MacRumors

Apple and Walgreens have partnered up on a new offer to entice U.S. users to sign up for Apple Card, with users who open an account during the month of June eligible to receive $50 in bonus Daily Cash if they spend at least $50 on their ‌Apple Card‌ at Walgreens within the first 30 days.

The offer can be found in the Walgreens iOS app at the bottom of the Weekly Ad & Coupons page, and you can tap directly from the offer page into the Wallet app to start an ‌Apple Card‌ application.

For users with an Apple Cash card, Daily Cash earned through ‌Apple Card‌ purchases is transferred to Apple Cash, where it can be used for person-to-person payments and more. Alternatively, it can be applied to an outstanding ‌Apple Card‌ balance.

Walgreens has been a close partner with Apple in promoting ‌Apple Card‌ benefits, becoming one of the select merchants offering a premium 3% Daily Cash back on purchases made using an ‌Apple Card‌ via Apple Pay.

In April, Walgreens expanded the 3% Daily Cash offer to include purchases made with a physical ‌Apple Card‌ at Walgreens drive-thrus. That offer was originally set to expire at the end of June, but has since been extended through July.

Apple is dropping prices on the iPhone SE, ‌iPhone‌ 11, ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max in China in celebration of the 6.18 shopping festival, reports CNBC.

Apple has cut prices on its official store on the Alibaba-owned Tmall, and JD.com, an Apple reseller, is also offering significant discounts. This is the second time that Apple has participated in the 6.18 event.

On Tmall, users can buy an iPhone 11 64GB model for 4,779 yuan ($669.59), down around 13% from its original 5,499 yuan selling price. The iPhone 11 Pro starts at 7,579 yuan down from 8,699 yuan, while the iPhone Pro Max is listed for 8,359 yuan versus the original price of 9,599 yuan. The recently-released iPhone SE, the cheapest in Apple's range, is priced at 3,099 yuan, down from 3,299 yuan.

Tmall rival JD.com has even steeper discounts. The iPhone 11 64GB model is priced at 4,599 yuan, the iPhone 11 Pro at 6,999 and the iPhone 11 Pro Max at 7,499 yuan. If the full discounts are applied, the iPhone 11 Pro Max is at a more than 21% discount from its original price on JD.com. The iPhone SE is listed at 3,069 yuan with discount, down from 3,199 yuan.

According to CNBC, JD.com plans to offer discounts every day during the shopping festival, but the discount structure could vary from day to day. Apple product sales on June 1 were three times that of the same period last year, a JD.com spokesperson said.

While Apple is offering discounts through Tmall and through resellers like JD.com, its own retail stores and online store will not be offering iPhones at lower prices.

For most of February, Apple's retail stores in China were shut down, causing a sharp drop in sales. Apple has been working to regain sales momentum in the country now that stores are operational once again.

Apple's iPhone sales dropped eight percent in the first quarter of 2020, according to new data shared today by Gartner.

Apple sold an estimated 40.92 million smartphones during the quarter, a 3.7 million drop from the 44.57 million that it sold in the first quarter of 2019.

Other smartphone manufacturers saw much steeper drops in sales. Samsung's sales, for example, were down 22.7 percent, and Huawei's sales were down 27.3 percent. Xiaomi was the only smartphone manufacturer that saw a slight increase in sales, with the overall smartphone market down 20.2 percent.

"The coronavirus pandemic caused the global smartphone market to experience its worst decline ever," said Anshul Gupta, senior research analyst at Gartner. "Most of the leading Chinese manufacturers and Apple were severely impacted by the temporary closures of their factories in China and reduced consumer spending due to the global shelter-in-place."

Apple in early February was forced to close all of its retail stores in China, and later in the year, the rest of its stores across the world were shuttered amid the global pandemic.

Stores in China started reopening in late February, and by mid-March, all retail locations in China were operational, just in time for Apple's other stores to shut down on March 14.

Apple has been slowly reopening its stores outside of China since the beginning of May and while not all locations have reopened, close to 100 stores in the U.S are open for repairs and pickups, plus stores in countries like Australia, Canada, Italy, and Germany have reopened.

"Apple had a strong start to the year thanks to its new product line up that saw strong momentum globally. If COVID-19 did not happen, the vendor would have likely seen its iPhone sales reached record level in the quarter. Supply chain disruptions and declining consumer spending put a halt to this positive trend in February," said Annette Zimmermann, research vice president at Gartner. "Apple's ability to serve clients via its online stores and its production returning to near normal levels at the end of March helped recover some of the early positive momentum."

