President Donald Trump assured Apple CEO Tim Cook that the US government wouldn’t levy tariffs on iPhones, which are assembled in China, the New York Times reported Monday. Cook visited the White House last month to warn Trump that his trade policies with China could have an adverse affect on new corporate-tax rules and that …

AT&T said Thursday it’s completed its $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner, a day earlier than previously expected. The deal, which was expected to close Friday, cleared its final hurdle Tuesday when a federal judge ruled that the government had failed to prove the combination of the two companies would harm consumers. The Department of Justice sued AT&T in October to block …

Spotify’s CEO said Wednesday the music-streaming service could have done a better job informing the world about its playlist ban, conceding the company “screwed up.” Earlier this month, Spotify initiated a new policy addressing hate speech and hateful conduct that lets the music-streaming service remove music or artists from its service or bury them without any promotion, like banning them from playlists. Under the …

Pandora has quietly launched a new family plan that allows up to six Pandora accounts to access premium features for $14.99 a month. That price roughly converts to £10 and AU$20. The new subscription tier, called Premium Family Plan, mirrors similar offerings from rivals Spotify and Apple Music, letting customers choose their own music at higher quality audio without ads, …

A federal judge on Tuesday approved the $112 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit against Spotify. Two lawsuits, brought separately by musicians David Lowery and Melissa Ferrick and later combined, accused the streaming giant of not licensing or paying them for use of their music. The Sweden-based music-streaming service reached a proposed settlement of $112.5 million, with an immediate cash …

The LG G7 ThinQ will launch June 1, but you can preorder the new handset from major US wireless carriers beginning this week. Verizon will kick things off Thursday, with Sprint and T-Mobile following suit on Friday, all with different purchase options, of course. Sprint is offering the handset for $33 per month on an 18-month Sprint Flex lease, while …

Production on the next-generation processor that will power new iPhones launching later this year has reportedly already begun. Apple manufacturing partner Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing has begun producing what is expected to be called the A12 chip, sources tell Bloomberg. The chip’s 7-nanometer design is said to make it faster and more efficient than the 10-nanometer chips found in current Apple …

ZTE expects to lose at least 20 billion yuan ($3.1 billion) in the wake of a US technology ban that has factories halting operations as clients cancel deals with the embattled Chinese phone maker, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. ZTE, the fourth-largest smartphone maker in the US, has been dealing with a US Commerce Department denial order that prevents American businesses from selling …

The US Air Force apologized and deleted a tweet Thursday that sought to find humor in killing Taliban militants in Afghanistan by incorporating the viral “Yanny or Laurel” meme. The Air Force’s official account initially joked earlier in the day that Taliban forces wished they had heard either of those words instead of the roar of the military service’s A-10 …

The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday unanimously approved an amendment to a bill that would uphold sanctions against ZTE, rejecting President Donald Trump’s defense of the embattled Chinese phone maker. This amendment will “prevent a foreign company that is beholden to its government – and that ignores embargoes – from infiltrating the devices and networks that are now indispensable to …