Tag: ios

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Mobile Syrup

How to share audio from one iPhone to multiple headphones/earbuds

If you live in Apple’s ecosystem, there’s a cool trick that allows you to listen to music or watch content easily with a friend. Apple calls this feature ‘Audio Sharing,’ and the only downside is it works with compatible AirPod and Beats earbuds and headphones.

Compatible headphones/earbuds

  • AirPods Max
  • AirPods Pro
  • AirPods (all models)
  • Powerbeats
  • Solo Pros
  • Powerbeats3 Wireless
  • Beats Solo3 Wireless
  • BeatsX
  • Beats Flex
  • Beats Fit Pro

Notably, the only earbuds that are not on this list are the more low-end Beats Studio Buds that don’t feature an Apple H1 chip.

You’ll also need an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch with iOS 13.1 or later. Since most people should already be on iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 or newer, this shouldn’t be much of a problem.

How to use Audio sharing

When you’re watching/listening to content, open the AirPlay controls. If you’re already using a compatible pair of headphones, there’s a small button that says ‘Share Audio.’

Tapping on this button brings up an interface that tells you to bring the other headphones, or the device they’re connected to close to the iPhone/iPad that’s playing the content.

In my testing, I started with AirPods Max connected to my iPhone. Then I opened the AirPlay controls on the YouTube video I was watching, tapped on ‘share audio’ and took the AirPods out of their case. Once I brought them within a few inches of my iPhone, they automatically connected.

What’s useful is once you’re connected, you can control the volume for each set of headphones independently.

To stop sharing, open up the AirPlay menu again and deselect the small checkmark beside the name of the headphones. If you’ve used AirPlay 2 before to group speakers in your home, this works the same.

AirPlay tips

AirPlay can be a little confusing if you’ve never used it before, but it’s simply branding for the Apple feature that will stream audio/video content from one device to another.

Most apps that play video or music have an AirPlay button stuck somewhere noticeable if you’re on an Apple device. However, some apps will bury the button behind their own casting tech (looking at you Google).

The most straightforward place to access AirPlay is through ‘Control Centre’ since it’s always the same there. On most iPhones/iPads, you access this by swiping down from the top right-hand corner. On older devices like iPhones with a Home Button, you need to swipe up from the bottom.

The AirPlay controls are in the top right of the ‘Now Playing’ interface. If you have compatible speakers, you can also use this menu to play multi-room audio in your home.

Source: Apple

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Mobile Syrup

Harry Potter: Magic Awakened card-collecting MMO coming to mobile this year

Warner Bros. has confirmed that Harry Potter: Magic Awakened will come to Android and iOS in North America later this year.

Developed by Chinese tech company NetEase, the free-to-play game was first launched last year in select Asian markets. Magic Awakened is set 10 years after The Deathly Hallows and features appearances from characters like Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Rubeus Hagrid and Professor McGonagall.

In terms of gameplay, Magic Awakened mixes card collecting with an MMORPG framework. Specifically, cards are based on classic Harry Potter spells and can be earned via a “gacha” system. Outside of card-based battles, Magic Awakened will let players create their own Hogwarts student, attend lessons and play Quidditch through a simplified touch-to-dodge system.

Those interested can pre-register on Google Play or the official Magic Awakened website for special in-game rewards. If Magic Awakened doesn’t sound up your alley, Hogwarts Legacy, a AAA action-RPG for consoles and PC, is also set to release later this year.

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Mobile Syrup

Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster coming to mobile and PC on February 23

Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster will release in North America on Android, iOS and Steam on February 23rd.

A February window had been given last year following a delay, although this is the first confirmation of a specific launch date.

Square Enix’s Pixel Remaster series takes the first six Final Fantasy games from the NES and SNES eras and gives them a visual update. Specifically, the games feature updated pixel character designs from Kazuko Shibuya, the original Final Fantasy pixel artist.

Other enhancements include a rearranged soundtrack overseen by original Final Fantasy VI composer Nobuo Uematsu, auto-battle options and a bestiary.

The first five Pixel Remasters all launched on mobile and Steam last year. Square Enix hasn’t yet confirmed any console releases.

Originally released on the SNES in 1994, Final Fantasy VI tells the story of a young girl with mysterious powers named Terra as she gets swept up in a rebellion against a ruthless empire. VI is widely considered to be one of the greatest games ever made, making the Pixel Remaster release particularly exciting for fans.

Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster will cost $23.99 CAD in Canada on Steam, although a 20 percent pre-order discount is currently being offered. A bundle that includes all six games is also available for $99.78, which offers a 22 percent discount.

On mobile, the game is priced at $24.99 on Android and iOS.

Image credit: Square Enix

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Mobile Syrup

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel now available on Android and iOS

Konami’s Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel has launched on Android and iOS.

The free-to-play competitive card game debuted on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox consoles, Nintendo Switch and PC on January 18th.

