MacRumors

Apple's massive launch week has come to a close, with the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, and Apple Watch Series 5 all debuting on Friday. And as if that wasn't enough, Thursday saw the release of iOS 13, watchOS 6, and Apple Arcade on the software side.

Read on below for a recap of this week's biggest stories about these launches and more!

Hands-On With the New iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro Max

Friday was the big launch day for the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max, and we went hands-on with a couple of the new devices to share a few early impressions. Also make sure to check out our roundup of early media reviews.

iphone11propromaxthumb
Customers around the world lined up at Apple retail stores or waited patiently for deliveries to get their hands on Apple's latest devices.

Apple Watch Series 5 Review Roundup: Always-On Display Was Much Awaited, But Little Else Warrants Upgrading From Series 4 Models

In addition to the new iPhones, Apple's latest Apple Watch launched this week, and based on early media reviews, most people are happy with the long-awaited always-on display, but little else is new with the latest models.

apple watch series 5 studio
Other features include a new built-in compass, an expanded 32GB of internal storage, international emergency calling on cellular models, and new ceramic and lighter-weight titanium finishes.

Be aware that Apple Watch bands with magnets like the Milanese Loop may cause interference with the new compass.

iOS 13 Released: Here Are the Best New Features

Apple this week widely released iOS 13 for all compatible iPhone and iPod touch devices. Update now by going to Settings > General > Software Update and then be sure to watch our video walkthrough of all the best new features and improvements now available. And if you want to cut right to the chase, check out our video sharing eight tips on what to try out and set up first after you upgrade.

ryanscoolios13thumbnail
watchOS 6 has also been widely released, bringing a dedicated App Store and more to the Apple Watch Series 3 and newer. The update will be available for Series 1 and Series 2 models later this fall.

Looking ahead, Apple has revised the release date of iOS 13.1 and iPadOS to Tuesday, September 24. In the meantime, Apple has seeded the fourth beta of iOS 13.1 to developers for testing, including builds for the new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Apple Arcade Now Widely Available With 1-Month Free Trial

Coinciding with the release of iOS 13, Apple's subscription-based gaming service Apple Arcade is also now widely available in over 150 countries.

apple arcade devices
In the United States, pricing is set at $4.99 per month, with a one-month free trial available. With Family Sharing, a family of up to six members can access Apple Arcade with a single subscription.

Apple Arcade launched with access to dozens of games and more being added nearly every day, with no ads or in-app purchases. In addition to iOS, the service will be made available on macOS and tvOS within the coming weeks. Read our Apple Arcade guide for more details.

iPad Pro With Triple-Lens Camera System's 'Final Design' Possibly Revealed

In line with the iPhone 11 Pro models, rumors suggest Apple may extend a triple-lens rear camera system to the iPad Pro soon.

iPad pro
This week, we got our first look at what is said to be the "final design" of the triple-lens camera system coming to the iPad Pro, courtesy of a dummy model shared on leaker Sonny Dickson's website.

The triple-lens iPad Pro is rumored to launch in October, but a separate report claims that an iPad Pro with a 3D sensing rear camera will be released in March 2020, so there is some confusion right now surrounding timing.

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!

With the arrival of the iPhone 11, ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, Apple has introduced an optional new camera feature in iOS 13 that's designed to allow you to correct the alignment of photos and videos without having to resort to cropping.

capture shot outside frame iphone 11 camera 2
Basically, when you take pictures or video using either the wide lens or (on the 11 Pro series) the telephoto lens, the camera will simultaneously shoot or record using the next widest sensor. So the wide lens is active when you shoot with the telephoto lens, and the ultra-wide is active when you shoot with the wide.

With the feature enabled, you can take your shot, tap Edit in the preview window, tap the Crop tool, then select Straighten, and you'll be able to use the area captured outside the frame of the photo or video to fix the horizon and improve the composition of the shot without needing to crop it.

