Apple apologizes for Error 53, says it was designed to be a factory test, releases iOS update that restores bricked phones but doesn't re-enable Touch ID  —  Apple Apologizes And Updates iOS To Restore iPhones Disabled By Error 53  —  Earlier this month, a Guardian report flagged …

Facebook pledges to fight against demands to weaken system security, Twitter adds its support to Apple in San Bernadino iPhone case  —  Facebook sides with Apple in iPhone fight  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook sided with Apple in the public spat with the Obama administration over its refusal …

Leaked document: Facebook will launch ads on Messenger in Q2, enabling brands to send message ads to customers who have previously initiated chats  —  Facebook Plans To Put Ads In Messenger  —  A leaked document Facebook sent to some of its biggest advertisers reveals that Facebook will launch ads within Messenger in Q2 2016.

Apple's Trade Up With Installments program lets you trade in your old phone and pay a reduced monthly fee for a newer model  —  Apple wants you to ditch your old iPhone with this new payment plan  —  The Trade Up With Installments program lets you unload an old phone and get a new model for an outlay of less than about $35 a month.

Google Play Games is ditching Google+ tie-in for new Gamer ID profiles  —  Google Play Games is changing, and it may affect how you interact on the platform.  Starting today, you'll no longer need a Google+ account to have a profile on Play Games.  —  Instead, the company is launching Gamer ID …

Profile of Johny Srouji, Apple's SVP for hardware technologies, who is leading the development of company's chips  —  The Most Important Apple Executive You've Never Heard Of  —  A visit with Cupertino's chief chipmaker, Johny Srouji.  —  A little over a year ago, Apple had a problem: The iPad Pro was behind schedule.

GSMA announces new eSIM specification for smartwatches, fitness trackers, and tablets; Samsung's Gear S2 Classic 3G will be first device to use the new standard  —  Samsung's Gear S2 has the first certified eSIM that lets you choose carriers  —  The day the physical SIM card disappears is slowly getting closer.

FCC votes 3-2 to proceed with plan to give customers more choice over cable TV set-top boxes; proposal now moves into comment period  —  The FCC just took the first big step toward changing the cable box business  —  In a three-to-two vote, the FCC has decided to move ahead with a proposal …

Microsoft Translator adds OCR capabilities to its iOS app, offline translations on Android  —  Microsoft's Translator app plays catch-up with Google  —  The version for iPhones now lets you use the device's camera to translate signs, menus and the like, while the version for Android devices can work offline.

Several secondary buyers say unicorn shareholders are now much more interested in selling common stock  —  Secondary Shops Flooded With Unicorn Sellers  —  Until recently, shares of some of the highest-flying unicorn companies have been so hard to come by that secondary buyers have battled each other …

Skype starts rolling out group video calling for iOS and Android, beginning with North America and Western Europe today, with worldwide availability in March  —  Announcing group video calling for mobile phones and tablets  —  Just a few weeks ago, we announced the next evolution of Skype …

PayPal launches overhauled iOS and Android apps with cleaner design, quicker access to sending and receiving money, more  —  PayPal Overhauls Its Mobile App  —  PayPal's mobile app is getting a massive overhaul today, representing the first time in the history that the company has rebuilt its app from scratch.

Karma cancels Neverstop unlimited plan, replaces it with tiered subscription plan Pulse, priced at $40, $75, or $140/month with $15 per GB overage per month  —  Karma cancels its unlimited data plan, introduces new tiered subscriptions  —  Just three months after launch …

Bitcoin startup Butterfly Labs settles with FTC for $38.6M but that sum will be suspended after company pays $15K and co-founder pays $4K  —  Bitcoin startup Butterfly Labs settles with FTC for $38.6M, but it can't pay  —  Lawsuit will be dropped against two execs, but case remains against CEO.

Report: Smartwatches outsold Swiss watches for the first time in Q4 2015 with 8.1M shipments, Apple accounted for 63% of smartwatches with 5.1M units  —  Apple Watch Sales Estimated at 5.1 Million in Holiday Quarter, Swiss Watch Sales in Trouble  —  The latest data from Strategy Analytics reveals …

In customer service push, Twitter now lets businesses add a “send a private message” button to tweets, attach feedback forms to direct messages  —  Making customer service even better on Twitter  —  Today, we're excited to announce two new tools to help businesses provide even better customer service on Twitter.