MacRumors

Verizon today kicked off a new accessory sale on Apple's official iPhone cases, bringing the price of Silicone and Leather Cases down to as low as $16.00. In this sale you'll find discounts on cases for the iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, and the iPhone XS.

verizon case sale compNote: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Verizon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Colors on sale include Midnight Blue for the iPhone 11 Pro Silicone Case, Black for the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max Leather Folios, and (Product) Red for the iPhone XS Leather Case. These discounts represent as much as 60 percent off original prices of each case, so be sure to visit Verizon before the limited time offers expire.

iPhone 11 Pro

iPhone 11 Pro Max

iPhone XS

Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

Apple's iPhones continue to rank highest when it comes to customer satisfaction, according to new data shared today by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).

Apple held its top spot with a customer satisfaction rating of 82 out of 100, up one percent from 81 in 2019. Apple just edged out Samsung, which earned an overall customer satisfaction rating of 81. According to ACSI, iPhone owners are more satisfied with battery life than in previous years.

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Apple in the ‌iPhone‌ 11 and ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro added bigger batteries and introduced significantly improved battery life.

For customer satisfaction, Apple (+1% to 82) and Samsung (unchanged at 81) continue to wrangle as a small gain puts Apple on top. Apple's overall iPhone revenue rose 8% year over year in the 2019 holiday quarter with strong sales for its iPhone 11 series, which offers advanced cameras and improved battery life. ACSI data show that Apple customers overall are more pleased with their device's battery life compared to a year ago.

When it came to satisfaction rankings based on individual smartphones, however, Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 edged out Apple devices with a score of 85.

The Galaxy S9+, the Galaxy S10, and Apple's 2018 XS Max all earned customer satisfaction scores of 84. Apple's 2019 ‌iPhone‌ 11 and iPhone 11 Pro Max earned a scores of 82, while the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro earned a score of 81.

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Apple and Samsung together dominated the individual brand rankings, and 17 of the 18 models that earned a score of 80 or above came from either Samsung or Apple.

The number-one phone is Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 with an ACSI score of 85. The Note 9 rates best in class for both phone features and video quality. The Galaxy S9+ and S10 follow at 84, tied with Apple's iPhone XS Max. All of these models are older, released in 2018, with the exception of the S10. All four also have screen sizes of 6.1 inches or more.

Today's report also covered customer satisfaction with mobile network operators. T-Mobile took the lead and Sprint came in last, though the data collected ahead of when the merger between the two companies was completed.

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In network quality rankings, Verizon came in first, followed by AT&T, with T-Mobile taking the third spot.

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The ACSI's Wireless Service and Cellular Telephone report is based on interviews with 27,346 customers chosen at random and contacted by email between April 15, 2019 and March 20, 2020. Survey data was entered into ASCI's "cause-and-effect econometric model," which is designed to estimate customer satisfaction as the result of survey-measured inputs of customer expectations, perceptions of quality, and perceptions of value.

Tag: ACSI

Hive, the U.K. smart connected home company backed by British Gas, has quietly added Apple HomeKit support to its range of smart home products.

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First spotted by iMore, the support is part of a software update that began rolling out late last week. When the soft launch is complete, Hive's ‌HomeKit‌ compatible accessories include all its Active Smart Plug, Heating, and Connected Lighting products.

The development comes some time after Hive said it was working on supporting ‌HomeKit‌ in its product line. The company made the original announcement after rolling out Siri Shortcuts support in June 2019.

To get Hive products up and running with ‌HomeKit‌, owners will need the latest Hive Hub or the Hub 360, both of which can be updated to version 10.28.0 of the software via the Hive app.

After the update is installed, owners should open the menu in the Hive app and tap Install Devices, where they'll find the ‌HomeKit‌ option with setup instructions at the bottom of the menu.

Apple is purchasing older movies and shows for its TV+ streaming service in a bid to build a back catalog of content that puts it in a better position to rival the huge libraries available on Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+, reports Bloomberg.

