This week’s top stories: Apple vs FBI, Apple Pay in China, Kanye West ditches Apple Music, more

by | Feb 19, 2016 |

Tim-Cook-reading

In case you missed Apple’s fight with the FBI this week, the launch of Apple in China, or any of the other big Apple stories we’ve covered, below we’ve rounded up this week’s top stories and recommended reading to get you up to date over the weekend. Enjoy. 

Apple vs the FBI

It’s been brewing behind the scenes for a while, but this week Apple’s fight against not providing government with access to locked iPhones is center stage. Things really kicked off when Apple CEO Tim Cook decided to pen an open letter earlier this week in response to a request from the FBI and the courts to unlock an iPhone belonging to a suspect in a high-profile criminal case. Apple is refusing to unlock the device, and Cook said doing so would be “‘an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers.” Now, it looks like the issue will go all the way to the Supreme Court as we learned more today regarding some background on the events that lead up to this week’s very public controversy.

Apple Pay launches in China

Apple Pay is coming to a new market this week and it’s a big one for Apple: China. Earlier this week the company officially announced that developers could begin accepting Apple Pay for payments within apps, and today Apple began a gradual rollout in the country as a huge number of users rushed to register their credit and debit cards.

Apple updates iOS 9.2.1 to restore iPhones affected by ‘error 53’, apologizes to customers

This week Apple released a new version of iOS 9.2.1 that will remedy bricked iPhones affected by ‘error 53‘, a controversial bug that caused iPhone 6 units with home buttons repaired by a third-party to potentially be bricked with software updates. The bug was even the source of a potential class-action lawsuit. And that strange iPhone bug that crashes an iOS device with the date set to Jan 1, 1970 has also finally been acknowledged by Apple, and the company says a software fix is incoming.

Apple launches iPhone ‘Trade Up With Installments’ plan from $15/mo, yet another way to buy a new iPhone in the US

Apple this week announced a new way to purchase an iPhone through an Apple Store. Its new ‘Trade Up With Installments’ plan allows customers to take advantage of a combination of its existing iPhone Upgrade Program and trade-in offers. The result is a cheaper monthly installment fee on a new iPhone.

Kanye West says album won’t be released on Apple Music

Kanye West’s new album ‘The Life of Pablo’ was supposed to drop on all the usual music services last week after an exclusive event at Madison Square Garden. A few bizarre Twitter rants later, West has decided to keep his album off Apple Music and other service for good as he pushes a stream only option through the Jay-Z owned Tidal music service that West happens to have a stake in.

Honeywell’s Lyric Round HomeKit thermostat now available & we review the Ecobee Wi-Fi thermostat with HomeKit support

HomeKit products are now real things, and that means more and more quality home automation products with support for Siri voice commands are hitting the market each month. Two worth checking out this week: Honeywell’s Lyric Round HomeKit thermostat is now in-stock and shipping from the company after an unveiling back in January at CES. Compare that to one of the most popular Homekit thermostats available that we happened to review earlier this week, the Ecobee Wi-Fi thermostat.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Apple, Apple pay, china, Encryption, FBI, February, homekit, kanye west, Security, top stories, unlock

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Department of Justice files motion to force Apple to comply with FBI iPhone backdoor request

by | Feb 19, 2016 |

iPhone passcode

The Apple vs FBI encryption clash continues to ramp up, with the Department of Justice filing a motion today to force Apple to comply with the FBI’s request and make custom iPhone firmware that would let the FBI brute-force into an iPhone related to the San Bernardino attacks, via CNBC.

Although tech giants are generally taking Apple’s side on the matter, with the iPhone backdoor seen as a ‘dangerous precedent’, this is the first time the DoJ has entered the conversation and it is clearly not on Apple’s side.

The court has given Apple an additional three days to reply to the order, so the world anxiously awaits Apple’s next move in the case due on February 26th. The DoJ’s position means Apple will have more groups to battle, if it decides to uphold its stance of resisting the backdoor request.

