Following the release of iOS 13.4 on March 24, Apple has stopped signing iOS 13.3.1, which means downgrading to that version of iOS is no longer possible.
iOS 13.3.1 was a minor update that added a toggle for disabling the U1 chip in Apple's iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max.
Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date.
iOS 13.4 is the current publicly available version of iOS, with the update bringing a new Mail toolbar, iCloud Folder Sharing, new Memoji stickers, trackpad support on iPad, and more.
Developers can also download iOS 13.4.5, an upcoming update with bug fixes and a new option to share Apple Music songs on Instagram Stories.
Contract workers at Apple's Silicon Valley campuses will continue to be paid their normal wages while Santa Clara County's shelter in place order is in effect, an Apple spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal today.
The announcement was a departure from Apple's original plans. Over the last few days, hundreds of contract workers were told that their jobs would be suspended without pay, but Apple appears to have reversed course on that decision.
Apple's contract workers include janitors, bus drivers, and other individuals who perform similar functions on its Apple Park and Infinite Loop locations.
On Monday, in response to an inquiry from The Wall Street Journal, a spokeswoman said the janitors' pay would continue. "We're working with all of our suppliers to ensure hourly workers such as janitorial staff are being paid during this difficult time," spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said after the Journal's inquiry about the job elimination notices.
It appears that many contractors were mistakenly informed that their jobs would be suspended, and it's not clear why. One janitor at Apple's campus, Patricia Cortez, was called into an Apple office on Sunday alongside colleagues and told that her job had been eliminated.
Bus drivers were also concerned about payment as Apple had not told WeDriveU and Hallcon Corp, two companies who manage Apple's shuttle service, whether contracts would be paid.
Apple previously said that it is paying all of its hourly workers, such as retail employees and cafeteria staff, but had not previously confirmed that it was going to continue paying contractors.
Apple's Silicon Valley campuses will be shut down until at least May 3 due to the extension of the shelter in place order in the Bay Area. Apple's retail stores in the United States and other countries outside of China also remain closed, though some could begin opening as soon as the first half of April.
Apple today updated Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, its iWork apps designed for the Mac, to version 10.0 with a new set of features. The updates add support for iCloud Folder Sharing for collaborative files with macOS 10.15.4 installed, plus there are options to edit shared documents offline.
There are also new templates and editable shapes to work with, a redesigned template chooser, and an option to add color, gradients, and images to the background of any document. Each app's release notes are below.
Pages Release Notes
Select from a variety of gorgeous new templates to help you get started.
Add a Pages document to a shared iCloud Drive folder to automatically start collaborating. Requires macOS 10.15.4.
Add a drop cap to make a paragraph stand out with a large, decorative first letter.
Apply a color, gradient, or image to the background of any document.
Easily access your recently used templates in a redesigned template chooser.
Print or export a PDF of your document with comments included.
Edit shared documents while offline and your changes will upload when you're back online.
Enhance your documents with a variety of new, editable shapes.
Numbers Release Notes
Create spreadsheets with more rows and columns than ever before.
Apply a color to a background of a sheet.
Add a Numbers spreadsheet to a shared iCloud Drive to automatically start collaborating. Requires macOS 10.15.4.
Edit shared spreadsheets while offline and your changes will upload when you're back online.
Easily access your recently used templates in a redesigned template chooser.
Print or export a PDF of your spreadsheet with comments included.
Add a drop cap to text in a shape.
Enhance your spreadsheets with a variety of new, editable shapes.
Keynote Release Notes
Add a Keynote presentation to a shared iCloud Drive to automatically start collaborating. Requires macOS 10.15.4.
Edit shared presentations while offline and your changes will upload when you're back online.
Select from a variety of gorgeous new themes to help you get started.
Easily access your recently used themes in a redesigned template chooser.
Print or export a PDF of your presentation with comments included.
Add a drop cap to make text stand out with a large, decorative first letter.
Enhance your presentations with a variety of new, editable shapes.
New "Keyboard" text build in and build out animation
Apple does not appear to have released updates to its iWork for iOS apps, so the new features are limited to the Mac versions at this time. All of the new updates can be downloaded from the Mac App Store.
Apple today released the first betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.4.5 updates, and while the new software appears to focus primarily on bug fixes, there's at least one new feature.
When listening to a song in Apple Music, tapping on the Share button and then selecting Instagram generates a Story with the song title and album name, plus a matching animated background.
9to5Mac says that once a song is shared on Instagram, other people should be able to tap on the song name and then listen to it in the Apple Music app, but we were unable to get this feature to work, perhaps because the feature is still being beta tested.
