MacRumors

Minecraft Earth, Microsoft's new augmented reality Minecraft game, is now available on iOS and Android devices in the United States.

Microsoft has been testing Minecraft Earth in other countries like the UK, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Sweden and South Korea, but now it is also available in an early access capacity in the U.S.

Minecraft Earth is designed to let users access a tabletop mode that displays Minecraft creations in the real world at life size, bringing Minecraft designs to life.

Gamers will be able to add a buildplate. creating an interactive Minecraft diorama. Tappables, which unlock in-game materials, will be able to be found in the real world, such as on a walk, and resources can be used for crafting and smelting. There are also monsters to encounter and other discoveries to make.

Multiple players can team up with one another to create structures together, and in adventure mode, there's an option to battle against hostile mobs to survive.

The app can be downloaded for free from the App Store, though it is a freemium title and "Minecoins" can be purchased in app.

The iOS 13.3 update that is currently available to developers and public beta testers has a new Safari feature that supports NFC, USB, and Lightning FIDO2-compliant security keys.

This option was activated in the first beta of iOS 13.3, but in the second developer beta, Apple has added details about it in the release notes.

Now supports NFC, USB, and Lightning FIDO2-compliant security keys in Safari, SFSafariViewController, and ASWebAuthenticationSession using the WebAuthn standard, on devices with the necessary hardware capabilities.

With the iOS 13.3 update, Safari will support physical security keys like the Lightning-equipped YubiKey, which can be used for more secure two-factor authentication.

Yubico announced the YubiKey 5Ci back in August, but at the time of launch, it was of limited usefulness because it did not work with Safari, Chrome, or other major browsers, though it was compatible with apps like 1Password.

With Safari support, the YubiKey 5Ci is a legitimately useful tool that can be more convenient than software-based two-factor authentication because there's no need to enter a security code -- you simply plug it in to an iPhone or Mac (there's also a USB-C connector) to authenticate. Support for FIDO2-compliant USB security keys using WebAuthn was previously added to Safari 13 in macOS.

Other NFC, USB, and Lightning-based security keys will also work with Safari following the iOS 13.3 update. There's no word yet on when iOS 13.3 will be released, but we may see it sometime in December after a few more weeks of beta testing.

The Facebook for iOS app appears to be accessing the iPhone or iPad's camera in the background when the app is in use, according to multiple reports on Twitter.

When scrolling through the Facebook timeline, several users saw the camera activated in the background, as demonstrated in the tweets below.

One Facebook user found it through an interface bug that shows a small sliver of the display when looking at a photo, while another found it when rotating a device.

Both The Next Web and CNET were able to reproduce the issue and confirmed that the camera is activated in the background when using Facebook on iOS. The issue appears to impact iPhones running iOS 13, including the newest release version of iOS 13, iOS 13.2.2. Devices running iOS 12 do not appear to be impacted.

Facebook vice president of integrity Guy Rosen this morning said that it "sounds like a bug" and that Facebook is looking into it, but Facebook has not officially commented on the issue.

Security researcher Will Strafach told TechCrunch that it appears to be a "harmless but creepy looking bug."

For the Facebook app to access the camera in the background, camera and microphone access must be enabled in the Settings app. Those concerned about the bug can disable Facebook's access to these features on the ‌iPhone‌ and the ‌iPad‌, or delete the Facebook app.

Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.3 updates to developers, one week after seeding the first beta and two weeks after the release of iOS 13.2 with new emoji, Siri privacy controls, Deep Fusion, and more.

iOS and ‌‌iPadOS‌‌ 13.3 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper developer profile has been installed.

iOS 13.3 introduces Communication Limits for Screen Time, a feature that Apple promised would be coming in an iOS 13 update. Communication Limits allow parents to control who their children are able to contact both during downtime and during Screen Time.

Communication Limits include FaceTime, Phone, and Messages, along with iCloud contacts. Calls to emergency numbers are always allowed and will turn off communication limits for 24 hours when placed.