This is a notable launch for Android and iOS, given that the previous Yu-Gi-Oh! mobile game, Duel Links, features a streamlined version of the popular trading card game (TCG). Master Duel, meanwhile, plays exactly like the real game, featuring the same rules and cards (at least, 10,000+ of them). Unlike Duel Links, though, this isn’t based on the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! anime adaptations.

Master Duel also features cross-play and cross-saves between the different versions of the game. If you’re a new or lapsed player of the TBG, the game also offers various tutorials to ease you in.

Of course, as with most free-to-play mobile games, Master Duel features in-app purchases. Specifically, you can spend real money to buy in-game currencies used to unlock new cards and other in-game content. These currencies can also be earned over time.

Image credit: Konami

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Mobile Syrup

New update to revamp YouTube mobile full-screen viewing experience

After revamping the YouTube Music experience by testing a new ‘Add to Playlist’ interface, Google is now redesigning the way the YouTube video player looks on Android and iOS.

When you’re watching a full-screen YouTube video on your smartphone, you normally need to swipe up to gain access to the Like/Dislike, Share, Save and Subscribe buttons. With the update, however, all these buttons have been brought forward and can be used while viewing a video in full-screen mode.

The app looks the same in portrait, but the portrait mode never really needs work anyway as all the interactable buttons were available front and center, even while watching a video. The update makes the landscape mode more usable for mobile users as it eliminates the need to pull up the ‘more videos’ tab by swiping up, and relocates the section to a small floating button on the bottom right.

Comments are also viewable directly from the full-screen mode, unlike when users would previously have to exit full-screen mode, open the comments and then go full-screen again to be able to read the comments while viewing the video in landscape.

According to a statement given to The Verge, the new user interface started rolling out on Monday, January 31st for both iOS and Android devices. While the update hasn’t widely released yet, it likely should in the coming days.

Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

iMessages reactions will soon appear as emojis on Google Messages

Google is starting to roll out iMessage reaction support in beta for Android users that makes cross-platform messages more interactable.

The iMessage reactions — officially known as ‘tapbacks’ — normally appear as a text description of the reaction on Google Messages, but the new beta update displays the tapbacks similar to how they appear on iMessage; in the bottom-right corner of the message bubble.

What’s changed, however, is how these reactions translate from an iPhone to an Android device. Reacting to a message with a ‘Heart’ shows up as the smiley face with heart eyes emoji (😍), whereas the ‘Haha’ react would show up as the face with tears of joy emoji (😂).

Similarly, the ‘Exclamation Mark’ reaction shows up as the face with open mouth emoji (😮), and the ‘Question Mark’ reaction translates as the thinking face emoji (🤔).

The reaction feature is enabled by default on Android devices with Google Messages though it can be toggled off by going to Advanced Messages’ Settings and switching off the ‘Show iPhone reactions as emoji’ toggle bar.

The new feature is starting to show up for Google Messages beta users, though we are not sure when Google intends to roll it out widely.

Image credit: 9to5Google

Source: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

What’s new on Xbox Game Pass on console, PC and mobile in early February 2022

Every month, Xbox adds new games to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service.

Typically, new games join the catalogue in two waves every month, and now, Xbox has revealed the first half of February’s lineup.

Notably, Infernax from Quebec City-based indie Berzerk Studio (which we just featured this week), and Contrast from Montreal-owned Xbox studio Compulsion, are among the new Game Pass titles.

  • Contrast (Cloud and Console) — February 3rd
  • Dreamscaper (Cloud, Console and PC) — February 3rd
  • Telling Lies (Cloud, Console and PC) — February 3rd
  • Besiege (Cloud, Console and PC) — February 10th [Game Preview]
  • CrossfireX (Console) — February 10th [only includes the first single-player campaign, “Operation: Catalyst”)
  • Edge of Eternity (Cloud, Console and PC) — February 10th
  • Skul: The Hero Slayer (Cloud, Console and PC) — February 10th
  • The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom (Cloud, Console and PC) — February 10th
  • Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition (Cloud, Console and PC) — February 14th
  • Infernax (Cloud, Console and PC) — February 14th

Meanwhile, here’s what’s leaving Game Pass on February 15th:

  • Control (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Code Vein (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age (Console and PC)
  • The Medium (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Project Winter (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • The Falconeer (Cloud, Console and PC)

Xbox Game Pass is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Android and iOS in beta. Game Pass for Console and PC Game Pass each cost $11.99 CAD/month.

Meanwhile, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $16.99/month and is required for streaming (which Xbox refers to as ‘Cloud’) to mobile devices and browsers. On top of that, this tier includes Game Pass for both Console and PC, as well as subscriptions to Xbox Live Gold and EA Play.

Find out what came to Game Pass in the second half of January here.

Image credit: Focus Home Interactive

Source: Xbox

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Mobile Syrup

You should download iOS 15.3 to fix a bug that could reveal your browsing data

Apple dropped a series of updates on January 26th that fix a previously reported WebKit bug that could allow websites to see other sites you accessed on your Apple device.

