MyAppleMenu

The Data-Sources Edition Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Why The Siri Face Is All I Need From My Apple Watch, by Ryan Christoffel, MacStories

I've used the Siri face nearly every day since it first became available in watchOS 4. Though I like how several other watch faces look, none can compare with the sheer utility of the Siri face; the Infograph face is the only one that comes anywhere close, thanks to its whopping eight complication slots. Yet even with Infograph, you're limited to the same eight things at all times.

The Siri face currently includes 20 first-party data sources built in – a number that keeps growing – ranging from Activity to Calendar, News, Now Playing, Photos, Wallet, and more. Though you can toggle off any sources you don't care for, there's ultimately no limit to how many are turned on – if you choose, all 20 sources can be enabled at once, feeding data to the face at times the system believes are most relevant.

Shift Keyboard Lets You Tap Out Your Messages On Apple Watch, by Luke Dormehl, Cult of Mac

“I originally created a keyboard for Apple Watch app, which got rejected despite it being a useful addition,” he explained. “I myself have wanted a better way to input text on an Apple Watch. I’ve often heard users say they want [one too]. My initial keyboard got rejected by Apple for being a keyboard for Apple Watch, so I went away and created an iPhone keyboard app. [I then] added the Apple Watch app as an extension to this app.”

Apple rejected the app several times due to the text and buttons being too small. However, he kept revising it and eventually Apple gave its stamp of approval.

Google Blames Bug For Apple Music Appearing On Home Speakers, by Mark Gurman, Bloomberg

“We have nothing to announce regarding updates to Google Home,” the spokesman said.

Stuff

Next Apple Watch Activity Challenge Kicking Off On International Women's Day, by Zac Hall, 9to5Mac

The rules for the upcoming Apple Watch Activity Challenge simply require users to complete a 1 mile walk, run, or wheelchair workout on March 8th. Upon completion, a special Activity achievement will be unlocked in the Activity app on the iPhone. The challenge will be available to Apple Watch customers globally.

Linea Update Brings New Stroke, Grids, And Template Options To Its iPhone And iPad Apps, by Peter Cao, 9to5Mac

Linea, a popular sketching application for iPhone and iPad, is getting an update with support for new strokes, grids, and template options, and more for musicians and designers.

Develop

How To Become A ‘Digital Nomad’, by Kristin Wong, New York Times

“It was amazing to have the flexibility to build a temporary home anywhere in the world — as long as it had internet,” said Stephanie Lee, a writing consultant who backpacked through Asia for nine months in 2016, using apps like Slack and Google Translate to organize work and travel.

But whether you travel frequently or want to stay put in one country, the logistics of digital nomad-ing can be extraordinarily complicated. Yes, you’ll need to store your belongings and sell your car, but here are a few not-so-obvious to tasks to handle before you join their ranks.

Virtual Phone Number Apps Are Gaming The App Store With Duplicates, by Romain Dillet, TechCrunch

Releasing multiple versions of the same app is a great App Store optimization strategy. This way, you can pick a different name, different keywords and different categories. Chances are potential customers are going to see your app in their App Store search results.

While Apple is usually quite strict when it comes to App Store guidelines, it hasn’t enforced some of them. And this is unfair for app developers who play by the rules. They can’t compete as effectively with companies that know that they can ignore some rules.

Apple Removes VoIP App Clones From The App Store, by Romain Dillet, TechCrunch

Following my report from yesterday, Apple has removed many of the apps I pointed out. When you try to find them on the App Store, they are no longer available.

Notes

Apple's Ad Business Borrows A Page From Facebook, by George P. Slefo, AdAge

On Thursday, Apple Search Ads updated its partner page to include Bidalgo as its second campaign management partner. Apple Search Ads appear at the very top of a user's app search results; someone who searches for the Uber app, for example, might see an ad for the Lyft app.

[...]

The news is significant as Apple previously only had mobile measurement partners on its page, which provide tools to measure, analyze and optimize app install campaigns. Coupling mobile measurement partners with campaign management partners is a spitting image of Facebook's own program, Facebook Marketing Partners, more commonly known as FMP.

USB-IF Confusingly Merges USB 3.0 And USB 3.1 Under New USB 3.2 Branding, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

If the swap between USB 3.1 Gen 1 and Gen 2 to USB 3.2 wasn't confusing enough, each of these specifications also has a marketing term.

The Death Of The Landline Is Harming Investigative Journalism, by Daniel Walters, Inlander

There are stories I haven't written because I could never find a way to contact a key figure. It's one thing to say "Harold Sourceman did not return multiple messages asking him to comment on his alleged involvement in the goat catapult scandal." It's another thing to say, "we had no idea how to let Sourceman know he was going to be the front page star in a goat-hurling related controversy."

Bottom of the Page

I find it difficult to imagine what sort of bugs will cause the name "Apple Music" to appear in a list of supported services, if there are no plans whatsoever to add this particular service in the near future...

~

When I wake up my iPhone, I always see the same background, same clock, same media controls, same notification list.

Yes, it is comfortable in having the same things appearing all the time without fail. But I do wish Apple will do something a little more exciting in the lock screen. I get a little envious of all the Apple Watch customers, with their watch faces and complications. I'm also reminded about how 'boring' the iPhone wallpaper is whenever I visit Bing.com.

(Okay, I actually don't visit Bing.com that often. But I do have my Mac to rotate wallpapers every day.)

~

Thanks for reading.