MacRumors

Google today announced that it is extending Incognito mode to Google Maps on iOS devices, allowing users to look for directions privately without that information being saved to a Google Account.

Google introduced Incognito mode for Android devices earlier this year as part of a 2019 focus on making it easier to control, manage, and delete Location History information.

When you make a search in Google Maps while logged in to your Google Account, the places that you search for are saved to power features like restaurant recommendations and are added to your Location History.

When searching for a location in Google Maps in Incognito mode, the iPhone will not update Location History so places visited will not be saved to the Timeline, nor will personalization features in Maps be available.

Google Maps is also gaining a new bulk delete option for the Timeline, which uses Location History to help users remember the places and routes they've visited. With the bulk delete option, it's easier to find and delete multiple places from Timeline and Location History all at once.

Apple today updated its dedicated Apple Store app for purchasing Apple products, introducing a redesigned Shop tab.

According to Apple, the new tab features richer visuals, better personalization, and more relevant info for each individual shopper. Apple says that the new shopping experience is better tailored to "you and the devices you own."

An introductory splash screen for the update says that users can go from browsing to buying with a tap or dive into detailed product stories before adding something to the shopping bag.

There's also now an option to save passes for in-store pickups right in the Wallet app, which will make picking up items ordered online much easier when you arrive at your local ‌Apple Store‌.

The ‌Apple Store‌ app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

As noted on Reddit, Best Buy recently updated the terms of its My Best Buy rewards program to indicate that Apple and Beats products are no longer eligible to receive points unless they are purchased with a Best Buy credit card.

The new terms went into effect on October 21, 2019:

We have made changes to confirm that members are eligible to receive points for Apple and Beats products and Apple services only when purchases are made on standard credit with the My Best Buy Credit Card. Otherwise My Best Buy members will not be eligible to receive points for purchase of Apple and Beats products and Apple services.

My Best Buy program members may still receive special pricing on Apple and Beats products from time to time, according to the terms.

Swiss telco Salt, which includes an Apple TV 4K in its domestic broadband TV bundle, has today launched an "alternative" bespoke ‌Apple TV‌ remote control for users of its 250+ channel television service.

Costing just under 20 Swiss francs, the optional remote was reportedly developed in close collaboration with Apple, after a sizable section of Salt TV's customer base apparently complained about the poor usability of the Apple Remote that comes with every ‌Apple TV‌ 4K.

Thanks to Apple's input, the alternative remote doesn't require any pairing with ‌Apple TV‌ and works out of the box. It includes directional arrows in place of the Siri Remote's glass Touch surface, a power button in addition to a Menu button, along with separate volume and channel rockers and traditional media playback buttons.

There's no microphone button in evidence, presumably because ‌Siri‌ on ‌Apple TV‌ isn't officially available in Switzerland, and there's no numerical channel buttons because tvOS doesn't support the function. Otherwise, it resembles a standard TV remote that should be more amenable to Salt TV's users, who can also look forward to an updated Salt TV app interface on ‌Apple TV‌.

It's unclear if this is a one-off ‌Apple TV‌ hardware collaboration between Apple and a regional third-party, although having said that, Apple recently made Microsoft and Sony controllers compatible with tvOS and iOS, so maybe this indicates a new trend.

Either way, Apple has obviously listened to feedback and decided its ‌Siri‌ Remote isn't the most optimal design for enjoying multi-channel TV navigation after all.

• How to Control Apple TV Using Your Apple Watch
• How to Pair a DualShock 4 or Xbox Wireless Controller With iPhone and Apple TV

The alternative remote control for Salt TV can be set up to work with almost all standard TV sets, and is available to order on the Salt online store.

Procreate 5 for iPad got its official release today, introducing a completely rebuilt graphics engine and several notable new features.

Under the hood, the new Valkyrie graphics engine takes full advantage of Apple's Metal architecture and is designed to get maximum performance out of ‌iPad‌, utilizing new sophisticated shaders and running at 120fps on supported devices.

On the feature front, an all-new Animation Assist toolset aims to make the creation of animatics, looping GIFs and storyboards an easier process for newcomers and more streamlined for experts. Meanwhile, the same applies to custom brush creation thanks to the powerful new Brush Studio, which allows finer control over every aspect of how brushes look, react and behave.

Procreate 5's new Clone tool allows you to use any brush style to give a cloned area the look of that brush, or to lock the clone area in place to plaint with a multicolored brush based on your selection. The Color Panel can also now be detached and minimized into a new Mini Color Panel, for moving it out of areas that you want to work on.

Elsewhere, new Color Dynamics offer tactile control of hue, saturation, brightness and more to a brush, through the tilt or pressure of the Apple Pencil. There are also 18 individual sliders to allow for more control.

This version also includes new importable CMYK and RGB ICC profiles for print-based users, a new Photoshop Brush Import feature for using Photoshop brushes in the app, a new Color Harmony section in the Color Panel for easily picking complimentary colors, and a new 10-step Color History palette.

Lastly, the Procreate 5 interface has been refined and improved to make it more accessible and unobtrusive, while retaining the familiarity of previous versions.