Read Tim Cook’s original open letter about this issue from earlier in the week. It has since come to light that it was the FBI who forced the issue into the public eye; Apple had filed court orders to keep the issue private.

The implications of the government’s demands are chilling. If the government can use the All Writs Act to make it easier to unlock your iPhone, it would have the power to reach into anyone’s device to capture their data. The government could extend this breach of privacy and demand that Apple build surveillance software to intercept your messages, access your health records or financial data, track your location, or even access your phone’s microphone or camera without your knowledge.

To recap, the FBI wants Apple to make special firmware for the suspect’s iPhone that will remove the normal 1 hour delay between multiple PIN attempts. This will then allow the FBI to try every possible 4-digit PIN combination in order to brute-force entry into the device and retrieve the encrypted data. Apple says this is just the beginning and the precedent set here would let the government encroach further into user privacy over time.

Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS, iOS Devices, Tech Industry Tagged: Apple, FYI, iPhone security

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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Seagate 2TB Portable HDD $70, JBL Speaker w/ Lightning $125, Ooma VoIP System $50, more

by | Feb 19, 2016 |

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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

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Seagate Expansion USB 3.0 Storage: 2TB Portable $70 (Reg. $90+), 4TB Desktop $100 (Reg. $120+), more

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Charge your iPhone on JBL’s Rumble Bluetooth speaker w/ Lightning dock: $125 (Orig. $400)

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Make the jump to VoIP calling w/ Ooma’s Telo Home Phone System (refurb): $50 shipped (Orig. $130)

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Garmin’s latest fitness trackers have impressive battery life & can automatically identify your activities

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Apple Deals:

Save $549 on Apple’s most powerful standard configuration 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro: $1,950 shipped (Reg. $2,499)

The latest iPad Pro deal nets you a 128GB Wi-Fi model for the price of a 32GB: $799 shipped (Reg. $949)

Apple iPad Air Wi-Fi 16GB $299 or 64GB $349 shipped (Reg. $399/$449)

Apple iPhone 6s/Plus (Verizon + Sprint) on-contract pricing gets slashed by $200, 64GB now just $100

Many Apple Watch models now $100 off: 38mm Sport $249 w/ free shipping (Reg. $349), more

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

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Power banks w/ Prime shipping: RAVPower 16,750mAh 4.5A Dual-USB $24, Anker 10,000mAh PowerCore $20, more

  • DashCam Recorder and Camera offers motion-triggered recording: $27 (Orig: $95)
  • Games/Apps: Just Cause 3 $45, Uncharted Nathan Drake $22, iOS freebies, more
  • Daily Deals: Jawbone Mini Jambox Bluetooth Speaker $65, more
  • Polk 510-watt Bluetooth Soundbar Home Theater Audio System $400 shipped (Orig. $800)
  • Magazine bundles w/ titles from $4/yr: Wired, Dwell, Men’s Health, GQ, ESPN, more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

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Keep tabs on flood risk areas w/ this D-Link Wi-Fi Water Sensor for iOS/Android: $38 shipped (Reg. $60)

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Aukey iPhone car accessories w/ Prime shipping: Magnetic air vent mount $5, Dual USB charger $6, more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

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Canon adds three new Wi-Fi cameras to its mid-range lineup for prosumers and videographers

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Pad & Quill’s new wooden iPhone 6/s/Plus cases use kevlar for added strength

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: 9to5Toys, Amazon, app deals, Best Buy, Daily Deals, free apps, Gold Box, video games

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Apple shows off gorgeous new flagship Apple Store planned for Stockholm [Gallery]

by | Feb 19, 2016 |

Apple-store-stockholm-00

Today we get our first glimpse at Apple’s plans for that upcoming flagship retail store that we noted earlier this week was in the works for Stockholm, Sweden. The images come from a presentation by Apple (via feber.se) showing off a model and renders of what the new retail location will look like located in Stockholm’s high profile Kungsträdgården area.

