Samsung Galaxy S26 tipped for major iPhone-challenging payment upgrade | Digital Trends

August 5, 2025August 4, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A fresh report from Korea claims the Samsung Galaxy S26 – the next flagship smartphone we expect Samsung to launch – will arrive with enhanced NFC connectivity for improved contactless payments.

According to South Korean outlet ETNews (via SamMobile), Samsung could include a dedicated NFC antenna in its Galaxy S26 series handsets, alongside the NFC coil which it currently uses in its phones.
Samsung will apparently place the antenna on the top edge of the S26, with the NFC coil in its traditional position on the rear.
Having the antenna on the top edge should make it easier to tap-and-pay at contactless payment checkouts, something which iPhone users already enjoy.

Thanks to macOS Tahoe, the Mac now feels more homely to iPhone users | Digital Trends

June 23, 2025June 22, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It’s been over a week since Apple dropped the first developer preview of macOS Tahoe. Most of the chatter is centered around the glass-inspired design makeover, and deservedly so. For me, Spotlight upgrades, especially the Quick Keys system, have been the standout element.

Yet, as I delved deeper and pushed it as my workhorse computing platform, despite all the bugs and performance snags, I have come to realize that it feels like home. And by that, I mean closer to the iPhone’s native feel than expected.

And it’s not solely due to the aesthetic uniformity, but owing to the functional changes. Apple didn’t only carry over system functionalities, but also some of the iPhone’s defining apps. The Phone app, for example, is one of them. And it’s not a half-hearted attempt either.

Is Fortnite Apple Blocked From the Apple App Store? | Entrepreneur

May 19, 2025May 18, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Fortnite players in the U.S. and E.U. have been caught in a battle royale that they hope will soon end: Apple vs. Epic Games.

On Friday, Fortnite, which is owned by Epic Games, said that Apple blocked access to the online game on iPhone devices, writing on X: “Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the U.S. App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union.”

An Apple spokesperson told CBS News that it had asked Epic Sweden to “resubmit the app update without including the U.S. storefront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies. We did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces.”

End-to-End Encrypted Texts Between Android and iPhone Are Coming | WIRED

March 21, 2025March 20, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Knifings, firebombings, shootings, and murder-for-hire plots—all linked to a splinter group of the 764 crime network called “No Lives Matter.” According to its own manifesto, the group seeks to “purify mankind through endless attacks” and has released at least two “kill guides” tied to violent plots in the US and Europe. Intelligence documents reviewed by WIRED reveal growing concern among analysts, but experts remain unsure how to stop the group’s spread.

On Monday, X experienced intermittent outages after a botnet flooded the social network with junk traffic in an attempt to take down its system. Elon Musk stated that the distributed denial-of-service attack originated from Ukrainian IP addresses, implying that the country—already under siege by a Russian invasion and frequently mocked by the centibillionaire—may have been responsible. Security experts tell WIRED that this is not how DDoS attacks work.

The latest iMessage phishing scam is easy to fall for. Here’s how to avoid it | Digital Trends

January 14, 2025January 13, 2025 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It’s a new year, but bad actors are still at it with an old trick repackaged for iPhone users. Bleeping Computer reports a rise in phishing attacks targeting iPhone users that involves tricking them into disabling built-in protections and clicking on malicious links.

In an increasing number of cases, text messages appear to come from fake delivery agents posing as service messages from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Two Digital Trends contributors have received such sham messages recently in North America.

Windows 11 may finally take iPhone collaboration to the next level | Digital Trends

December 13, 2024December 12, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Microsoft is now establishing file-sharing support between iPhones and its Windows 11 or Windows 10 PCs. Users will be able to connect the devices with the brand’s Phone Link app and Link to Windows app to enable the function. Currently, the feature is available to Windows Insiders users for testing purposes.

Microsoft has not shared other details about the iPhone to Windows file-sharing feature, just installation instructions. To use this function, you must install the previously released Phone Link for iOS app. Microsoft made the Phone Link for iOS app available last spring enabling iPhone users to receive phone calls, send and receive text messages, view notifications, and access contacts directly on Windows PCs.

Your device will prompt you to install Phone Link for iOS if it’s not already installed on your desktop. If Phone Link for iOS is already enabled on your device, you can proceed with file-sharing setup by adding the following file to your PC aka.ms/addAccount.

New Apple security feature reboots iPhones after 3 days, researchers confirm | TechCrunch

November 14, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Apple’s new iPhone software comes with a novel security feature that reboots the phone if it’s not unlocked for 72 hours, according to security researchers.

Last week, 404 Media reported that law enforcement officers and forensic experts were concerned that some iPhones were rebooting themselves under mysterious circumstances, which made it harder for them to get access to the devices and extract data. Citing security researchers, 404 Media later reported that iOS 18 had a new “inactivity reboot” feature that forced the devices to restart.

Now we know exactly how long it takes for this feature to kick in.

Apple Intelligence is now live in public beta. Here’s what it offers and how to enable it. | TechCrunch

September 20, 2024September 19, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Apple Intelligence took another major step toward mainstream availability Thursday with the launch of the iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 public betas.

Starting Thursday, those who are enrolled in Apple’s public beta program will be able to experience the generative AI-fueled platform the company has been talking up since June.

For the time being, Apple Intelligence is only available in U.S. English. The feature is also indefinitely unavailable in both the EU and the People’s Republic of China, owing to regulatory hurdles. Those in the States can access the feature with the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and any member of the newly unveiled iPhone 16 line.

How to block websites on iPhone | Mashable

June 12, 2024June 11, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Whether you’re trying to manage screen time and avoid certain websites, or whether you’re setting some boundaries on your kid’s device, there’s an easy way to block sites on your iPhone.

If it’s specifically the latter, you can also set up parental controls on your iPhone — just know they’re not the full answer. But if you’re keen to know how to simply filter websites directly so they don’t show up in Safari, here’s an easy guide.

Apple needs to make the iPhone cool again. Today is its chance | CNN Business

June 11, 2024June 10, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Apple hasn’t given users a significant reason to buy an upgraded iPhone for four years, since it rolled out 5G connectivity with the iPhone 12 — a worrying trend for the tech giant’s core business. That could change this week.

The iPhone brought in more than half of the company’s total revenue last year, but sales growth has lagged as customers have been slower to upgrade to new models. Longer upgrade cycles — the time between users’ new phone purchases — currently plague many device companies. But they’ve been especially painful for Apple as it grapples with compounding challenges that also include steep competition in the key China market and a landmark antitrust lawsuit.

Apple is expected to announce new artificial intelligence features at its annual Worldwide Developer Conference on Monday, which could supercharge its products and bring Apple back into competition with much of the rest of the tech world that has already gone full steam ahead on AI. And no product is more important to Apple than the iPhone.