MacRumors

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming watchOS 4.3 update to developers, a few days after seeding the fifth beta and more than a month after releasing watchOS 4.2.3, a minor update focusing on bug fixes.

Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software update.

To install the update, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it has to be placed on the charger, and it needs to be in range of the iPhone it's paired to.

watchOS 4.3 introduces support for Nightstand mode in portrait orientation, a feature that was previously only available when the watch was placed in landscape orientation. There's also a new charging animation when the Apple Watch is placed on the charger, a new app loading animation, your Activity data is now displayed on the Siri watch face, and the battery complication more accurately reports battery life.

The watchOS 4.3 update also brings the return of a much-desired feature that allows music playing on the iPhone to be controlled using the Music app on the Apple Watch.

In prior versions of watchOS, starting with watchOS 4, the Music app could only be used to control music playing on the watch itself. With the tvOS 11.3 beta installed, there's also an option to control music playing on the Apple TV with the watch.

Apple plans to release watchOS 4.3 to the public in the spring, and until then, it will be limited to developers. Apple offers public betas of tvOS, iOS, and macOS, but watchOS betas are not available for public beta testers because there's no way to revert to an earlier version of watchOS once an update is installed.

As we're on the sixth beta, we should be nearing a release date in the next couple of weeks.

As we draw nearer to the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere on Tuesday, March 20, many people around the world are getting ready to travel for spring break and other holidays. To prepare you for any trip you might have planned this spring or later in the summer, MacRumors has partnered with Twelve South to bring our readers exclusive discounts on five of the accessory maker's most useful travel products.

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.

The promo code MacRumorsSpringBreak is live beginning today, March 16, and will be available to use on TwelveSouth.com through Friday, March 30, offering 15 percent discounts on five items during this two week timeframe. MacRumors readers around the globe will be able to enter the code and take advantage of the discounts, but shipping costs will vary by regions. For United States residents, Twelve South offers free FedEx Smart Post on all orders (5-10 days estimate), and if your order exceeds $95 you'll gain free 2-day shipping.

From organizing your charging cables to ensuring that your iPhone and Mac will be able to charge in foreign outlets, the items included in our discount should help both domestic and international travelers this season. The products can be purchased individually or in groups, and the 15 percent discount will be taken off from the total of the order, excluding shipping. Below you'll find the full list of Twelve South products offered as a discount exclusively for our readers.

CableSnap

Promo Price: $16.99, down from $19.99
Colors: Black, Cognac, Marsala
Compatible Products: iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Apple Watch
Description: Leather cable organizers that will help keep your iPhone and iPad cables, USB-C Mac cable, EarPods, and any other wires neat and tangle free in your travel bags. Includes one large and two small CableSnaps.

Compass 2

Promo Price: $25.49, down from $29.99
Colors: Black, Gold, Rose Gold, Silver
Compatible Products: 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, iPad mini, iPad Air
Description: A multi-use stand that offers a stable platform to place your iPad in portrait and landscape modes so you can watch movies on an airplane, FaceTime hands-free, and even type more comfortably.

PlugBug World

Promo Price: $38.24, down from $44.99
Compatible Products: MacBook, iPad, iPhone
Description: PlugBug World attaches to your MacBook Power Adapter and provides a simple, dual-charging solution thanks to the included USB-A port for iPhone/iPad charging. Five international snap on plugs ensure charging convenience in both the U.S. and numerous other countries.

BookBook CaddySack

Promo Price: $42.49, down from $49.99
Compatible Products: MacBook, Apple Pencil, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Description: A compact leather case with elastic bands and pockets to organize your MacBook Power Adapter, dongles, AirPods, EarPods, PlugBug World, iPhone chargers, and more.

TimePorter

Promo Price: $42.49, down from $49.99
Colors: Black, White
Compatible Products: Apple Watch
Description: A silicone-lined case for travelers that stores Apple Watch essentials like the charging cable, USB adapter, and an extra band, while also doubling as a travel display stand that supports nightstand mode.

While our exclusive promo code provides the best price online for most of these products, those interested in the White TimePorter should take a look at Twelve South's storefront on Amazon first. The product is $10 off, and an on-page coupon can be clipped to save an additional $7.50. If you have Amazon Prime's free-two day shipping, that'll make the TimePorter just $32.49.

If you're looking for a new iPhone case to take on an upcoming trip, Twelve South on Amazon has multiple sizes and colors of its $49.99 Relaxed Leather Case for iPhone marked down by $10 or more. The savings include items like the iPhone X case in Earl Grey for $37.55, iPhone 7/8 case in Warm Taupe for $39.99, and iPhone 7 Plus/8 Plus in Indigo for $38.99. A similar discount has also hit the $59.99 BookBook case for iPhone X.

Head over to our Deals Roundup for even more of the latest offers happening this week, and remember to use the exclusive Twelve South promo code before it expires on March 30. We also have a special discount code on the BentoStack for our readers, which could be another useful item to add to your travel bags on your next vacation.

Apple next week plans to host a workshop for developers at the Station F startup incubator in Paris, France. The event will take place on Friday, March 23 according to French site Mac4Ever.

A limited number of French developers have been invited to attend the workshop, which will consist of a two hour workshopping session followed by a question and answer period.

This special workshop will teach you to create amazing apps for Apple platforms and make the most of your presence on the App Store. After the workshop, you'll have the opportunity to speak with Apple experts and fellow participants.

Station F is one of the largest centers for entrepreneurs in Europe, and Apple first became involved with the incubator in October of 2017 following Apple CEO Tim Cook's visit to Paris.

Apple reportedly has a small team at Station F to help developers create, validate, and manage their iOS apps. Station F memberships start at €195 per month, but there are discounted yearly memberships available along with a free program for those who can't afford the fee.