The toggle switches that control this behavior can be found in the Settings app, under Camera -> Photos Capture Outside the Frame and Camera -> Videos Capture Outside the Frame.

settings
Apple has disabled it by default for photos, so you'll need to turn it on to take advantage of it. Note that it is enabled by default for video, so you may want to disable it if ‌iPhone‌ or iCloud storage space is a concern. That said, if the area around the frame isn't used to make corrections, it will be automatically deleted after 30 days.

Related Forum: iPhone

It's iPhone launch day, which means the new ‌iPhone‌ 11, ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max are now in the hands of customers.

We picked up a new ‌iPhone‌ 11 and an ‌iPhone 11 Pro Max‌ for an unboxing and quick first impressions overview to give MacRumors readers who are still considering a purchase or waiting on their new phone a look at the updated devices.


Our ‌iPhone 11 Pro Max‌ is in midnight green, the popular new color that sold out within just a few minutes after preorders went live. Midnight green is greener on camera than it looks in real life, and in some lighting, it's quite similar to space gray.

This is the first new color Apple has introduced for its high-end ‌iPhone‌ in years, and it's a rather safe choice because of its subtlety. There's also a new matte finish on the Pro models, which gives them a frosted look.

iphone11and11promax
Apple introduced two new ‌iPhone‌ 11 colors this year: purple and green. Our ‌iPhone‌ 11 is the purple color, which is a soft lavender shade that's quite pretty.

iphone11
Unboxing the new iPhones is standard procedure and there's nothing that jumps out as new, but the ‌iPhone 11 Pro Max‌ (and the 11 Pro) come with a new 18W USB-C charger and a USB-C to Lightning cable instead of the traditional 5W charger.

With that new 18W cable, the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro and Pro Max support fast charging right out of the box. You can charge an ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro or Pro Max to 50 percent in 30 minutes. The ‌iPhone‌ 11, of course, supports the same fast charging, but it still ships with a 5W charger and a standard USB-A to Lightning cable.

iphone11promax
The ‌iPhone 11 Pro Max‌ is heavier than the ‌iPhone‌ XS Max, and just a bit thicker. The extra weight isn't too noticeable, but it's worth noting that the Pro Max is Apple's heaviest ‌iPhone‌ to date. All that weight is attributable to a thicker, heavier battery and a major increase in battery life - the ‌iPhone 11 Pro Max‌ lasts 5 hours longer than the XS Max, and the 11 Pro lasts 4 hours longer than the XS.

iphone11proxsmax
Apple's ‌iPhone‌ 11 also has a longer battery life than the previous-generation ‌iPhone‌ XR, but it's just an hour longer because the XR already had pretty awesome battery life.

The ‌iPhone 11 Pro Max‌ looks similar to last year's ‌iPhone‌ XS Max from the front, but the back stands out because of the new triple-lens camera system and the relocated Apple logo, which is now in the center. There was some chatter that the logo was relocated for bilateral wireless charging, but that's ultimately not a feature that the iPhones launched with.

iphonexriphone11
There's also a new dual-lens camera in the ‌iPhone‌ 11, so it too looks different from last year's ‌iPhone‌ XR. The new camera in both iPhones is an ultra wide-angle camera lens that lets you get super wide shots for landscapes, taking photos of architecture, and, well, anything else. It's a neat new camera feature and we're going to delve into it more in a dedicated camera video.

iphone11cameras
Perhaps the most interesting new camera feature is the new Night mode, which is designed to take crisp, clear shots in low lighting conditions using machine learning and photo aggregation techniques. We'll be testing this out later too, but so far, it looks promising.

11promaxnightmode
When it comes to the display, the ‌iPhone‌ 11 features the same LCD display as the ‌iPhone‌ XR, but the Pro has a Super Retina XDR display capable of 1200 nits of peak brightness, which is going to be noticeable when it comes to HDR. It's not a big difference, though. The ‌iPhone‌ 11 display isn't as good as the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro's display, but it's definitely good enough for most people given the ‌iPhone‌ 11's much lower price point.

