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Benjamin Mayo

bzamayo

Follow Benjamin on Threads to keep up with his latest projects. Benjamin blogs about Apple news and rumors and posts insightful product and app reviews. Read his work on 9to5Mac and his personal blog.

Benjamin Mayo also creates apps for iOS as a professional indie developer and contractor; more details here. Email to discuss making your iOS project.

on Twitter and follow @bzamayo on Threads.

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From the makers of Drive to Survive, Apple TV+ premieres new docuseries on the MLS

Apple is now streaming Onside: Major League Soccer, a new docuseries from the makers of Drive to Survive. It covers the drama of the 2024 MLS season, with behind the scenes access to players and managers from across the league.

The entire eight episode season is now available to watch on Apple TV+, Apple’s streaming service. MLS Season Pass subscribers also get access to the first episode for free, giving them a taster of the tone of the series.

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Apple says Severance has become its most popular show ever, overtaking Ted Lasso

Adam Scott in Apple TV's Severance

The latest Nielsen charts showed that Severance was performing well with audiences, and now we have official confirmation from Apple itself.

Via Deadline, Apple TV+ says that Severance has become its most popular show ever, even overtaking its hit comedy Ted Lasso. The service recorded more unique viewers for Severance than any other title in its history, based on viewership in the first month after season two premiered.

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Purported iPhone 17 Air design shows off ultra-thin sides and rear camera bar

iPhone 17 Air concept

After releasing a video on their expected iPhone 17 Pro design, Jon Prosser at FrontPageTech returns with another video depicting what they believe the upcoming ‘iPhone 17 Air’ will look like, the radically new addition to the iPhone family.

The Air is expected to replace the iPhone 16 Plus in the lineup, a mid-range model with an all-new ultra-thin chassis design. Many publications have indicated that one of the compromises will be the fact that the phone features a single rear camera. However, these renders suggest that single lens will still be housed inside a full-width protruding bar shape.

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Netflix shows start appearing in Apple TV app unified Watchlist

Update: Unfortunately, it seems someone jumped the gun and this rollout has been cancelled at this time.

Apple and Netflix have seemingly managed to find some common ground and strike a partnership for integration in the Apple TV app. Some users in the US are starting to be prompted to connect their Netflix account to the Apple TV app on their Apple TV 4K devices.

After doing so, Netflix originals are then able to be added to their Watchlist inside the TV app, and appear in Continue Watching. However, the integration does not seem to be complete just yet, so it’s probably still in the process of rolling out.

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Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller star in new movie The Gorge, streaming now on Apple TV+

Apple today launches its next original film, The Gorge, streaming now exclusively on Apple TV+.

The Gorge stars Anya-Taylor Joy and Miles Teller as operatives tasked with guarding a vast chasm, protecting the world from the evil within. The pair communicate via message boards and strike up a bond. As this film is debuting on Valentines Day, it is probably not a spoiler to suggest there is a romantic relationship underpinning this action film.

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Severance is a rare Apple streaming success, based on latest Nielsen viewership numbers

Severance

Severance might just have had Apple’s best viewership performance for a drama, according to the just-released Nielsen streaming charts which covers the week commencing Jan 13th. This is the first time Nielsen has published data covering the period in which the second season of Severance started airing.

Despite only premiering on the Friday of the week covered by the stats, Severance managed to hit number four on the top 10 original series chart, with almost 600 million minutes viewed.

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Apple Maps cycling directions expand across UK and Ireland

Apple Maps cycling

Apple Maps has quietly expanded its support for cycling in the United Kingdom and Ireland this week. Users are discovering they can now route cycling journeys across the length and the breadth of the country.

Apple first launched cycling directions in Maps in late 2020, although at first it was U.S only in a smattering of cities. Support for cycling navigation in the UK has been available for a while, but coverage was patchy … until now.

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The Apple TV app is now available on Android: watch Apple TV+ and MLS Season Pass

The Apple TV app is finally making its way to Android users. The app is now available in the Google Play Store for Android phones and tablets. This means Android users can sign up to Apple TV+ and MLS Season Pass directly on their phone for the first time.

The app lets users can log in with their existing Apple Account, or create a new account through the app and subscribe using Google Play billing. The app is rolling out now, supporting Android 10 or newer devices …

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How to change iPhone Mail app back to how it worked before

iPhone Mail app icon

The default iPhone email app, Apple Mail, has received a major design and functional change as of the iOS 18.2 update. The changes aim to make triaging through your email easier, with automatic inbox category filters and icons to indicate known senders.

But some people just want it back to how it always was, and are looking how to undo and revert the UI changes. Here’s how to do just that …

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Apple Music announces special promo for new subscribers: get six months for $2.99

Apple Music Radio

Apple Music has today officially announced a special promotional offer for new subscribers. For a limited time, new subscribers can get six months of Apple Music for just $2.99. That’s a big saving compared to the regular price of $10.99 per month.

