Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Apple Confirms That It's Okay to Clean Your iPhone With Disinfectant

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Apple today updated its support document on cleaning Apple products with new information that confirms it's okay to to use a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes for the purpose of cleaning germs from your devices.


Prior to now, Apple's cleaning guidelines have recommended against all cleaners, warning that the chemicals have the potential to damage the oleophobic coating on iPhone and iPad displays. Apple still warns against aerosol sprays, ammonia, window cleaners, hydrogen peroxide, bleach, compressed air, and abrasives:

Using a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, you may gently wipe the hard, nonporous surfaces of your Apple product, such as the display, keyboard, or other exterior surfaces. Don't use bleach. Avoid getting moisture in any opening, and don't submerge your Apple product in any cleaning agents. Don't use on fabric or leather surfaces.

Apple also says to avoid spraying cleaners directly onto your devices and to avoid getting moisture into the openings.

Apple's updated guidelines come as the coronavirus continues to spread around the world. Given that most people use their iPhones and other devices constantly, it's important to be able to disinfect them to cut down on virus spread through surfaces.

It's not entirely clear how long the virus lasts on surfaces, but various studies have found that it can survive on glass or plastic for as little as two hours or as long as nine days.

The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern tested Apple's new guidelines over the course of the last week. Using a new iPhone 8, she wiped the display 1,095 times with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, the estimated equivalent of the number of times an ‌iPhone‌ might be cleaned over the course of three years.

After all the wiping, the oleophobic coating on the ‌iPhone‌'s display was in good condition with no perceived damage.

Tag: COVID-19 Coronavirus

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Official Asus Chromebook Flip C436 promo video confirms Asus USI pen

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Expanded Mouse Cursor Support Coming to iPadOS 14 Alongside New Smart Keyboards With Trackpads

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Apple in iPadOS 13 introduced support for external mice as an Accessibility feature, and in ‌iPadOS‌ 14, Apple is set to expand cursor support to make using a mouse or a trackpad on ‌iPadOS‌ similar to using a mouse or trackpad on the Mac.


A mockup of a Smart Keyboard with Trackpad
Apple is rumored to be working on a ‌Smart Keyboard‌ for the iPad Pro that includes a trackpad that will work with the new cursor capabilities, and code found in leaked iOS 14 snippets shared by 9to5Mac provides details on some of the functionality we can expect.

• No Persistent Cursor - When using a trackpad or mouse with an iOS device, the cursor will disappear after a few seconds of not being used, unlike on a Mac where the cursor is always visible. It will reappear after the trackpad or mouse is activated again.


• Multiple Pointers - As on the Mac, you'll see multiple pointers depending on what you're doing. A standard arrow pointer will be visible most of the time, but it will switch to a hand when overing over links.


• Right-Click - Gestures will be supported, such as a tap with two fingers to right click.


• Tap to Click - Tap to Click, a feature present on the Mac's trackpad, will also be available on the ‌iPad Pro‌ ‌Smart Keyboard‌ trackpad.

Code in ‌iOS 14‌ allegedly contains references to two new ‌Smart Keyboard‌ model identifiers, which suggests that the ‌Smart Keyboard‌ with Trackpad will be available for multiple iPad models. That could perhaps mean the 11 and 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ models.

While there's no detail on the physical shape of the accessories, the functionality suggests the upcoming Smart Keyboards will feature a standard laptop-like design that includes a keyboard above the trackpad.

Related Roundups: iPad Pro, iOS 14

Tag: Smart Keyboard

Buyer's Guide: 11" iPad Pro (Don't Buy), 12.9" iPad Pro (Don't Buy)

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Deals: Tile's New Limited Time Sale Offers Big Savings on Mate, Slim, and Sticker Bluetooth Trackers

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Tile is back with a new set of discounts on the Tile Mate, Tile Slim, and Tile Sticker, offering up to $80 off original prices.

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

To start, you can get the Tile Mate in a 1-pack for $19.99, down from $24.99. The Tile Mate is the company's best selling Bluetooth tracker, offering a 1-year replaceable battery in a small 35mm frame perfect for attaching to keys and bags.

You can get 2 Tile Mates and 2 Tile Slims for $29.99, down from an original price of $110. The Tile Slim is an ultra-thin tracker perfect for wallets and passports. There's also a Tile Slim 4-pack for $39.99, down from $120.

