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Google Reportedly Paying Apple $9 Billion to Remain Default iOS Search Option

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It’s widely known that Google pays Apple a certain amount of money on a semi-regular basis to make sure that it remains the default search engine option on iOS devices. It has been said in the past that iOS devices equal about 50 percent of Google’s search revenue on mobile devices, so it’s imperative to the company to keep that spot on Apple’s devices. Before the end of 2017 it was reported that Apple was getting upwards of $3 billion from Google to secure that spot. But now, more than a year later from that report, it sounds like the company may be paying a lot more to Apple. Business Insider is reporting information shared by analyst Rod Hall that states Google is now paying $9 billion this year to retain its default situation on iOS devices. What’s more, Hall actually thinks that number will increase by next year, and Google could be paying Apple for those default rights to the tune of $12 billion. Hall also echoes those earlier reports, saying ““Apple is one of the biggest chann

How to Get iPhone XS Depth Effect Control On iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone 7 Plus

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The iPhone XS and iPhone XR have a brand new feature. After you click a Portrait Mode photo, you can go into the Edit menu and change the intensity of the bokeh. Basically, you can change the background blur (make it softer or more pronounced) after you’ve already clicked the photo. Apple is touting this as one of the best new features in iPhone XS . But you can get it on iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus and even the iPhone 7 Plus using a third party app. The new depth effect sensor in iPhone XS blurs photos different parts of the background at a different rate. So the effect you get is similar to that on DSLR. This is not the same as what phones like Pixel 2 do. Since the app in question requires depth data to work, it will not work on iPhones with a single camera at the rear like the iPhone 6, iPhone 7, or the iPhone 8. How to Edit Background Blur in Photos on iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone 7 Plus The app in question is called Focos and we’re big fans of the app. The app made it to our b

Facebook Uses Your 2FA Phone Number for Targeted Advertising

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Being stalked from one website to another by persistent advertising is a real issue, but some companies, like Apple, have made strides to try and reduce its impact . But targeted advertising isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, especially if Facebook has any say in the matter. The company has recently confirmed that it does indeed go to some pretty great lengths to provide information to advertisers, with this latest effort definitely one of the social networking giant’s worst. A couple of days ago, Gizmodo ran a piece that outlined how Facebook uses the phone number some users added to take advantage of two factor authentication as a way to target those same individuals with ads. This is an extension of how Facebook already handles phone numbers saved to the platform’s profiles. How it works normally is if you add your phone number to your Facebook profile, and then add your phone number to some online retailer’s online presence, those two sources can match and be used to target advert

Apple Wins Appeal Over Patent Infringement Against University of Wisconsin

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Some of the cases Apple is involved with, especially related to patent infringement, take years to complete. And that’s the case with this particular one. Back in 2015, Apple was ordered to pay millions of dollars to the University of Wisconsin, as the university was able to plead its case that Apple’s A-series chips (the A7 and A8, specifically in this case) infringed on a method of boosting the efficiency of integrated circuits. Apple, of course, appealed, and things have been a bit topsy-turvy ever since. The bill Apple was facing was originally set at $862 million. After that, a subsequent judge considered the valuation of that determination and reduced the payout from Apple’s end, down to $234 million. The determination was that Apple’s infringement of the patents was ruled inadvertent. However, most recently , it was determined that Apple continued to infringe on the patents after taht ruling and therefore Apple was ruled to pay $506 million. Apple, still appealing, was determine

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max FAQ

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The iPhone XS and iPhone XS are all set to go on sale tomorrow. If you are looking to buy the devices or just have some questions surrounding them like whether they come with Gorilla Glass or not, feature an FM radio or not, in our FAQ. iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max Frequently Asked Questions Q) What are the full specifications of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max? A) The full specs of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max can be found below. iPhone XS: Dimensions: 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm Weight: 177g Display: 5.8-inch OLED Super Retina HD (2436 x 1125) Display, True Tone, 3D Touch, HDR10 and Dolby Vision support RAM: 4GB Chipset: A12 Bionic, 50 percent faster GPU, 8-core Neural engine Rear camera: 12MP wide-angle and telephoto cameras, Wide-angle: f/1.8 aperture with 1.4um pixel pitch, Telephoto: f/2.4 aperture, 2x optical zoom, Dual OIS, Smart HDR Front camera: 7MP TrueDepth camera Battery: 2,675mAh, 30 minutes more than the iPhone X IP68 certification Sensors: Face ID, 3-axis Gyro, Acceleromete

iPhone XS Undergoes Durability Test – Scratch, Burn and Bend Tested

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We have already seen the iPhone XS Max being torn down , drop tested , and compared to other flagship Android devices out there. Now, let’s see just how durable the phone is. Apple has come a long way since its #bendgate days of the iPhone 6 Plus , with the iPhone XS Max featuring a stainless steel chassis and the most durable smartphone glass ever. As a durability test done by YouTuber JerryRigEverything shows, the iPhone XS Max has the same hardness level on the Mohs scale as previous iPhones. This also means that it scratches at around the same hardness as older iPhones. Here’s hoping the durable glass shows its worth when one drops their $1,000 smartphone. As for the stainless chassis, it is extremely durable, though there should be no surprise in this regard. Despite Apple claiming that it uses a sapphire crystal lens on the iPhone XS rear camera setup, the camera lens scratches at a Mohs hardness level 7 similar to the iPhone 8 and iPhone X . This means that Apple is not using a

Apple Releases watchOS 5.0.1 for Apple Watch with Missing Activity Ring Fix

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It has been 10 days since Apple released watchOS 5 to the public, and now the company is back at it with a minor update for the new software. Apple today officially released watchOS 5.0.1 to the public. As the version number suggests, this is a minor update overall. This is a free update. To upgrade, Apple Watch owners simply need to go into the dedicated Watch app on their iPhone, head into the Settings app and then into General. Once that’s done, you need to make sure that the Apple Watch is charged to at least 50%, that it’s connected to the charger, and within range of the connected iPhone. Apple’s release notes mention that a “small number of users” were seeing increased exercise minutes, and this new software is meant to address this. The watchOS 5.0.1 update will also fix any other bugs that have been discovered since the public launch of watchOS 5 earlier this month. The update is also meant to fix an issue that could prevent the smartwatch from charging. The update also resto