MacRumors

Amazon today unveiled a new version of its Alexa mobile app for iOS and Android users, which as TechCrunch explains, is designed to offer a more personalized experience that provides better instruction on when and how consumers can use Alexa.

There's a new home screen with a large Alexa button at the top that encourages users to tap the button or say Alexa to get started. Amazon recommends tasks that can help users get more out of Alexa, such as linking a Spotify account or using video call features.

Suggestions are personalized based on how customers have used the app in the past and what Amazon services they take advantage of, such as Amazon Music, Audible, reminders, shopping lists, and more. First time users will see more suggestions and tips on what can be done through the mobile app.

The redesign de-prioritizes the third-party voice apps or skills as many Amazon customers weren't using this feature, and Skills & Games can now be found in the "More" tab alongside Reminders and Routines. Amazon's first-party offerings, like shopping and media playback, are now the focal point of the home screen.

The new Alexa app will be rolling out worldwide over the course of the next month on iOS, Android, and Fire OS devices, and should be available to everyone by late August.

Qualcomm today unveiled its latest fast charging standard, Quick Charge 5, which it says can charge a smartphone from 0 to 50 percent in five minutes, or to full in 15 minutes.

According to Qualcomm, Quick Charge 5 is the world's fastest commercial charging solution, supporting more than 100W of charging power for smartphones.

In addition to offering much faster charging, Quick Charge 5 is up to 70 percent more efficient and up to 10 degrees Celsius cooler compared to Quick Charge 4 and 4+. Qualcomm says there are 12 separate voltage, current, and temperature protections included.

Quick Charge is a feature that's built into many Android phones, and not a feature that Apple takes advantage of. Qualcomm is debuting new power management ICs for Android smartphone manufacturers to incorporate in their devices.

iPhones have a fast charging feature, but it charges the iPhone to 50 percent in a half hour. It's not clear if Apple will ultimately come out with an improved fast charging feature, but at this point, there are no rumors suggesting we're going to see anything different in the 2020 ‌iPhone‌ models.

Apple could introduce improved charging in future ‌iPhone‌ models, but Apple tends to be more conservative with its charging specifications in terms of fast charging, heat output, and longterm battery longevity.

Qualcomm says that the first smartphones to incorporate Quick Charge 5 will come in the third quarter of 2020. Quick Charge 5 is supported on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865, 865 Plus, and future high-end Snapdragon mobile platforms.

As we creep closer to the fall unveiling date of the new 2020 iPhones, photos of alleged components are beginning to trickle out, and the latest leak features an A14 chip component.

Leaker Mr. White, who sometimes shares accurate information on Apple's future plans along with component pictures, shared a series of photos of the RAM component of the A14 processor that is typically located at the top of the main chip.

There's nothing that we can glean from these photos of the chip component, but it appears to have a 2016 date numbering, corresponding to the 16th week of 2020. That means it was likely manufactured in April.

Mr. White previously shared a similar photo of the A14 RAM component earlier in July, but the new photos are clearer, even if they don't provide any insight into the 2020 iPhones.

All of Apple's 2020 iPhone models will be equipped with the 5-nanometer A14 chip, which is expected to be faster and more battery efficient thanks to improved thermal management. Apple with the A14 chip will also focus on speeding up artificial intelligence and AR tasks through the Neural Engine.

Rumors so far suggest that the more affordable 5.4 and 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌ 12 models will feature 4GB RAM, while the higher-end 6.1 and 6.7-inch ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro models will feature 6GB RAM.

Earlier today, alleged images of a 5.4-inch ‌iPhone‌ 12 display panel were found on Weibo, with the display panel depicting what could be a smaller notch that is in line with some rumors that Apple will slim down the notch size in the ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup.

For more on everything that we know about the upcoming ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup, make sure to check out our iPhone 12 roundup.

Apple's upcoming iOS 14 update introduces multiple design changes, including a new look for the hidden Field Test Mode feature on the iPhone.

As noted on the MacRumors forums, Apple has overhauled Field Test Mode to provide more useful information at a glance.

There's now a Home section with LTE Cell Serving Info, along with a menu section that has other details like device info and breakdowns of LTE, UMTS, and GSM functionality.

Much of the info available in iOS 13 and iOS 14 is the same when it comes to Field Test Mode, so the change is primarily related to design and making it easier to navigate through the hidden app.

Field Test Mode is designed to allow ‌iPhone‌ users to access in-depth information about cellular signal and cellular connection. Field Test Mode is designed for engineers and cellular operators and most people will not need to use it on a regular basis.

You can access Field Test Mode on an ‌iPhone‌ by opening up the Phone app, inputting *3001#12345#* and pressing the phone button. It won't make a call, but will instead open the Field Test app.

Field Test Mode was formerly useful because it could turn the cellular signal bars into a numerical measurement, but that is not something that works on modern iPhones with recent versions of iOS.