Spotify has a similar feature where song titles can be shared on Instagram in a Story that displays album artwork and a matching background, but no music plays and there's a very small clickable link to open a song in Spotify, so it's possible the Apple Music feature will work similarly.
The same steps listed above can be used to share songs on Facebook by choosing the Facebook app instead of the Instagram app.
Apple has recently contacted some of its retail employees in the U.S. with an opportunity to work from home as a support advisor on a temporary basis due to the ongoing pandemic, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Retail employees who accept this offer will receive the necessary equipment from Apple to offer support to customers by phone or online chat, as well as a small cash incentive, one source noted. It is unclear how long this at-home role will last, how many employees have been offered this opportunity, or if it is being offered in any other countries.
Jon Prosser of the YouTube channel Front Page Tech has also relayed this news today, noting that participating employees each receive an iMac.
To help with the launch, over the next two weeks, Apple is shipping iMacs to select retail employees who are being asked to work remotely.
Those employees will be trained in order to offer sales and tech support online for customers.
— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) March 31, 2020
With thousands of Apple retail employees that are already well experienced with sales and support currently sitting at home, this move makes sense, and will help alleviate the workload of Apple's existing at-home advisors.
Update:Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has confirmed this news, noting that employees in the program are not being asked to work beyond their regular hours.
Update 2: MacRumors has learned that the at-home work program appears to be available to all Apple retail employees, not just Geniuses and Technical Specialists. Participating employees must be able to accept delivery of a 27-inch iMac delivered by courier and are required to participate in virtual training.
Apple is temporarily sold out of the Blackmagic eGPU Pro, an eGPU option that it offers alongside its Mac machines.
Priced at $1,199, the Blackmagic eGPU Pro first came out in October 2018 alongside refreshed Mac mini and MacBook Air models, and it has been sold by Apple since then.
Blackmagic told MacRumors that the eGPU Pro is temporarily out of stock and has not been discontinued. The company provided no details on why the device is unavailable at this time, but supply shortages and production disruptions are a likely cause.
At this time, the standard $699 Blackmagic eGPU remains available for purchase, and it's just the higher-end Pro model that is temporarily unavailable.
Other Apple products like select iPads and custom configured Macs are also experiencing longer than normal shipping times.
Apple has acquired weather app Dark Sky, Dark Sky's developers announced today. Dark Sky is one of the most popular weather apps on the App Store, known for its accuracy and storm warnings.
Our goal has always been to provide the world with the best weather information possible, to help as many people as we can stay dry and safe, and to do so in a way that respects your privacy.
There is no better place to accomplish these goals than at Apple. We're thrilled to have the opportunity to reach far more people, with far more impact, than we ever could alone.
There will be no changes to the Dark Sky for iOS app, and it will continue to be available for purchase in the App Store. Apple does not appear to be making the app free at this time, and it continues to be priced at $3.99.
In the future, Apple could be planning to build Dark Sky into its own weather app, which relies on data from The Weather Channel at this time.
Dark Sky features include minute-by-minute weather predictions based on precise location, hour-by-hour weather forecasts for the next day and week, detailed weather animations, and advanced notification updates that include down-to-the-minute alerts before rain starts and severe weather alerts. The app also includes a Today Widget, a Time Machine feature so you can see weather in the past or present, and an Apple Watch app.
Dark Sky for Android and Wear OS is being discontinued on July 1, 2020. The website's weather forecasts, maps, and embeds will be available until July 1, 2020, and the website itself will remain available in support of API and iOS app customers.
Dark Sky says its API service for existing customers is not changing, but new signups will no longer be accepted. The API will work through the end of 2021, but after that time, developers will need to find another solution. The end of Dark Sky's API will impact other popular weather apps like Carrot, which uses the Dark Sky API.
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.4.5 updates to developers, one week after releasing iOS and iPadOS 13.4 with iCloud Folder Sharing, iPad trackpad support, and more.
iOS and iPadOS 13.4.5 can be downloaded from the Apple Developer center or over the air once the proper developer profile has been installed. There's no word on why Apple decided to use iOS 13.4.5 as the beta update number instead of iOS 13.4.1.
We don't yet know what's included in the iOS 13.4.5 update, but it likely focuses on bug fixes for issues unable to be addressed in the iOS 13.4 update.
Specifically, it could address an issue with Personal Hotspot that prevents it from working properly for some users, or a privacy bug with VPNs. Apple said it would fix both of these problem in upcoming updates.
Once we download the update and take a look at what's new, we'll update this article.
Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming macOS Catalina 10.15.5 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after releasing macOS Catalina 10.15.4 with Screen Time Communication Limits, iCloud Folder Sharing, and real-time Apple Music lyrics.