3D Touch is gone in all of the new iPhones this year, replaced with Haptic Touch. ‌Haptic Touch‌ does a lot of what ‌3D Touch‌ does, but it's an adjustment because there's no pressure sensitivity.

Apple says Face ID is 30 percent faster in the new iPhones, and it does seem quicker. ‌Face ID‌ is also supposed to work from more angles, but it still doesn't seem to work from flat on a desk and it still needs to be pointed in the general direction of your face.

All of the new ‌iPhone‌ models use an updated 12-megapixel front-facing camera and there are some notable updates. You can turn the ‌iPhone‌ to landscape mode to capture a wider shot, which is great for group selfies, and there's a new slo-mo camera so you can capture what Apple calls "Slofies." On the ‌iPhone‌ 11, since there are now two cameras, Portrait mode works with all kinds of objects and not just people like it did in the XR.

Apple introduced a new A13 chip in the 2019 iPhones, but last year's iPhones were so quick that it's tough to notice a difference in performance in real-world everyday usage. When it comes to gaming, photography, and AR, though, you may see some faster speeds.

All in all, the ‌iPhone‌ 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max aren't wildly different from last year's devices in terms of design and internal components, but the camera has received some major updates that really set these new iPhones apart from last year's models. Those who are heavily into ‌iPhone‌ photography might want to update, but the camera-focused update may not appeal to the average user who already has an ‌iPhone‌ XS, XS Max, XR, or even an ‌iPhone‌ X or ‌iPhone‌ 8.

‌iPhone‌ users who have an older ‌iPhone‌ like a 5, 6, or 7 model will see more satisfying changes, and for these models, the $699 ‌iPhone‌ 11 is the most logical and cost effective update.

Did you get one of Apple's new iPhones? Let us know what you think in the comments. Stay tuned to MacRumors next week because we'll have more video coverage of the new iPhones, including a deep dive into the cameras.

Related Forum: iPhone

iFixit this morning did a quick teardown of the iPhone 11 Pro to provide a brief look at the new smartphone's internals, and now the site is in the process of doing a much deeper dive through an iPhone 11 Pro Max teardown.

The repair site is just now digging into the iPhone 11 Pro Max, but has already found signs of the bilateral wireless charging feature that was rumored ahead of launch but ultimately not announced.

ifixitteardown11promax
The iPhone 11 Pro teardown found two battery connectors in the new iPhones, which is a first, and further investigation by iFixit suggests the extra connector is a direct line to the wireless charging coil.

With the phone powered on, we disconnected the lower battery connector and the phone stayed on and charged via the Lightning port, but not over wireless charging. Seems this extra connector is a direct line to the wireless charging coil, which could be an important feature for bilateral charging!

What's more, when we reconnected the cable, our phone displayed a momentary temperature warning before returning to normal. We suspect it lost contact with an important battery temperature sensor and shut itself down; this sounds a lot like a reverse wireless charging heat management feature to us.

Bilateral wireless charging would have allowed the new iPhones to wirelessly charge devices like the AirPods, the Apple Watch, and even other iPhones. It was an expected feature for much of the 2019 rumor cycle, but just before the new iPhones launched, rumors indicated Apple had decided to pull the feature.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who often shares accurate insights into Apple's plans, said that bilateral wireless charging was nixed "because the charging efficiency may not match Apple's requirements."

It's not entirely clear if bilateral wireless charging is something that can be implemented at a later date if the hardware is in place, or if that's Apple's plan, but as of now, there is no two-way wireless charging option despite the hints of it in the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro and Pro Max.

iFixit has also discovered a "new mysterious board" sitting below the battery that could be related to bilateral wireless charging.

