appmarsh

Tuesday, 7 April 2020

'Leaked' Images Allegedly Show iPhone 12 With Smaller Notch, Rear Camera Redesign, and Home Screen Widgets

Two images shared on social media this morning are currently stoking speculation about possible hardware redesigns coming to the iPhone 12 and the potential introduction of Home screen widgets in iOS 14.

Shared by Twitter user Fudge (choco_bit), the images depict a front and rear graphical representation of a smartphone with interface elements on the screen, suggesting it came out of a tutorial or support documentation.

Two focuses of interest are the size of the device's notch, which appears to be about a third smaller than the one currently found on iPhones with Face ID, and a new camera setup on the rear of the device showing a revised lens array.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that at least one new iPhone in 2020 will feature a smaller front camera lens for an improved screen to bezel ratio, ultimately resulting in a smaller notch at the front.

Meanwhile, the redesigned camera array is generating online chat about rumors of a new 3D camera coming to the ‌iPhone 12‌, similar in design to the LiDAR scanner on the new 2020 iPad Pro.

Elsewhere, on the device's main display are what look like widgets in amongst icons on the Home screen. As part of a new feature set coming in ‌iOS 14‌, Apple is also thought to be working on bringing widgets to the ‌iPhone‌ Home screen for the first time.

We're bringing these images to the attention of readers mainly for the purposes of discussion, since the source is not an established leaker and there's no way to verify the legitimacy of the pictures.
This article, "'Leaked' Images Allegedly Show iPhone 12 With Smaller Notch, Rear Camera Redesign, and Home Screen Widgets" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories https://ift.tt/2XsbF07

Google Fit iOS App Update Switches Focus to Step Goals

Google's fitness tracking app Google Fit is getting a redesign this week that puts the user's step count front and center.

The app launched on iOS in April 2019 with an interface oriented around Move Minutes and Heart Points, based on American Heart Association and World Health Organization recommendations for weekly physical activity.

These activity data points were visualized with two rings that tracked progress throughout the day. After this week's update is installed, the Move Minutes goal is replaced with your steps goal, and Heart Points get a more prominent visualization under the rings.

There are new celebrations when a daily goal is met, while the update also introduces a bolder and brighter design overall, which should make it more enjoyable to use, whether or not you have a Wear OS smartwatch.

The fitness tracking app can track workout sessions completed with both an Apple Watch or a Wear OS smartwatch, and it also integrates movement data from apps connected to Apple Health, such as Sleep Cycle, Nike Run Club, and Headspace.

The Google Fit app for iPhone is free to download from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Tags: Google, Google Fit

This article, "Google Fit iOS App Update Switches Focus to Step Goals" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories https://ift.tt/2V7mbXz

Roku's Free Ad-Supported Channel Launches in the UK

Streaming device maker Roku has launched its free ad-supported Roku Channel in the UK, offering access to over 10,000 movies, TV shows, and documentaries at a time when stay-at-home entertainment is in high demand.

The Roku Channel can be accessed on Roku devices and – thanks to exclusive UK partnerships – Now TV sticks and Sky Q set-top boxes via the dedicated Roku app.

If you're fine with watching content interspersed with ads, there's plenty of British fare to get stuck into, including the likes of Fifth Gear, Skins, Get Carter, and The Wicker Man. There isn't any sign-in requirement or profiles to set up when you launch the app, so getting started is pretty painless.

"With The Roku Channel we are making it easy for consumers to find great free entertainment and provide additional value to Roku users, Now TV device holders and Sky Q customers," said Roku vice president of programming, Rob Holmes.

"Ad-supported viewing is one of the fastest growing categories on our platform and we are excited to meet the consumer demand for free TV."

Since it launched in the US in 2017, the Roku Channel has added a browser-based web player, live news, a dedicated kids and family section, and an option to subscribe to premium content providers like Showtime and HBO.

Out of those, only the kids and family section is available in the UK at present. However, the British-version of the Roku Channel features over 40 content partners, including Hollywood studios such as Lionsgate and Sony Pictures Television, and more publishers are expected to be added in the future.

Tags: United Kingdom, Roku

This article, "Roku's Free Ad-Supported Channel Launches in the UK" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories https://ift.tt/2XiqyBU

Boris Johnson Moved to ICU and Given Oxygen After Coronavirus Symptoms Get Worse

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a London hospital Monday night after his symptoms from covid-19 got worse, according to multiple reports out of Britain. Johnson has received oxygen treatment but British government officials insist he has not been placed on a ventilator.

WhatsApp Imposes New Limit on Bulk Message Forwarding to Slow Spread of Misinformation

WhatsApp today implemented new restrictions on the mass forwarding of messages in an effort to slow the spread of misinformation on the chat platform.

The new limits on bulk forwarding mean if a user receives a message that has been forwarded more than five times, they will only be able to send it on to a single chat at a time. The previous limit was five chats at once, which WhatsApp introduced last year.

Obviously the restriction doesn't completely prevent mass forwarding, but anyone wanting to do so now has to put a lot more repetitive manual effort into it.

The move comes after several hoaxes went viral on the platform, including false stories about the current global pandemic one of which linked the outbreak to the rollout of 5G networks. At least 20 mobile phone masts across the U.K. are believed to have been set on fire or vandalized as a result of the baseless theory.

"We've seen a significant increase in the amount of forwarding which users have told us can feel overwhelming and can contribute to the spread of misinformation," said WhatsApp in a blog post. "We believe it's important to slow the spread of these messages down to keep WhatsApp a place for personal conversation."

WhatsApp is also testing a feature that displays a small magnifying glass icon next to bulk forwarded messages. If users tap the icon they are sent to a web search for the message, with the intention that they'll be able to find articles that provide more information about the message or debunk it.

Tag: WhatsApp

This article, "WhatsApp Imposes New Limit on Bulk Message Forwarding to Slow Spread of Misinformation" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories https://ift.tt/2UPn4oQ