The images and video show Apple’s plan for a single-floor Apple Store layout that isn’t unlike recent Apple Store designs, featuring floor to ceiling glass walls on at least two sides of the store and the usual wood table/demo area layout for products.

A previous report claimed that the store could mirror the design of Apple’s iconic flagship 5th Avenue retail store in New York, but the design presented this week by Apple seems to be closer to its typical store design opposed to something out of the ordinary like the 5th Avenue store’s glass cube entrance and below ground level store.

According the report from earlier this month, Apple is still attempting to work out details of the proposal with government officials in the city with retail head Angela Ahrendts reportedly personally involved in the talks.

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One way that the new Stockholm store would be different than the average Apple Store build is that the fact that Apple reportedly plans to also overhaul the surrounding area by rebuilding a fountain and public seating area around the building that could be used by the public full-time even when the store is closed. 

Apple currently has three official retail store locations in Sweden — Helsingborg, Väla Centre; Taby, Taby Centrum; and Malmo, Emporia— none of which are located in the country’s capital, Stockholm.

Head below for more shots and video the proposed Stockholm store:

Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Angela Ahrendts, Apple, Apple Store, Kungsträdgården, proposal, renders, retail, Stockholm, Sweden

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Police rescue kidnapped teenage girl after mother locates her using Find My iPhone

by | Feb 19, 2016 |

yosemite-safari-find_my_iphone-large_circle

An 18-year-old girl reportedly kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend has been safely rescued by police after her mother tracked her location using Find My iPhone. CNBC reports that the victim was found more than 150 miles away from home.

Pennsylvania State Police were “notified by the victim’s mother that her daughter had been taken against her will by her ex-boyfriend” on Tuesday, according to a statement. “The victim’s mother related that she had been receiving text messages from her daughter requesting help. The mother was able to track the victim’s cellphone by utilizing the iCloud [and] Find My iPhone app.”

Police say that the victim was found bound and gagged in a car in a McDonald’s parking lot. They named the kidnapping suspect as 18-year-old Joseph Boller, whose bail has been set at $150,000.

There have been a number of examples over the years of Find My iPhone helping to rescue people and to locate suspects.

Find My iPhone requires a mobile data connection to work. Given that it’s not uncommon for parents to hand down older iOS devices to kids without a working SIM, a smart move could be to add a cheap SIM to the device from a company like FreedomPop.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Crime, Find my iPhone, iPhone rescue, Kidnap, police

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Apple/FBI fight looks destined to go all the way to the Supreme Court as more background is revealed

by | Feb 19, 2016 |

Supreme_Court_Building_at_Dusk

If Tim Cook’s strongly-worded response to the court order instructing it to assist the FBI in breaking into an iPhone left any room for doubt about Apple’s determination to fight the matter all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, that doubt appears to be removed by further background emerging today.

The NY Times reports that Apple plans to press ahead with plans to increase its use of strong encryption.

Mr. Cook has told colleagues that he still stands by the company’s longstanding plans to encrypt everything stored on Apple’s myriad devices, services and in the cloud, where the bulk of data is still stored unencrypted.

“If you place any value on civil liberties, you don’t do what law enforcement is asking,” Mr. Cook has said.

The piece also reveals that Apple had asked the FBI to make its court application under seal – meaning that the legal arguments could be heard in private – but the FBI chose instead to make it a public fight …

This adds to suspicions that the FBI has deliberately chosen a high profile test-case likely to generate public sympathy for its position.

Curiously, the NY Times removed from an earlier piece three paragraphs quoted by Edward Snowden. One of the authors of the piece, Katie Benner, tweeted that “we did a full rewrite of the story so much of the original is gone,” adding that this sort of thing “happens all the time” before declining to comment further.