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The company’s video-programming executives have taken pitches from Hollywood studios about licensing older content for TV+ and have bought some shows and movies, according to people familiar with the matter.

Apple reportedly plans to keep its television streaming service focused on original shows, and hasn't bought any huge franchises or blockbusters for its back catalog, according to sources cited in the report. Nevertheless, it's a statement of intent from Apple and an acknowledgement that successful streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ tend to have a mix of old and new shows to keep audiences coming back.

Netflix for example has thousands of titles that viewers can choose from, while Apple TV+ currently has fewer than 30 original movies and shows in its catalog. As the report notes, however, at $4.99 per month, ‌Apple TV‌+ costs half the price of a standard Netflix subscription.

Another advantage ‌Apple TV‌+ has over its rivals is that it's free for a year for anyone who buys an Apple device, and students who have a student subscription to ‌Apple Music‌ for $4.99 per month can also get access to ‌‌Apple TV‌‌+ at no additional charge, so the company can expose viewers to its television service before they even sign up.

Apple has so far avoided buying rights to old shows, and has instead looked to host individual services through its TV app in the form of ‌Apple TV‌ Channels, which include the likes of HBO, Starz, SHOWTIME, and EPIX. However, according to Bloomberg's sources, this approach has yielded mixed results.

Though about 10 million people had signed up for TV+ by February, only about half that number actively used the service, according to the people familiar with the matter.

Compare that to Disney+, which signed up over 10 million users on the day it launched in the U.S. and has since attracted over 50 million subscribers. Netflix meanwhile has 182.8 million subscribers globally, making it one of the world's largest entertainment services, and the company added nearly 16 million customers in the first quarter of this year.

Today's news suggests something of a turnaround for the company's plans for ‌Apple TV‌+. During Apple's February shareholder meeting, CEO Tim Cook was asked why Apple didn't make an effort to get the rights to the upcoming Friends reunion show that will be airing on HBO Max.

Cook said that recycled content is "not what ‌Apple TV‌+ is about." ‌‌Apple TV‌‌+ is "about original programming," he said. "It doesn't feel right for Apple to just go out and take a rerun."

Former Apple executive and iOS chief Scott Forstall will make a rare public appearance this week at Code.org's Code Break event. He will appear alongside Grammy Award winning rapper and songwriter Macklemore.

scott forstall original iphone

Forstall was Apple's Vice President of iOS from 2007 until 2012

Described as the "world's largest live interactive classroom," Code Break aims to engage with computer science students during the ongoing stay-at-home measures, and features weekly computer science challenges for students of all abilities, even those without computers.

Forstall was reportedly ousted from Apple in October 2012, following the botched launch of Apple Maps. Forstall has maintained a quiet presence since then, although he did sit down with journalist John Markoff for an interview at the Computer History Museum in June 2017. Otherwise his main focus has been Broadway production.


Anyone interested can sign up at the Code.org website, which has more information about the event. The Code Break stream is live every Wednesday at 10.00 a.m. Pacific Time / 1.00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Update: The full video is now available to watch.

The BBC has launched a new experimental online service that lets users watch or listen to BBC programs, prodcasts, and radio with others over the internet at the same time.

BBC Together
Called BBC Together, the online tool is available on Taster, the BBC's experimental platform, which can be accessed via any web browser. The way it works is that one user finds the link of a program or video clip they want to watch with others – from BBC iPlayer, Sounds or Bitesize, BBC News and Sport websites – and then they paste it into the BBC Together service.

This creates a new group session, which can be shared via a link with friends or family. Each link can currently be watched by up to 50 participants, and the host user can pause, rewind, and fast-forward the content, or choose a new program for everyone to watch at once.

If the idea sounds familiar, you're probably thinking of Netflix Party, an extension for Google's Chrome web browser that lets users watch Netflix films and TV shows simultaneously. The service has seen a boost in numbers since the stay-at-home measures came into effect, so BBC Together could also prove a hit, although the Beeb says it's still just a test run for now.