Lastly, the Tile Sticker 4-pack is on sale this week for $49.99, down from $79.99. The Tile Sticker is the smallest Tile and can stick to almost anything, like a MacBook or Siri Remote. This Bluetooth tracker has a 3-year built-in battery and measures 27mm in a circular frame.

Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

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Spotify Updates Mobile and Tablet Apps With New Home Screen for Quicker Access to Favorites

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Spotify today updated its home screen on iOS and Android, providing users with an easier way to access their favorite songs, playlists, and albums. This update will also appear on the Spotify app for tablets.


The main change can be found at the top portion of the home screen, which now greets users with a "Good morning" message. This area recommends songs, playlists, and albums that are the most "familiar" to each user, and Spotify said it was built to quickly access albums you've been listening to repeatedly and current podcasts.

As the day progresses, the app will transition to "Good afternoon" and "Good evening" messages, and update with new content. In total, six pieces of content can be found in this new section of the home screen on Spotify, but they aren't user customizable.

Below this area is where you can find top podcasts, "Made for you" playlists, recommendations for new music based on your listening habits, and more. Overall, Spotify said that its new update should make it "easier than ever to find something to listen to."

Tag: Spotify

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Apple Watch Series 6 and watchOS 7 to Feature Watch Face Sharing, Parental Controls and More

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Along with the ability to detect blood oxygen saturation, the Apple Watch Series 6 and watchOS 7 are also expected to bring new watch faces, watch face sharing capabilities, and more.


In a new report out today that's based on code found in leaked iOS 14 snippets, 9to5Mac shares upcoming ‌Apple Watch‌ features.

• Share Your Face - watchOS 7 will allow users to share specific watch face configurations with one another.


• Infograph Pro Watch Face - There's a new Infograph Pro watch face that includes a tachymeter. A tachymeter can be used to compute speed based on travel time.


• Photos Watch Faces - In watchOS 7, watch faces created from photos can be made using a shared album in addition to individual photos and groups of photos from albums.


• Parental Controls - watchOS 7 will add features for managing an ‌Apple Watch‌ for a child with a parent's phone.


• Schooltime - Allows parents to manage which apps and complications can be used during specific hours.


• Control Center - Control center will feature new toggles for sleep mode and noise detection.


• Architecture - In watchOS 7, apps are no longer based on extensions, which is a holdover from when apps required a phone app to function. That was eliminated in watchOS 6, and now in watchOS 7, apps will be not have an extension base.

‌Apple Watch‌ Series 6 and watchOS 7 are expected to include a sleep tracking feature, which has been rumored many times before. The feature is allegedly confirmed within the ‌iOS 14‌ code, and a user will be able to set a personalized sleep goal in the Health app on iPhone, which will also offer up recommendations for improving sleep.

Details on watchOS 7 will be unveiled at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, but anything that also requires ‌Apple Watch‌ Series 6 will be hidden until the fall when new ‌Apple Watch‌ models are expected to debut.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 6

Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

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Icon for Apple's Rumored Over-Ear Noise Canceling Headphones Discovered in Leaked iOS 14 Code

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New icons for Apple's unannounced over-ear headphones have been discovered in leaked code for iOS 14 today (via 9to5Mac). The icons appear to relate to two different colors of the headphones: one white and one black, potentially similar to color options offered for the HomePod in White and Space Gray.

Image via 9to5Mac
The icons found in the ‌iOS 14‌ code relate to use in the operating system's battery and charging widget, similar to where you'll currently see AirPods and Beats headphones appear today. The design of the headphones falls in line with what is largely expected from Apple's first party over-ear headphones, with two large, padded cups that appear in style to the Beats Studio3 line.

The over-ear Apple headphones have been rumored for a few years now, and could include features like auto-pausing and auto-resuming when removing and replacing the headphones, noise cancelation, and quick connection to iOS devices. Because the new icons were uncovered in leaked ‌iOS 14‌ code, this could mean the headphones will launch after ‌iOS 14‌ in the fall, but of course nothing is confirmed as of yet.

Since 2018, rumors have predicted launch dates for these headphones that continuously miss their mark, from launching in late 2018 to sometime in the second half of 2019. Apple is reportedly planning to target the high-end audio market with the device, with active noise canceling features and high-quality build, all of which could be causing ongoing delays in the manufacturing process as the company tries to perfect the design.

Tags: Apple over-ear headphones, iOS 14

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