The teardown so far has also revealed a slimmed down logic board to make room for the triple-lens camera setup and similar adhesive to last year's iPhones despite new water resistance ratings.

iFixit is going to be working on its ‌iPhone 11 Pro Max‌ teardown for the next few hours. Those interested can follow along on the teardown page for updates, and we'll also update this article when new details are shared.

Update: According to iMore's Rene Ritchie, bilateral inductive charging wasn't pulled from the ‌iPhone‌ 11 because it was never slated for production to begin with. Ritchie says there is no hardware in ‌iPhone‌ 11 models that would allow such a feature to be enabled later.

Related Forum: iPhone

Apple today shared a new "Behind the Scenes" video highlighting how some of its iPhone 11 Pro footage used for promoting its newest devices was filmed.


The video demonstrates the photography rig used to capture Apple's professional footage, and the process that photographer Justin Bettman used to get some of the shots.

Photographer Justin Bettman creates elaborate and detailed scenes in unexpected locations. Check out the process behind the production as Justin creates a bigger picture using the triple-camera system of iPhone 11 Pro.

Photographs created by Bettman have been shared on Apple's Instagram account to highlight the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro's new triple-lens camera system with wide, ultra wide, and telephoto lenses.

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with AnyTrans to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win one of Apple's new iPhone 11 Pro Max devices and a lifetime AnyTrans license.

For those unfamiliar with AnyTrans, it's an iPhone manager that's an alternative to iTunes, allowing you to access and manage content that's on your ‌iPhone‌, as well as transfer files and back up data.

anytransiphonegiveaway
The newest version of AnyTrans, AnyTrans 8, recently launched with an overhauled user interface, a slew of new features, and improvements to data transfers and loading speeds, making ‌iPhone‌ content management easier than ever.

anytrans8
There's a new Phone Switcher feature in AnyTrans 8 that's ideal for transferring over to a new device, letting users transition to ‌iPhone‌ 11 from an older ‌iPhone‌ or an Android phone with a few simple steps.

anytransphoneswitcher
Other new AnyTrans 8 features include a ringtone maker, an app downloader for managing your iOS apps on your computer (a feature no longer available in iTunes or in macOS Catalina) and a screen mirroring feature for mirroring and recording your ‌iPhone‌ screen with your computer.

anytransiphonemanager
AnyTrans is priced at $30 for a single license, but there is a free trial available for those who would like to try it out.

AnyTrans is providing one MacRumors reader with a 64GB ‌iPhone 11 Pro Max‌ in the color of the reader's choice plus a lifetime license for the AnyTrans ‌iPhone‌ manager software.

iphone 11 pro no white background
Apple's ‌iPhone 11 Pro Max‌ just came out today, and it features a triple-lens camera with telephoto, wide, and ultra wide angle lenses, a super fast A13 chip, much longer battery life, and more.

To enter to win the giveaway, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (September 20) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on September 27. The winner will be chosen randomly on September 27 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is picked.

Due to Apple seeding the iOS 13.1 beta prior to the public release of iOS 13, upgrading to a new iPhone may be a bit trickier this year.

iphone restore from backup
In a support document, Apple has provided instructions for migrating data from an older iPhone running the iOS 13.1 beta to an iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max, which run iOS 13.0 out of the box.

The instant option is to set up the iPhone 11 as new, update the device to the iOS 13.1 beta, and then restore from an iCloud or iTunes backup:

  1. Back up the older iPhone via iCloud or iTunes.

  2. Power on the new iPhone, select "Set Up as New iPhone" during the set up process, and follow the steps as prompted.

  3. On the new iPhone, install the iOS 13 beta profile from either the Apple Beta Software Program or the iOS Developer Program, depending on whether you had the developer or public beta installed on the older iPhone.

  4. Upgrade the new iPhone to the iOS 13.1 beta.

  5. After the upgrade is complete, go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings on the new iPhone. This will bring the iPhone back to the "Hello" set up screen.