HTC is working on new "HTC U Ear" earbuds that look like they took some design cues from Apple's AirPods. Photos of the upcoming earbuds were found in regulatory documents by Android Police (via The Verge).

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Design wise, the U Ear earbuds from HTC could be mistaken for black AirPods, featuring the same general design for the in-ear portion and a stem that hangs outside of the ear. The earbuds do have one major difference though - there are charging pins on the front.

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The charging case looks similar to the AirPods Charging Case as well, though not identical, and it does open up length wise like the Powerbeats Pro case rather than at the top like the AirPods case. It also appears to come with a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging purposes.

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Since Apple launched the AirPods in 2016, almost all major tech companies have come out with their own wire-free earbuds, but most have unique designs and don't look close to identical to the super popular AirPods.

Tag: HTC

Google is adding Dark Mode support to its Google Search apps for iOS and Android, with the new feature to begin rolling out tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

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Google says that it wants to give search app users more options to customize their Search experience, and when ‌Dark Mode‌ is enabled on Android 10 and iOS 13, the Search app will be displayed in ‌Dark Mode‌. The same goes for Light Mode, with the feature following the overall system settings.

‌Dark Mode‌ can also be enabled or disabled using the Google app settings on iOS and Android, which enables ‌Dark Mode‌ for iOS 12 users as well as iOS 13 users.

Dark mode is rolling out on Tuesday, and Google says that it will be available to everyone throughout the week.

Apple has given a straight-to-series order for a four-part documentary series from filmmakers Brian Lazarte and James Lee Hernandez, known for their HBO docuseries "McMillion$" that detailed how the McDonald's Monopoly game was rigged for over a decade.

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According to Deadline, multiple bidders were fighting over the rights to the new docuseries, and Apple ultimately struck a 7-figure deal.

The new docuseries, which is untitled as of yet, tells the "unbelievable true story of one of the largest scams in government history" with no additional details provided at this time.

McMillion$, which premiered on HBO earlier this year, explored how Jerry Jacobson, who was in charge of security for the agency that ran the Monopoly promotion for McDonald's, scammed the company out of $24 million.

Apple TV+ offers up original movies and TV shows for $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year, plus there's a free year of service for those who have recently purchased an Apple device. For those who don't qualify for the free year, Apple offers a one-week free trial.

Check out our step-by-step instructions for getting up and running from various devices.

Apple's AirPods Pro ship with silicone tips that fit inside the ears, but people who prefer the tighter or more comfortable fit of foam have been modding their earbuds to add a foam layer. That's no longer necessary, as well-known earphone tips company Comply is now shipping its foam tips that are compatible with AirPods Pro.


We picked up a pair of the new Comply Foam Tips for ‌AirPods Pro‌ and tested them out in our latest YouTube video to see how they fit and whether they're an improvement over the silicone tips that the ‌AirPods Pro‌ ship with.

Comply's Foam Tips for ‌AirPods Pro‌ are priced at $25 and come with three sets. You can get a mix of sizes to test out, or, if you know your ideal size, you can get a set of three all in the same small, medium, or large size.

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Using the Comply tips is pretty simple. Just pop off the existing silicone tips (unravel the silicone a bit and give it a good pull) then take the appropriate Comply tip and roll it on. The Comply tips don't have the same snap-in connector that Apple's default silicone tips have, which is worth noting. You need to be sure to attach the Comply tips properly to make sure the tips don't accidentally come off.

Once the tips are secured on the ‌AirPods Pro‌, insert the ‌AirPods Pro‌ into your ears and the foam will take shape in the ear, expanding to fit the ear canal. Comply says the tips are equipped with WaxGuard to prevent earwax build up.

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Apple's silicone tips are plenty comfortable and fit well for most people, but we found the foam tips from Comply to be preferable for long periods of use. Listening to music for a few hours with the foam tips resulted in less ear fatigue.