It can still sometimes be useful to see cellular signal represented as a number, and that's still possible on iOS 13 and 14. After entering the Field Test app, tap on LTE (from the main menu on iOS 13 or the menu list on iOS 14) then tap on "Serving Cell Meas."

The measurements that read "rsrp0" and "rspr1" are your cellular signal strength in decibel-milliwatts. These numbers are always negative, and a lower negative number is better than a higher negative number and represents a stronger connection. Numbers range from about -50 to -130. Closer to -50 is a strong signal strength, and when you get to around -100, that's a poor connection that's spotty with slow data speeds if a connection can be made at all.

Update 6/15/21: Apple appears to have updated Field Test Mode and certain metrics like "Serving Cell Meas" appear to be no longer available to access.

Australia's competition regulator has today accused Google of misleading users to get permission for use of their personal data for targeted advertising, reports Reuters.

In Australian Federal Court, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) accused Google of not explicitly getting consent or properly informing consumers of a 2016 move to combine personal information in Google accounts with browsing activities on non-Google websites. This allowed Google to link the browsing behavior of millions of users with their names and identities, providing it with "extreme market power." As the change was "worth a lot of money to Google," the commission alleges that it was "achieved through misleading behavior."

Google argues that the change was optional and consumer consent was sought through prominent and easy-to-understand notifications. "If a user did not consent, their experience of our products and services remained unchanged," a Google spokesperson commented, adding that the company fully intends to defend its actions.

In June 2016, Google changed the wording of its privacy policy to remove a statement that it would not combine cookies from its advertisement display business, DoubleClick, with users' personal information. The new policy read, "Depending on your account settings, your activity on other sites and apps may be associated with your personal information in order to improve Google services."

The regulator believes that Google did not sufficiently inform Australian consumers about what it sought to do with their personal information, including internet activity on websites not related to Google itself. The case intends to clarify the common law on what providers in various jurisdictions could do, and is seeking a fine "in the millions".

When Adobe introduced Photoshop for iPad late last year, it said it would provide regular updates to add missing features that are available on the desktop but not in the tablet version of the software.

Adobe is living up to its promise once again today, with a Photoshop for ‌iPad‌ update that introduces the refine edge brush and the rotate canvas tool.

The refine edge brush enables much more precise image selection on the ‌iPad‌ for tricky subjects like hair and fur, which helps to achieve realistic, professional quality selections of objects with a mix of sharp and soft edges.

The interface has been simplified for use with touch controls, but Adobe says the tool delivers the same results as the desktop version.

Meanwhile, the rotate canvas tool allows users to rotate the canvas they're working on using a two-finger rotation gesture, which can also be zoomed in and out at the same time.

The rotation can snap at 0, 90, 180, 270 degrees, and users can reset the rotation and zoom by doing a quick zoom out pinch gesture. Rotation is not sticky and returns to zero degrees when re-opening a file, and both rotation and snapping can be toggled on/off in Settings -> Touch menu. More info about the rotate canvas tool is available here.

Adobe Photoshop can be downloaded from the App Store for free, but there are subscriptions required to use the software. Adobe Photoshop for ‌‌iPad‌‌ is available for all Creative Cloud plans that include Photoshop access.

In this week's App Recap, we've highlighted food and drink app "Soosee," productivity app "Tasks," and health and fitness app "Taurus" as three apps that are worth checking out. We've also compiled a list of apps that received major updates this week.

Apps to Check Out

• Soosee: Food Scanner (iOS, Free) - Soosee scans ingredient labels from food and intelligently checks for allergens as well as any other dietary restrictions users may have. Upon downloading the app, users are able to select from preset common food allergen groups like gluten, nuts, lactose, and more. Additionally, users can create their own list of ingredients to be checked when a label is scanned. Soosee is also great for those who are vegan or vegetarian, as the app can scan labels for foods that may contain animal-based products. Although the app is free to download, some features are limited to subscribers of the Soosee Supporter plan, which is available in monthly and annual plans as well as a lifetime plan priced at $0.99, $8.99, and $12.99 respectively. Becoming a Soosee Supporter lets users create an unlimited number of custom groups, auto scan labels, change the app's icon, and more.
• Tasks: Smart Lists & Reminders (iOS, Free) - Productivity app Tasks takes a traditional to-do list a step further with the ability to create tasks with automatic date detection and tag suggestions, group all tasks in an organized manner through projects, and add priority levels to each task. Users have the ability to add images and notes to tasks, sync projects across iCloud devices, and more. Tasks is free to download, but some features like project collaboration, iCloud sync, and an unlimited number of projects are reserved for those who subscribe to Tasks Plus. Tasks Plus is available in both a yearly subscription as well as a one time purchase and is priced at $9.99 and $34.99 respectively.
• Taurus (iOS, Free) - Taurus is an app that lets users easily log gym workouts, add and customize workout routines, select from over 100 built-in strength exercises, and more. Users can add notes to specific sets in a workout and conveniently create timers during set and rest periods. In addition, all workout data is stored in iCloud. The app also automatically calculates workout statistics and conveniently displays charts to help visualize progress.

