MacRumors

In addition to the latest price drop on the AirPods Pro from earlier this morning, Amazon has solid discounts across the full AirPods line, along with new sales on Apple's Smart Battery Case accessories. For the latter accessories, Best Buy is also discounting a few of the cases, and you'll find all of these sales organized below.

Smart Battery Cases

For the Smart Battery Case, Amazon has the Black colorway for the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max priced at $103.99, down from $129.99 ($26 off). This is a discount you'll only see once you reach the checkout screen, but it is applied automatically, and only for the Black option. While other colors like White and Pink Sand are seeing some $10-$13 discounts, none are as solid as the $26 off at checkout for Black.

MWVH2 AV8 GEO USNote: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

If you prefer shopping at Best Buy, you can also get the Smart Battery Case in Black for the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max at $103.99, down from $129.99. You'll need to be a My Best Buy member, which is free to join and awards you with free shipping, early access to sales, and reward points every time you shop.

AirPods

Starting with the AirPods with Wireless Charging Case, you can get this model for $159.99, down from $199.00 ($39 off). While not quite the lowest-ever price, it is currently the best sale among the major Apple resellers online.

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However, the AirPods with Charging Case is seeing a lowest-ever price of $128.99, down from $159.00 ($30 off). Both versions of the 2019 AirPods are currently in stock on Amazon and available to ship today, with shipping estimates placing arrival dates between January 27 and January 29.

Lastly, the standalone Wireless Charging Case for AirPods is $62.99 at Amazon today as well. With this accessory, you can place the AirPods 1 or AirPods 2 earbuds into the case and gain the ability to wirelessly charge them on a compatible Qi charging mat.

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

Pad & Quill has opened up a new Valentine's Day sale a few weeks early, discounting essentially all of its products sitewide, including iPhone cases, MacBook cases, iPad cases, Apple Watch bands, and travel organizers. The sale provides discounts of up to 25 percent off, which you can stack with the coupon code Valentine to get an additional 15 percent off, totaling up to 40 percent off during the event.

pad and quill valentineNote: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Pad & Quill. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

In the sale you can save on Pad & Quill's Oxford, Cambridge, Contega, and Bella Fino leather cases for devices like the iPhone and iPad. There's also a chance for saving on Pad & Quill's high-quality MacBook Pro cases, with a few options for the new 16-inch model. Even the company's new Woodline iPhone cases are being marked down during the Valentine's Day event.

All of the company's accessories are made from high-quality leather, specifically designed to fit Apple's products. Because the sale includes all of Pad & Quill's website, we've narrowed down some ideas for you to shop below (note that prices listed will appear after using the code Valentine):

Pad & Quill's Valentine's Day Sale

iPad Cases

oxford11 102

iPhone Cases

unique iphone case woodline iphone 11 pro max

MacBook Pro Cases

cartella slim macbook pro 16 inch case

Miscellaneous

watch 1

Head to our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more discounts on Apple products and related accessories.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

Earlier this week, game publisher EA announced that it will be removing its Tetris apps from the App Store on April 21, 2020. EA did not provide a reason for this move, but it appears to be related to a licensing change.

tetris n3twork
As part of a multi-year agreement with The Tetris Company, game developer N3TWORK today announced that it has released an all-new Tetris app on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. The app features a traditional solo gameplay experience, both online and offline, and will be updated with new gameplay modes in the future.

The new Tetris app is free to download worldwide, excluding China and New Zealand, with an optional $4.99 in-app purchase to remove ads.

Apple today announced the launch of a new Apple Watch Connected program that should benefit both gyms and gym-goers.

The program will reward gym-goers for using an Apple Watch to track their workouts, with incentives varying by gym. At participating Crunch Fitness locations, for example, members can earn up to $4 off the cost of their membership per week if they meet certain activity goals, according to CNBC.

orangetheory fitness apple watch
In return, gyms could attract new customers who wear an Apple Watch and see increased loyalty from existing members.