Sound quality is about the same with the foam tips compared to the default silicone tips, but people who weren't able to get a good seal with silicone may find the sound better with the foam. Because of the way the foam expands in the ear, Apple's Active Noise Cancellation seems to work a bit better.

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When it comes to charging, the ‌AirPods Pro‌ fit into the Charging Case perfectly with the foam tips attached, so there's no impact on charging. Unfortunately, the tips only come in a black foam color, so they don't quite match well with the white ‌AirPods Pro‌.

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If you're someone who prefers a foam tip earbud to a silicone tip, the Comply Foam Tips may be worth checking out. They can be ordered from Comply's website and are expected to ship out at the end of the month.

Related Roundup: AirPods Pro
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Pro (Caution)
Related Forum: AirPods

The United States FBI and Attorney General William Barr in January asked Apple to unlock the iPhones used in a mass shooting at a naval air station in Pensacola, Florida, a capability that Apple has said time and time again that it does not have.

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Today, the FBI confirmed that it was able to access shooter Mohammed Alshamrani's device, with FBI director Christoper Wray claiming that the FBI received "effectively no help" from Apple. Attorney general William Barr said it was a "great disappointment" that Apple refused to help investigators. From Barr:

"Apple has made a business and marketing decision to design its phones in a way that only the user can unlock the contents no matter what the circumstances. In cases like this, where the user is a terrorist, or in other cases where the user is a violent criminal, a human trafficker, a child predator, Apple's decision has dangerous consequences for the public safety and the national security and is in my judgment unacceptable."

Apple issued a statement in response, which was shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the statement, Apple details the steps that it took to assist the FBI, providing iCloud backups, account information, and transactional information for multiple accounts just hours after the attack.

The terrorist attack on members of the US armed services at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida was a devastating and heinous act. Apple responded to the FBI's first requests for information just hours after the attack on December 6, 2019 and continued to support law enforcement during their investigation. We provided every piece of information available to us, including iCloud backups, account information and transactional data for multiple accounts, and we let continuous and ongoing technical and investigative support to FBI offices in Jacksonville, Pensacola, and New York over the months since.

Apple went on to say that the comments made by Wray and Barr about the company's lack of help are little more than an "excuse to weaken encryption."

On this and many thousands of other cases, we continue to work around-the-clock with the FBI and other investigators who keep Americans safe and bring criminals to justice. As a proud American company, we consider supporting law enforcement's important work our responsibility. The false claims made about our company are an excuse to weaken encryption and other security measures that protect millions of users and our national security.

It is because we take our responsibility to national security so seriously that we do not believe in the creation of a backdoor -- one which will make every device vulnerable to bad actors who threaten our national security and the data security of our customers. There is no such thing as a backdoor just for the good guys, and the American people do not have to choose between weakening encryption and effective investigations.

Customers count on Apple to keep their information secure and one of the ways in which we do so is by using strong encryption across our devices and servers. We sell the same iPhone everywhere, we don't store customers' passcodes and we don't have the capacity to unlock passcode-protected devices. In data centers, we deploy strong hardware and software security protections to keep information safe and to ensure there are no backdoors into our systems. All of these practices apply equally to our operations in every country in the world.

As it has done in multiple prior disputes with U.S. law enforcement officials, Apple reiterated that there is no such thing as a backdoor designed only for the good guys. Weakening encryption in Apple devices would leave them vulnerable to attack from malicious entities, which could compromise not only customer data, but also national security.

Apple says that customers can count on the company to keep their information secure with strong encryption, letting law enforcement officials know once again that it does not plan to budge from its position.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple today released watchOS 6.2.5, the eighth update to the watchOS 6 operating system that's designed to run on modern Apple Watch models. watchOS 6.2.5 comes over a month after the release of watchOS 6.2.1, an update that introduced a FaceTime bug fix.

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Image via Reddit

watchOS 6.2.5 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.