Apple says the offer is available to new and eligible subscribers only. It’s unclear if it is exclusive to the United States, or also available in other regions.

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Apple TV+ series ‘Silo’ ranks on Nielsen Top 10 streaming chart for the first time ever

In perhaps yet another sign of the growing reach of Apple TV+ content, the sci-fi series Silo has ranked on the Nielsen U.S. streaming originals chart for the first time ever. The show ranked 9th with 417 million minutes viewed, for the week of December 30 through January 5.

This is one in just a handful of appearances of an Apple TV+ title on this chart. Typically, Apple shows are not popular enough to make it onto the Top 10 list of streaming originals, according to Nielsen’s numbers anyway.

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How to watch Apple TV+ on Android without an Apple device

Apple TV+

It feels like Apple TV+ is gaining ground in the public consciousness, with dramas like Severance, Silo, and Slow Horses, breaking through.

The availability of the Apple TV app is one reason why more people are finding Apple’s shows, now available on games consoles, cable boxes and more. Unfortunately, there is still no Apple TV+ app for Android phones and TVs. Despite that, here’s the best ways to watch Apple TV+ on Android.

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MLS Season Pass announces free promos with T-Mobile and Comcast, new Sunday night games

Apple today unveiled its plans for the upcoming 2025 Major League Soccer season, through its MLS Season Pass service. The subscription provides worldwide unrestricted access to all MLS games, with no blackouts. The 2025 season officially kicks off on February 22, but you can subscribe now to see preseason games including LAFC vs Liga MX on February 11, and Inter Miami vs Orlando City on February 14.

This season, there’s a new featured game fixture on Sunday nights branded as ‘Sunday Night Soccer’. Sunday Night Soccer games will also be available to stream for free for all Apple TV+ subscribers.

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Mythic Quest season four now streaming, as Apple TV+ starts teasing the upcoming spin-off

Video game studio comedy Mythic Quest returns today for season four on Apple TV+. The comedy features Rob McElhenney as Ian, a maverick game producer, and his surrounding team as they struggle to stay relevant in the modern gaming market.

Mythic Quest first premiered in February 2020, making it Apple’s longest-running comedy. Although there is no confirmation yet of a season five renewal, the service is about to launch a spin-off series — and has begun running trailers.

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White House negotiating for Oracle to take control of TikTok, allowing the app to be unbanned

tiktok ai

As of now, the Chinese-based TikTok app remains unavailable in the United States App Store on iPhone, as the company failed to sell itself to a US owner, before last week’s ban came into effect.

However, there is apparently ongoing negotiations to get TikTok under new ownership, which would give it a path back to the App Store. No deal is close to being finalized, yet, though.

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Apple agrees to French content quotas, commits to ongoing Apple TV+ production in France

Apple has officially agreed to content quota obligations as set out in a 2021 France decree, via Deadline, which means it must invest 20% of Apple TV+ revenues in France to create French and European content.

This effectively commits Apple to create French originals for Apple TV+ on an ongoing basis. Recent French-language releases on the service include La Maison and Drops of God; the latter of which was a hit for TV+ and is returning for a second season.

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UK competition authority formally investigating iPhone App Store monopoly

Apple App Store

The UK government today announced that the Competition and Markets Authority has launched strategic market status investigations into mobile ecosystems, specifically the App Store models of iPhone and Android.

The report says it will assess Apple’s market power, and potential exploitative conduct. This includes options for app distribution to customers, and the terms app developers must agree to to be listed in the App Store in the first place.

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After almost three year wait, Severance season two starts streaming on Apple TV+ today

Severance premiered in February 2022, almost three years ago. With the season ending on an all-time cliffhanger, fans of the show have been eagerly waiting for more. However, the effect of Hollywood strikes and other factors delayed production significantly.

But today, Apple is finally ready to launch the second season of Severance on Apple TV+, with the first episode kicking off directly after the events of the finale, from the innie perspective at least.

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Apple makes Severance season one available to stream for free on the Roku Channel for a limited time

In a promotional push to boost interest for the upcoming second season, Apple has added all of Severance season one to the Roku Channel, for users to watch for free. The Roku Channel boasts more than 90 million users, making it one of the largest destinations of free streaming video content.

This marks the first time TV+ content has been made available on a free third-party streaming platform. The move shows just how committed Apple is to trying to expand engagement and viewership of its original content.

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Report: Apple News app may finally expand to more countries

The News app may finally be expanding its international reach. Since 2019, the app has been exclusively available in the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia.

More than five years on, according to the Financial Times, Apple is finally looking to add new supported countries. Apple monetizes News app through a combination of display advertising and the News+ premium subscription.

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