News

In their online introduction to iOS 7, Apple affirmed that iOS in the Car would be coming soon. Today's release of iOS 7.1 beta 2 added credibility to that claim in the form of a 'Car Display' toggle under Settings>General>Restrictions. In addition, according to 9To5Mac, "Apple has greatly increased the amount of iOS in the Car references in both iOS7.1 beta 1 and in the new beta 2."

When asked about iOS in the Car on an earnings call earlier this Summer, Apple CEO Tim Cook described it as "part of the ecosystem, just like the App Store is a key part of the ecosystem... having something in the automobile is very, very important." Although Apple has not yet released iOS in the Car, all of this points to a release date sooner rather than later, perhaps alongside iOS 7.1, which is slated for early 2014.

Apple has released iOS 7.1 beta 2 for registered developers. The update which carries the build number of 11D5115d is now available via Apple's developer website. The second beta comes a few weeks after Apple released iOS 7.1 beta 1 in mid-November.

The second beta removes the option to enable the ‘dark keyboard’ which was introduced in the original version. It also fixes a few bugs, offers a few redesigns and adds a new "Button Shapes" option. You can see the brief iOS 7.1 beta 2 change log and release notes below.

Competition between carriers offering unsubsidized iPhones, contract-free data plans and other options keeps getting hotter. AT&T Mobility has taken another step in this direction, and now offers its Mobile Share plans with no-contract pricing. Mobile Share Value Plans are now available, promising to save AT&T subscribers $15 per month.

The new plans officially launched on December 8th. AT&T seems to be directly competing with T-Mobile's recent offerings, which remove subsidized devices from the equation. With AT&T Next, customers can choose to purchase a new iPhone outright with no contract or sign up for a monthly installment payment plan.

Spotify announced today that its mobile app will now be free on iOS and Android devices. The free version of the popular music streaming service was previously only available on desktop browsers. Just like Pandora, the free service will be supported by advertisements, and it will only give users access to specific select tracks. The new service will begin rolling out to mobile users starting today.

You will still need a premium account if you want an ad-free experience or other benefits like offline listening. A Spotify premium plan costs $9.99 per month and gives you the ability to play any song at any time.

TinyCo, the creators behind Tiny Village and Tiny Monsters, have teamed up with Fox Digital Entertainment and Seth MacFarlane to develop a Family Guy game for mobile devices. The free to play title will be available for both iOS and Android sometime in 2014, and it will feature all the popular characters from the hit TV show.

Rick Phillips, senior vice president at Fox Digital Entertainment, told Polygon that the game will feature an original story based the show's long history and that will also tackle "current events."

"TinyCo were really passionate about what they wanted to do with Family Guy," said Philips. We thought the guys from TinyCo could build a game that's truest to the brand and IP."