MacRumors

Apple today released the second betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.2 updates to developers, a week after seeding the first betas and two weeks after the release of iOS 13.1.

iOS and iPadOS 13.2 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper developer profiles have been installed.

iOS 13.2 introduces Deep Fusion for the cameras in the iPhone 11 and ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro models. Deep Fusion is a new image processing system that uses the A13 Bionic and the Neural Engine. Deep Fusion takes advantage of machine learning techniques to do pixel-by-pixel processing of photos, optimizing for texture, details, and noise in each part of the image.

The feature is aimed at improving indoor photos and photos taken in medium lighting, and it's a feature that will automatically activate based on the lens being used and the light level in the room.

In both iOS 13.2 and iPadOS 13.2, Apple has reintroduced the Announce Messages with Siri feature, which lets ‌Siri‌ read incoming messages without having to unlock the ‌iPhone‌. The feature works with the second-generation AirPods and the Beats Pro.

The betas include new privacy settings for Apple's upcoming Research app, a new Transfer to HomePod toggle in the Settings app to turn on ‌HomePod‌ handoff, an updated volume bar in Control Center that displays AirPods and Beats icons, and an option to display multi-function HomeKit products as multiple tiles or a single tile.

Also discovered in the first beta of iOS 13.2 was an icon that divulges the design of Apple's third-generation AirPods, expected in 2020. The AirPods have a fresh look with a body that resembles the current AirPods, but with rubber tips, likely for the rumored noise cancelation feature.

Additional details on what's new in iOS 13.2 can be found in our iOS 13.2 tidbits article.

Update: Apple has also seeded the new iOS and ‌iPadOS‌ 13.2 betas to its public beta testing group.

Apple has pulled an app from the App Store that Hong Kong protestors have been using to track police movements, saying it violates the company's guidelines and local laws.

Apple approved HKmap Live last week after reviewing its decision to initially reject the app from the ‌App Store‌.

However, on Wednesday Apple was criticized by Chinese state media for its decision to make the app available. "Letting poisonous software have its way is a betrayal of the Chinese people's feelings," said the People's Daily.

The app has since been delisted from the ‌App Store‌ and Apple has issued the following statement:

We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps. We have learned that an app, HKmap.live, has been used in ways that endanger law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong. Many concerned customers in Hong Kong have contacted us about this app and we immediately began investigating it. The app displays police locations and we have verified with the Hong Kong Cybersecurity and Technology Crime Bureau that the app has been used to target and ambush police, threaten public safety, and criminals have used it to victimize residents in areas where they know there is no law enforcement. This app violates our guidelines and local laws, and we have removed it from the App Store.

In a series of tweets, the developers of HKmap Live said they disagreed with Apple's claim that the app endangered law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong, and argued that "there is zero evidence to support CSTCB's [the Hong Kong Police Force’s Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau] accusation that HKmap App has been used to target and ambush police, threaten public safety, and criminals have used it to victimize residents in areas where they know there is no law enforcement."

Earlier on Thursday, Apple also removed the app of news outlet Quartz from China's ‌App Store‌. The news organization told The Verge that Apple has removed its mobile app after complaints from the Chinese government, and said it had received a notice from Apple that the app "includes content that is illegal in China."

Demonstrations in Hong Kong began in March in response to an unsigned legal bill that threatened to allow extradition to mainland China. Since then, the protests have to expanded to demand that the city state retains its broader democratic rights. The special administrative region maintains separate governing and economic systems from that of mainland China under the principle of "one country, two systems".

Update 12:30 p.m.: In an internal Apple memo, Tim Cook notes that the removal of HKmap Live was a difficult decision but argues that the app was being for illegal purposes and in violation of ‌App Store‌ rules.

It is no secret that technology can be used for good or ill. This case is no different. The app in question allowed for the crowdsourced reporting and mapping of police checkpoints, protest hotspots, and other information. On its own, this information is benign. However, over the past several days we received credible information, from the Hong Kong Cybersecurity and Technology Crime Bureau, as well as from users in Hong Kong, that the app was being used maliciously to target individual officers for violence and to victimize individuals and property where no police are present. This use put the app in violation of Hong Kong law. Similarly, widespread abuse clearly violates our App Store guidelines barring personal harm.