No new features were found during the watchOS 6.2.5 beta testing period, but the update introduces new Pride-themed Apple Watch faces that are designed to match this year's Pride bands.

apple watch pride sport bands 2020
According to Apple's release notes, the update also introduces the ECG app and irregular heart rhythm notifications in Saudi Arabia.

watchOS 6.2.5 includes new features, improvements and bug fixes:
ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 or later now available in Saudi Arabia
Irregular heart rhythm notifications now available in Saudi Arabia

watchOS 6.2.5 could be one of the last updates to watchOS 6 as Apple transitions to working on watchOS 7. watchOS 7 will be unveiled in June during Apple's digital WWDC event.

There is also a parallel watchOS 5.3.7 update for watches paired with older iPhones unable to run iOS 13.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

A leaked version of the iOS 14 update has been circulating for a few months, giving us an idea of what Apple is working on behind the scenes for the new update.


Details about iOS 14 have been trickling out, and today, Josh Constine (formerly of TechCrunch) has shared leaked Apple QR codes, details about Apple's work on an AR app, and sounds for the upcoming Apple Tags in his Moving Product newsletter.

Apple appears to be implementing a new QR code format that uses colored cones, with the files found in the "Gobi" AR app that Apple has been working on. Constine says QR codes open up Mac Pro and Apple Watch websites, the Star Wars: Rogue One movie in iTunes, and the Starbucks Card sign-up.

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The code also featured references to a Gobi comparison shopping feature that could be in the AR app, and, in line with previous rumors about a possible Starbucks partnership, there were references to Starbucks discounts at specific locations, which suggests the Gobi app could offer promotions or content experiences based on location.

A video shared by Constine also features sounds and vibrations that will be used in the Find My app to help people locate their lost devices. As described by Constine:

You'll hear encouraging sounds when you face the right direction so the lost gadget is "Ahead" of you, when you're "Nearby", or come within "Arms Reach", while discouraging tones hint that you're headed off course.

Many other leaked features have been found in iOS 14, such as hints of a new fitness app, new features for Messages like mentions and retractions, new Apple Pencil features, Home screen updates, ‌Find My‌ changes for AirTags, the CarKey API that will allow an iPhone to be used in lieu of a CarKey, and tons more, with full details available in our iOS 14 roundup.

Related Forum: iOS 14

Apple's upcoming iPhones will all use flexible OLEDs sourced from either Samsung, BOE, and LG Display, with some new features like 10-bit color expected, according to a report from display analyst Ross Young.

iPhone 12 Purple
On his site Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), Young details "corrections and confirmations" on what we can expect from Apple's upcoming 2020 iPhone lineup, which will consist of four new smartphones.

Some of these are rumors that we've heard before, while other information, mostly specific to displays, is new.

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5.4-inch iPhone 12

Young says that the iPhone 12 will feature a flexible OLED display from Samsung Display, with Y-OCTA integrated touch. Y-OCTA is Samsung flexible display technology where the touch sensor is placed directly on the OLED panel without the need for a separate touch layer.

The 5.4-inch iPhone will feature a 2340 x 1080 resolution and 475 PPI.

6.1-inch iPhone 12 Max

The 6.1-inch "iPhone 12 Max" as Young calls it is expected to feature a flexible OLED sourced from BOE and LG Display with an add-on touch sensor and a resolution of 2532 x 1170 and 460 PPI.

6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro

The higher-end Pro version of the 6.1-inch iPhone coming in 2020 will feature a Samsung Display flexible OLED, and Young says it will be one of the first smartphones with 10-bits of color, for more vibrant, true-to-life colors and a richer variety of color gradations.

The 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro is not expected to have Y-OCTA technology and it will feature the same resolution as the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 at 2532 x 1170 and 460 PPI.

Young says that Apple may be bringing extreme dynamic range (XDR) to its iPhone lineup, which is specified as 1,000 nits of full screen brightness and 1,600 nits of peak brightness. Samsung displays can't hit this level, though, and thus if Apple does use XDR, XDR specifications will need to be tweaked.