Steve Wozniak has also weighed-in on the side of the company he co-founded, telling CNBC that Apple’s reputation is built on the trust of its customers.

I believe that Apple’s brand recognition and value and profits is largely based on an item called trust. Trust means you believe somebody. You believe you’re buying a phone with encryption.

You can’t trust who is in power. It’s like believing the authority and police wherever they go. Generally, when they write the rules, they’re right when they’re wrong.

Woz also said he believed Steve Jobs would have made the same decision as Tim Cook to fight the court order, and that “the word ‘terrorism’ has been used way too often to scare people.”

The WSJ notes that privacy advocates are planning to hold rallies at Apple Stores across the U.S. in support of the company.

In the FBI’s corner is Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, who had previously claimed that Apple’s use of strong encryption meant that iPhones would be “the terrorists’ communication device of choice.” Vance said that the case “the most visible example of how Silicon Valley’s decisions are thwarting criminal investigations and impeding public safety,” and that his office is planning to bring cases of its own before a NY court.

A TechCrunch piece pointed out some misreporting of the issue, with some claiming that Apple had previously unlocked as many as 70 iPhones for law enforcement agencies. As Matthew Panzarino notes, Apple had previously (on receipt of court orders) extracted data from unencrypted phones running iOS 7 or earlier.

Apple also assisted the FBI in the San Bernardino case, cooperating with earlier court orders requiring it to hand over unencrypted data from iCloud backups of the phone in question. (Those backups are incomplete, which is why the FBI wants access to the phone itself.) This is important context, demonstrating that Apple is fighting a specific point of principle here rather than trying to be generally obstructive to law enforcement.

Of course, the whole legal battle could be avoided if the FBI took up the kind offer (via Business Insider) of noted eccentric John McAfee, currently running for President for the Libertarian Party.

So here is my offer to the FBI. I will, free of charge, decrypt the information on the San Bernardino phone, with my team. We will primarily use social engineering, and it will take us three weeks. If you accept my offer, then you will not need to ask Apple to place a back door in its product, which will be the beginning of the end of America.

If you doubt my credentials, Google “cybersecurity legend” and see whose name is the only name that appears in the first 10 results out of more than a quarter of a million.

McAfee gave no clue as to how he would use “social engineering” to persuade a dead terrorist to reveal his password.

Apple was yesterday given more time to prepare its response to the court order, with the deadline now falling on 26 February. Check out all our earlier reporting of the issue below:

Photo: Solitary Watch

Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS Devices Tagged: Apple Inc, Encryption, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, iOS 8, iOS 9, iPhone, privacy, San Bernardino, Security, Supreme Court of the United States, Tim Cook

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Apple Pay victim of its own success in China, says company, as “too many people try to sign up”

by | Feb 19, 2016 |

apple-pay-china

With many Chinese iPhone owners reporting they they are unable to register for Apple Pay, an Apple spokesman has said the issues are due to too many people trying to sign-up. Mashable reports that 38 million bank cards had been linked to Apple Pay by 5pm on launch day, 10M of them registered within the first hour.

Chinese site Caixin reported that Apple expected problems to be limited to the launch day, but posts to the Chinese social media site Weibo suggest that many are still experiencing problems today.

“It kept telling me the phone ‘cannot connect to Apple Pay’ or the verification for the card is not available when I was linking a bankcard,” said Duan Ge, a 31-year-old employee of a film production company. Duan said he managed to link his debit card after about 30 minutes of trying, but later when he tried to register another credit card, he “could not even open the app.”

Some had feared that Apple might face an uphill battle in persuading Chinese nationals to use the service, for two reasons …

First, unlike the U.S., mobile payment services were already in widespread use in China, giving people less reason to sign up to an additional one. Second, competing services like Alipay subsidize the equipment costs of businesses wanting to accept their payment service. Apple has so far only listed 16 companies as accepting Apple Pay in China, though these are big names like 7-Eleven, McDonalds and Carrefour.