Apple in April shared its earnings results for the second fiscal quarter of 2020, which corresponds to the first calendar quarter of the year. Apple posted revenue of $58.5 billion, up just slightly from the $58 billion in revenue it brought in during the second fiscal quarter of 2019.

iOS 14 will be compatible with all iPhones and iPod touch models able to run iOS 13, according to information shared today by Israeli site The Verifier.

The compatibility data was allegedly found in a leaked version of iOS 14 and confirmed by what The Verifier says is a "trusted source from the system development process."

iOS 13 is compatible with the iPhone 6s and later, with a full list of models below.

• iPhone SE (2020)
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone X
• iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
• iPhone SE (2016)
• iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
• iPod touch (7th-generation)

The site says that this is the last version of iOS that the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, and 2016 iPhone SE will support, which is no surprise as Apple often provides software updates for approximately four or five years after the release of a new device.

There is no word on which iPads will be able to run iPadOS 14, but if iPadOS 14 is compatible with all iPads able to run iPadOS 13, it will work on the iPad Air 2, 3rd-gen iPad Air, iPad mini 4 and 5, 5th, 6th, and 7th-generation iPads, and all iPad Pro models.

The Verifier doesn't have the greatest track record when it comes to accurate leaks with both hits and misses, but French site iPhoneSoft.fr also previously said that iOS 14 will be compatible with all devices able to run iOS 13.

Apple will unveil iOS 14 at its all-digital WWDC event, which is set to kick off on June 22.

Apple appears to be moving ahead with plans to provide Apple News+ users with an option to listen to audio stories of some news stories, according to details found in the iOS 13.5.5 beta.

An icon depicting an ‌Apple News‌+ Audio feature is present in the beta, along with some related imagery.

Apple is planning to offer a recap of the day's top stories, based on this wording found in the update: "Listen to a quick recap of today's top stories."

A rumor earlier this month from Digiday first pointed toward Apple's work on audio versions of its news stories.

Over the course of the last several months, Apple has been asking publishers participating in ‌Apple News‌+ for permission to create audio versions of their stories.

Apple plans to handle production costs and compensate publishers for the audio news recordings in the same way ‌Apple News‌+ payouts work. 50 percent of subscriber revenues go to publishers based on how much time subscribers spend with publishers' content in a 30-day stretch.

It's not clear when exactly Apple plans to roll out support for audio versions of news stories, but given that some of the assets for the feature are in iOS 13.5.5, it's a feature that could be coming soon.

Steve Moser contributed to this report.

A series of 3D printed iPhone 12 mockups designed based on leaked schematics and info from Apple's supply chain was today shared by Japanese site Mac Otakara, giving us a first look at what we can expect from the 2020 ‌iPhone‌ lineup.

Rumors have suggested Apple will release four ‌iPhone‌ 12 models in 2020: A 5.4-inch ‌iPhone‌ 12, a 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌ 12, a 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro, and a 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max.

The images depict all four sizes, though Mac Otakara's mockup seems to feature a 6.5-inch ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌ rather than 6.7-inch version that's been rumored multiple times in the past.

In line with prior rumors, the mockups of the two lower-end devices feature dual-lens camera setups while the higher-end mockups feature a three-lens camera setup similar to the setup of the current Pro models.

‌Mac Otakara‌ says that the SIM tray that was on the right side of the device in prior ‌iPhone‌ models will be moved to the left side under the volume button.

This is a rumor that we've heard previously, and it seems to be a change that Apple is making to accommodate the 5G antenna module that's expected to be included in all four ‌iPhone‌ 12 models.

The iPhones also appear to have a variable number of speaker holes on each side based on the printed models, and all of the iPhones expected in 2020 will continue to feature Lightning connectors.

At least some of the new ‌iPhone‌ models will feature an iPad Pro-style design with a metal frame that has flat edges, a significant design departure from current models. The higher-end ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro models are also expected to feature a 3D camera setup similar to the LiDAR Scanner in the iPad Pro, though that does not appear to be depicted in the size mockups provided by ‌Mac Otakara‌.

For more on what to expect from the 2020 ‌iPhone‌ models, make sure to check out our dedicated roundup.

European countries have begun to roll out COVID-19 contact tracing apps that take advantage of the Exposure Notification API designed by Apple and Google, with Italy and Latvia both launching new apps over the course of the last few days.