It is free for gyms to join the Apple Watch Connected program, so long as they meet the requirements, including having iPhone and Apple Watch apps to track workouts, offering rewards and incentives, and accepting Apple Pay. Apple also encourages gyms to offer GymKit-enabled equipment for improved Apple Watch syncing.

Four gym chains are rolling out support for the program in the United States starting today, including Basecamp Fitness, Crunch Fitness, Orangetheory Fitness, and the YMCA, according to CNBC:

Basecamp will launch Apple Watch Connected to all of its clubs over the next year. YMCA will start with its greater Twin Cities locations this week followed by 22 additional YMCA branches in the coming weeks before expanding further. Crunch Fitness is launching Apple Watch Connected in two Manhattan gyms this week with more coming. Finally, Orange Theory will deploy it in all U.S. facilities in 2020, starting with two Manhattan locations on Thursday.

Last month, Orangetheory Fitness announced that it would begin rolling out Apple Watch support to its gyms in the first quarter of 2020. The gym chain created a small accessory called the OTbeat Link that attaches to an Apple Watch band, allowing the Apple Watch to sync with the chain's heart rate monitoring system.

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

Amazon has restocked its supply of Apple's AirPods Pro at the price point of $234.99, down from $249.00. This $14 discount matches the all-time-low price we've previously seen on the AirPods Pro at Amazon.

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

As of writing, the AirPods Pro will be in stock on February 1, and arrive between February 6 and February 11. Head to Amazon soon if you're interested, and be sure to check out our dedicated Best Deal on AirPods guide for all of the best discounts on Apple's entire line of wireless earphones.

Head to our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more discounts on Apple products and related accessories.

Update 8:10 a.m. PST: The AirPods Pro are now temporarily out of stock on Amazon.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

As noted in our coverage yesterday of the latest Safari Technology Preview 99, Apple has removed all support for Adobe Flash. Safari Technology Preview is basically a beta of the next version of Safari proper, all but confirming that Apple is officially ditching support for Flash in the next version of its native Mac browser.

adobe flash logo
This means that when the next version of Safari is released, users will no longer be able to install or use Adobe Flash in the browser. The elimination of Flash support should not heavily impact users, given that most other popular browsers have already moved away from the format. Likewise, iPhone and iPad users won't be affected because Apple's mobile operating system has never supported Flash.

It was way back in July 2017 that Adobe announced plans to end-of-life its Flash browser plug-in. Adobe said it was ceasing development and distribution of the software at the end of 2020, and encouraged content creators to migrate flash content to HTML5, WebGL, and WebAssembly formats.

Adobe's Flash Player has always suffered from a seemingly never-ending stream of critical vulnerabilities that have exposed Mac and PC users to malware and other security risks. Vendors like Microsoft and Apple have had to work continually over the years to keep up with security fixes. Apple went so far as to stop selling Macs with Flash pre-installed, to ensure they weren't being shipped with outdated versions of the software and putting users at risk.

Some readers may fondly recall Steve Jobs' famous 2010 open letter offering his "Thoughts on Flash," in which the former Apple CEO railed against Adobe's software for its poor reliability, lack of openness, incompatibility with mobile sites and battery drain on mobile devices. Jobs also criticized Adobe for being "painfully slow" to adopt enhancements to Apple's platforms, and said that Apple refused to be at the mercy of a cross-platform development tool when it came innovation.

We don't know when the next version of Safari browser for Mac will be released to the public. In any case, it's safe to say that Flash will not be missed.

amazonmusicAmazon Music now has more than 55 million customers worldwide, according to a company press release. The announcement represents the first time Amazon has shared growth metrics for its streaming service, which is catching up to Apple Music's last subscriber count of over 60 million last June.

The figure is actually a tally of customers across several tiers that Amazon offers. Amazon Music Unlimited is the $9.99 a month plan that serves as a direct rival to Spotify and ‌Apple Music‌. According to Amazon, subscriptions numbers on this tier grew by more than 50 percent last year alone.

