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Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Samsung Created a Bunch of Pro-Green Bubble GIFs to Get Back at iPhone Users Who Prefer Blue Chat Bubbles

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Samsung today debuted a bunch of GIFs that are meant to serve as comebacks for Android users who are maligned for their green text bubbles.

As iPhone owners know, iMessages on an iPhone are denoted with a blue chat bubble, while SMS text messages from other devices such as Samsung devices are green. That lets iPhone users know who has an iPhone and who doesn't.

iOS users often prefer texting other iOS users over Android users because SMS messages lack many of the capabilities available to iMessage users. If you've ever been in a group text with a bunch of iPhone users and one Android user, for example, you've probably run into bugs and other limitations.

iPhone users' preference for blue bubbles sometimes leads to Android users being teased or left out of conversations. Samsung's solution is, as The Verge points out, apparently a series of GIFs shared on Giphy that Android users can send to the iPhone users who make fun of them for green bubbles.

All of the GIFs feature weird animated green chat bubbles that range from creepy to bizarre. There's "Deal With It" green bubble lettering, a unicorn that stabs a blue chat bubble and turns it green, a green chat bubble with huge muscles showing off, an iguana that turns a green bubble blue, and more.

In many of the GIFs, green bubbles are seen as defeating or conquering blue bubbles in some way, suggesting SMS texts are superior to iMessage texts. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Samsung made more than 20 GIFs that are on Giphy for Android users to take advantage of, and according to The Verge, Samsung is reaching out to Instagram meme pages to ask them to share the GIFs plus the hashtag #GreenDontCare.

Tags: Samsung, Messages

This article, "Samsung Created a Bunch of Pro-Green Bubble GIFs to Get Back at iPhone Users Who Prefer Blue Chat Bubbles" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Deals Spotlight: Save on Anker and Aukey's Best Power and Audio Accessories for Apple Devices

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Well-known accessory makers Anker and Aukey have introduced many new discounts this week, offering notable sales on helpful Apple accessories like wireless chargers, portable batteries, Lightning cables, and more. We've listed every deal from each company below, along with the expiration dates for each discount so you know how long you have to take advantage of the sales.

Anker

Soundcore Audio

Soundcore Motion B - $19.99, down from $24.99 (exp. 8/31)
Soundbuds Slim+ Bluetooth Headphones - $23.99, down from $29.99 (exp. 8/27)
Soundcore Motion Q - $31.99, down from $39.99 (exp. 8/31)

Soundcore Liberty Wireless Earbuds - $69.99 with code SDCHPLT8, down from $99.00 (exp. 8/30)
Soundcore Wakey Bluetooth Speaker - $79.99, down from $99.99 (exp. 8/31)
Soundcore Model Zero - $118.99, down from $199.99 (exp. 8/31)

Wireless and Portable Charging

10W Max Wireless PowerWave Pad - $11.99 with code DB310305, down from $19.99 (exp. 9/30)
PowerPort Wireless 5 Stand - $12.99 with code IWSTQM9B, down from $21.99 (exp. 9/20)
10W Wireless Charging Pad - $12.99 with code SDQH2512, down from $29.99 (exp. 8/31)

PowerCore 10,400 mAh Portable Charger - $24.99, down from $31.99 (exp. 9/2)
PowerCore Slim Portable Charger - $31.99, down from $39.99 (exp. 9/1)

Cables and Power Strips

PowerLine II White (6ft) - $9.99 with code ANKER741, down from $13.99 (exp. 9/2)
PowerLine II Lightning Cable (10 ft) - $10.49 with code ANKER10FT, down from $15.99 (exp. 8/25)
PowerPort Strip 3 - $16.99 with on-page coupon, down from $25.99 (exp. 9/1)

Aukey

USB-C to Lightning Cable (3ft) - $10.49 with code LWXPBPJZ, down from $13.99
60W USB-C Power Delivery Wall Charger - $34.54 with code E7W6KLYI and on-page coupon, down from $42.99
20,000 mAh USB-C Power Bank - $34.07 with code 9I3G8NVT, down from $47.99
Wireless Earbuds - $41.99 with code KZNYNWOY, down from $59.99

We routinely keep track of the latest discount codes offered by Anker and Aukey in our full Deals Roundup. If you're interested in power accessories for Apple devices, be sure to check out our giveaway this week to enter for a chance to win RAVPower's new 61W USB-C Power Adapter and a USB-C to Lightning cable.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

Tags: Anker, Aukey

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Apple Seeds Eighth Beta of watchOS 6 to Developers

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Apple today seeded the eighth beta of watchOS 6, the software that runs on the Apple Watch. The new beta comes a week after the seventh beta and over two months after Apple first unveiled the new watchOS update at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

To install the watchOS 6 beta, you'll need the proper configuration profile, which can be obtained through the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the beta can be downloaded using the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.

Installing the software requires the Apple Watch to have 50 percent battery. It also needs to be put on a charger and it has to be in range of the iPhone.

watchOS 6 is a major update that offers up a long list of new features. First and foremost, there's an App Store right on the Apple Watch, so you can find and download new Apple Watch apps on your wrist.

Apple Watch apps no longer need to have an iPhone component, which means developers can create standalone Apple Watch apps for the first time. Apps are able to take advantage of new APIs so you'll be able to do things like follow along with a workout or listen to streaming music from third-party services.

Since Apple Watch apps are now independent of apps on the iPhone, you can now remove some built-in apps from the Apple Watch, a feature that was enabled in beta 3.

There are several new watch faces in watchOS 6, including Numerals Mono and Duo with huge numbers, Modular Compact, a Gradient watch face that shifts over the course of a day, a Solar Dial watch face that visualizes the sun in a 24 hour path around the dial, and the California watch face with a mix of standard numbers and roman numerals.

