Apple has removed HKmap.live, a mapping app that crowdsources the location of police and protesters in Hong Kong, from the App Store, saying it violated the store’s guidelines and local laws. The move comes after the iPhone maker was sharply criticized by the Chinese state newspaper and accused of facilitating illegal behavior by allowing the …

Apple’s rumored augmented reality headset might end up being a sidekick for your iPhone. A Wednesday report from Ming-chi Kuo, an Apple analyst at TF International Securities, said the company’s AR headset will enter mass production as soon as the fourth quarter of this year to meet an early 2020 launch, according to MacRumors. CNET reported last year that Apple …

“Hey Siri, play Lizzo on Spotify.” That’s all it takes now to listen to your favorite songs, artists, albums and playlists on Spotify. The music streaming service on Monday updated its mobile app for iOS 13, adding Siri support. This means you can ask Apple’s virtual assistant to play music via the Spotify app.  The release notes for the update …

Apple CEO Tim Cook says his company isn’t interested in launching a cryptocurrency. In an interview with French publication Les Echos published on Friday, Cook said he believes deeply that money must remain in the hands of states. “I am not comfortable with the idea that a private group creates a competing currency,” Cook told Les Echos, according to a translation of …

Apple last month said it would continue to manufacture its Mac Pro in the US, a decision made possible following tariff waivers on some “necessary components.” However, Apple reportedly wasn’t able to dodge all tariffs on parts needed for its upcoming premium computer.  Apple won’t be exempt from 25% tariffs on five Chinese-made components for the new Mac Pro, according to …

The next version of Apple’s MacOS, called Catalina, might be right around the corner. Apple previously revealed that MacOS Catalina would come out in October, but hasn’t offered up a specific release date. On Sept. 26, the company’s MacOS site for Denmark briefly suggested we could get the update by this Friday. An Apple Arcade promo on the Danish language site …

A new jailbreak released by a security researcher Friday reportedly affects all iOS devices with Apple’s A5 to A11 chips. That spans iOS devices from the iPhone 4S, released in 2011, to the iPhone X, released in 2017.  The jailbreak uses a new exploit called checkm8, according to CNET sister site ZDNet, and takes advantage of a bootrom vulnerability to give …

Facebook hasn’t been quiet about copying features made popular by Snapchat and adding them to Instagram and its other apps. Apparently Snap, the parent company of the Snapchat app, kept track of Facebook’s competitive moves in a dossier called “Project Voldemort.” Project Voldemort — a nod to the dark wizard and main antagonist in the Harry Potter book series — …

Last month, Microsoft sent out invites to a Surface event set for Oct. 2 in New York City. That’s exactly one year after the company’s last Surface event, where it updated its line of Surface PCs and launched its first high-end noise-canceling headphones. The Microsoft invite didn’t offer many clues on what to expect from the event. Beyond the date and location, …

Google on Thursday outlined updates to its ARCore platform, which lets developers build augmented reality experiences for your phone. The search giant also previewed a feature it’s describing as a “save button” for AR. Google said it’s looking for more developers to help it test an AR technology called persistent Cloud Anchors before the company makes it available more broadly. …