The other tiers include: Amazon Music Unlimited ($3.99 single-device plan) for customers who just want to listen on an Echo speaker; Amazon Music for Prime subscribers, which includes ad-free access to over 2 million songs; ad-sponsored Amazon Music, a free plan offering access to top playlists and thousands of music stations; and Amazon HD, a high-definition tier costing $14.99 a month.

Amazon says its streaming service has grown nearly 50 percent year-on-year across the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Japan, and has more than doubled in its newer markets like France, Italy, Spain, and Mexico

Despite the respectable growth across its range of tiers, Amazon Music has some way to go before it catches up to Spotify, which in September announced it had 113 million paying customers.

twitterlogoTwitter has announced support for emoji reactions in its direct messages. The new feature lets you respond to DMs without having to type anything, similar to the reactions available to iMessage users when they want to acknowledge messages without sending a proper reply.

To use the new emoji reactions in Twitter, either tap the small heart icon with the plus sign merging into it that appears to the right of each message bubble, or double-tap a message to reveal an emoji reactions menu.

There are seven emoji at present, including staple reactions like laughing face, sad face, thumbs up, and heart. All participants in a conversation get notified when you lay down an emoji, but you can also undo them at any time.


Twitter first started testing emoji reactions last year, but the feature has now rolled out on mobile and web. Twitter's support page notes that anyone using an older version of its official app will only see text instead of emoji.

Tag: Twitter

Svalt, known for its line of docks designed for Apple's Macs, today launched a whole new collection of 2020 docks and stands designed for Apple's latest notebook and desktop Macs.

The Cooling Stand S, designed for the 16-inch MacBook Pro and other Mac and PC laptops, features silent passive cooling, an ergonomic raised design, adjustable feet, and a design that hides accessories and cord clutter.

svaltcoolingstand
There's also a Cooling Stand S Pro, a variant of the Cooling Stand S that comes equipped with a fan for active cooling to complement the passive cooling features. The fan offers dual speeds depending on whether quiet operation or maximum cooling is preferred, and it is user upgradeable.

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For the Mac mini, Svalt has a Cooling Stand Mini that offers both passive and active cooling with a built-in dual-speed fan and a design that hides away cords and accessories.

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The Svalt Cooling Stand S sells for $179, the S Pro sells for $279, and the S Mini sells for $269, with purchases available now from the Svalt website. All of the stands are modular and can be converted to accommodate other devices with additional add-on accessories.

svaltcoolingdock
Svalt also has a new Cooling Dock Model D, which is designed to be used with a ‌MacBook Pro‌ in clamshell mode. It features a sculpted aluminum heat sink and a flexible leaning design for optimized silent passive cooling. The Svalt Dock D can be purchased from the Svalt website for $169, though adding a fan will raise the price.

One of the issues that Apple Card users sometimes raise is that while the Wallet app offers plenty of well-organized information about spending, there's no option to directly share transaction data from the card with many third-party money management apps like Mint or Lunch Money.

Fortunately, Apple has provided a solution – you can now download a CSV/OFX spreadsheet from the Wallet app that contains all your ‌Apple Card‌ data, which you can then import into most budgeting apps and get a more complete picture of your finances.

Alternatively, if you're a Quicken or QuickBooks users, you can directly export into the appropriate QFX/QBO formats. The following steps show you how it's done.

  1. Launch the Wallet app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the Card Balance panel under your ‌Apple Card‌.
  3. Scroll down to the Statements section and tap on the month you wish to export transactions from.
    Apple Card
  4. Tap Export Transactions at the bottom.
  5. Select CSV, OFX, QFX, or QBO from the pop-up menu.
    apple card export how to
  6. To save the data as a CSV/OFX/QFX/QBO file, tap the Share icon in the upper-right corner of the screen, where you can opt to AirDrop it to another device such as your Mac, print it, or Save to Files to save it your iCloud folders or on your ‌iPhone‌.

Note that some budgeting apps accept imported transaction data, but may need file format conversions prior to import.

safari iconGoogle researchers discovered multiple security flaws in Apple's Safari web browser that let users' browsing habits be tracked despite Apple's Intelligent Tracking Prevention feature.

