Research conducted by computer scientists at the University of Copenhagen suggests that how people tap and swipe when using a smartphone app can be used to detect when they are being dishonest …

more…

Amazon is adding new personalization options to Alexa, starting first with users in the United States. The new Alexa Skill Blueprints feature makes it easy for anyone to create a range of custom responses for Alexa, ranging from jokes to instructions and much more.

more…

Another reason to hold onto product boxes for your gadgets: not only do they tend to help items fetch a better price when you sell them, but listing an item on eBay can now be as simple as scanning its barcode …

more…

There’s been a lot of chatter lately about smartphone addiction, digital detoxing and the like. An interesting piece by Dieter Bohn over at The Verge got me thinking about whether I really need all those notifications.

I decided initially to try a ‘notifications diet’ – dramatically cutting back on the number of apps allowed to send me notifications. But as I started going through the list in Settings, I realized I also had apps I never use. I opted to extend the plan to an ‘app diet’ too …

more…

Whilst there may not be as many new features this year in the flagship Apple operating systems as some years past, there is no mistaking that iOS 12 and macOS 10.14 are very much under active development and distribution amongst internal Apple employees is growing.

Our website analytics have recorded a noticeable uptick in Safari browser visits from iOS 12 and macOS 10.14 machines, particularly with bigger spikes just this week.

more…

Apple shares have fallen by 1.7% in pre-market trading at the time of writing. The drop appears to have been prompted by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) giving Q2 guidance significantly below market expectations …

more…

If you’re so busy you don’t even have time to turn your phone horizontally when checking out previews of new Netflix shows, the company has you covered …

more…

The latest Apple Pay promo is a slightly strange one. It offers free medium fries from McDonalds with any purchase, with the deal described as available ‘every Friday in April.’

As there are only two remaining Fridays in April, it gives the impression that the deal was promoted late …

more…

While Siri may lag behind the competition in some areas, one area where it does excel is in the quality of the actual Siri voice.

more…

This week Benjamin and Zac talk about recent Amazon Alexa features and HomePod sales, Apple’s leaked memo on stopping leaks, the FCC’s gold iPhone X leak, and the potential for third-party Apple Watch faces.

9to5Mac Happy Hour is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play Music, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by FIBARO: We’ve teamed up with FIBARO to give away a HomeKit bundle to turn your house into a Siri-controlled smart home.

more…