A new Taptic Chimes feature provides a silent touch on the wrist at every hour, and if sound is turned on, you'll hear an audible chime. You can also hold two fingers on the Apple Watch's display to hear the time spoken out loud.

There are new Audiobooks, Voice Memos, and Calculator apps, along with a new Noise app that warns you if you're exposed to sound that's too loud and a new Cycle Tracking app for period tracking. Activity Trends, visible on the iPhone, are also available to chart your fitness progress and make sure your fitness trends are improving.

New complications are available for wind speed, chance of rain, and the new Noise app, plus there's a Voice Memos complication for recording a memo quickly, a cellular strength complication, and a complication for the Calculator that opens up the app.

Siri can now provide full web search results right on the watch when asked a question, and for Mac users, the Apple Watch can now approve Mac security prompts.

When it launches in the fall, watchOS 6 will be available on all Apple Watch models with the exception of the original Apple Watch, released in 2015. For more on what's new in watchOS 6, make sure to check out our watchOS 6 roundup.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 5, watchOS 6

Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)

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Apple Seeds Eighth Betas of iOS 13 and iPadOS to Developers

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Apple today seeded the eighth betas of iOS 13 and iPadOS to developers for testing purposes, a week after releasing the seventh betas and two months after unveiling the new operating system at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

Registered developers will need to download the profile for the iOS 13 and iPadOS betas from Apple's Developer Center. This beta, like earlier betas, can be downloaded over-the-air once the proper profile has been installed.

Apple split iOS 13 and iPadOS into separate updates in 2019, one designed for iPhone and one designed for iPad. iPadOS is identical to iOS 13 in almost every way, though there are some iPad-specific features such as new multitasking capabilities. For the most part, the two operating systems share the same features.

iOS 13 is a huge update with a long list of new features. Perhaps the most noticeable outward-facing change is a systemwide Dark Mode that changes the entire look of the operating system from light to dark, darkening everything from system elements to apps.

Apple overhauled the Photos app, introducing a new Photos tab that curates your entire Photos library and shows you a selection of highlights organized by day, month, or year, and there are revamped Photo editing tools.

For the first time, you can edit video right in the Photos app, cropping, rotating, applying filters, and adjusting lighting and color. There's a new High-Key Mono lighting effect, and for Portrait Lighting in general, intensity can be adjusted.

There's a less obtrusive volume HUD, a new Find My app that combines Find My iPhone and Find My Friends and lets you track your devices even with they don't have an LTE or WiFi connection.

A Sign In with Apple feature (not yet active) gives you a convenient and data safe way to sign into apps and websites, providing an alternative to Facebook and Google sign in options. Apple's even able to generate single-use randomized email addresses so you don't have to give your real info to apps and websites.

Maps features a new street-level "Look Around" mode and a Collections feature for making lists of places, Reminders has been entirely overhauled to make it more functional, there's a profile option in Messages along with new Memoji and Animoji stickers, and Siri has a new voice.

CarPlay in iOS 13 has been overhauled with a new look, multiple sets of AirPods (or Powerbeats Pro) can be connected to the same phone so you can share music with a friend, Siri on HomePod can detect multiple voices for multi-user support, and HomePod also supports Handoff.

There are a ton of additional new features and changes coming in iOS 13, and for a full rundown of what you can expect, you should check out our iOS 13 roundup.

Each new beta brings new features and changes to iOS 13, and the seventh beta added tweaks to Find My, an option for deleting Message attachments, changes to the Dark Mode wording, new options for mail received by blocked senders, and more.

Related Roundups: iOS 13, iPadOS

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Case Maker Expecting Smaller Apple Pencil for Upcoming 2019 iPhones

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At least one case maker is expecting Apple Pencil support for the upcoming 2019 iPhones, despite no solid rumors suggesting the new devices will work with the Apple Pencil.

Case site Mobile Fun is, as of this morning, stocking an "iPhone 11 Pro" case from Olixar with a built-in mini Apple Pencil holder. The case maker seems to believe Apple is designing a smaller version of the Apple Pencil that will work with at least the larger 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max successor.

The case in question is a rendering, not a real case, and it therefore doesn't offer concrete evidence that Apple is planning to introduce Apple Pencil support for the 2019 iPhone lineup. It's not even clear if Olixar has actually manufactured these cases, especially because the Apple Pencil sleeve on the back doesn't look functional. From the accessory's description:

Crafted from premium genuine leather, this exquisite grey case from Olixar for the iPhone 11 Pro provides stunning style and prestigious protection for your phone in a slim and sleek package, with the added convenience of an Apple Pencil sleeve.

There have been some rumors and analyst predictions hinting at Apple Pencil support, but thus far we've heard nothing from a reliable source.

Were Apple indeed developing a miniature version of the Apple Pencil that works with the 2019 iPhone, it's likely we would have heard more about it by this point given the detailed rumors we've heard about other aspects of the 2019 iPhone lineup.

That said, Korean site The Investor said in 2017 that Apple would introduce Apple Pencil support for iPhone as soon as 2019, and recently, Citi Research listed the Apple Pencil as one prospective feature for the new devices.

One reliable source, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, has said that Apple Pencil support is a possibility for a future iPhone, but that was in 2018 and he has made no further mention about Apple Pencil support in the 2019 device lineup.

Many times, early case designs for upcoming iPhones are accurate because there's a lot of money in being first to design a case for a new device, but in this situation, Olixar may just be aiming to draw eyes to its brand name using a case rendering for a feature that's interesting, but likely not coming.

For details on all of the features we do expect in the 2019 iPhone lineup, such as triple-lens cameras, bilateral wireless charging, larger batteries, and more, make sure to check out our 2019 iPhone roundup.

Related Roundup: 2019 iPhones

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