An analyst of the US contact tracing landscape paints a depressing picture. Not a single US state currently offers an app that uses the Apple/Google coronavirus contact tracing API — and only four states plan to do so. Others have launched GPS-based apps that raise immediate privacy concerns and are unlikely to see significant adoption, while the majority of states who responded plan to offer nothing at all… Legal blog Lawfare describes its mission as covering “that nebulous zone in which actions taken or contemplated to protect the nation interact with the nation’s laws” – making an analysis of the state of play of coronavirus contact tracing an ideal topic....

Apple’s first pair of applications for Android, Apple Music and Move to iOS, may be the start of Apple opening up even further to Google’s mobile platform. According to a new job listing on Apple’s website, the Cupertino-based company is “looking for engineers to help [Apple] bring exciting new mobile products to the Android platform.” The presence of the word “new” seems to indicate that Apple’s plans go beyond the already announced Apple Music and Move to iOS apps…...

In a new promo for Drake’s newly dropped album Scorpion, Apple Music is letting users create their own personalized album art based on the new record cover. This is done by uploading your own photo (or someone else’s if you’re being creative) and supplying your own signature in place of Drake’s… Dubbed Make Your Drake, the tool can create some unique, personal artwork for users to share and save. Drake’s new album is available today on Apple Music, and features artists including Jay-Z and the late Michael Jackson....

Apple this weekend has started accepting donations via the iTunes Store for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. CEO Tim Cook announced the efforts in a post on Twitter this morning as damage is assessed around areas of Texas where Hurricane Harvey made landfall. Apple is partnering with the American Red Cross to allow iTunes users to easily donate to relief efforts. Customers can donate in $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, and $200 denominations and Apple will transfer 100 percent of the proceeds to the Red Cross....

As part of its quarterly earnings call release, the company announced that its services bundle Apple One will be officially launching tomorrow, on Friday 30th. Apple One combines Apple Music, iCloud, Apple Arcade and Apple TV+ at a discounted price for individuals and families. For $30 a month, the top tier plan Apple One Premier includes 2 TB of iCloud and Apple News+. It will also include access to Fitness+, Apple’s upcoming workout videos service that will debut before the end of the year....

Here’s an interesting observation from Walt Mossberg: Apple News is promoting an ‘Apple News Exclusive’ today, complete with a special badge and top spot on the front page of the app. The ‘News Editors’ Picks’ exclusive isn’t original reporting, however, but instead a book excerpt from Senator John McCain’s new book due out next month. The feature includes a prominent link to The Restless Waves, Senator McCain’s upcoming political memoir, for pre-order on iBooks, followed by a lengthy except including several photos from the book....

Data from Appsee claims to have identified information regarding the as-yet-unannounced larger iPad Pro, expected to feature a display ranging between 12.3 and 12.9 inches. The app analytics firm says an iPad with identifier ‘iPad6,8’ appeared in its logs with a reported screen resolution of 2732×2048. Internally, the larger iPad models are referred to as J98 and J99. The resolution is especially notable as it was previously spotted within code for iOS 9....

Apple has announced its official Black Friday shopping event, which runs from Black Friday (Friday 29th) through Cyber Monday (December 2nd). The exact details of the offer are yet to be announced. Apple says that gift card values vary based on products purchased, so be wary of the “up to” phrasing. It’s likely that some of Apple’s newest products will be ineligible for any gift card at all. Gift card giveaways are Apple’s usual approach to holiday shopping deals....

When Apple Music launched earlier this year in June, one of the major features of the package that differed from other streaming services was a real streaming radio station called Beats 1 hosted by actual DJs including Zane Lowe. The Beats 1 station is free and doesn’t actually require an Apple Music subscription, but Apple has used celebrity-hosted radio shows by Dr. Dre, Pharrell, Jaden Smith and others on the streaming station to attract people to the subscription service....

The UK contact tracing app won’t be ready in mid-May as promised, admits the UK government – and it may not even be ready on June 1, the target date for children to start returning to school. The app does not currently use the Apple/Google API. The delay has been revealed as analysis of the source code found ‘serious’ security problems … The Guardian cites ‘NHS insiders’ in reporting the delay....