  6. Set up the new iPhone via "Restore from iCloud Backup" or "Restore from iTunes Backup" during the set up process.

The second option is to set up the iPhone 11 as new and sign in to iCloud on the device. When iOS 13.1 is publicly released on September 24, install the update, then restore from your older iPhone's backup:

  1. Back up the older iPhone via iCloud or iTunes.

  2. Power on the new iPhone, select "Set Up as New iPhone" during the set up process, and follow the steps as prompted.

  3. Wait until September 24 and install the publicly released version of iOS 13.1 via Settings > General > Software Update.

  4. After the upgrade is complete, go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings on the new iPhone. This will bring the iPhone back to the "Hello" set up screen.

  5. Set up the new iPhone via "Restore from iCloud Backup" or "Restore from iTunes Backup" during the set up process.

These steps are required because Apple does not allow an iPhone to be restored from a backup of a newer iOS version. Since the iPhone 11 models come preinstalled with iOS 13, they cannot be set up based on an iOS 13.1 backup.

If your older iPhone is running a version below iOS 13.1, these steps are not necessary.

Related Forum: iPhone

Apple today the golden master version of an upcoming tvOS 13 update to developers, one week after seeding the eleventh beta and more than three months after unveiling the tvOS 13 software at the Worldwide Developers Conference. The golden master represents the final version of tvOS 13 that's going to be released to the public.

Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 13 developer beta can be downloaded onto the ‌Apple TV‌ via a profile that's installed using Xcode.

tvos13
tvOS 13 introduces an updated Home screen aimed at making it easier to discover new content. Apps are now able to play full-screen video previews on the Home screen, similar to Netflix.

Multi-user support is available for the first time, letting more than one profile exist on the ‌Apple TV‌ so each family member can have their own customized ‌Apple TV‌ interface with separate recommendations, music playlists, and Watch Now lists.

Switching between profiles can be done with the new Control Center, which offers up profiles, the time and date, search, a Now Playing widget, AirPlay controls, and a sleep option.

tvOS 13 gets the ‌Apple TV‌ ready for Apple Arcade, Apple's new gaming service that's coming to the ‌Apple TV‌, iOS, iPadOS, and macOS later this year. ‌Apple Arcade‌ will offer unlimited access to more than 100 new and exclusive games, for one subscription fee.

As part of the ‌Apple Arcade‌ preparations, Apple has implemented support for the Xbox Wireless Bluetooth Controller and the PlayStation DualShock 4 Controller, both of which can be connected to an ‌Apple TV‌ over Bluetooth.

There are new under the sea themed screensavers created in partnership with the BBC Natural History Unit, which also created "Blue Planet." There's also a new Picture-in-Picture feature. Picture-in-Picture lets you continue to watch TV shows or movies while using a different app, adjusting settings, or otherwise navigating through the tvOS 13 operating system.

tvos13pictureinpicture
Apple hasn't shared details on when tvOS 13 will be coming out, but with a GM available, it's likely going to be released on Tuesday, September 24 alongside iOS 13.1 and iPadOS.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Apple's iPhone 11, ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max launched today, and repair site iFixit has picked up one of the new ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro models to take apart for one of the site's traditional teardowns.

iFixit is doing this year's teardown live on YouTube, which everyone can follow right along to get a peek inside Apple's newest devices as they're pulled apart bit by bit.


iFixit's teardown is kicking off right at 9:30 a.m. Pacific Time, and it usually takes at least a few hours for the phones to be disassembled. We'll be following along and sharing highlights from the teardown below.

- There are two battery connectors in the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro, which is a first for an ‌iPhone‌. iFixit says that this might be a sign of bilateral wireless charging, a feature that did not launch.

- The display looks about the same as the display in the ‌iPhone‌ XS with a similar Face ID arrangement.

- The Taptic Engine is smaller than the Taptic Engine in the ‌iPhone‌ XS. The ‌iPhone‌ 11 and 11 Pro this year no longer feature 3D Touch, which could be a factor.