The new macOS Catalina beta can be downloaded using the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after installing the proper software from the Developer Center.
We don't know what improvements the fifth update to macOS Catalina will bring, but it likely includes performance improvements, security updates, and fixes for bugs that weren't able to be addressed in the macOS Catalina 10.15.4 update.
Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming tvOS 13.4.5 update to developers, one week after releasing tvOS 13.4.
Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 13.4.5 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode.
tvOS updates are typically minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements rather than major outward-facing changes. There's no word yet on what's included in tvOS 13.4.5.
Though we don't often know what's new in tvOS during the beta testing process, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download it upon release.
Publix has indicated that it is rolling out support for contactless payments like Apple Pay and Google Pay, as noted by the blog Appleosophy.
The supermarket chain informed employees of this news in a bulletin shared on Reddit, noting that its payment terminals will be updated with the contactless payments symbol where accepted. Publix has over 1,200 stores in the Southeastern U.S., with nearly two thirds of those locations in Florida, but it is unclear how many will accept Apple Pay.
Apple Pay support arrives at an opportune time, allowing shoppers to avoid using the frequently touched PIN pad when paying for groceries.
Hi there, Good news! We will accept all contactless payments, e.g. contactless cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc. - Caroline
— PublixHelps (@PublixHelps) March 31, 2020
Logitech-owned company Streamlabs, a provider of live streaming tools, has today expanded its software to the Mac.
Streamlabs OBS is available on macOS in an open beta capacity, allowing live streamers on Mac to access customization tools for creating professional broadcasts, engaging with audiences, and monetizing content on Twitch, YouTube, Mixer, Facebook, and other streaming platforms.
According to Streamlabs, its goal was to build powerful streaming software for Mac that blends a user-friendly interface with an innovative feature set.
Streamers will have access to tools like the Auto Optimizer, which analyzes internet speed and computer hardware for the best setting recommendations for each person's setup. There's also an import settings option for letting live streamers transfer settings from other broadcasting software.
Monetization options include customizable donation alerts, widgets to improve viewer participation, more than 250 free overlay themes, integrated chat, and a merchandise store. There are also a number of other features such as video encoding optimization for reducing CPU usage, selective recording, and moderation tools.
TSMC is "on track" to begin volume production of 5nm chips in April, despite "recent speculation" indicating that the foundry had been requested by Apple to defer production of A14 processors by one or two quarters, according to DigiTimes.
A paywalled preview of the report claims that TSMC's manufacturing lines remain fully booked for 5nm chips amid the current pandemic.
TSMC has been Apple's exclusive supplier of A-series chips since 2016, and its chips have gradually become smaller as it continues to refine its manufacturing process, benefitting performance, battery life, and thermal management on iPhones.
Apple plans to introduce four high-end iPhone 12 models with 5G support in the fall, including one 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and one 6.7-inch model, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Due to the ongoing pandemic, however, there have been conflicting reports on exactly when Apple will unveil its latest iPhones.
Apple Music is now offering its subscribers a few playlists aimed at working from home, focusing on schoolwork, and generally lifting spirits for everyone during the current pandemic. These new "Come Together" playlists can be found on the Browse tab of Apple Music in the carousel up top.
Apple has made the following playlists: "Isolation Icebreakers," "Work From Home Hustle," "Virtual Hugs," "Home-School-Strumentals," "Living Room Dance Party," "Astral Escape," and "Social Distancing Social Club." Apple said that it built each of these playlists to suit a variety of situations and "to help provide comfort, motivation, focus - or just something to dance to and get your mind off all of this."
The "Come Together" featured section also includes a few pre-existing playlists on Apple Music. There's an area for workout playlists, relaxing, family fun, popular "Essentials" playlists, revisiting old favorite albums, music videos, studying, acoustic music, unwinding, and catching up with some Beats 1 Radio shows.
The new section of Apple Music has launched a few days after Apple began rolling out the "Get Up! Mix" to users, which provides a weekly selection of uplifting and energetic songs. Last week, Apple also introduced a new way to alert users of album launches, with notifications placed directly within the Library tab of Apple Music.
Apple Configurator 2 has been updated to version 2.12 with several improvements, including support for restoring firmware on the 2019 Mac Pro.
The release notes:
• Added support for restoring firmware on the 2019 Mac Pro • Allow access to websites using TLS 1.0 and 1.1 • VPN: Configure Provider Designated Requirement for Custom SSL connection type • VPN: Configure network options for Cisco, Juniper, Pulse, F5, SonicWall, Aruba, CheckPoint, and Custom SSL connection types • Send all traffic through VPN • Exclude local networks
Apple Configurator 2 makes it easier to deploy iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV devices in an institution or enterprise. The app can be used to configure large numbers of devices with specific settings, apps, and data for students, employees, or customers.
