MacRumors

We've partnered with Eve to offer our readers a new exclusive promotion that discounts the Eve Room by 20 percent for a limited time. In other deals going on this week, Amazon has a new sale that is discounting the all-new 13-inch MacBook Pro to new low prices, reaching up to $199 off the original cost of the notebooks.

Exclusive Eve Room Discount

To see this deal, head to Evehome.com, add the Eve Room to your cart, click on the "Have a promo code?" prompt at the top of the checkout screen, and enter the code MacRumors20 to take 20 percent off the device. This will discount the $99.95 Eve Room down to $79.96 for the length of the sale, which will last through Thursday, July 11.

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

The promo code only applies to a single Eve Room and will not apply to the retailer's double pack of Eve Room units that you can buy for $179.90. Head to Evehome.com to browse and purchase the Eve Room before the sale ends.

The Eve Room is a small, palm-sized device that can track the temperature, humidity, and air quality within your home, and connects to Apple's HomeKit platform so you can ask Siri about the air quality. When it detects harmful in-home pollutants, Eve Room can give you a heads up about opening a window or turning on an air purifier, ensuring that your home's air is as clean as possible.

2019 13-Inch MacBook Pro Sale

Amazon is discounting the all-new 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro with new low prices that knock $199 off the original prices of the notebooks. Both the 256GB and 512GB models are on sale, available in both Space Gray and Silver. All of the models listed below have the Touch Bar as well.

• 2.4 GHz, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, Silver - $1,599.99, down from $1,799.00 ($199 off, lowest ever)
• 2.4 GHz, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, Space Gray - $1,599.99, down from $1,799.00 ($199 off, lowest ever)
• 2.4 GHz, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, Silver - $1,799.99, down from $1,999.00 ($199 off, lowest ever)
• 2.4 GHz, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, Space Gray - $1,799.99, down from $1,999.00 ($199 off, lowest ever)

Apple updated the MacBook Pro last month with new 13-inch and 15-inch Touch Bar models that include new 8th and 9th generation Intel processors, as well as updated butterfly keyboard technology. These MacBook Pros include a T2 chip with enhanced security, support for Hey Siri, a 10 hour battery life, and Touch ID with Apple Pay support on the Touch Bar.

For more sales and bargains, head to our full Deals Roundup.

Apple on Monday seeded the first beta of an upcoming tvOS 13 software update to its public beta testing group, giving non-developers a chance to try out the new Apple TV software ahead of its public release in the fall.

tvOS 13 introduces several changes to the ‌Apple TV‌ interface, including a new Home screen designed to make it easier to find new content. It also introduces multi-user support, a picture-in-picture mode, console controller support as part of the upcoming Apple Arcade game subscription service, and more.

But before you rush to install the tvOS 13 beta, it's worth remembering that this is pre-release software, so don't expect things to work trouble-free. Beta software is typically unstable, as it often contains bugs and issues that have yet to be ironed out. Still interested? Then read on.

Is tvOS 13 Compatible With My Apple TV?

tvOS 13 is designed to run on the fourth and fifth-generation ‌Apple TV‌ models (‌Apple TV‌ HD and ‌Apple TV‌ 4K, respectively). It is not compatible with earlier versions of the ‌Apple TV‌, because those models do not support tvOS.

How to Enroll in the Apple Beta Software Program

To download and install the tvOS 13 beta, you must enroll in the free Apple Beta Software Program. If you're already enrolled, you can skip these steps and jump to the next section.

1. Open Apple's Safari browser on a computer or iOS device and navigate to the Apple Beta Software Program.
2. Tap the Sign up button.
   
   

3. Enter your Apple ID credentials and tap the Sign in button.
4. Agree to the Apple Beta Software Program terms and conditions if necessary.

How to Download and Install tvOS 13 on Apple TV

Once your ‌Apple TV‌ is enrolled in the Apple Beta Software Program, you'll need to carry out the following steps on the set-top box.

1. From your ‌Apple TV‌, click through to Settings -> Accounts.
2. Under ‌Apple ID‌, sign into at least one of the account options (iCloud, iTunes and App Store, or Game Center) with the same ‌Apple ID‌ that you used to register for the Apple Beta Software Program.
3. On your ‌Apple TV‌, click through to Settings -> System -> Software Update.
   
