Tim Hardwick
Tim is a Senior Editor at MacRumors and has been writing for the site since 2016. Formerly a magazine journalist, his work has appeared in over 30 newsstand print publications and online brands covering a range of topics, from the latest trends in technology to the mysteries of ancient history.
Based in the UK, Tim's current role at MacRumors involves editorial oversight and how tos, in addition to covering daily news and contributing occasional reviews. Tim can be reached at tim@macrumors.com, Telegram (@waxeditorial) or Twitter.
Based in the UK, Tim's current role at MacRumors involves editorial oversight and how tos, in addition to covering daily news and contributing occasional reviews. Tim can be reached at tim@macrumors.com, Telegram (@waxeditorial) or Twitter.
Tim Hardwick's Articles
App Store Users Report Endless T&C Loop Preventing App Updates and Downloads
A number of iPhone and iPad users this morning are taking to Twitter and Reddit to report an issue with the App Store that prevents them from downloading or updating apps.
The problem starts when a user taps the Get button on an app listing, whereupon a pop-up informs them that "Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions have changed" and that they must read and accept them to continue.
An ...
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iFixit Teardown of Samsung Galaxy Fold Reveals Likely Design Flaw
iFixit today published its teardown of Samsung's Galaxy Fold, offering more details on a potential flaw in the device, which has now been delayed following reports of several broken review units.
Essentially, it looks as though Samsung was so focused on perfecting the folding mechanism on the smartphone/tablet hybrid that it made a major oversight: providing adequate protection against the...
Apple Pay Officially Launches in Austria
Apple Pay officially launched in Austria this morning. Apple's mobile payment system is now supported by the country's largest bank Erste Bank und Sparkasse, as well as German-based mobile bank N26, allowing customers to add bank cards to their digital wallet.
Apple says additional Apple Pay partners "coming soon" to Austria will include Bank Austria, Boon, Edenred, Revolut and VIMPay....
Report Claims AirPods 3 With Noise Canceling Feature to Launch Later This Year
DigiTimes reports this morning that Apple is set to launch third-generation AirPods with a noise cancelation function by the end of the year, a claim at odds with rumors that Apple's AirPods 3 have been pushed back to 2020.
Apple is reportedly set to release its third-generation AirPods for sales by the end of 2019, with the new wireless earphones to incorporate a noise cancellation function....
How to Use 'Hey Siri' Hands-Free on a Mac
The latest version of Apple's "Hey Siri" feature works hands-free without being plugged into power, and it can be found in several recently announced Apple mobile products, including the fifth-generation iPad mini, third-generation iPad Air, and second-generation AirPods.
What's perhaps less well-known is that many of Apple's new Macs also support "Hey Siri" hands-free, meaning that users...
Popularity of OLED Smartphones With In-Display Fingerprint Scanners Continues to Grow in 2019
The popularity of OLED smartphones with in-display fingerprint sensors will continue to gather pace in 2019, DigiTimes reports this morning, despite Apple's decision to move away from the technology in favor of face recognition.
Citing industry sources, the report says that rising popularity for fingerprint scanners in smartphone screens is being driven by a reduction in sensor prices and the...
JCPenney Removes Apple Pay Support From Its Retail Stores and Mobile App [Updated]
American department store JCPenney has quietly removed support for Apple Pay from its retail stores, it has emerged.
The withdrawal of support for Apple's digital payment system was confirmed on Saturday by the company's customer service Twitter account in response to a query, but offered no reason for its decision.
JCPenney made the decision to remove Apple Pay for our stores, we ...
Mac Drag-and-Drop App 'Yoink' Gains Continuity Camera Support and New Shelf Actions
Popular Mac drag-and-drop app Yoink received a substantial update on Monday, adding a number of new features, as well as many smaller improvements.
For those unfamiliar with the app, Yoink aims to simplify the action of dragging and dropping files and app-content on the macOS desktop by providing a temporary place for files to be dragged to. Yoink fades in when you start a drag - either...
How to Listen to YouTube Music for Free on Your Google Home or Google Assistant Speaker
In April 2019, Google announced the launch of a free, ad-supported version of its YouTube Music streaming service for use with Google Home and other smart speakers that feature its voice-activated assistant.
Essentially, the free streaming tier means that you can listen to songs from the YouTube Music catalog, interspersed with occasional ads, on your Google Home or other Google...