Cook provided no details on specific incidents tied to HKmap Live.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

The Apple Card comes with a Disaster Relief Program, according to a MacRumors reader who lives in Houston and recently experienced some flooding from tropical storm Imelda.

Apple sent MacRumors reader Frequeniquity an email suggesting that he apply for the program after Apple detected that he "may have been affected by a natural disaster."

Emails sent out by Apple, which were also received by another MacRumors reader, offer the following benefits:

• No interest for two months, starting with the month you enroll. After two months, your standard purchase APR will apply.
• You can skip the payment due in the month you enroll.
• If your account is in good standing, you will remain current while enrolled.
• If your account is past due, your account will not go further delinquent while enrolled. However, your account will remain paste due until you make all of your past due payments and your ability to make new purchases may continue to be restricted.

According to the email sent out to ‌Apple Card‌ users, those interested in applying for the Disaster Relief Program should contact an ‌Apple Card‌ Specialist after receiving an email.

Apple appears to be sending out these emails to customers who have addresses registered in areas where a natural disaster has occurred, and presumably this will be a benefit offered to all ‌Apple Card‌ users who are experiencing issues like floods, fires, earthquakes, and other issues.

macOS Catalina, which came out on Monday, is the newest version of the operating system that runs on the Mac. Catalina brings some significant changes, including the removal of the iTunes app, a new Sidecar feature, an updated Find My app, and more.

In our latest YouTube video and in the article below, we're going to go over some must-know macOS Catalina features that will be useful to those who have just updated and want to familiarize themselves with the changes.

• No More iTunes - Apple removed iTunes in macOS Catalina, splitting it up into three new apps: Music, TV, and Podcasts. These three apps offer all of the functionality that was previously in iTunes, so you can still get to your music library, access TV shows and movies you purchased, and listen to your favorite podcasts. You can still make iTunes Store purchases, too.
• Finder Syncing - Since there's no iTunes app, you won't use iTunes to manage your devices that are plugged in. Instead, when you plug in an iPhone or iPad to your Mac, you'll see it in the left side of the Finder window where you can get to all the same controls you had in iTunes.
• Apple Watch Password Authentication - You've long been able to unlock a Mac with an Apple Watch, but in macOS Catalina, the Apple Watch can also be used to authenticate passwords or approve app installations when you double tap on the Side button. This is especially handy on Macs that don't have Touch ID. Get to the settings by opening up System Preferences and choosing the Security and Privacy section.
• Sidecar - ‌Sidecar‌ is a new feature in macOS Catalina that lets you use your ‌iPad‌ as a secondary display. The easiest way to activate ‌Sidecar‌ is to click on the AirPlay icon on the Mac. If you have a Sidecar-compatible ‌iPad‌, it will show up in the list of available devices. ‌Sidecar‌ is limited to newer Macs and on the ‌iPad‌, it only works with iPads that support the Apple Pencil. Make sure to check out our Sidecar guide for more info.
• iPad Apps for Mac - Apple in macOS Catalina introduced new "Catalyst" developer tools that are designed to make it easier for developers to port their ‌iPad‌ apps to the Mac, which means you can expect some of your favorite iOS apps to be available on the Mac. Catalyst apps are still rolling out, but some high-profile options are already available like GoodNotes 5, Carrot Weather, HabitMinder, and more.
• Find My - There's a new ‌Find My‌ app on the Mac, which brings a dedicated app for finding friends and devices for the first time. ‌Find My‌ combines ‌Find My‌ Mac and ‌Find My‌ Friends, so it's the one-stop shop for whatever you're looking for. ‌Find My‌ even lets you find your Mac when it's closed and has no WiFi connection by leveraging a Bluetooth connection to other iPhones and Apple devices that are nearby. The new ‌Find My‌ capabilities give you a better chance of finding a lost or stolen device.
• No More 32-Bit Apps - macOS Catalina does not support 32-bit apps, which means some older apps might not work after upgrading. This mostly only applies to apps that haven't been updated in a long time, but it's still something that may take users by surprise. For more info, make sure to check out our 32-bit Mac app guide.

Many of the apps on the Mac have been overhauled with new features. Reminders, for example, has a whole new look and an easier to use interface, while Photos has a new view that organizes everything by day, month, or year. Notes lets you share folders for the first time, and there's a Picture by Picture option in Safari.

For a full rundown on all of the features that you'll find in macOS Catalina, take a look at our macOS Catalina roundup.