- - As far as water resistance goes, the adhesive and waterproofing techniques seem to be similar to the water resistance features on the ‌iPhone‌ XS Max, despite the improved rating. Both iPhones are IP68 water resistant, but the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro has been rated to 4 meters at 30 minutes, while the XS Max was rated to 2 meters at 30 minutes.

- There are three adhesive strips holding the battery in place, making it more difficult to remove.

- Cable routing is different in the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro compared to the ‌iPhone‌ XS. There's a new cable that goes down to the charging port.

- The wireless coil in the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro looks the same as the charging coil in the ‌iPhone‌ XS.

- The battery is 11.6whr and appears to be thicker than the battery in the ‌iPhone‌ XS, which is in line with rumors.

iFixit has ended its live teardown and plans to go into more detail in an ‌iPhone 11 Pro Max‌ teardown that's coming later today.

Tag: iFixit

iPhone 11, ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max devices have a new hybrid software and hardware system for performance management, according to an Apple support document uncovered by 9to5Mac.

iphone 11 and 11 pro
Apple says the automatic, always-on system is "more advanced" than battery and power management systems on older iPhones, working to provide the "best possible performance as battery aging occurs over time." The new iPhones' power needs are dynamically monitored, with performance managed in real time.

All lithium-ion batteries have a limited lifespan, and Apple says that battery aging might still eventually lead to "noticeable, possibly temporary, effects" on performance, such as longer app launch times, lower frame rates, reduced wireless-data throughput, backlight dimming, or lower speaker volume.

To review your ‌iPhone‌ battery's health and see if Apple recommends a battery replacement, navigate to Settings > Battery > Battery Health on iOS 11.3 or later. Apple typically recommends replacing an ‌iPhone‌ battery once its maximum capacity relative to when it was new has dropped below 80 percent.

‌iPhone‌ battery replacements are free of charge with AppleCare+ or $69 out-of-warranty for the latest iPhones. Visit the Get Support page on Apple's website to initiate the replacement process.

Apple's performance management system became the subject of controversy when it was discovered through Geekbench results in late 2017, as Apple failed to inform customers when the system was introduced in iOS 10.2.1, leading to multiple class action lawsuits and government scrutiny around the world.

While some viewed the throttling as Apple's way of forcing customers to upgrade to newer iPhones, Apple denied any sort of planned obsolescence scheme, noting it "would never… do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades."

Related Forum: iPhone

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings recently discussed what he thinks about the upcoming launch of new rivals Apple TV+ and Disney+, as well as Netflix's plans to retain subscriber interest after their launches (via Variety). According to Hastings, "it's a whole new world starting in November," referring to the November 1 launch of ‌Apple TV‌+ and November 12 launch of Disney+.

apple tv plus promo image
The CEO said that it will be "tough competition" for Netflix, but the company will continue on course with its core strategy of offering bingeable TV shows and movies. This means that Netflix isn't planning on trialing drastically different content types, like Amazon Prime Video is with live sports, or experimenting with different release models.

“While we’ve been competing with many people in the last decade, it’s a whole new world starting in November…between Apple launching and Disney launching, and of course Amazon’s ramping up,” said Hastings, who also cited NBCUniversal’s coming Peacock service. “It’ll be tough competition. Direct-to-consumer [customers] will have a lot of choice.”

There are now numerous standalone streaming services that vie for customer attention, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Now, the upcoming HBO Max, CBS All Access, the upcoming NBC Peacock, Shudder, and many more.

‌Apple TV‌+ will launch November 1 with a handful of exclusive TV shows, including "The Morning Show," "Dickinson," "See," and "For All Mankind." Apple is making the service free for a full year for anyone who purchases an iPhone, iPad, ‌Apple TV‌, iPod Touch, or Mac. ‌Apple TV‌+ will cost $4.99/month otherwise.