App Updates

• Facebook Messenger - Facebook this week announced its Messenger app would be gaining various privacy enhancements including a new "App Lock" feature, which will require Face ID or Touch ID authentication before the app is opened.
• Google Fit - Google this week updated its Google Fit app with a weekly recap of users' daily goals, favorite workouts, activity, and sleep. The app also now lets users view workouts with pace breakdowns and distance markers.
• Mario Kart Tour - Nintendo this week shared news that its Mario Kart Tour game will now support landscape mode. The app was previously limited to portrait mode since its initial launch in 2019.
• Spotify - Spotify this week announced a new video podcast feature available for select podcasts in all markets where podcasts are supported. The new feature is available for both Spotify Premium and free users.

Are you using a great new app we've missed? Let us know in the comments and we'll check it out for next week's App Recap. Are you a developer of a unique app you'd like us to consider? Send us a message through our tip line at the top of the page and we'll check it out.

macOS Catalina 10.15.6 seems to have introduced a bug that causes system crashes, especially when using virtualization software such as VirtualBox or VMware.

Users of virtualization software have reported that macOS 10.15.6 crashes repeatedly when running virtual machines.

A regression in the App Sandbox component of macOS 10.15.6 is reportedly leaking kernel memory, causing macOS to crash. The purpose of an App Sandbox is to provide protection to system resources and limit an app's access to resources, such as memory.

VMware engineers have today diagnosed the issue and filed a "comprehensive" report with Apple, including a minimal reproduction case which should allow them to easily identify and address the issue. The engineer cautions that "it isn't looking good" going forwards, and it will likely fall to Apple to resolve the issue in a software update to macOS. It is unclear if this issue exists in developer and public betas of macOS Big Sur.

The workaround suggested by many users and VMware engineers is to refrain from installing macOS 10.15.6, or shutting down virtual machines when they are not in use and rebooting the host as often as possible.

Images emerged on Chinese social media platform Weibo over the weekend purporting to show display panels for Apple's upcoming "iPhone 12" lineup. The images also appeared briefly on Slashleaks before being taken down on Monday.

The photos depict what looks like several packed rows of smartphone panels from an assembly line. At first blush, the panels seem to have the same notch size as the ‌iPhone‌ 11, but an improved screen to bezel ratio, although it's possible this could just be down to their pre-assembly appearance.

That said, despite the hand in the image, it's not immediately obvious from the photos which size of ‌iPhone‌ 12 that the panels are supposed to be destined for. Weibo blogger Digital Chat Station claims they are for the 5.4-inch model, which could suggest we're looking at a smaller notch than the one on the 5.8-inch ‌iPhone‌ 11.

Apple is expected to release four OLED iPhones this fall, including one 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and one 6.7-inch model. Rumors suggest the 6.7-inch ‌‌iPhone‌‌ and one 6.1-inch model will be higher-end devices with triple-lens cameras, while the 5.4 and 6.1-inch models will be lower-end iPhones with dual-lens cameras and a more affordable price tag.

According to Bloomberg, at least two of the high-end iPhones Apple plans to offer in 2020 will have the new design with flat, stainless steel edges instead of curved edges, reminiscent of the design of the iPad Pro.

We've heard conflicting rumors about the size of the notch on these new "‌iPhone‌ 12" devices. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg believe that at least one new ‌iPhone‌ in 2020 will feature a smaller front camera lens for an improved screen to bezel ratio, ultimately resulting in a smaller notch at the front.

Leaked images said to depict the ‌iPhone‌ 12 have also pictured a notch that is approximately 1/3 smaller than the current notch on iPhones. Meanwhile alleged ‌iPhone‌ 12 schematics that surfaced in April have suggested Apple will implement a smaller notch by integrating the front speaker for the device into the bezel. The updated hardware layout also features the ambient light and proximity sensors moved to a more central position within the TrueDepth camera system.

However, other alleged leaked CAD images have suggested Apple's new devices will have the same size of notch and triple-lens camera layout as found on the current ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro series. CAD images of unreleased iPhones shared online are usually presented as official designs leaked from production factories, but are often made by case makers themselves to predict the design of unreleased devices.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple plans to launch its ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup in 2020, but mass production on the devices will be delayed for around a month.

Apple supplier Broadcom believes the 2020 ‌iPhone‌ models will be delayed for several weeks, and will launch later than usual in the fall.

Serial leaker Jon Prosser has moved to quash sketchy rumors that Apple could release a new iMac as soon as this week.