   

4. Click Get Public Beta Updates to turn it on.
5. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.

WhatsApp is testing a feature that enables users to share their WhatsApp Status posts over Facebook, Instagram, and other services.

WhatsApp's Status feature works a lot like Stories do in Instagram, in that users can use the option to stitch together photos and video to express themselves in a way words alone might not allow them to.

The idea behind WhatsApp Status sharing is that it will allow users to post their status directly to their Facebook story, Instagram Story, Gmail, Google Photos, or other service.

WhatsApp told The Verge that the sharing feature doesn't link accounts on the two services in any way, and instead transfers the data on-device using Android and iOS data-sharing APIs.

Even when sharing to another Facebook-owned service like Instagram, WhatsApp says the two posts remain separate events and are not associated in Facebook's systems.

Regardless of that explanation, relating the two platforms in the public consciousness has become a risky business for Facebook ever since it acquired WhatsApp in 2014.

The company said at the time that it wouldn't collect data from the end-to-end encrypted messaging service, but then two years later it began doing exactly that for ad-targeting purposes.

In 2016 the company had to end the collection of WhatsApp user data across Europe, including the phone number a user verifies during the registration process and the last time a user accessed the service, after privacy watchdogs slammed the practice and regulators demanded it be stopped.

Facebook was subsequently fined $122 million by the European Commission for misleading regulators during the merger review about the extent to which it could link accounts.

A report today from Japan-based Asahi claims Apple plans to invest millions in LCD panel supplier Japan Display Inc (JDI) to aid its restructuring, after the firm's bailout plan fell through on the withdrawal of a key backer.

According to Asahi, JDI is set to receive a $100 million investment from Apple, news that has sent the panel maker's shares up as much as 32 percent in Tokyo.

As part of the investment, Apple will also reportedly increase LCD panel orders from JDI at the expense of some of its orders from China.

News of Apple's intentions come at a crucial time for the ailing LCD panel supplier, which had been waiting on a proposed investment of $230 million from Taiwan's TPK Holding to cover its losses, before the proposal was withdrawn last week.

Financial firm CGL Group also dropped its investment plans earlier this month, leaving JDI unsure whether other members in the Chinese-Taiwanese consortium would follow through with their own bailout proposals.

JDI relies on Apple for more than half of its sales, but its mainstay LCD business has been hit heavily by less-than-stellar sales of the iPhone XR and the growing adoption of OLED panel technology.

That has left the supplier scrambling to invest in OLED production to turn around its business, which saw a $2.3 billion loss in 2018.

A report in April claimed JDI would supply the OLED screens for this year's new Apple Watch model.

If the firm can stay afloat it could potentially do the same for future iPhones, which would help Apple diversify its supply chain and allow the tech giant to reduce its heavy reliance on Samsung for the newer OLED display tech.

Google today announced several new features coming to YouTube, all of which are designed to give users more control over the kind of content that appears on the Homepage and in Up Next video suggestions.

For removing video suggestions from channels users are uninterested in, there's a new YouTube option called "Don't recommend channel." It's accessible by tapping on the three-dot menu next to a video on the homepage or Up Next. After tapping it, users will no longer see videos from the channel as suggested content.

The "Don't recommend channel" option will be available on mobile devices first before expanding to the desktop.

Along with an option to stop a channel from being recommended, YouTube is adding more detail on why certain videos have been recommended. There's a small box underneath recommended videos that lets YouTube users know why a video has been surfaced. The feature is available for iOS users today and will be coming to Android and desktop in the future.

YouTube is also gaining new tools to make it easier to explore topics and related videos, such as baking videos, or a favorite music genre. Options presented to YouTube users are based on existing personalized suggestions and can be found on the homepage when scrolling up or on Up Next when browsing. This feature is available for Android users currently and will be expanding to iOS and desktop in the future.

All of the new features are rolling out starting today, but could take some time to expand to all users.