The iOS 13.3 update also appears to address a multitasking issue where iOS 13.2 users were seeing poor RAM management that caused apps like YouTube and Safari to reload more frequently than normal.

After installing iOS 13.3, affected users are now seeing fewer refreshes when accessing these apps, doing another task, and then opening them again.

In the Keyboards section of the Settings app (under General), there's a new toggle that prevents Animoji and Memoji stickers from being displayed as an option on the Emoji Keyboard, and when editing a video, there's an option to save the edited version as a new clip rather than saving over the original.

Apple has also tweaked the Apple Watch app icon, changing the color of the Digital Crown from black to gray.

Apple plans to announce its widely rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro this week, according to a tweet from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

In another tweet, Gurman suggested the announcement will be made by Wednesday. The news would likely be shared in the form of a press release on the Apple Newsroom and would also likely coincide with early hands-on impressions of the 16-inch MacBook Pro from select media outlets and YouTube channels.

9to5Mac recently reported that Apple appears to be holding private press briefings of some kind at its luxury loft mansion in New York City this week, likely to facilitate those 16-inch MacBook Pro first impressions. Multiple out-of-town tech reporters have tweeted that they are in or headed to New York City over the last few days.

Rumors suggest the 16-inch MacBook Pro will feature slimmer bezels around the display, a more reliable scissor switch keyboard, a standalone Touch ID sensor, and possibly a much-requested physical Esc key. Pricing is unknown, but would likely be higher than the $2,799 high-end 15-inch MacBook Pro.

For what it's worth, 15-inch MacBook Pro models with AMD Radeon Pro Vega graphics options became available to order on the Wednesday of this week a year ago, along with a (PRODUCT)RED version of the Apple Watch Sport Loop. Apple also launched its annual holiday gift guide on the same day.

After rampant rumors, supply chain clues, and leaked imagery from macOS Catalina, the 16-inch MacBook Pro might be 24 hours or less away.

Apple premiered its limited drama series "Truth Be Told" at The Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles, California, on Monday night.

Set to debut on Apple TV+ next month, the show stars Octavia Spencer in the role of Poppy Parnell, a podcaster who aims to reopen a murder case that she was involved in solving 18 years earlier that put Warren Cave (played by Aaron Paul) behind bars.

Spencer's character is unsure if she made a mistake when she helped put Paul's character (Warren Cave) in prison, and with her podcast, she tries to discover the truth and determine whether Cave was wrongfully convicted.

Based on the novel by Kathleen Barber, "Truth Be Told" is said to offer a unique glimpse into America's obsession with true crime podcasts and challenges its viewers to consider the consequences when the pursuit of justice is placed on a public stage.

Beginning December 6, the first three episodes of "Truth Be Told" will be available to watch on ‌Apple TV‌+ in over 100 countries and regions around the world, with new episodes rolling out weekly, every Friday. You can watch the trailer for the series here.

‌Apple TV‌+ costs $4.99 per month with a family of six able to watch for that price point. Apple is also providing customers who purchase an ‌Apple TV‌, Mac, iPad, or iPhone with a free one-year subscription.

Disney's new streaming service, Disney+, is now available in the United States and can be accessed across a range of supported devices, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android smartphones, Roku streaming boxes, Amazon Fire TV, and more. You can download the Disney+ app on iOS and tvOS, sign up for the service at $6.99/month or $69.99/year, and then begin watching your favorite Disney shows and movies.

At launch, Disney+ already has one of the biggest back catalogs of content among the major streaming services, stretching back over a half century to include classic Disney films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Bambi, and Miracle on 34th Street. Disney+ content ranges from 1937 to 2019, essentially including every film produced under The Walt Disney company umbrella, as well as its subsidiaries including Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic.