The WSJ has illustrated the stark contrast in Apple’s attitude to assisting law enforcement to access iPhones before and after the Snowden revelations about mass surveillance of private data. It was already known that Apple had helped access more than 70 pre-iOS 8 iPhones, and the paper today reports that – in the earliest known case – the company went as far as drafting the language for the court order....

After firing its Korea head in 2012 amid slowing iPhone sales, Apple has hired a new leader for its business in that area. According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple recently hired Brandon Yoon to head its South Korea business… In the past, Yoon has held posts as Microsoft and Samsung executives. Most recently, he served as a corporate vice president at Samsung, overseeing digital strategy and other areas. Yoon was at Samsung for just under three years and at Microsoft, across several positions, for four years....

iPhone tracks and records the places that you visit more often so as to provide better location-based data and suggestions. These ideas may be very helpful to any person, but you may not like the idea of tracking your locations very frequent. There may be few apps that may not work unless you turn on the Location Services. While an app accesses your location for the first time, you will be receiving a notification asking for permission....

VCommunicator Mobile is a translation engine that uses an iPod in order to offer soldiers a fast and accurate way to access an extensive library of phrases. The software displays graphics, showing either the phrase in Arabic, or a video of a soldier making the appropriate hand gesture. There are collections of phrases for specific situations, like checkpoint, raid or patrol. Over 700 soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have been testing 260 iPods enabled with the technology for the last year, reports military magazine, Strategy World – and at a cost of $800,000 initial reports are positive....

Yep, that’s right, the company that once praised the crazy ones is now looking to deploy its technologies in new ways in order to keep an eye on people, so they don’t get too crazy… So, what’s the deal? OK – “videoNEXT and Apple will be co-hosting a panel of industry experts who will be discussing the future of video surveillance and where video meets information technology,” we’ve been told....

Update: The Apple Maps COVID-19 database is now live across the United States and Puerto Rico. Users can search for COVID-19 testing locations or view them on the map directly. Expect it to spread to more countries soon. Screenshot and original story below. Continuing Apple’s efforts in helping fight the coronavirus, Apple Maps will soon display testing sites directly on the map. Apple has launched a portal for hospitals, healthcare providers and businesses to register as a COVID-19 testing location....

Apple Launched Apple News+ during its March event, and to say that it has been underwhelming is beyond an understatement. Despite Apple’s promise of 100s of magazines for a low monthly price, rumors suggest that publishers aren’t happy and I’ve read reports that sign up growth has flatlined. I tried the service for a month, and I came away from it less than impressed. As Apple has continued to deploy its new services across 2019 (Apple Arcade and Apple TV+), I’ve been thinking a lot about News+, the path Apple should take going forward, and what impact it could make in journalism....

Apple today has rolled out a major redesign for the App Store web interface. The new redesign replaces the dated and clunky interface that previously housed the App Store on the web… The new redesign takes cues from the all-new App Store in iOS 11, which offers larger images, a focus on curation and reviews, and more. On the new webpage, you’ll see a larger app heading, preceded by “This app is only available on the App Store for iOS devices....

A project called How is the world feeling? is aiming to use an iOS and Android app to conduct the world’s largest study of mental health over a one-week period starting on October 10. The aim is to gather data from ordinary people to identify patterns in emotions, then to open-source anonymized data to mental health professionals in a bid to devise approaches to reducing suicide rates … The app is designed to take seconds to use, asking people to select an emotion, select how strongly it is felt, and to enter a couple of other data points – what you are doing and whether you are alone or with others....

A 3D model of Las Vegas Strip created by Apple purchased C3 Since the original iPhone’s debut in 2007, Apple’s iOS devices have made use of an Apple-built Google Maps application to provide users with a quick glance at driving directions, traffic, route guidance, current location information, and details about destinations. Like with most sections of Apple’s business, the company is continually innovating, looking to take products to the next level....