UPDATE: Fortnite returned to the U.S. App Store on May 20.
Epic Games’ hope to get Fortnite reinstated on the U.S. iPhone App Store crashed and burned. Apple used a letter from one of its lawyers to deny the attempt to let iPhone users in the United States install and play the popular game. This is the latest clash in a long-running dispute between the two companies.
Epic claimed Friday that Apple had also blocked Fortnite in Europe, which Apple denies.
The crime drama Your Friends and Neighbors has held onto its audience for over a month now, appearing yet again on weekly lists of the top 10 most popular series, according to a pair of companies that track ratings. The Apple TV+ show stars Jon Hamm as a very unusual thief.
Plus, the Apple TV+ comedy The Studio also continues to consistently pull a big audience each week.
The sci-fi action comedy Murderbot season 1 is the hottest show premiering this weekend. Apple TV+ turned an award-winning collection of novels into a series that’s fun to watch, with an enjoyable mix of laughs and fight sequences… with some suspense mixed in.
Here’s why you should tune in this weekend, whether you’ve read Martha Wells’ books or not.
★★★★☆
With the StarTech.com USB-C Power Tester, you can easily look for charging problems in your setup. It’s a quick and easy way to ensure your devices are getting all the power they’re supposed to.
I tested the inexpensive little multimeter out. Here’s what I found.
Xfinity customers can enjoy the action of Sunday Night Soccer for no extra charge starting this week. The show brings a weekly, featured Major League Soccer game throughout the season.
The same games are also available for Apple TV+ subscribers, as well as those with an MLS Season Pass from Apple.
By E.U. law, Apple must let iPhone applications include payment systems other than Apple’s own. But in a move that seems calculated to convince customers and developers to avoid these alternatives, there’s now a “scare screen” on applications that do not offer Apple’s payment system in the European Union version of the App Store.
The listings in Apple Maps for restaurants, hotels, golf courses and more got rankings and reviews from expert sources starting on Wednesday. This includes information from Michelin Guide, Golf Digest and others.
These join the reviews already in the app that were submitted by regular users, and the ones brought over from Yelp.
Apple reportedly plans to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the iPhone with a new model that introduces some of the most significant design changes to the handset since the iPhone X. That includes saying goodbye to the Dynamic Island.
The upcoming model should break the iPhone design out of the rut it’s been in for too many years.
The HomePod operating system occasionally needs updating, because the device is a lot more than a simple speaker — it’s a computer. Here’s how to make sure your Apple smart speaker has the software version released Monday. HomePod Software version 18.5 is a simple bug-fix update. But it’s still worth installing … who wants bugs?
If you depend on automatic updates, it’s possible your smart speaker hasn’t yet installed the update. Here’s how to do so manually.
If your job or your dream setup requires connecting five external monitors to your Mac, you need Plugable’s UD-7400PD. It supports up to four 4K displays and one 8K display… even on MacBooks that are supposed to be limited to one external screen. No rival dock can match that.
As a bonus, the dock adds USB-A ports, an Ethernet port and more.
Spring is here, and the air is full of birdsong. The Merlin Bird ID app tells you what type of birds you’re hearing … plus it’s quick, easy and free.
With this software from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology on your iPhone, you can learn about all the birds around you — you might be surprised how many of them there are. And if you get interested, you’ll soon be able to identify them without the app.
iPad shipments shot up 14% year over year during the first three months of 2025, according to a market analysis firm. That marks the fourth quarter in a row with an increase in iPad demand.
Replacing tablets bought years ago during the pandemic is only one of the reasons for the continuing strong growth.
Rather than building a bigger battery into the iPhone 17 to extend battery life, Apple reportedly plans to use a smarter power source to achieve the desired result. The company reported is creating an AI system for iOS 19 to “analyze how a person uses their device and make adjustments to conserve energy,” according to a report published Monday.
It could be one of many AI-powered features in the version of the iPhone’s operating system expected to launch this autumn.
Mac users can now install macOS Sequoia 15.5… but there’s really no hurry. This new version is especially light on new features.