Apple still has some way to go to catch up with Chinese market leader Alipay, reported to have 400M users, but getting close to 10% of that number on day one suggests that concerns about Apple’s ability to break into the market have likely been misplaced. Apple’s partnership with payment processor UnionPay gives it potential access to a staggering five billion credit cards.

Filed under: Apple Pay Tagged: Alibaba Group, Alipay, Apple Inc, Apple pay, china, China UnionPay

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How-To: Take better videos with your iPhone using FiLMiC Pro [Video]

by | Feb 19, 2016 |

FiLMiC Hero

The stock Camera app found in iOS is decent enough. It’s great for the casual shooting of photos and videos, and more importantly, it’s easy to use and almost always works.

But just like there are dedicated photo apps for improving the quality of your photography, the same thing is true for videographers. If you’re looking to improve your iPhone or iPad videography skills, then look no further than FiLMiC Pro, a $9.99 universal app.

The “Pro” in FiLMiC Pro isn’t some arbitrary nomenclature tacked on just because it sounds good.  This is a professional video app containing features normally found on standalone cameras. Let’s have a look at the interface and then consider 15 of my favorite features.

The basics

The FiLMiC Pro interface is chock full of settings and features. Many of the tools available are hidden behind menus in an effort to keep the interface simple and focused. Here’s a look at a few of the basic things that you should know about the interface before getting started.

Action slider

The action slider, accessible via the arrow button in the upper left-hand corner of the interface, reveals additional settings and features. There, you’ll find options for the LED flash, zoom, rule of thirds overlay, and more.

FiLMiC Pro Action Slider

Settings

The settings gear, located to the left of the shutter button, lets you access settings for features like resolution, frame rate, audio, etc. Settings is filled to the brim with additional features to customize the app to your liking.

FiLMiC Pro Settings Cog

Manual control sliders

There are all sorts of manual control sliders available for various features in FiLMiC Pro. Sliders exist for focus, ISO, tint, white balance, LED flash intensity, shutter speed, and more. Sliders are generally accessible by tapping and holding on a button associated with the slider. For example, tap and hold on the focus button or reticle to reveal its associated manual control slider.

FiLMiC Pro Slider

Those are just a handful of the basic interface elements that you should become familiar with. FiLMiC Pro is a very deep videography app, so play around with it and see what you can discover. Let’s continue and talk about 15 of my favorite features.

Separate focus and exposure reticles

This is a fairly basic feature, and the stock Camera app in iOS does have the ability to set and lock both exposure and focus. Still, it’s nice to have two separate reticles dedicated for each task.

FiLMiC Pro Focus and Exposure reticles

You can easily move and lock both reticles independently of one another (just tap to lock), which lends more fine-tuned control overall. Also, there’s the ability to lock either setting using dedicated buttons in the bottom left-hand corner of the app’s interface.

Focus slider

Speaking of focus, FiLMiC Pro lets you pull off an impressive rack focus with ease. A rack focus is the practice of changing the focus of your lens while shooting video. It’s a good way to switch focus between a foreground object and a background object in a single take. It’s possible to pull off a similar effect with the stock Camera app, but it’s much easier to do so in FiLMiC Pro thanks to built-in pull points.

FiLMiC Pro Focus Slider

To access the focus slider, just tap and hold on the focus reticle, and it will appear on the left side of the interface. You can use the focus reticle icon on the slider to change focus, but the real benefits occur when you establish two pull points. The pull points are the two lines that rest horizontally on the slider. By adjusting those two pull points, you can set in and out points for focus pulling. Once the pull points are set, tap on either point to create a smooth rack focus transition between the two.

Variable speed slider

FiLMiC Pro Speed Slider

To enhance the rack focus ability, FiLMiC Pro includes a handy variable speed slider that lets you adjust the speed of the transition between pull points. The variable speed slider is hidden out of the way, but a simple right-swipe on the focus slider reveals it. Adjust the variable speed slider up or down to control the speed of the transition between pull points.