Apple plans to release the first beta of iOS 13.4.1 with bug fixes in the coming days, according to Israeli website The Verifier, which has a mixed track record.
The report also suggests that there will not be an iOS 13.5 update this year, which would not be too surprising, as Apple has never released a point-five iOS version like iOS 12.5 or iOS 11.5 in previous years. Instead, Apple apparently has three more bug fix updates planned for iOS 13, with a max version number of iOS 13.4.4 expected.
Apple has a new low-cost iPhone in the works, which is supposed to be launching sometime in the first half of 2020. Given the ongoing situation in the United States and other countries, it's been unclear if the device is going to launch within the planned timeline, but there are signs that it could be coming soon.
We started seeing cases for the new low-cost iPhone back in early February, but now it appears new case options are showing up at retailers like Best Buy.
A source who emailed MacRumors shared a photo said to be from a Best Buy employee featuring an Urban Armor Gear case designed for the new 4.7-inch 2020 iPhone. There's no specific name on the case box, which is not unusual for cases made before a new device launches.
We can't confirm the source of the case, but this does indeed look like one of the cases that manufacturers like Target and Best Buy get ahead of when a new iPhone debuts, as case manufacturers send these cases to retail stores early to be one of the first manufacturers to have a case available to customers at launch.
According to the source who sent us the photo, Best Buy employees have been instructed not to merchandise these cases until Sunday, April 5. Whether that is a date reflective of a timeline when we might see the new low-cost iPhone launch remains to be seen.
That date would perhaps suggest a low-cost iPhone launch as early as this week, but so far, we haven't heard concrete details on when the new iPhone is coming out. Since we will be having no events in the near future, the low-cost iPhone could be announced at any point via a press release.
We don't know what Apple is going to call its new phone, but in rumors, it's been referred to as the "iPhone 9," a missing iPhone number, or the "iPhone SE 2" due to its rumored $399 price tag.
The new iPhone is said to be identical to the iPhone 8 but with an A13 chip inside, featuring a 4.7-inch display, a single-lens rear camera, thick top and bottom bezels, and a Touch ID Home button. It is expected to come in space gray, silver, and red color options, and we're expecting 64 and 128GB storage capacities.
Well ahead of when Apple introduced trackpad support in iOS 13.4, Brydge announced an iPad Pro keyboard with a built-in multi-touch trackpad. We have one of Brydge's new Pro+ keyboards on hand, and thought we'd check it out to see how it works with Apple's new 2020 iPad Pro models.
The Brydge Pro+ keyboard is similar in design to past Brydge keyboards, attaching to the iPad Pro using a set of hinges that allow the iPad Pro's angle to be adjusted to best suit each person's needs. It's made entirely from aluminum and matches the iPad Pro well, and at the bottom, there's a new trackpad.
Brydge keyboards always offer a great typing experience, and this year's Pro+ is no exception. In fact, we thought it was even better than last year's version because there's no need to press as hard for a key to register.
There are dedicated iPad controls on the keyboard, including a Siri button and options for accessing the Home screen, locking the iPad, adjusting brightness, controlling media playback, and more. As with other Brydge keyboards, this one connects via Bluetooth and lasts for quite awhile before needing to be recharged.
When it comes to the trackpad, it's clear that it was designed before the release of iOS 13.4 because compared to official trackpad support with the Magic Trackpad 2, it's a bit lacking. Scrolling is smooth and works well through a standard two finger gesture, but we did run into a bug with continuous scrolling at the top or bottom of a page.
While you can use any two finger gesture with the trackpad on the Brydge Pro+, it doesn't really work with three finger gestures. You can add some three finger button presses with Accessibility functionality, but it's not as convenient as the three finger gesture support on the Magic Trackpad 2.
We did a full overview of how the Magic Trackpad 2 works with the iPad Pro in a prior video, and this is what we can expect to see when Apple's own Magic Keyboard comes out in May.
In the future, Brydge may be able to work with Apple to add more functionality to its keyboard, as Apple has worked with Logitech on some custom keyboards with trackpad support. Even without the full functionality of the Apple-designed trackpad, the Brydge Pro+ has a lot to offer.
Apple's Magic Keyboard is priced starting at $300 for the 11-inch model, while the Brydge Pro+ is priced starting at $199, so it's certainly a more affordable option. For those interested, more on the Brydge Pro+ can be found on Brydge's website.
Following the release of iOS 13.4 on March 24, Apple has stopped signing iOS 13.3.1, which means downgrading to that version of iOS is no longer possible.