Apple wanted to make a wireless charger, the AirPower, that could charge the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods all at once no matter where the devices were placed on the charger, but ultimately, the idea didn't work out and the ‌AirPower‌ was shelved.

That's led multiple companies to come out with AirPower-style charging accessories that are able to provide power to multiple devices at once, and the AirUnleashed is one such product.

Priced at $99, the AirUnleashed promises to charge the ‌iPhone‌, Apple Watch, and AirPods all at the same time with a single oval-shaped wireless charging mat. The catch is that the devices need to be placed in specific spots on the charger rather than anywhere.

Design wise, the AirUnleashed is a simple flat wireless charging mat with a suede-like microfiber coating. Two "+" icons let you know where to place the ‌iPhone‌ and the AirPods, while the indentation at towards the middle right lets you know where the watch needs to go.

The Apple Watch needs to be specifically placed in this spot because the Apple Watch uses a magnetic inductive charger (underneath the mat's surface) and is not able to charge via Qi wireless charging. The larger charging spot on the left side of the mat is designed for the ‌iPhone‌, and the smaller charging spot is meant for AirPods.

The AirUnleashed has a design that's reminiscent of the ‌AirPower‌. In fact, it straight up copies the ‌AirPower‌'s design, which would have been an issue had the ‌AirPower‌ ever launched. It's a fine design -- Apple came up with it after all -- and it doesn't take up too much room on a desk.

Flat charging like this is fine for the AirPods and the ‌iPhone‌, but when it comes to the Apple Watch, it's not great with the loop-style bands. With my Sport Loop, for example, I can't use this charger without taking the band off or twisting it out of the way, which is a hassle compared to other watch charging options better suited to loop bands.

I didn't have issues getting any of my devices to charge, but aligning everything properly sometimes required more attention than I generally prefer to give to a wireless charger. I also imagine it could be finicky to use in the dark.

The charging coil on the on the left of the device is 7.5W, so it can charge your ‌iPhone‌ at full speeds, and the charging coil on the right is 5W, so it can charge the AirPods at full speed or an ‌iPhone‌ at a slower speed. The Apple Watch charger is 2W.

You'd probably expect the AirUnleashed to be able to charge all three devices at their maximum charging speeds at one time given that it's meant to be a three device charger, but there's a catch. The maximum wireless output of the AirUnleashed is 11.27W because of a 75 percent conversion rate, so with three devices on the charger, it's not going to charge them at the full power they're capable of receiving.

My ‌iPhone‌ X charged from 0 to 41 percent over the course of an hour when it was the only device on the charger, but with AirPods and an Apple Watch also charging at the same time, that dropped down to 37 percent over the course of an hour. It's not a huge difference, but this isn't going to be a charger you'll want to grab when in a time crunch.

The slower charging speed is fine over the course of a day if you've got it on your desk, or at night. If you have a Samsung phone or another device that can charge at 10W, the AirUnleashed's right side charger does support 10W charging, though the same caveats with charging speed and multiple devices apply. The AirUnleashed is unfortunately not great for charging two smartphones at once because of space constraints when the Apple Watch is charging and because of the speed limitations.

It's worth noting that the AirUnleashed needs to be powered with a QC 2.0 or higher charger with an output of 10W, which it does not ship with, so that's something you'll need to buy if you don't have one already.

Bottom Line

Despite the name, the AirUnleashed is no true ‌AirPower‌ alternative given the fact that devices need to be placed in specific spots for charging, but this kind of solution is the best multi-device charging option we're going to get since the ‌AirPower‌ failed.

I think $99 is a lot to pay for a 7.5W charger, a 5W charger, and an Apple Watch charger in a device that doesn't have the capabilities to charge all three products at maximum speeds at once, but for those who don't mind slightly slower charging, like the now-defunct ‌AirPower‌'s design, and want the convenience of having an all-in-one charging setup, the AirUnleashed may be an appealing wireless charging option.

How to Buy

The AirUnleashed can be purchased from the AirUnleashed website for $99.

Note: AirUnleashed provided MacRumors with an AirUnleashed Charger for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.

Google in May announced a new privacy-focused auto-delete option for automatically removing Location History and Web & App Activity after a set period of time, and the feature is now rolling out to Google users.