Google plans to publish details on the security flaws in the near future, and a preview of Google's discovery was seen by Financial Times, with the publication sharing information on the vulnerabilities this morning.

The security flaws were first found by Google in the summer of 2019, and were disclosed to Apple in August. There were five types of potential attacks that could allow third parties to learn "sensitive private information about the user's browsing habits."

Google researchers say that Safari left personal data exposed because the Intelligent Tracking Prevention List "implicitly stores information about the websites visited by the user." Malicious entities could use these flaws to create a "persistent fingerprint" that would follow a user around the web or see what individual users were searching for on search engine pages.

Intelligent Tracking Prevention, which Apple began implementing in 2017, is a privacy-focused feature meant to make it harder for sites to track users across the web, preventing browsing profiles and histories from being created.

Lukasz Olejnik, a security researcher who saw Google's paper, said that if exploited, the vulnerabilities "would allow unsanctioned and uncontrollable user tracking." Olejnik said that such privacy vulnerabilities are rare, and "issues in mechanisms designed to improve privacy are unexpected and highly counter-intuitive."

Apple appears to have addressed these Safari security flaws in a December update, based on a release update that thanked Google for its "responsible disclosure practice," though full security credit has not yet been provided by Apple so there's a chance that there's still some behind-the-scenes fixing to be done.

Tags: Google, Safari

Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.3.1 updates to developers, one week after seeding the second betas and more than a month after the release of iOS 13.3 with Communication Limits for Screen Time.

iOS and iPadOS 13.3.1 can be downloaded from the Apple Developer center or over the air once the proper developer profile has been installed.

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iOS 13.3.1 includes a "Networking & Wireless" toggle that turns off the U1 Ultra Wideband chip in the latest iPhones. The feature, located in the Privacy > Location Services section of the Settings app, turns off location for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Ultra Wideband.

Apple added this location toggle after it was discovered that the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max continue to track user location even when location services options are disabled. This is because there are international regulatory requirements that mandate the U1 chip be disabled in certain locations.

The new toggle makes sure location tracking is off for the U1 chip at all times. Apple has also added a new "Play Again" button when replaying content that you've already watched in the TV app.

Along with these features, the iOS 13.3.1 update also likely includes bug fixes for issues unable to be addressed in the iOS 13.3 update. Specifically, it could address some issues with Communication Limits, fixing a workaround with the Contacts app that allowed children text someone who contacted them from an unknown number.

Related Forum: iOS 13

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming watchOS 6.1.2 update to developers, one week after releasing the second beta and more than a month after releasing the watchOS 6.1.1 update with bug fixes.

Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS beta can be downloaded through the dedicated ‌‌Apple Watch‌‌ app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.

watchos6ewatchfaces
To install the update, the ‌‌Apple Watch‌‌ needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the ‌‌iPhone‌‌.

There's no word yet on what features are included in the watchOS 6.1.2 beta, and there were no new features discovered in the first two betas, but we'll update this article should anything new be found in the third beta.

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

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming tvOS 13.3.1 update to developers, one week after seeding the second beta and over a month after releasing the tvOS 13.3 update.

Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 13.3.1 developer beta can be downloaded onto the ‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌ via a profile that's installed using Xcode.

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tvOS updates are typically minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements rather than major outward-facing changes. Apple provides little to no information on what's included in tvOS beta updates, so we may not discover anything new after installing the software.

While 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)

safaripreviewiconApple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced three years ago in March 2016. Apple designed the ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.

‌Safari Technology Preview‌ release 99 includes bug fixes and performance improvements for Web Inspector, Web API, Cookies, CSS, Media, WebRTC, Payment Request, Web Animations, JavaScript, Web Share API, WebDriver, and IndexedDB. Today's update also removes support for Adobe Flash.

The new ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ update is available for both macOS Mojave and MacOS Catalina, the newest version of the Mac operating system that was released in October.

The ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ update is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store to anyone who has downloaded the browser. Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.