Lock white balance, adjust temperature and tint

FiLMiC Pro Tint

By tapping the white balance button in the bottom left-hand corner of the FiLMiC Pro interface, one can easily lock white balance. This can be combined with a grey card to set accurate white balance in almost any lighting condition. But not only that, you can tap and hold the white balance button to reveal the white balance slider, which allows you to manually adjust color temperature using Kelvin values. In addition, a new tint option is also revealed for quickly changing the tint of a scene on the fly.

Record in 4K at 100Mbps

FiLMiC Pro Resolution Settings

The stock Camera app limits the iPhone 6s bitrate when shooting 4K video to around 50Mbps. When shooting 1080p30 video, the bitrate is (unsurprisingly) even lower. FiLMiC Pro, on the other hand, gives you more control over bitrate values. For example, it’s possible to shoot 4K video on an iPhone 6s at 100Mbps, and 1080p30 video at 50Mbps.

To adjust the bitrate within FiLMiC Pro, tap the settings gear, and tap the Resolution section. When you factor in things like compression, differences may be hard to notice, but it’s nonetheless a nice area to have a say in.

Set frame rate

FiLMiC Pro FrameRate Settings

You can set the frame rate used within the stock Camera app, but your choices are limited. Along with that, you actually have to exit the app and delve into iOS’ preferences just to find the frame rate setting.

As you might expect, FiLMiC Pro features a wider variety of frame rate settings to choose from within the FrameRate section of its settings, and these can be adjusted without leaving the app. FiLMiC Pro defaults to a cinematic frame rate of 24fps instead of the 30fps setting of the stock Camera app.

Change aspect ratio

FiLMiC Pro Aspect Ration

…and it just keeps going. Yes, you can even change the aspect ratio within FiLMiC Pro. Tap the settings gear and select Resolution to find aspect ratio options. You can choose between 16:9, 17:9, 1:1 for square Vine-friendly video, 2.59:1, 2.39:1, 2.2:1, and 1.66:1.

Change digital zoom speed and zoom targets

Traditionally, it’s not a great idea to incorporate digital zoom into your workflow, as it results in reduced image quality. Optical zoom, the type of zoom that uses the lens instead of software, is by far the more desirable type of zoom. That said, there may still be occasions where you wish to incorporate zoom into your project for creative reasons, and if digital zoom is the only option at your disposal, then that’s what you’ll have to use.

To access digital zoom, tap the action slider button in the upper left-hand corner to reveal additional options. From there, tap the Zoom button in the upper right-hand corner. Use the + button to zoom in and the – button to zoom out.

FiLMiC Pro Zoom Targets

The great thing about FiLMiC Pro is that it will let you know when you’ve zoomed far enough to causes substantial image degradation. The bar next to the zoom levels will change from green (safe) to red (unsafe) as you zoom in.

You can set zoom targets by tapping one of the three target points while at the desired zoom level. This allows you to smoothly zoom between two values with the press of a button. To adjust the speed of the zoom using the variable speed slider, tap and hold the zoom button within the action slider in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

Adjusting shutter speed

FiLMiC Pro Shutter Speed

You can adjust the shutter speed within FiLMiC Pro by tapping and holding on the ISO reticle. This will reveal the ISO slider, which functions similarly to the focus slider that we covered earlier.

You’ll notice three buttons next to the ISO slider. The middle button, the shutter speed button, allows you to adjust the camera’s shutter speed. As a general rule, shutter speed should be double the current frame rate, so if you’re shooting 24FPS, you’ll want the shutter speed to be 48. For creative reasons, however, you may wish to change the shutter speed to a different value.

Adjust the LED flash intensity

FiLMiC Pro Adjust Flash Intensity

If you tap and hold on the lightbulb icon within the action slider, you’ll notice a new slider dedicated to the LED flash intensity. This is an awesome feature to use if you only need subtle lighting, or if you wish to adjust the intensity of the flash to garner the desired exposure. In all, FiLMiC Pro’s LED flash intensity slider allows you to maneuver between four grades of light.