Apple has added a new selection of accessories to its online store this week.

For starters, the Logitech Crayon is now available in a new gray finish, complementing the existing silver option with red accents.

Priced at $69.95, the Logitech Crayon is a lower-cost alternative to the Apple Pencil. The drawing tool features a slim aluminum body and an Apple Pencil-like tip, with the same latency, tilt, and palm rejection that you get with the Apple Pencil. Unlike the Pencil, however, it lacks pressure sensitivity.

The Logitech Crayon is compatible with the sixth- and seventh-generation iPad, as well as the latest iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad mini models.

Also new to Apple's online store is a new set of Ember Mugs, appropriately called the Ember Mug 2 and Ember Travel Mug 2. Ember's second generation of coffee mugs include new battery technology, allowing users to enjoy their hot beverage for up to 3 hours with Ember Travel Mug 2, 1.5 hours with the 10 oz Ember Mug 2, or 80 minutes with the 14 oz Ember Mug 2. Overall, this is a 50 percent increase in battery life with the new mugs.

The Ember Travel Mug 2 has a new hidden-until-lit touch display that replaces the rotating dial on the base of the first generation mug. This allows users to adjust the temperature of their drink directly on the mug, as well as look at the mug's battery life. Across all mugs, the charging coaster has been redesigned with a "more refined look," according to Ember.

The companion Ember app for iPhone or Apple Watch allows you to set your precise drinking temperature for hot beverages, track caffeine consumption, save presets for your favorite drinks, customize the LED color, and more.

The new Ember Mug 2 is $99.95 for the 10-ounce size, up from $79.95, while the 14-ounce mug remains $129.95. The Ember Travel Mug 2 is $179.95. The new mugs can be purchased on Apple.com and on Ember's own website.

Next up is the Lumos Matrix smart bike helmet with an urban design and integrated front and rear LED lights to alert drivers to your presence when cycling in the dark. The helmet also has turn signals and automatic warning lights on the back to alert people behind you that you are slowing down.

The Lumos Matrix helmet is $249.95 in white or black. The helmet can be controlled with the included remote or the Lumos app for iPhone or Apple Watch.

As we reported earlier, the Xbox Wireless Controller is also now listed on Apple.com, although it is currently unavailable to purchase. As of iOS 13 and tvOS 13, the Xbox Wireless Controller and PlayStation DualShock 4 can be paired with an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV and used to play games on those devices.

Other accessories added to Apple.com this week include the MeeBot 2.0 programmable robot for kids, an iPhone-connected kettlebell with six weight options, the Native Union Drop XL wireless charging pad, an iPhone-mounted LED light for improved photos and videos, and more.

Visit the What's New section of Apple's accessories page, sorted by Newest, to view all of the latest additions.

Apple has added the Xbox Wireless Controller to Apple.com, although the accessory is currently unavailable to purchase at the time of writing. Apple sells a few different gaming controllers on its website to connect to iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS devices, but as of yet the company has never directly sold Microsoft or Sony's own gaming controllers.

Now that players can connect the Xbox Wireless Controller to their iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV to play games on Apple devices, it appears that Apple has worked out a deal with Microsoft to sell its controller on the Apple store. As of now, Sony's DualShock 4 has not appeared on Apple.com.

Thanks to apps like Sony's PS4 Remote Play, even more gaming options have opened up for ‌iPhone‌ users, who can use the app to remotely control and play compatible games from their PS4 on their ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌. Microsoft is planning to launch a streaming app of its own to allow mobile users to connect to their Xbox One consoles.

As a note, these controllers are typically cheaper than the traditional $60 price tags. Right now, you can get the Xbox Wireless Controller for $43.99 at Best Buy or $49.99 at Target.

Update 9:40 a.m.: Apple's online store is now allowing customers to order the controller, with delivery and in-store pickup options available.

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.

Apple will launch a new iPad Pro with a rear-facing 3D Time of Flight camera in the first quarter of 2020, according to a new report out today from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and seen by MacRumors.

We've previously heard multiple rumors suggesting a time-of-flight camera system for Apple's 2020 iPhones and iPad Pros, including info from Kuo himself, but this is the first time that he's specified the 3D sensing camera system will be available in new ‌iPad Pro‌ models to be released early next year.