As noted by MacStories' Federico Vittici, Italy today released Immuni, a privacy-focused contact tracing app that's designed to alert users if they've been exposed to COVID-19 through the ‌Exposure Notification‌ API.

The app requires express user consent to operate, letting users know that it uses Bluetooth Low Energy to log random ID contact with other users, with date, duration, and signal strength of an exposure shared with the app.

Latvia last week also released Apturi, its own privacy-forward contact tracing app that also takes advantage of the Apple/Google ‌Exposure Notification‌ API.

It is based on a methodology developed by European scientists, including those from Latvia, and the new Bluetooth signal exchange algorithm developed by Google and Apple. Using it is voluntary. The app uses Bluetooth to anonymously detect nearby smartphones (within ~2 m proximity, present for longer than 15 minutes) that also have this app installed. This information is only kept on user's device, and automatically deleted after 14 days.

SPKC gets in touch with those individuals who have been confirmed to be a COVID-19 case - regardless of whether they use the app or not. SPKC receives this information from health institutions, not from the app. If the patient uses this app, SPKC will send them a code. When entered in the app, an anonymous notification will be sent to detected contacts that have been at risk to be infected. Sender's identity is not disclosed to recipients. Likewise, the infected individual does not know who the recipients are.

Latvia and Italy are the second and third countries, respectively, to introduce an app that uses Apple's API. Early last week, Switzerland released its "SwissCovid" app for members of the Swiss army, hospital workers, and civil servants. After testing, Switzerland is planning a wider rollout.

Apple released the ‌Exposure Notification‌ API as part of iOS 13.5. When it was released, Apple said that several U.S. states and 22 countries had requested and received access to the API, with more expected to join.

In the United States, there are no apps that use the ‌Exposure Notification‌ API at this time, but Alabama, South Carolina, and North Dakota have apps in the works that may soon see a release. It is not clear if other states will be on board, as some, such as Utah, have developed their own less private solution.

The ‌Exposure Notification‌ feature in iOS 13.5 is disabled by default and doesn't work without an app created by a public health authority and explicit user permission. The API is privacy-focused and collects no personally identifiable data or location information, with additional details available in our Exposure Notification guide.

Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 13.5.5 updates to developers, one week after releasing iOS 13.5 with the Exposure Notification API, Face ID mask updates, Group FaceTime changes, and more, and just an hour after releasing the iOS and iPadOS 13.5.1 updates with security fixes to address the unc0ver jailbreak.

iOS and iPadOS 13.5.5 can be downloaded from the Apple Developer center or over the air once the proper developer profile has been installed.

There's no word yet on what's included in the iOS 13.5.5 update, but as a 13.x.x release, it likely focuses on bug fixes for issues unable to be addressed in iOS 13.5. Once we download the update and take a look at what's new, we'll update this article with any findings.

Apple today released a supplemental update for macOS Catalina 10.15.5, the fifth update to the macOS Catalina operating system that was released in October 2019. The supplemental update comes a week after the release of the macOS Catalina 10.15.5 update.

‌macOS Catalina‌ 10.15.5 is a free update that can be downloaded from the Mac App Store using the Update feature in the System Preferences app. There's also a security update for those running macOS High Sierra.

The first macOS Catalina 10.15.5 update introduced a new Battery Health Management feature designed to extend the overall lifespan of a Mac's battery by reducing the rate of chemical aging. It also included controls to fine-tune the calibration of the Pro Display XDR and an option to control Automatic Prominence in a Group FaceTime call.

The supplemental update focuses on security fixes and Apple says it should be installed by all users.

macOS Catalina 10.15.5 supplemental update provides important security updates and is recommended for all users.

Some features may not be available for all regions, or on all Apple devices. For detailed information about the security content of this update, please visit: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211215

According to the security notes for the update, it addresses a security flaw that could allow an application to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

This is the same vulnerability that has been addressed in today's iOS 13.5.1, tvOS 13.4.6, and watchOS 6.2.6 updates, and it allowed for the unc0ver jailbreak that allegedly works on all versions of iOS, including iOS 13.5.

Apple today appears to have seeded the first beta of an upcoming macOS Catalina 10.15.6 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after releasing macOS Catalina 10.15.5 with battery health management features for Macs.

The macOS Catalina 10.15.6 beta can be downloaded from the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences, as it does not yet appear to be showing up in the Apple Developer Center.

There's no word yet on what features or improvements the sixth update to macOS Catalina will introduce, but it likely focuses on performance improvements, security updates, and fixes for bugs that weren't able to be addressed in the prior update.