Apple is rumored to be linking XDR (extreme dynamic range) compatibility to the iPhone 12 series. XDR performance on its monitors is specified by Apple as 1000 nits of full screen brightness, 1600 nits of peak brightness, 1M:1 contrast, 10-bits of color and ~100% P3 wide color gamut. To date, Samsung Display has only achieved 1342 nits of peak brightness and full screen brightness of 828 nits on smartphones, so if Apple does use XDR, the XDR specifications for brightness will need to change. Given the lower black levels in its OLED smartphones vs. its XDR monitor, contrast should actually be higher on its smartphones, in fact, DisplayMate measures the latest Samsung Display OLED contrast ratios as infinite in low ambient light.

Young also reiterates details he's previously shared about rumors suggesting Apple will bring 120Hz ProMotion displays to the iPhone 12 lineup.

Apple's iPhone 12 is not expected to use low-power LTPO technology, a feature Young believes is necessary for a fully functional 120Hz display given the power saving capabilities of LTPO technology.

Without LTPO, 120Hz is still possible, but it could be limited to non-native resolutions or it will be a significant power drain.

6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max

The largest iPhone 12 Pro model that Apple plans to release in 2020 will feature a 6.68-inch display with a resolution of 2778 x 1284 at 458 PPI.

Young believes this model will have Y-OCTA support, 10-bit color, and will be XDR capable. Like the iPhone 12 Pro, it could also have a 120Hz refresh rate, but again, without LTPO.

Production

According to Young, panel production on components for the new 2020 iPhones will start approximately six weeks late, which means it will begin at the end of July. Young believes that this implies a delay in the iPhone 12 launch from September to October. There have been other rumors suggesting a possible delay, and Apple did stagger the launches of the iPhone XS and XR in 2018, so we could see a similar situation this year.

This year's iPhones are expected to feature OLED across the board, smaller notches for the front-facing camera, 5G for all models, and more, with full details on what to expect available in our iPhone 12 roundup.

Related Forum: iPhone

Apple today seeded golden master versions of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.5 updates to developers, one week after seeding the fourth betas and over a month after releasing iOS and iPadOS 13.4 with iCloud Folder Sharing, iPad trackpad support, and more. GM versions denote the final versions of the software that will be released to the public.

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iOS and ‌‌iPadOS‌‌ 13.5 can be downloaded from the Apple Developer center or over the air after the proper developer profile has been installed.

iOS and iPadOS 13.5 introduce the exposure notification API designed by Apple and Google, which is designed to allow public health authorities to create COVID-19 contact tracing apps that are meant to slow the spread of the virus.

The API Apple has introduced is for health-related apps, but there is an Exposure Logging toggle in the Settings app that is designed to allow users to opt out of participating in COVID-19 exposure notifications if a COVID-19 app is installed.

Along with laying the ground work for the exposure notification API and accompanying apps, iOS 13.5 makes it easier to unlock an iPhone with a passcode when wearing a mask, as many people are wearing face coverings at the current time.

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With the update, the passcode interface pops up more quickly when an ‌iPhone‌ detects that a mask is obscuring the face after a user swipes upward, so it's quicker to get into an ‌iPhone‌ using a passcode than before.

There's a tweak to Group FaceTime, with Apple introducing a new toggle to disable the feature that automatically enlarges the tile of the person who is speaking. By default, Group ‌FaceTime‌ has a dynamic view with a tile for each person, and the person speaking has a larger tile while other tiles fade into the background.

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An "Automatic Prominence" section in the ‌FaceTime‌ portion of the Settings app allows this to be disabled, displaying all of the people using ‌FaceTime‌ in a grid with equal-sized windows regardless of who is talking. A tile can be enlarged with a tap.

Apple in iOS 13.5 is adding a new feature for sharing Medical ID information automatically with emergency dispatchers when placing emergency call. There's a toggle to enable this function, along with an option to share Medical ID info on the Lock screen when an ‌iPhone‌ is locked.