A time-of-flight camera system measures the time that it takes for a laser or LED to bounce off of objects in a room, providing an accurate 3D map of the surroundings. A rear time-of-flight camera would also bolster photo quality and offer new and improved AR applications.

Two of the iPhones set to be released in 2020 will also feature 3D sensing rear camera setups with time-of-flight (ToF) camera lenses, according to a previous note from Kuo in July.

The Apple analyst has also revealed his predicted schedule for Apple's MacBook lineup refresh. We've already learned that Apple is planning to use a scissor mechanism rather than a butterfly mechanism for its upcoming 16-inch MacBook Pro, which is expected to be announced as soon as this month.

However, Kuo has said that after the 16-inch MacBook Pro launches, future Macs coming in 2020 will also swap over to a scissor mechanism rather than a butterfly mechanism, resulting in more durable keyboards that are not as prone to failure from heat, dust and other small particulates.

Kuo now predicts that Apple's refreshed MacBook models will arrive in the second quarter of 2020, suggesting they will feature the much-anticipated scissor mechanism keyboards that the company is adopting wholesale.

Kuo also underlined his belief that the first quarter of 2020 will see Apple launch its previously rumored "iPhone SE 2," which was mentioned in a previous research note earlier in the week.

Today's report from the respected Apple analyst also covered Apple's AR headset launch plans, which we've covered in a separate article.

Apple's augmented reality headset will enter mass production as soon as the fourth quarter of this year in time for an early 2020 launch, according to a new report out today from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and seen by MacRumors.

In his latest research note with TF International Securities, the analyst says Apple will cooperate with third-party brands to launch its first head-mounted AR product in 2020, with Changying Precision tipped to be the main chassis supplier.

A Kuo report in March claimed Apple would launch an AR product in 2020 that could be ready by the middle of next year. However, Kuo has brought forward his predicted time of release and the analyst now believes the launch window for the product will fall in the second quarter of 2020.

Back in July, a DigiTimes report claimed Apple had suspended its AR headset project, but just last month, code found in Xcode 11 and iOS 13 confirmed that Apple is still working on an augmented reality headset of some kind.

Within the internal Find My app bundle that MacRumors exclusively shared, there is also an icon depicting what appears to be an AR or VR headset that looks similar to the Google Cardboard.

Kuo understands that Apple's AR glasses will be marketed as an iPhone accessory and primarily take a display role while wirelessly offloading computing, networking, and positioning to the ‌iPhone‌.

Designing the AR glasses to work as an ‌iPhone‌ accessory is also expected to allow Apple to keep the glasses slim and lightweight, rather than trying to pack in all the processing hardware into the one device.

As early as November 2017, Bloomberg reported that Apple was developing an AR headset. Apple originally aimed to have it ready by 2019, but the company was relaxed about not shipping a product until 2020. The report said the headset would run on a new custom operating system, based on iOS, and dubbed "rOS" for "reality operating system."

In addition, today's report underlines Kuo's previous prediction that the most important change to the Apple chassis industry chain in 2020 will be the upgrade of the 5G iPhone's metal mid-frame/chassis.

For Apple's 2020 iPhones, Kuo believes the company will adopt a new metal frame structure reminiscent of the iPhone 4, which will significantly increase the unit cost due to the increase in processing procedures and the integration of composite materials.

Today's report from the respected Apple analyst also covered Apple's iPad Pro and MacBook plans for 2020, which we've covered in a separate article.

Twitter's support account today announced that Twitter used some customer email addresses and phone numbers that were provided for account security for advertising purposes, which Twitter says was done "unintentionally."

More specifically, email addresses and phone numbers were used in Twitter's Tailored Audiences and Partner Audiences advertising systems. Tailored Audiences is a feature that's designed to let advertisers target ads to customers based on the advertiser's marketing lists, while Partner Audiences is similar.

According to Twitter, when an advertiser uploaded a marketing list, it "may have matched" people on Twitter to their list based on the email or phone number the Twitter account holder provided for security purposes.

Twitter says that it "cannot say with certainty" how many people were affected, and the company has issued an apology. "We're very sorry this happened and are taking steps to make sure we don't make a mistake like this again," reads a help document.

Personal data was not provided externally with partners or other third parties, and as of September 17, the issue has been fixed and phone numbers and email addresses collected for account security are no longer being used for advertising.