What you need to know

• The Epic Games v. Apple trial is revealing loads of insider info about the tech industry.
• One bit of information revealed was that Microsoft was struggling to get xCloud to iPads and iPhones.
• In its efforts to get xCloud on the App Store, it accidentally got Shadow kicked off it.

Ever had a situation where you wanted to do something, and you weren't allowed to, but a peer was, so you tattled and ended up not only remaining locked out but also getting your peer's privileges revoked as well? Well, it looks like Microsoft did just that in 2020 by accidentally getting Shadow, the cloud computing service, booted from the App Store. This knowledge comes from the latest batch of secrets uncovered as a byproduct of the bonkers Epic Games v. Apple trial.

As spotted by The Verge, new revelations from the trial today reveal that in 2020, Microsoft was making efforts to get xCloud on the App Store but kept getting shut down. So, in response, it pointed to other streaming apps on the App Store, including Shadow's, essentially saying, "they can do it, so why can't we?"

Microsoft's head of business development for Xbox, Lori Wright, commented on the fallout of Microsoft's actions during the Epic v. Apple trial today. "I believe [Apple] ended up pulling Shadow out of the App Store based off this email we sent until they submitted changes. That was not our intention, of course, it was a byproduct."

For those not in the know, Shadow's app store hiccup is far from the biggest roadblock the cloud computing service has had to deal with in recent memory. Its parent company, Blade, recently underwent bankruptcy and now has a new owner in Octave Klaba's Jezby Ventures.

What you need to know

• Microsoft is about to release a new Xbox app on iOS.
• The new app allows players to remotely play Xbox One games from their console to their iPhone.
• It also features a major app redesign with console management and easier social sharing.

Reported by The Verge, Microsoft is about to release a new Xbox app for iOS that allows users to stream their Xbox One games to their iPhone. The report says that the new app, which has gone through approval by Apple, is coming "soon."

The report notes that this new app and its remote play capability is different than Microsoft's xCloud service. Whereas xCloud allows players to stream Xbox games directly from Microsoft's servers to their phone in any location, remote play on the new Xbox app on iOS requires players to be connected to their own Xbox. Apple and Microsoft are still at odds with how to bring xCloud to iOS.

The Verge's Tom Warren posted a video to Twitter showing off the new Xbox app as well as giving a teaser as to what remote play will look like.

According to the report, the new app will allow players to not only access their Xbox from anywhere in their home but out and about as long as they have an LTE or 5G connection.

In addition to remote play, the new iOS app will feature a major redesign that makes it easier and faster to find friends, manage your console, and share your game clips to social media. The new app will pair nicely with the new Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X when they launch in November.

What you need to know

• Sonarworks is bringing its SoundID platform to PC and Mac.
• It creates a personal profile for your headphones based on your music listening habits.
• It can be used with 360 current headphone models.

Sonarworks is today launching its SoundID Listen app for both Mac and PC, which will let users customize their listening experience for headphones, computer, and more!

In a press release the company stated:

SoundID is available on Mac or PC, and it lets you customize the sound you hear through your headphones based on the device you have, your hearing ability and how you like your music to sound. It works not just for music, but also movies and TV shows, as well as gaming!

The SoundID mobile app can be downloaded on either iOS or Android, and you use the app to create your SoundID profile using an in app-test. You can then use this across all of your favorite devices including streaming services, in-car audio, headphones, and home speakers. The service comes with a 30-day free trial, and costs $4.99 a month thereafter.

How it works:

• Download the SoundID app free on iOS or Google Play Store, and create your profile.
• Download the SoundID Listen app on Mac or Windows, connect up your SoundID profile.
• Enjoy!

SoundID supports 360 different models of headphones, so the chances of you needing any new hardware is pretty slim, the list includes Apple's AirPods (normal and Pro), Beats headphones as well as offerings from Bose, Huawei, Jabra, Jaybird, Samsung (including Galaxy Buds), Sennheiser and more.

You can read more about SoundID Listen for Windows and Mac here!

What you need to know

• Zoom has pushed out another weekly security update.
• The latest iteration brings new and improved password requirements.
• It has also improved meeting ID generation for increased privacy.

Zoom has issued the latest of its weekly updates regarding its push to make the platform more secure.

Last week, Zoom announced a collaboration with industry security experts from the likes of Netflix, Uber, and EA. Now, we are beginning to see the fruits of those labors.

In a blog post on April 14, Zoom announced updates to its password requirements, random meeting IDs and more. From the release:

Zoom has also updated Cloud recordings, turning on passwords by default for all accounts and enhancing password complexity.

Zoom has restored third-party file sharing after temporarily disabling the feature as part of its security review. It has also updated Zoom Chat so that users can hide the message preview for desktop chat notifications. If you turn it off, you'll get a notification about a message, but won't see the content of the message in the preview.

Zoom also says that it has fixed "issues related to missing data and delay on the Zoom Dashboard."

Zoom has endured a torrid time since its rise to prominence due to increased remote working and social-distancing/lockdown measures. Following its rise in popularity a swathe of security and privacy concerns were raised regarding the app, so much so that Zoom came forward to apologize, and vowed a 90-day new feature freeze whilst it reviewed its security.

Zoom has recently confirmed that since the pandemic, it has seen its usage uptake increase to more than 3 million daily downloads.