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Earlier betas introduced a new Apple Music feature that allows ‌Apple Music‌ songs to be shared on Instagram Stories. Tapping the Share button on a song in ‌Apple Music‌ creates a story with a song title, album name, and animated background, but at this time there is no way to get to ‌Apple Music‌ from the shared information.

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iOS 13.5 also patches two security vulnerabilities that affect the Mail app on the ‌iPhone‌ and the ‌iPad‌. One vulnerability allowed an attacker to remotely infect an iOS device by sending emails that consume a significant amount of memory, while another allowed remote code executions.

The update fixes a bug that could cause the ‌iPhone‌ to crash when a specific text string in the Sindhi language is shared. It may also address an issue with Personal Hotspot that prevents it from working for some people and it could also fix a VPN-related vulnerability, both of which are bugs that Apple has promised to address in upcoming iOS updates.

Related Forum: iOS 13

Apple today seeded the golden master version of an upcoming tvOS 13.4.5 update to developers, two weeks after seeding the fourth beta and more than a month after releasing tvOS 13.4.

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Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the 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, and we saw no new features in the first four betas.

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.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Apple is rumored to have a smaller, lower-priced HomePod on deck for later this year, and there are increasing signs that the new model could be on the horizon.

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In addition to Best Buy offering the HomePod on sale for $199.99 this week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman notes that Apple employees are now able to purchase up to 10 HomePods at a 50 percent discount, up from a limit of two. The larger purchase limit could be part of Apple's efforts to clear out inventory of the current HomePod ahead of the new model.


In addition, the HomePod was listed as "sold out" on Apple's online store in the United States last week, although only briefly.

Over the last few years, Apple has been steadily making the HomePod more useful by adding features such as Handoff support, multi-user voice detection, ambient sounds, and multi-room audio, but Siri is still widely criticized. To that end, Gurman previously noted that the smaller HomePod will coincide with Siri improvements later this year.

At launch in 2018, the HomePod cost $349, but Apple reduced the price of the speaker to $299 in April 2019. Apple has never disclosed HomePod sales, instead grouping the speaker under its "Wearables, Home, and Accessories" category.

While the HomePod is positioned as a premium speaker, it has several low-priced competitors on the smart assistant front, including the Amazon Echo and Google Home, which can often be purchased for as little as $25. Apple's smaller HomePod will likely have two tweeters, down from seven in the current model, according to Gurman's previous reporting.

Related Roundup: HomePod mini
Buyer's Guide: HomePod Mini (Caution)

FBI officials have somehow managed to unlock at least one of two passcode-protected iPhones owned by Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, the perpetrator of a mass shooting at a Naval Air Station in Florida last December, according to CNN.

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Apple provided the FBI with iCloud data belonging to Alshamrani, but it refused to assist investigators with gaining access to the iPhones. In a statement earlier this year, the company said that while it was "devastated to learn of the tragic terrorist attack" at the Naval Air Station, creating a backdoor into iOS would pose a national security threat.

We have always maintained there is no such thing as a backdoor just for the good guys. Backdoors can also be exploited by those who threaten our national security and the data security of our customers. Today, law enforcement has access to more data than ever before in history, so Americans do not have to choose between weakening encryption and solving investigations. We feel strongly encryption is vital to protecting our country and our users' data.

Alshamrani owned an iPhone 7 and an iPhone 5, according to The New York Times.

Apple faced a similar situation in 2016, when a U.S. federal judge ordered the company to help the FBI unlock an iPhone owned by Syed Farook, one of the shooters in the December 2015 attacks in San Bernardino, California. Apple opposed the order, noting that it would set a "dangerous precedent." In that case, the FBI also found a way to access the iPhone, although the method was never publicly disclosed.

Last week, exploit acquisition platform Zerodium announced that it would not be purchasing any iOS exploits for a few months due to a high number of submissions, noting that there are at least a few persistent security vulnerabilities affecting all iPhones and iPads. "Let's hope iOS 14 will be better," said Zerodium CEO Chaouki Bekrar.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.