Google users who have these options enabled can choose to delete their information manually, every three months, or every 18 months. Opting in to auto-delete will allow Google to regularly clear out stored data at either the three or 18 month mark.

Prior to the implementation of the new feature, Google allowed Location History and Web & App Activity to be disabled or manually deleted, but there were no controls for regular deletion, which may encourage more people to use functions like Location History.

Location History tracks the locations that you've visited, while Web & App Activity tracks websites you've visited and apps that you've used. Google uses this information for recommendations and cross device syncing.

Auto-delete options for Location History are rolling out around the world starting today on iOS and Android, with the rollout expected to take a few weeks. Auto-delete options for Web & App Activity will be coming later.

Shopify today announced that Apple Business Chat is now available to all of its over 800,000 merchants around the world.

As noted by Engadget, some Shopify merchants are already using Business Chat, but now Apple and Shopify are rolling out the feature to all businesses who use the e-commerce platform, including those outside the United States.

Merchants can manage and respond to all Apple Business Chat customer conversations through Shopify Ping.

Apple Business Chat launched in iOS 11.3 in March 2018, enabling iPhone and iPad users to ask for information, schedule appointments, make purchases, and complete other customer service tasks directly in the Messages app. Business Chats must be initiated on an ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌, but they can be continued on any ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, Mac, or Apple Watch signed in to the same Apple ID.

Apple Business Chat is available in over a dozen countries and has been adopted by over 30 companies, such as The Home Depot, Lowe's, Hilton, Wells Fargo, DISH Network, Burberry, American Express, Sprint, and T-Mobile.

Update: Delta, Too

Delta Air Lines is also rolling out Apple Business Chat to select customers ahead of a wider launch in the fall:

With testing beginning this summer, customers using an iOS device can get real-time answers to questions using their Messages app. This works in one of two ways: customers who receive a summer travel tips email can click "Go Now" and it will open in Messages app, or as a part of a limited test, customers can do so using the Fly Delta app. Visit the "More" section in the Fly Delta app and tap "Message Us" to get quick answers to frequently asked questions from a Delta Virtual Assistant … or message with a live Delta representative.

Delta is the first U.S. airline to adopt Apple Business Chat.

Anker is back this week with a new collection of sales and discount codes on many of its charging accessories, including the all-new Soundcore Wakey Alarm Clock. This device is a bedside alarm clock that has all of the usual features, like Bluetooth, alarm pre-sets, and a white noise mode, as well as a Qi-compatible landing mat on top for charging the latest iPhones.

Note: 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 to the rest of the items on sale, Anker is offering an array of Lightning cables, USB-C hubs, and portable chargers at a discount. Half of these accessories will require a promo code on Amazon to see the savings, while the other half are automatically discounted (or have an on-page coupon to clip). Check out all of these sales below:

Anker's Latest Discounts

Codes Required

• Soundcore Wakey Bluetooth Speaker Alarm Clock - $79.99 with code NEWSPK3300, down from $99.99

• PowerLine II Lightning Cable (6ft, All Colors) - $9.74 with code ANKERPL6, down from $14.99

• SmartCharge Halo 3-Port 30W USB Car Charger - $13.99 with code ROAVF3WA, down from $19.99

• Classic 3-in-1 USB-C Hub - $20.79 with code ANKER8337, down from $25.99

• 5-in-1 USB-C Hub w/ SD Card Reader - $16.99 with code ANKERCLR3, down from $25.99

• 5-in-1 USB-C Hub w/ 60W Power Delivery - $19.99 with code ANKERCLR4, down from $25.99

No Codes Needed

• Astro E1 Portable Charger 6,700 mAh - $19.99, down from $23.99

• Ace A1 Wireless Speaker - $17.99, down from $25.99

• Ace A0 Wireless Mini Speaker - $14.99, down from $19.99

• PowerWave 10/7.5W Charging Pad - $10.99 with on-page coupon, down from $15.99

• PowerCore 15,000 Redux Portable Charger - $31.99, down from $39.99

Head to our full Deals Roundup for more information on this week's best sales.