Disney+ will launch November 12 with a huge back catalog of Disney films and tv shows, divided among the company's major brands: Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. To entice early adopters, Disney even offered a sign-up deal that got you three years of the streaming service for the price of two. This brought the price of the service to just under $4/month, compared to its $6.99/month regular price tag.

Amid the emergence of so many new streaming services, Hastings pointed out that production costs for streaming-based TV shows would rise, thanks to companies like Apple and Disney now also purchasing valuable production space in highly sought after areas. According to Hastings, "Someday 'The Crown' will look like a bargain," referring to its popular historical drama series that might not be the most expensive show ever made, but is among the most expensive to be produced by Netflix.

References to three new Smart Battery Cases made by Apple have been found inside the code for iOS 13.1, appearing to confirm that the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max will all be getting Smart Battery Cases in the future (via 9to5Mac).

smart battery case xs

‌iPhone‌ XS Smart Battery Case

The model codes for the cases are A2180, A2183, and A2184, which are believed to represent Smart Battery Cases for the ‌iPhone‌ 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max, respectively. Similar discoveries for a new ‌Smart Battery Case‌ line for the ‌iPhone‌ XS and XS Max were made last year, weeks ahead of an official launch.

One of the main upgrades on the ‌iPhone‌ 11 line, particularly for the "Pro" models, is the battery life of each smartphone. The ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro is said to have 4 more hours of battery life than the ‌iPhone‌ XS, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max has 5 hours more battery life than the ‌iPhone‌ XS Max.

This has translated into reviews for the 2019 iPhones praising all-day-long battery life. Smart Battery Cases would guarantee even longer battery life for the ‌iPhone‌ 11 family, for anyone who truly doesn't want to have to worry about charging their ‌iPhone‌.

Related Forum: iPhone

One of the new features set to officially launch in iOS 13.1 next week is "Audio Sharing," which lets you share the audio that you hear from your iPhone with another user.

airpodsvspowerbeatspro 1
While this feature was initially announced as being supported only for AirPods and Powerbeats Pro with Apple's H1 chip, it will also be coming to all Beats headphones that use a W1 chip, including Beats Studio3 Wireless, BeatsX, Powerbeats3 Wireless, and Solo3 Wireless (via Engadget).

Engadget says the update for Beats headphones will arrive on September 23, although iOS 13.1 won't be released until the following day.

Related Forum: iOS 13

iPhone 11 and Apple Watch Series 5 launch day is now underway in the United States and Canada, with deliveries beginning to arrive to customers. Apple Stores are also opening early at 8 a.m. local time in each country to accommodate in-store pickups and walk-in purchases on a first-come, first-served basis.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook and retail chief Deirdre O'Brien attended the grand reopening of the company's newly revamped Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan today, posing for photos with customers and joining in the launch day excitement.

tim cook fifth ave
All of the new iPhone 11 and Apple Watch Series 5 models should be on display at most Apple Stores starting today for customers to try out. And as first noted by Mark Gurman, Apple has installed lit-up "11" and "Pro" window displays at select stores for the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro.

apple store iphone 11 pro sign

"Pro" sign at an Apple Store via ericip220

Visiting an Apple Store today for launch day? Share your photos with us on Twitter by tagging @MacRumors.

Apple added an ECG app to the Apple Watch Series 4 last year, providing users in select territories the ability to measure the electrical activity of their heart. This ECG feature is now live for users in India as of the launch of watchOS 6 (via Business Today).

Regulatory clearance is required for the ECG feature, so it's only launched so far in the United States, Hong Kong, Canada, Singapore, and most countries in Europe, including the United Kingdom.

applewatchseries4ecgfeature
The feature is said to already be live for users in India today if they own the Apple Watch Series 4 and upgrade to watchOS 6. It will also be available for Indian users who purchase the Apple Watch Series 5, available in the country from September 27.

ECGs are captured by holding a finger on the Digital Crown of the Apple Watch, which will detect a sinus rhythm (normal), an abnormal result, or, sometimes, test results will be inconclusive.