If you use an iPhone or iPad, you’ll want to update to iOS or iPadOS 15.3 as soon as possible to fix the bug. There’s less of a rush for Mac users to update since they can mitigate the bug by using other web browsers — however, if you regularly use Safari on your Mac, you should download the Safari 15.3 update right away.

The bug, first reported to Apple in late November by FingerprintJS, affects web browsers that use WebKit, the open-source foundation for Apple’s Safari browser. Apple also mandates the use of WebKit on iOS and iPadOS, meaning any browser made for Apple’s mobile OS (including Chrome, Firefox, et al.) is also impacted by the bug.

A short explanation is that WebKit’s implementation of a commonly-used JavaScriptAPI for storing web data on devices allowed websites to view the names of other sites that had stored data on a given device. Typically, browsers apply same-origin policy to prevent this. You can learn more about the bug and how it works here.

The iOS 15.3, iPadOS 15.3, and Safari 15.3 updates all include a fix for the issue. It’s good to see the fix applied, especially after FingerprintJS highlighted Apple’s lack of response earlier this month.

9to5Mac confirmed that a beta version of the update fixed the problem using a demo tool provided by FingerprintJS on its website.

If you use an Apple device, you’ll want to install the update right away. Here’s how:

  • iPhone/iPad – Open Settings > General > Software Update.
  • macOS – Click the ‘Apple’ menu in the top-left corner > System Preferences > Software Update > Update Now (You can also click ‘More info’ to view a list of available updates and specifically install the Safari update).

Source: Apple (iOS/iPadOS | Safari) Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Clone of acclaimed indie game Unpacking tops App Store, then gets removed

One of last year’s most acclaimed indie games was Unpacking, a relaxing puzzler about piecing together the protagonist’s life by emptying their boxes and figuring out where to put their boxes.

Naturally, then, some jerks had to shamelessly copy it. As Unpacking developer Witch Beam shared on Twitter, a title that looked virtually identical to its own was making the rounds on the App Store and Google Play.

The clone, titled Unpacking Master, was published by a company called Cypress-based SayGames. It was free to download with ads, although these could be removed for a one-time $4.99 USD (about $6.32 CAD).

Per the Brisbane, Australia-based Witch Beam, promotion on TikTok and Instagram led many people to discover the knock-off. “While we’ve seen many imitators already, usually they don’t get much traction,” the developer explained.

The clone got so much attention, in fact, that it briefly topped the App Store charts. Shortly after, the game was removed from the App Store, with the Google Play version following suit. Witch Beam then thanked fans on Twitter for their support.

SayGames, meanwhile, apologized to Witch Beam via a January 25th statement to Kotaku. “I’d like to apologize for our lack of research prior to launching the game from one of the developers we work with,” the publisher said. “The game clearly resembles Unpacking and this resemblance goes way beyond the game title. We messed up and we apologize.”

The publisher went on to say it’s been “in touch with Witch Beam to discuss how we can resolve this.” Given how blatantly similar Unpacking Master is to Unpacking (down to the nearly identical titles), it’s hard to believe SayGames that this was accidental.

In any event, it’s no doubt little consolation to Witch Beam.

“It’s demoralising for a small team like ours to see content we spent literally years planning, refining and handcrafting be hastily reproduced in an opportunistic ad-riddled app a mere 3 months after our launch,” Witch Beam tweeted on January 24th.

“We’re a tiny indie team and even with the success we have achieved, we still don’t have the resources to pursue companies trying to use our game’s distinct look and feel to make a quick buck. We have to rely on storefronts like the App Store to better curate their content.”

The Unpacking debacle comes mere weeks after the App Store played host to a variety of since-removed clones of Josh Wardle’s popular word puzzle game, Wordle. One of these even came from a New York-based developer who publicly boasted on Twitter about how he blatantly ripped off Wardle’s game. 

In both cases, Apple quietly removed the clones without making any public statement. Hopefully, the company updates its App Store policies to better protect creators.

For now, you can purchase the real Unpacking (which is a lovely little game!) on Steam, GOG, Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles (including Game Pass) for $22.79 to $25.99 CAD, depending on the platform.

Image credit: Witch Beam

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Mobile Syrup

Android to iOS WhatsApp chat migration appears to be in the works

Transferring WhatsApp chats from iOS to an Android device has been possible since last year, but the Meta-owned instant messaging platform is now rolling out expanded chat migration that will allow users to move their chats from an Android device to an iOS one.

As spotted by WABetaInfo in WhatsApp beta ‘version 22.2.74’ for iOS, expanded chat migration tools will be available soon to Android users running Android 12. Users would also need to Move to iOS app on their Android device.

As seen in the screenshot above (via WABetaInfo), WhatsApp will ask you if you want to import your chat history when you open WhatsApp for the first time on an iOS device. If you skip the step here, you won’t be able to import chats later.

Based on the information available so far, there’s no timeframe as to when the feature will finally make its way to Android devices, but the fact that it showed up in an upcoming update’s beta indicates that WhatsApp is clearly working on it.

Image credit: WABetaInfo

Source: WABetaInfo