Procreate 5 for ‌iPad‌ can be purchased on the App Store from today for a one-time payment of $10. [Direct Link]

After a relatively slow Thanksgiving and Black Friday holiday week, rumors came in fast and furious this week. Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was on a roll with several reports outlining expectations for new iPhones in 2020 and 2021 as well as Apple's plans to shift to Mini-LED displays, starting next year with the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Other news included some issues with unexpected shutdowns on the 2019 entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro and speaker popping noises on the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, and a controversy over Location Services behavior on the iPhone 11 lineup. And finally, Jony Ive's departure from Apple was finally made official. Read on for details on all of these topics.

Apple May Launch 'Completely Wireless' iPhone Without Lightning Connector and 'iPhone SE 2 Plus' With Touch ID Power Button in 2021

The latest iPhone prediction comes from reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who expects Apple to release a so-called "iPhone SE 2 Plus" with a 4.7-inch to 5.5-inch display and a Touch ID power button — yes, the power button on the side — in the first half of 2021. The device would have a notch, but a smaller once since Face ID supposedly won't be an option.

Then, in the second half of 2021, Kuo expects Apple to release a top-of-the-line iPhone without a Lightning connector in the second half of 2021. The device is said to offer a "completely wireless experience," so it sounds like no port whatsoever rather than a switch to USB-C.

Five New iPhones Expected in 2020, Including One 5.4-Inch, One 6.7-Inch, and Two 6.1-Inch Models

As part of his long list of predictions about upcoming iPhones, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo touched on the fall 2020 lineup, which he believes will include one 5.4-inch, one 6.7-inch, and two 6.1-inch models.

All four models are expected to have OLED displays and support 5G via Qualcomm, with sub-6G or mmWave compatibility varying by country.

Four new high-end iPhones in 2020 lines up with a recent prediction shared by JPMorgan analyst Samik Chatterjee.

Earlier in 2020, Kuo expects Apple to release the widely rumored "iPhone SE 2" with a 4.7-inch LCD display and a traditional Touch ID home button. The device is expected to resemble the iPhone 8, but with a faster A13 chip and 3GB of RAM. Pricing is estimated to start at $399, and one new rumor claims the device could be called the iPhone 9.

16-Inch MacBook Pro and 12.9-Inch iPad Pro With Mini-LED Displays to Launch in Second Half of 2020

Ming-Chi Kuo had even more predictions to share this week beyond iPhones.

In a separate report, the well-known analyst claimed that Apple plans to release updated 12.9-inch iPad Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Mini-LED displays in the second half of 2020.

Kuo has previously said that Mini-LED displays will allow for thinner and lighter product designs, while offering many of the same benefits of OLED displays used on the latest iPhones, including good wide color gamut performance, high contrast and dynamic range, and local dimming for truer blacks.

iPads and MacBooks currently use LCDs.

Apple Acknowledges Issue With Some 2019 13" MacBook Pro Models Unexpectedly Shutting Down

Apple this week posted a new support document outlining troubleshooting steps for users who may be experiencing problems with unexpected shutdowns on the entry-level 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro with two Thunderbolt 3 ports, which was introduced back in July.

There is a fairly lengthy thread in our discussion forums where some users experiencing the issue have gathered to try to diagnose and troubleshoot their machines.

Meanwhile, Apple is investigating an issue with speakers making popping noises on the latest 16-inch MacBook Pro. Apple says this is a software issue that will be addressed in upcoming software updates, so there's no need to exchange or repair machines exhibiting the issue.

New iPhones Access Location Info Even When Settings Are Disabled Due to Ultra Wideband, Toggle Coming in Future Software Update

Earlier this week, security researcher Brian Krebs found that Apple's new iPhone 11 Pro models access user location data even when all apps and system services on the iPhone are set to not request the data.

Apple has since responded, stating that this behavior is a result of the new U1 Ultra Wideband chip in the iPhone 11 models and not a privacy concern.

"Ultra wideband technology is an industry standard technology and is subject to international regulatory requirements that require it to be turned off in certain locations," said Apple in a statement. "iOS uses Location Services to help determine if ‌iPhone‌ is in these prohibited locations in order to disable ultra wideband and comply with regulations."

Jony Ive Leaves Apple

In June, Apple announced that Ma gref="https://www.macrumors.com/2019/06/27/jony-ive-leaving-apple/">Jony Ive would depart the company as an employee by the end of 2019 to form an independent design company named LoveFrom with his designer friend Marc Newson. Apple said it will remain one of Ive's primary clients.

Ive led Apple's design team since 1996 and he heavily influenced the look and feel of iconic products like the iMac and iPhone.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

In an internal document shared with Apple Authorized Service Providers today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple has indicated that some customers may report that the camera button on the Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 11, ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max does not function correctly.

Before providing service, Apple has advised technicians to ensure the ‌iPhone‌ is updated to the latest iOS version, noting that the camera button will not function correctly unless the device is running iOS 13.2 or later.

Apple has also advised technicians to remind customers that a single quick press of the button will not launch the Camera app in order to avoid unintentional presses. The button must be pressed and held for the app to open. Holding the button for too long, however, will close the Camera app and return to the Lock screen.

All in all, Apple does not appear to be acknowledging an actual issue with the cases here, but rather helping to clear up some confusion.