Pause and resume recordings

Sadly, there’s no way to pause and resume recordings with the stock Camera app. As it stands now, you’re forced to create different files when stopping video using the stock Camera.

FiLMiC Pro Stitch Recorded Footage

With FiLMiC Pro, you can enable the Stitch feature to make it possible to pause and resume in-progress recordings. Simply tap the settings gear, select Device, and enable the Stitch Recorded Footage switch. Such a feature makes it easy to shoot one continuous video, while incorporating creative jump cuts within the recording.

Once Stitch Recorded Footage is enabled, you’ll notice a slight change to the record button in the bottom right-hand corner of the interface. You can now pause and resume in-progress recordings without creating a new file. To end a recording, use a tap and hold gesture on the record button.

Audio meters

FiLMiC Pro Audio Meters

Having audio meters presents another advantage over the stock Camera app for those serious about video. You can use the audio meters to monitor microphone input for either the iPhone’s built-in mic, or an external Lightning-enabled microphone. Having audio meters lets you visually monitor audio input to make sure it’s not too quiet or too loud.

Advanced audio settings

Speaking of microphones, FiLMiC Pro lets you choose from any of the three microphones on the iPhone to capture sound. Within the settings, tap the Audio section, and you’ll find the ability to switch between the iPhone’s bottom, front, or back microphone. Talk about granular control!

FiLMiC Pro External Microphone

Additionally, FiLMiC Pro lets you record uncompressed audio with up to a 96 kHz sample rate for external Lightning-enabled microphones like the Apogee MiC 96k.

Finally, if it’s your desire, you can even disable the microphone altogether and just capture video.

Hiding the interface

FiLMiC Pro No Heads Up Display

Depending on the application, you may wish to use an external display hooked up via Apple’s Lightning Digital AV Adapter. For example, I’ve connected my Atomos Ninja Assassin external monitor to my iPhone via HDMI. FiLMiC Pro contains a Tap To Hide Interface preference within the Devices section of its settings, which lets you disable on-screen display information. That allows you to mirror a clean video feed from your iPhone without any overlays on screen to an external monitor.

Save presets

FiLMiC Presets

Although there are many additional features that I could talk about, the last one that we’ll discuss in this post is the ability to save and recall presets. For an app this deep with so many configuration options, it’s imperative to be able to quickly save and recall favorite settings. You can do this within the Presets section of the app’s preferences.

Potential shortcomings

FiLMiC Pro isn’t for everyone. For instance, if you wish to shoot vertical videos, then you’ll need to look elsewhere. For that matter, if you wish to shoot still images, you’ll have to look towards another app as well. FiLMiC Pro is built with one primary thing in mind: creating great looking videos.

You’ll also need to utilize iTunes File Sharing to save footage directly from your iPhone to your computer. That’s because additional compression may be introduced when saving footage to your camera roll, or when simply using iOS’ native share sheet functionality. In my experience, I’ve found that, despite the inconvenience, it’s much better to use the iTunes Share Sheet to maintain original image fidelity.

A ridiculously deep app

As you can see, FiLMiC Pro is a crazy deep app with tons of settings and features for videographers that require more than the stock Camera app can offer. At $9.99, it’s not cheap, but if you’re truly serious about making video content with the iPhone or iPad, it’s an app that you should absolutely have in your arsenal.

Here are a couple of FiLMiC Pro promo codes for our readers:

  • 434HFE3EEYX4
  • MRAK64EEFHPE

There are also a couple of additional promo codes to be found on our video. Be sure to head over to our YouTube channel to find them and subscribe to our channel.

We’ll be back with additional FiLMiC Pro coverage in the future. Until then, feel free to share links to some of your own creative video creations down below in the comments.