Apple's aim with ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.

At least one iPhone 12 model will come in a new Navy Blue finish, according to XDA Developers writer and leaker Max Weinbach, who shared his information with YouTube channel EverythingApplePro.

Weinbach believes that Navy Blue could replace the Midnight Green finish available for iPhone 11 Pro models. In line with this, EverythingApplePro created a mockup of what the iPhone 12 Pro in Navy Blue could look like.

iphone 12 pro navy blue

iPhone 12 Pro in Navy Blue concept via EverythingApplePro/Max Weinbach

Weinbach has accurately revealed a new iPhone color in the past. In May 2019, through his Twitter account PineLeaks, he said the successor to the iPhone XR would come in a new light green color. However, he said the green option would replace yellow, and the iPhone 11 is available in both green and yellow.

Weinbach also accurately predicted that the volume HUD would become less obtrusive in iOS 13, but he has also shared several Apple-related rumors that did not pan out, including the iPad getting a native Calculator app in iOS 13 and the HomePod launching in Austria and Italy within 2019.


Weinbach has a more established track record with Android-related rumors, most recently including alleged Samsung Galaxy S20 leaks.

Watch this EverythingApplePro video for a closer look at the Navy Blue concept:


Apple plans to release five new iPhone models in 2020, including the so-called "iPhone 9" or "iPhone SE 2" with a 4.7-inch display in the spring and a higher-end, OLED-and-5G lineup with one 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and one 6.7-inch model in the fall, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Related Forum: iPhone

Apple today added a variety of charging solutions and other products to its online store from brands such as OtterBox, Mophie, Belkin, Ubio Labs, Native Union, STM, and Promise Technology.

OtterBox's stackable wireless charging system OtterSpot includes a base that can charge up to three disc-shaped 5,000 mAh batteries and an iPhone, AirPods case, or other device on the top simultaneously. The idea is that you can quickly pick up one of the batteries from the stack and charge any Qi-enabled device on the go.

otterspot
Introduced in August 2019, the OtterSpot system comes with a 36W USB-C power adapter and offers fast charging up to 10 watts. The base and one battery are available as a combo for $129.95, or the base and standalone batteries can be purchased separately for $69.95 each.

Available exclusively at Apple is Mophie's latest Powerstation Plus XL battery pack with an 8,000 mAh capacity for $99.95, as well as braided USB-C to Mini DisplayPort and USB-C to Micro-B cables.

mophie powerstation xl 8000mah
6,000 mAh and 10,000 mAh battery packs from Ubio Labs are also available for $59.95 and $79.95, respectively.

Apple has added two BOOST↑CHARGE power adapters from Belkin, including one with a single 18W USB-C port for $39.95 and one with dual 18W USB-C and 12W USB-A ports for $44.95 for charging devices like iPhones and iPads. Each power adapter includes a Lightning to USB-C cable in the box.

Three more RAID storage systems are available from Promise Technology, including R4/16TB, R6/24TB, and R8/32TB options.

promise pegasus32 raid
Last, there are new cases from Native Union and STM for the 10.2-inch iPad.

B&H Photo is offering a discount on a custom configuration of Apple's new 16-inch MacBook Pro in Space Gray. This model has 16GB RAM, a 1TB SSD, a 2.6GHz Intel Core i7 6-Core processor, and AMD Radeon Pro 5500M GPU (with 4GB GDDR6), priced at $2,399.00, down from $2,699.00 ($300 off).

16inchmacbookpromainNote: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

This is an upgrade on the base model of the 16-inch MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD, so it'll offer you more storage and improved graphics. Currently on Amazon, the base model is going for $2,187.92, down from $2,399.00 ($211 off).

Amazon also has the model with 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and a 2.3GHz Intel Core i9 8-Core processor for $2,499.00, down from $2,799.00 ($300 off). For this high-end model, Amazon's price is the lowest we've ever tracked and the best discount found online among the major Apple resellers.

Head to our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more discounts on Apple products and related accessories.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals