up little space. If you’re deleting to reclaim all the space you can, though, this adds up — and you need third-party apps to get rid of them.

Before you install an app to help you with deleting apps, though, here are the two main ways to delete anything.

1. Quit the app
2. Find it in the Finder and click once to select it
3. Drag it from Applications to the Trash, or
4. Press Command-Delete, or
5. Choose File, Move to Trash
6. Choose Finder, Empty Trash, or
7. Right click on the Trash and choose Empty Trash
8. If prompted, confirm you’re sure you want to empty the Trash
9. Restart your Mac

You may get error messages when you try to delete a running app, but with certain exceptions detailed below, you can always confirm you want to delete them. Depending on the app, you may be asked for a username and password, or prompted to confirm on your Apple Watch.

You can switch off this warning in the Finder’s Advanced Preferences

1. Quit the app if it’s running
2. Open Launchpad by clicking on it in the Dock, or
3. Open it by clicking on Launchpad in Applications, or
4. Pinch thumb and fingers together on trackpad, or
5. Use Spotlight to open Launchpad
6. Swipe to the application you want
7. Click and hold on any app until they all jiggle, or
8. Hold down the Option key
9. If the app gets an X in a white button, click on that
10. Confirm you want to delete it

This is the much more visual way of deleting apps, and it’s the one that may be immediately familiar if you’re used to using iOS. However, it doesn’t let you delete every app.

You can delete certain apps in Launchpad, but only the ones that are shown with an iOS-like X

In fact, in our testing, it lets you delete very few. The only major applications you can definitely delete this way are those made by Apple, such as Pages, Numbers, or Keynote.

Many smaller utility-style applications can be deleted this way too, but you can’t get rid of Chrome, any Adobe Creative Cloud apps, or Zoom. For those, and the majority of apps, you need to do it manually via moving them to the Trash.

No matter what method you use, you can’t delete certain apps from the Mac — and some of them are surprising. Chess, for instance, will just ignore any attempt to delete it. You may not even have realized that your Mac comes with a Chess game, but it’s holding onto it forever.

In previous versions of macOS, when you tried to delete Chess, you would get an error message saying that it was required for the system. That’s no longer the case as macOS Catalina just won’t let you delete it.

There is arguably a way around it if you disabled security features such as System Integrity Protection, but if you do that because you read it here, and it goes wrong, we’ll deny everything.

It’s a good idea to restart your Mac. It’s also, though, a very good idea to have a third-party utility such as Hazel.

Hazel is one of those Mac utilities that do very many things. But one of them is that when you delete an app, it tells you what other files are being left behind — and offers to delete them for you.

When you delete an app, Hazel automatically shows you what other related files you might want to erase

That’s particularly good because you can see what’s going to be deleted. There are disk space-saving apps that may remove this kind of file, but you won’t know they’ve done it.

This isn’t likely to be a problem but one type of file that gets left on your Mac is often a preferences one. If you reinstall the app later, it should pick up that preferences file and be configured the way you want.

If it is that you just need the space now and will want to reinstall the app later, you can save time and effort by dragging that app to another disk. For instance, if you have an external drive connected to your Mac, you can drag an app straight from there to that other SSD.

What’s more, you can run the app from there, too. So if your Applications folder is taking up a lot of space on your Mac, you can split it. It’s still best to have your most-used apps on your Mac’s drive, but most apps will launch from any connected drive.

First teased in May, Little Voice stars Brittany O’Grady and features original music by Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award-nominee Sara Bareilles.

The drama follows Bess King (O’Grady) as she navigates the New York music scene and deals with life issues like love and family. Sean Teale, Colton Ryan, Shalini Bathina, Kevin Valdez, Phillip Johnson Richardson and Chuck Cooper also star.

Today’s sneak peek features Bareilles singing “Little Voice” over snippets of the show. A full trailer has yet to see release.

Little Voice is produced by Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Abrams, Bareilles, Ben Stephenson (“Westworld”) and Jessie Nelson (“I Am Sam,” “Stepmom,”) are listed as executive producers, with the latter writing and directing the first episode.

Little Voice streams on July 10 and joins other Apple TV+ originals including Golden Globe-nominated and Critics Choice and SAG award-winning series The Morning Show, sitcom Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, Beastie Boys Story, The Banker and sci-fi epic See.

The Apple TV+ original film was originally slated for a theatrical release on Father’s Day. Due to the coronavirus, it will now debut in the Apple TV app on Friday, July 10.

Hanks plays Captain George Krause, a naval officer who leads an international armada of ships on a mission to deliver troops and supplies to allied forces during the Battle of the Atlantic. Alongside Hanks, the film will also start Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan and Elisabeth Shue.

Apple purchased the rights to “Greyhound” from Sony in a deal estimated to be worth $70 million. Sony kept the rights to debut the film in China, where it will see a release in theaters.

Currently, Apple’s premium streaming platform only has a handful of films — including “The Banker,” “Hala,” and “The Elephant Queen. Apple TV+ has been acquiring more feature-length movies since its debut in November 2019, however.

“Greyhound” will mark the first time that a Hanks-led film has debuted on streaming services instead of in theaters.