It seems clear that much of Apple’s attention is on upcoming AI features, macOS 16, and other enhancements coming later in the year.
Brad Pitt plays an aging racer trying to prove he still has what it takes to be a Formula 1 driver. The action plays out at 230 mph in F1, a movie coming this summer from Apple Original Films. A trailer that dropped Monday blends blazing-fast cars on the racetrack with clashing personalities off the track.
F1 is the latest attempt from Apple to make a blockbuster film. Like Brad Pitt’s character in the movie, it seems a bit of a long shot.
You want the best iPad, but shopping for one can be overwhelming. Apple sells six iPad models in a wide range of sizes, prices and capabilities. Our iPad comparison explains the strengths and weaknesses of each model. You don’t want to get one that doesn’t have all the features you want, but you also don’t want to pay too much for features you won’t use.
Here’s some straightforward advice on picking the best iPad for you.
Apple could get into a new product category: smart glasses. A report surfaced on Thursday indicating that Apple is working on a chip to power glasses with built-in AI and cameras that could launch in the next couple of years.
With the company’s Visual Intelligence AI tool, a pair of smart glasses could identify objects for the wearer, get info on businesses, and explain to the user what it is they’re looking at.
★★★★★
The Arovia Splay Portable Foldable Monitor and Projector is a truly remarkable piece of kit. Not only does it promise a 25-inch, 1080p screen that can fold down to the size of a book, it actually delivers… with a surprisingly bright, clear image that doesn’t need a darkened room.
As the name indicates, it can also be used as a small portable projector.
I watched hours of TV shows on the Splay, and used it for work, too. I’m truly impressed with the performance. I’m less pleased about the price, though.
iPad users no longer have to depend on an iPhone application to access Google’s Gemini AI-powered chatbot. Software designed specifically for iPad users launched Wednesday.
This comes after Google recently introduced home screen widgets to give iPhone and iPad users easier access to Gemini.
Before too much longer, doing a search in the Safari web browser might bring up AI-powered results rather than the standard Google search engine, according to Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services.
Cue points out that this is Apple following a trend, as the company sees Safari users increasingly turning to AIs in place of traditional search engines.
Seth Rogen’s hit Hollywood comedy The Studio will return to Apple TV+ for season 2. After the success of the freshman season, Apple TV+ committed Tuesday to making more episodes about the hapless executives of Continental Studios.
Beyond that, it’s a good week for fans of Apple TV+ comedies. The streaming service also announced that the fourth season of Acapulco premieres in July, and the fifth season of Trying is going into production.
Apple sent the iOS 18.5 release candidate out for testing Tuesday and revealed that the update will enable the iPhone 13 series to access carrier-provided satellite features. The new software also will bring other changes and bug fixes for models going back to the iPhone XR.
The release candidates for macOS Sequoia 15.5, iPadOS 18.5, watchOS 11.5, tvOS 18.5 and visionOS 2.5 also went out at the same time.
★★★★★
The Backbone Pro game controller that launched Tuesday wraps around your iPhone and connects via USB-C, but it can also connect to your Mac or iPad via cable or Bluetooth. Plus, it adds remappable rear buttons to the standard mix of sticks, triggers, D-pad and more.
Backbone already makes the best iPhone game controller, and my hands-on experience with this new premium version found that it takes mobile gaming to a whole new level.
You use Domain Name System (DNS) servers many times every day, even if you don’t know what they are. You can’t avoid it, and whichever one you use can track where you go on the internet. That’s why you might consider switching to the free DNS servers Surfshark just launched that promise not to track you.
Here’s how to set your iPhone, iPad and Mac to use the Surfshark DNS server. It’s free!
With the Nyrius Orion Prime Wireless USB-C to HDMI Video Transmitter & Receiver, you don’t need a cable to connect your MacBook, iPad or iPhone to your TV. It can send video up to 150 feet, offers HD resolution, and doesn’t require a Wi-Fi network.
The product launched on Monday.