Google Brings Free Ad-Supported YouTube Music Streaming to Google Assistant Speakers
In lockstep with Amazon, Google has announced a free, ad-supported music streaming option for use with smart speakers that feature its voice-activated assistant.
The new "free" streaming tier means owners of Google Home or other Google Assistant-powered speakers can listen to tracks from the YouTube Music catalog, albeit interspersed with ads.
Listening to music on your Google Home speaker ...
Bose Adds AirPlay 2 Support to BoseSmart Speakers and Sound Bars
Bose this week quietly announced AirPlay 2 support for its line of "BoseSmart" smart speakers. The audio company revealed the added functionality via its official Twitter account and separately in a post on its community support forums.
Introduced late last year, the BoseSmart range of speakers support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and Alexa voice activation. Models in the range that now ...
Apple Expands Mobile Phone Billing to Thailand and Chile
Apple has expanded mobile phone billing to additional countries and carriers, according to an updated support document on its website.
As of this week, the feature is now supported by Movistar in Chile, and dtac and AIS in Thailand. Elsewhere, Vodafone and O2 has been added to the list of supporting carriers in Netherlands and Czech Republic, respectively.
The payment method allows Apple ...
How to Enable Dark Mode in Facebook Messenger
After previously only existing as an "Easter Egg" setting, Facebook in April 2019 added a Dark Mode theme as an official display feature of its standalone Messenger app.
Facebook says that Dark Mode is designed to provide less harsh brightness in situations where ambient lighting is lower while maintaining contrast and vibrancy.
If you have an OLED iPhone, such as an iPhone X, iPhone XS,...
Facebook Harvested Email Contacts of 1.5 Million Users Without Their Consent
Facebook harvested the email contacts of 1.5 million users without their knowledge or consent and used the data to build a web of their social connections, it emerged today. Business Insider reports that Facebook began collecting the contact lists in May 2016 when new users opened a new account on the social network.
Image via Business Insider
The harvesting occurred when users were offered...
Apple Shares New 'Shot on iPhone XS' Video Featuring Images of Nature From Around the World
Apple this morning shared a new video in its ongoing "Shot on iPhone XS" series, this time focusing on awe-inspiring natural scenes caught on Apple's smartphone camera by artist group Camp4 Collective.
Titled "Don't Mess With Mother," the one-minute video features various stark images of nature in action, captured from around the world, synced to the song "Last Rites" by Megadeth.
Shots ...
Apple Removes Video Sharing App TikTok From Indian App Store to Comply With State Demand
Apple has removed TikTok from its App Store in India to comply with a government demand to block downloads of the video sharing app over child safety concerns.
TikTok, developed by China-based Bytedance Technology, lets users create and share short-form videos enhanced with digital effects, a formula that has proved a huge hit in India. The app has been downloaded more than 240 million times ...
Apple Reportedly Plans to Launch Revised 4.7-inch iPhone 8 in March 2020 to Boost Share of Mid-Tier Smartphone Market
Apple will launch a new version of the 4.7-inch iPhone 8 early next year with updated internals in a bid to boost its share of the mid-tier smartphone market, according to a report out today by the Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) [Google Translate].
Citing sources from Taiwan-based Fubon Securities Investment Trust, EDN claims Apple's revised iPhone 8, launching in March 2020,...
Huawei Hasn't Held Talks With Apple About Supplying 5G Modems for iPhone
Huawei said on Tuesday it has not held talks with Apple about supplying 5G chips for future iPhones, just a day after its founder admitted it was "open" to doing so (via Reuters).
"We have not had discussions with Apple on this issue," Huawei's rotating Chairman Ken Hu said on Tuesday, adding he looked forward to Apple's competition in the 5G phone market.Last week we covered a report...
Procreate Illustration App for iPad Gains New Text Manipulation Features
The Procreate app for iOS was today updated to version 4.3, introducing several major features that enable new text manipulation abilities within illustrations, as well as general speed and performance improvements.
Users of the popular illustration app for iPad can now add editable typography to their illustrations, while precision sliders make it possible to refine spacing and alignment,...
Facebook to End Messenger Instant Payments Service in UK and France on June 15
Facebook will discontinue its peer-to-peer payments feature for Messenger users in the United Kingdom and France on June 15, the company announced on Tuesday (via TechCrunch).
The social network sent out notices to users of the service in the two countries informing them of the decision, adding that they would continue to be able to make charitable donations through Facebook itself. A note...
