Roku in Talks With Apple About AirPlay 2 Support

http://bit.ly/2SrHjZk

Roku is in talks with Apple about supporting AirPlay 2, with the two companies currently working out details surrounding the partnership, according to a source familiar with the matter. The plans are not finalized and are subject to change.


We're told that AirPlay 2 support is likely to arrive in the form of a Roku OS software update for Roku media players, which can be used with virtually any smart TV. The update would likely extend to smart TVs with Roku OS preinstalled, including select models from Sharp, TCL, Insignia, Hisense, Sanyo, and RCA.

It's unclear when the software update might be released or if it will be limited to select Roku players and TVs. We're told the partnership may extend to Apple Music, suggesting that Roku OS could gain an app to access the streaming music service alongside existing apps for Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pandora.

Last month, we asked Roku if it was willing to work with Apple on AirPlay 2 support and a spokesperson said "we don't have anything to share regarding this now." Roku did not immediately respond to our follow-up request for comment today, while Apple rarely comments on its plans in advance.

With AirPlay 2 support, Roku users would be able to stream video, audio, photos, and more directly from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to their smart TVs. HomeKit is also coming to many smart TVs, enabling users to control volume, playback, and more using Siri or the Home app on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Last month, Apple announced that select AirPlay 2-enabled smart TVs are coming from leading brands such as Samsung, LG, Vizio, and Sony. Samsung's latest smart TVs are also getting an exclusive iTunes app for movies and TV shows.

Tags: Roku, AirPlay 2

This article, "Roku in Talks With Apple About AirPlay 2 Support" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories http://bit.ly/2RIuhm0

Buggy iOS 12.2 Beta 2 Lock Screen Shows Battery Percentage Instead of Date

http://bit.ly/2BiM5Pa

The second iOS 12.2 beta introduces a significant change to the Lock screen, updating it to display battery percent rather than the date in most situations. It's not clear if this is the intended behavior, but after updating to iOS 12.2, battery percent is displayed under the time in the place of where the date used to be.

Lock screen in iOS 12.2 on left, lock screen on iOS 12.1.3 on right (when not charging
Current charge level is displayed in lieu of the date whenever the iPhone is not actively charging. When charging via Lightning cable, battery case, or wireless charger, the behavior is the same as it is on iOS 12.1.3. The charge level is displayed for a few moments before it swaps over to the date.

It's not known if displaying the charge permanently is the intended behavior, and this is potentially a bug because it's not likely most users want to display battery life continuously in place of the date. We're also seeing some bugginess with the way charge levels and date listings swap on various devices like wireless chargers and Lightning cables.

Apple may be intending for the non-charging behavior to work like the charging behavior, with the iPhone displaying the charge momentarily when woken up before swapping over to the date. If this is a bug, it should be cleared up with the next beta. If Apple does indeed intend to display the battery percentage on the lock screen temporarily in all conditions, it would be a welcome change. Some users have been unhappy with the battery percentage being hidden in the Control Center in the iPhone X and later.

Related Roundup: iOS 12

This article, "Buggy iOS 12.2 Beta 2 Lock Screen Shows Battery Percentage Instead of Date" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories http://bit.ly/2Bkae7I

More Chromebooks and Android Phones Getting Instant Tethering Support

via Chrome Unboxed – The Latest Chrome OS News http://bit.ly/2UI0UCa

Some AT&T iPhones Displaying Misleading '5G E' Icon in iOS 12.2 Beta 2

http://bit.ly/2TxJzf4

Some AT&T users who have installed the new iOS 12.2 beta are noticing their iPhones displaying a '5G E' connection to AT&T's network, which is AT&T's misleading name for an "upgraded" version of 4G LTE.

AT&T began rolling out its fake 5G icon to Android smartphones in early January, and it now appears the change is extending to the iPhone.

Image via the MacRumors forums
Devices in certain areas are displaying a "5G E" icon instead of LTE, but as the "E" suggests, this is not real 5G. No iPhone that exists right now is capable of connecting to a 5G network, nor is AT&T's network 5G at this time.

The "E" stands for Evolution, a new brand name AT&T is using for some parts of its LTE network. According to AT&T, 5G Evolution reaches a peak theoretical wireless speed of 400Mb/s, which does not match 5G data transfer speeds and is in fact the same as traditional LTE speeds.

AT&T claims that 5G Evolution is the "first step on the road to 5G," bringing improvements to already-existing LTE networks. Technically, 5G Evolution uses technologies already employed by other carriers.

How are we doing it? With enhancements like carrier aggregation to add more "lanes" to the highway that data travels on. 4x4 MIMO to double the number of antennas that can send data back and forth. And 256 QAM to make data transmission more efficient. All this adds up to faster speeds for you.

According to AT&T, its "5G Evolution" network is live in more than 400 markets, with more to come. Other carriers, such as T-Mobile, have made fun of AT&T for its misleading branding.

didn’t realize it was this easy, brb updating pic.twitter.com/dCmnd6lspH

— T-Mobile (@TMobile) January 7, 2019

True 5G smartphones won't be coming until later in 2019, and rumors suggest Apple will not introduce 5G support until 2020 at the earliest.


This article, "Some AT&T iPhones Displaying Misleading '5G E' Icon in iOS 12.2 Beta 2" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories http://bit.ly/2MT95Ja

Apple Introduces New Giraffe, Shark, Owl and Boar Animoji in iOS 12.2 Beta

http://bit.ly/2HT0U0B

In the latest iOS 12.2 beta, Apple has introduced four new Animoji characters that can be used in the Messages and FaceTime apps. The new Animoji include a giraffe, a shark, an owl, and a boar.


Animoji are designed to work on devices with a TrueDepth camera system, which now includes modern iPhone and iPad Pro models. Animoji are animated, 3D emoji characters that you control with your face.

When you use an Animoji, the TrueDepth camera nalyzes more than 50 muscle movements in different areas of the face, detecting movement of the eyebrows, cheeks, chin, eyes, jaw, lips, eyes, tongue, and mouth.

All of your facial movements are translated to the Animoji characters, making them reflect your expression and emotion. Animoji can be shared with friends in the Messages app as stickers and as videos, they can be used with the Effects camera in Messages, and you can use them instead of your own face when FaceTiming someone.

There are a total of 24 Animoji now, including the four new ones. Existing Animoji include monkey, robot, cat, dog, alien, fox, poop, pig, panda, bunny, rooster, unicorn, lion, dragon, skull, bear, tiger, koala, t-rex, and ghost.

When Animoji launched in 2017 alongside the iPhone X, there were 12, with Apple steadily adding new fun characters to play with.


This article, "Apple Introduces New Giraffe, Shark, Owl and Boar Animoji in iOS 12.2 Beta" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories http://bit.ly/2S6ePVA

New Feature Coming For Chrome Might Make Me Love My Mouse Again

via Chrome Unboxed – The Latest Chrome OS News http://bit.ly/2SsjMYd

Google expands Instant Tethering connection to 15 Chromebooks and 30 Android phone models

via About Chromebooks http://bit.ly/2DVdTe3