In addition to classic content, Disney is producing new shows, movies, and documentaries for Disney+. Today you can watch new TV shows like The Mandalorian, Encore!, The World According to Jeff Goldblum, and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Original movies include Noelle starring Anna Kendrick and the Lady and the Tramp reboot starring Justin Theroux and Tessa Thompson. There are also behind-the-scenes looks at aspects of the Disney company, including One Day at Disney, which highlights daily routines of cast members at Disney Parks.

Disney+ is launching just a few days after Apple debuted its own streaming TV service, which also uses the "plus" naming style, called ‌Apple TV‌+. On Apple's service you can pay $4.99/month to watch a handful of original TV shows like The Morning Show, For All Mankind, Dickinson, See, Ghostwriter, Helpsters, and Snoopy in Space. Apple plans to add new shows and movies monthly, next up including Servant from producer M. Night Shyamalan and The Banker with Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie.

Disney+ is compatible with the ‌Apple TV‌ app, so all of the TV shows and movies you stream in the Disney+ app will be updated and added to Up Next in the TV app, which also syncs to iOS. For more information on Disney+ and all of the content that you can watch inside of the new service, check out Disney's website and head to the App Store to download the app on iOS today.

Disney+ is also now available in Canada and the Netherlands. The service will launch in Australia and New Zealand on November 19, 2019, followed by the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain on March 31, 2020.

Following a report from The Information this morning summarizing a recent internal Apple meeting that pegged the release of Apple's augmented reality headsets for the 2022–23 timeframe rather than the more aggressive 2020 window that has previously been rumored, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has shared additional information on the company's AR roadmap that will initially focus on the iPad and iPhone before the glasses come to fruition.

Gurman says Apple is working on "a range of augmented and virtual-reality devices" based around a new 3D sensor system, which will arrive first on a new iPad Pro slated for release in the first half of next year, and followed by the 2020 iPhones later in the year.

A new iPad Pro for release as early as the first half of 2020 will feature a new module with two camera sensors, up from one on the current model, and a small hole for the 3-D system, letting people create three-dimensional reconstructions of rooms, objects and people. The Cupertino, California-based technology giant also plans to add the sensor to new high-end iPhones later in 2020, along with 5G networking capabilities, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing unannounced products.

Moving beyond existing devices, Apple is said to be targeting 2021 or 2022 for the release of a combination VR and AR headset focused on "gaming, watching video and virtual meetings." A lighter weight set of AR glasses could follow as soon as 2023.

The 3D sensor system to be used in the upcoming is said to be a more advanced version of the current Face ID sensor, and Apple's engineering teams are working on creating linkages to the new "rOS" operating system for these headsets that will let them work with existing iOS devices.

For more on Apple's AR/VR project, check out the full report over at bloomberg.com.

Apple's widely rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro is likely still coming based on recent supply chain checks by IDC analyst Jitesh Ubrani and Forbes contributor Brooke Crothers, but release timing remains unclear. Crothers is a former contributor to CNET, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal in Asia.

"We were expecting an announcement in October," Ubrani said in an email, according to Crothers. October came and went without an announcement, but Ubrani added that his research firm is "starting to see early signs" of the notebook within Apple's supply chain. "However, the timing of this is still uncertain," he said.

Crothers said he has heard similar, writing that "a source in Asia who talks to the Apple supply chain told me over the weekend that the 16-inch [MacBook Pro] is in production but the release date is unclear."

This information lines up with a recent DigiTimes report that claimed Apple will begin receiving volume shipments of the 16-inch MacBook Pro this quarter, possibly to sidestep a 15 percent import tariff on notebooks slated to take effect December 15. If accurate, mass production is likely underway.

Rumors suggest the 16-inch MacBook Pro will feature slimmer bezels around the display, a more reliable scissor switch keyboard, a standalone Touch ID sensor, and possibly a much-requested physical Esc key. Pricing is unknown, but would likely be higher than the $2,799 high-end 15-inch MacBook Pro.