The idea is that you can take this information to your doctor, if the results are abnormal, and use it as a basis to discover if you have any larger issues at hand. In total, it takes about 30 seconds for the Apple Watch's ECG functionality to complete.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

One of the more useful actions that 3D Touch makes possible is pressing an iPhone's onscreen keyboard to turn it into a virtual trackpad. If you ‌3D Touch‌, the keyboard turns blank and morphs into a trackpad that allows you to quickly move the cursor on the screen through the text you've written.

virtual trackpad on iphone 11
This popular gesture is useful because it allows you to make quick edits without having to reach up and tap the display. However, in its latest crop of devices, Apple has replaced ‌3D Touch‌ with Haptic Touch, and the way the virtual trackpad activates has changed slightly.

On ‌iPhone‌ 11, ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max, you have to press and hold on the spacebar to bring up the trackpad. In other words, pressing just anywhere on the keyboard no longer works.

It's a small adjustment, but it's worth highlighting in case you tried to activate the virtual trackpad on your new ‌iPhone‌ in the traditional way and wondered why it wasn't working. Note that the gesture functions similarly on all Apple devices that lack ‌3D Touch‌, including the ‌iPhone‌ XR and all models of iPad.

Related Forum: iPhone

twitterlogoTwitter today rolled out its new "Hide Replies" feature in the U.S. and Japan, providing Twitter users with more control over the replies that are visible following a tweet.

The idea behind the feature is to give people more control over the conversations they start on the social media platform, so they can hide replies that are offensive and the hidden reply won't show up to others as a response to the original tweet.

The company has been experimenting the Hide Replies feature since June, and says it saw "a lot of positive trends" during its initial test in Canada.

According to Twitter, people with access to the feature mostly hide replies that they think are irrelevant, abusive or unintelligible. It also found that people were more likely to reconsider their interactions when their tweet was hidden.

To mitigate concerns that hiding someone's reply could be misunderstood and potentially lead to confusion or frustration, Twitter says it will ask the user if they want to also block that account.

As TechCrunch pointed out back in April, Hide Replies has the potential to be controversial because the original person who tweets will be able to control which replies are visible in a conversation thread. However, Twitter is more interested its potential for good, as noted in its blog post:

These are positive and heartening results: the feature helped people have better conversations, and was a useful tool against replies that deterred from the person’s original intent.

We're interested to see if these trends continue, and if new ones emerge, as we expand our test to Japan and the US. People in these markets use Twitter in many unique ways, and we’re excited to see how they might use this new tool.

The news follows several other features that have recently been trialed or rolled out on the social media platform, all with the aim of handing over more control to users and creating a "healthier service" by cutting down on abuse and harassment.

Tag: Twitter

If you use one of the Infograph watch faces on your Apple Watch, you may be surprised to find that the colors have drained from your chosen complications since you updated to watchOS 6.

monochrome infograph watchos6 2
Despite how it may first seem, the sudden grayscale look is not a bug, but an intentional watch face change that Apple describes as "new monochrome complications in Infograph and Infograph Modular" in the watchOS 6 release notes.

The way Apple has implemented the feature is a bit confusing initially, because the monochrome style appears by default if you've selected one of the various accent colors for your watch face. The chosen accent remains, but the complications display in monochrome.

If you don't like it, you can reinstate color complications by following these simple steps.

  1. On your Apple Watch, hard press on the monochrome Infograph watch face.
  2. Tap Customize.
    monochrome infograph watchos6 1

  3. On Infograph watch faces, use the Digital Crown to scroll up and select either the Black or White color option. On Infograph Modular faces, scroll up and select Multicolor.
  4. Press the Digital Crown twice to confirm your selection and exit the customize screen.

You can do the same thing in the Watch app on iPhone. Select the My Watch tab and tap the offending watch face under My Faces, then select Black, White, or Multicolor from the color options.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)