Rumors about the imminent launch of an Intel-based ‌iMac‌ with an unchanged design appeared over the weekend, but originated from Twitter accounts with no track record for accurate leaks.

In a tweet responding to a news report on the rumors, Prosser said simply, "Nope," and then followed up with:

If you want the new iMac, keep an eye out for August.

No redesign.

Shipping times for current ‌iMac‌ models have been delayed for weeks, which has led many observers to believe an ‌iMac‌ refresh may be on the horizon.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said Apple plans to refresh its existing Intel-based ‌iMac‌ in the third quarter of 2020 prior to launching an ‌iMac‌ with Apple Silicon later this year.

Kuo's report didn't specify if the Intel-based ‌iMac‌ refresh would include a redesign or if it would be saved for the ‌Apple Silicon‌ model.

Reliable leaker CoinX claimed in March that an ‌‌iMac‌‌ update was coming "soon," but no further information has been shared since then.

Apple's ‌iMac‌ redesign is rumored to feature "iPad Pro design language" and thinner bezels, similar to those seen on Apple's Pro Display XDR that accompanied the new Mac Pro last year.

Prosser on Sunday also responded to a question on Twitter about whether the new ‌iMac‌ would be powered by ‌Apple Silicon‌ or be Intel-based, saying, "The first ARM Mac will likely be a 13.3" MacBook Pro."

Apple analyst ‌Ming-Chi Kuo‌ believes that the first Mac to be updated with an Apple Silicon chip will be the 13.3-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, which should see a refresh with the Apple chip before the end of 2020. DigiTimes has also said that ‌Apple Silicon‌ chips will be coming to the 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ before the end of the year.

Apple chief Tim Cook and other big tech CEOs will participate in a rescheduled antitrust hearing on Wednesday.

The hearing to be held by the U.S. House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee was supposed to happen on Monday, but it was postponed to avoid a conflict with a memorial service for the late representative John Lewis.

Cook is expected to join Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Alphabet/Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the hearing, which is the culmination of a more than year-long investigation into the four tech giants.

Cook is said to have spent the better part of a month preparing for the hearing, which may touch on a wide range of subjects, from App Store policies and Apple's disputes with the FBI over providing methods for law enforcement to access locked devices, to Apple's relationships with China.

After the hearing, lawmakers plan to publish a report based on their findings and propose legislation to bring antitrust laws up to date to deal with issues unique to digital marketplaces.

The hearing is due to take place at noon Eastern time and will be live streamed here.

Some users have noticed that Instagram is unexpectedly accessing the camera, reports The Verge.

Users have reported that the green "camera on" indicator was displayed in iOS 14 when scrolling through their feed, but not taking a photo or a video. In a statement to The Verge, a spokesperson for Instagram said that the behavior was a bug and is being fixed.

"We only access your camera when you tell us to — for example, when you swipe from Feed to Camera. We found and are fixing a bug in iOS 14 Beta that mistakenly indicates that some people are using the camera when they aren't," the spokesperson said. "We do not access your camera in those instances, and no content is recorded."

Instagram's bug is the latest in a series of unexpected app behavior controversies revealed by iOS 14's aggressive privacy notifications. iOS 14 notifies users when an app or widget pastes text from the clipboard or accesses the camera or microphone. Since the release of the iOS 14 developer and public beta, a large number of popular apps, such as LinkedIn, Reddit, and TikTok, have been discovered to be covertly accessing clipboard data.

Last year, Instagram's parent company, Facebook, was found to be accessing the camera in the background whenever the app was in use, without the users' knowledge.

In iOS 14, Apple continues to build out its extensive accessibility features, and here we're going to show you how you can use the new Headphone Accommodations to amplify certain sounds if you're having difficulty hearing them.

Headphones Accommodations works with Apple and Beats headphones, and is designed especially for those who are hard of hearing: It's able to amplify soft sounds and adjust frequencies to make music, movies, calls, and more sound crisper and clearer.

Follow the steps below to activate the Headphones Accommodations feature in iOS 14 and later.

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Accessibility.
3. Scroll down to the Physical and Motor menu and select AirPods.
   
   

4. Tap the Audio Accessibility Settings option in blue text.
5. Tap Headphone Accommodations.
6. Toggle the switch next to Headphone Accommodations to activate it and extend the menu of options.
   

From here, you can access a range of options such as tuning audio for Balanced Tone, Vocal Range, or Brightness, and adjusting the volume of soft sounds to be louder.

There's also a Custom Audio Setup that walks through a test with soft speaking and different music to determine whether you have specific audio preferences that should be compensated for with the Headphone Accommodations feature.

Headphone Accommodations works with the Transparency mode on ‌AirPods Pro and AirPods Max‌ too, making quiet voices louder and tuning the sounds of the environment around you to meet your audio needs.