Apple today released iOS and iPadOS 13.5.1, minor updates that come a little over a week after the release of iOS and iPadOS 13.5, major updates that brought the Exposure Notification API, FaceTime changes, mask-related unlocking updates and more.

The iOS and iPadOS 13.5.1 updates are available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the updates, go to Settings > General > Software Update.

According to Apple's release notes, the update provides important security updates and it is recommended for all users.

While not specified in the main release notes, Apple's security content document for the update acknowledges that it patches a vulnerability related to the unc0ver jailbreaking tool that was released last week and allegedly works on all recent versions of iOS, including iOS 13.5.

Apple today released watchOS 6.2.6, the ninth update to the watchOS 6 operating system that's designed to run on modern Apple Watch models. watchOS 6.2.6 comes a little over a week after the launch of watchOS 6.2.5, an update that introduced new Pride Apple Watch faces.

watchOS 6.2.6 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌iPhone‌.

According to Apple's release notes, the watchOS 6.2.6 update includes unspecified security fixes and should be installed by all Apple Watch owners with a compatible model.

Apple in November removed all vaping-related apps from the App Store, leaving people with app-connected vapes without a way to control their devices on their iPhones.

Vape manufacturer PAX has found a way to get around Apple's rules, launching a website that allows users to manage their PAX vapes. With the new web app, Era and Era Pro users can control their devices on Macs and PCs using Google Chrome, providing an alternative to the missing iPhone app.

When Apple pulled all vaping-related apps from the ‌App Store‌, the company cited CDC reports of thousands of lung injury cases linked to vapes and e-cigarettes, and called the spread of the devices "a public health crisis" and "youth epidemic."

Apple did not allow apps that sold vape cartridges, and the apps that were pulled offered vape-related news or controls for vape devices. PAX, for example, relied heavily on the ‌App Store‌ to add technology to its vapes, with the PAX app letting users adjust vaporizer temperature, set parental controls, verify the authenticity of cartridges, change light colors, and more.

After Apple outright banned vape-related apps PAX called on the company to rethink the decision, claiming that it was important for customers to "have access to important information and the ability to better control their cannabis experience."

Pax specifically cited its PodID feature that provides access to data about what's in vape pods, such as strain information, cannabinoid and terpene profiles, and state regulated test results, which could help vaporizer users avoid illicit and dangerous cartridges.

Apple refused to budge, however, leading PAX to create the website as an alternative. At this time, accessing the site can only be done on Mac and PC desktops using the Chrome browser, and it won't work with Safari.

The web app provides device controls, cannabis strain information, and safety features such as locking. These are the same options that were in the now-removed iOS app and can still be accessed on Android devices.

If you are still hanging on to a Mid 2012 model of the 15-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina display, and require a new battery or other repairs, be sure to book an appointment with a service provider as soon as possible.

In an internal memo today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple has indicated that this particular MacBook Pro model will be marked as "obsolete" worldwide on June 30, 2020, just over eight years after its release. In a support document, Apple notes that obsolete products are no longer eligible for hardware service, with "no exceptions."

Apple already classified the 2012 MacBook Pro as "vintage" in 2018, but it has still continued to service the notebook as part of a pilot program, subject to parts availability. With the 2012 MacBook Pro transitioning to "obsolete" status at the end of this month, it would appear that the notebook will no longer be eligible for any official repairs.

Of course, if you own a 2012 MacBook Pro, there is nothing stopping you from following one of iFixit's many do-it-yourself repair guides. Independent repair shops are another avenue, although many do not use official Apple parts.

In addition to being the first MacBook Pro with a Retina display, the 2012 model had a much slimmer design compared to previous models, after Apple removed the built-in Ethernet port and optical disc drive for CDs/DVDs. It still had a wide array of I/O, however, including pairs of Thunderbolt and USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and an SD card slot.

Apple Card's COVID-19 Customer Assistance Program has been extended by another month, allowing cardholders who enroll in the program to defer their June payment without incurring any interest charges, as noted by 9to5Mac.

To enroll in the program, open the Wallet app on an iPhone or iPad, tap on the Apple Card, tap on the black circle with three dots, tap on the message bubble, and send a message along the lines of "I want to enroll in the Customer Assistance Program." Confirmation of your enrollment will be sent to the email address associated with your Apple ID.

Of course, any purchases made with the Apple Card throughout June will still need to be paid off eventually as part of your outstanding balance. Apple has a support document with more details, although it does not reflect the June extension yet.