Filed under:
How-To, Apps, iOS Devices Tagged: 4k, Apps, Camera, FiLMiC Pro, iOS, iPhone, videography

For more information about iOS Devices, Apps, and iPhone continue reading at 9to5Mac.

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Apple updates iOS 9.2.1 to restore iPhones affected by ‘error 53’, apologizes to customers

by | Feb 18, 2016 |

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Apple today has released a new version of iOS 9.2.1 that will remedy bricked iPhones affected by ‘error 53‘ after servicing hardware with Touch ID (via TechCrunch). iOS 9.2.1 is the same version number released last month, but the updated build from 13D15 to 13D20 reflects the resolution for bricked iPhones.

Don’t expect to see this iOS update appear over-the-air if you’re already running iOS 9.2.1, however, as it’s only intended to make restoring via iTunes possible for affected iPhones.

Error 53 gained attention earlier this month as a large number of iPhone users with third-party Home button repairs were reporting issues after updating to newer versions of iOS, namely no longer being able to use the device.

The error was put in place by design to protect fingerprint data on the Secure Enclave found on iPhones with the Touch ID sensor, but the issues created by it caught enough attention to lead to a potential class action lawsuit in the U.S.

For Apple’s part, it reacted somewhat quickly to the controversy with today’s fix. The company offered the following statement to TechCrunch regarding the issue:

Some customers’ devices are showing ‘Connect to iTunes’ after attempting an iOS update or a restore from iTunes on a Mac or PC. This reports as an Error 53 in iTunes and appears when a device fails a security test. This test was designed to check whether Touch ID works properly before the device leaves the factory.

Today, Apple released a software update that allows customers who have encountered this error message to successfully restore their device using iTunes on a Mac or PC.

We apologize for any inconvenience, this was designed to be a factory test and was not intended to affect customers. Customers who paid for an out-of-warranty replacement of their device based on this issue should contact AppleCare about a reimbursement.

Apple has also updated its support document detailing error 53 for iPhones.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Error 53, iOS, iOS 9.2.1

For more news on iOS Devices, iOS, and Error 53 continue reading at 9to5Mac.

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PayPal for iOS updated w/ completely new iPhone 6-optimized interface, much more

by | Feb 18, 2016 |

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At long last PayPal has updated its iOS app with a completely redesigned interface that optimizes the experience for iPhone 6/iPhone 6s and 6 Plus/6s Plus users. PayPal announced the update in a post on its blog, detailing all of the new features, including a new start screen, improved Send and Request interface, new account info details, and much more.

The most notable change, though, is an entirely new interface. When you first open the redesigned app, you’re presented with a new start screen that offers the ability to quickly manage your balance, see recent activity, send money, request money, and quickly pay in-store. The activity feed has been redesigned, as well, and now shows activity as far back as three years ago.

The ability to send/request money has been streamlined with it being much easier to quickly find a contact from your Contacts app or enter a new one. You simply choose a contact, enter the amount, and send the money. When you request money, the person on the other end can now pay you with just a single tap.

The app icon has also gained support for 3D Touch, so now when you hard press on the icon, you can quickly jump into your activity stream.

The full changelog is below. The big story is obviously the redesigned interface that is optimized for iPhone 6 and above after over a year and a half. The app is available on the App Store for free.

What’s New in Version 6.0.0

  • A completely refreshed design
  • New start screen that provides faster access to your most important account info and the top actions you take
  • Send and Request Money pages that can be personalized with the people you exchange money with most – including your phone contacts
  • Completely new request money flow that allows others to pay you with just one click
  • Greater account info including 3-years of history and how you funded your payments and the money you sent
  • Yes, basically everything is new

(You’re welcome Kanye. Happy to support you in your creative endeavors.)

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Filed under: Apps Tagged: app, iOS, Paypal, redesign

For more information about Apps, iOS, and app continue reading at 9to5Mac.

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