For this week's giveaway we've teamed up with Function 101 to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a handy BentoStack organizer for all of your Apple accessories, which will come equipped with AirPods, an Apple Pencil, and two Apple Watch bands.

The BentoStack, priced at $50, started out as a highly successful Indiegogo project, but it's now available to anyone. Modeled after traditional Bento boxes that are popular as lunch containers in Japan, the multi-layered BentoStack is designed to hold and organize a variety of accessories. The BentoStack comes in three colors -- Space Gray, Silver, and Rose Gold -- and has a soft, smooth texture.

Each BentoStack consists of four storage compartments, a lid, and a silicone strap to hold it all together. The top lid (that can also double as a stand) holds an Apple Pencil or a standard pen, while the top compartment can hold an AirPods case, wound up iPhone cables, or similarly sized items.

A second lid in the middle can hold your Apple Watch bands, and the bottom compartment, which is the deepest, is able to hold a MacBook Pro-sized charger along with additional cables and accessories. For countries with larger MacBook plugs, there's also a BentoStack XL that's just a bit deeper.

Dividers in both of the two larger compartments allow you to arrange the BentoStack's interior to meet your needs, and with these removable dividers, it can accommodate accessories in many sizes.

I reviewed the BentoStack back in November, and I was impressed with its capacity. I was able to fit three Apple Watch bands, an Apple Watch, a MacBook Pro power adapter, a USB-C cable, two regular-sized Lightning cables, a small Lightning cable, and an Apple Pencil.

Once filled up, the BentoStack fits all together in one neat little bundle, which you can leave on your desk or take with you anywhere. When you need to use it on the go, you can unpack whichever layers you need for a portable desk organization system. If you want to just take a single section of the BentoStack with you, you can do that too, as Function 101 includes an extra small silicone strap.

For all of our readers, we've got a special discount code that will discount the BentoStack by 40 percent. Just enter the promo code MacRumors40 when checking out on the Function website. That drops the price of the BentoStack from $50 to $30, with $10 shipping. The deal will be available through Thursday, March 22.

We also have one fully loaded BentoStack to give away to a lucky MacRumors reader. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach winners and send prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, 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 (March 16) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on March 23. The winner will be chosen randomly on March 23 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.

We're starting to see more 7.5-watt wireless chargers hitting the market, and RAVPower is another popular charging accessory manufacturer that's getting into the mix. RAVPower's previous Fast Wireless Charger has been one of my favorite chargers for the iPhone X, but the company has also been working on improvements leading to a recently launched series of chargers under "HyperAir" branding. The lineup includes flat charging bases, a charging stand, and even a power bank that can wirelessly charge your iPhone.

RAVPower promotes its new HyperAir accessories as supporting both 7.5-watt iPhone and 10-watt Android charging with optimal efficiency, using intelligent temperature monitoring and improved heat dissipation to maintain charging speeds for longer periods of time.

RAVPower notes that the iPhone uses a narrow fixed frequency for its wireless charging, and HyperAir chargers are optimized to match that frequency for fast charging. Upon placing an iPhone on a HyperAir charger, the charger quickly identifies the device and optimizes its charging profile, allowing for a complete charge in two and a half to three hours.

I've been testing three different types of chargers from the HyperAir lineup, and I've come away impressed with several of them. I'm always on the lookout for stand-style chargers, and the new HyperAir stand is a good one. It has an unobtrusive black finish but with a little bit more style than Anker's stands, with rear and bottom supports that appear distinct from the main body, and it's completely silent with no integrated fan. The lack of active cooling could result in temperature issues, but RAVPower's temperature sensing and management technology helps overcome some of those challenges.

In my testing, the HyperAir stand charged my iPhone X battery from 10 percent to 51 percent in an hour, well ahead of most other chargers and second only to Anker's new PowerWave stand in that metric.

A horizontal LED on the front of the stand pulses green during charging, briefly shines solid red when first plugged in, and can flash red if there's a charging problem.

I also tested RAVPower's HyperAir pad, and somewhat surprisingly I found that it wasn't able to charge my phone as quickly, reaching just 41 percent after an hour. That's pretty much in line with charging speeds I've seen on many other chargers including those running at 5 watts, so I'm not entirely sure why it wasn't quite able to match its stand sibling. The HyperAir pad is a fairly standard looking pad with a slim design and a similar horizontal LED to the one seen on the stand model, capable of shining green or red to let you know its status.

As with Anker's PowerWave chargers, RAVPower's HyperAir stand and pad each come with an 18-watt power adapter that supports the Quick Charge 3.0 standard. The chargers require a Quick Charge 3.0 adapter to function, and will not work with other power adapters or USB ports. RAVPower includes a really nice braided micro-USB cable in the box as well.

The HyperAir stand is normally priced at $49.99 and the pad at $39.99, but RAVPower is offering a special limited-time Amazon deal of 20 percent off for MacRumors readers, bringing the cost of the stand down to $39.99 with promo code MACRPC69 and the pad down to $31.99 with promo code MACRPC66.

In addition to the stand and pad, RAVPower's HyperAir lineup also includes a 10,400 mAh portable power bank with built-in wireless charging pad, normally priced at $67.99 but currently 15 percent off for MacRumors readers with promo code 9QHSE6R9, bringing the price down to $57.79. The power bank lets you charge up to two devices simultaneously, one wirelessly by setting your phone on top of the power bank and a second through a 2.4A USB port. At 10,400 mAh, there's a decent amount of power available for charging multiple devices multiple times.

My charging test saw the power bank only push my iPhone X battery to 42 percent, which isn't quite as good as some of the wired HyperAir and PowerWave chargers, but not bad considering this is for charging on the go.

Wireless charging on a power bank can be tricky if you're out and about, as you need to keep the phone aligned with the charging pad, but if it works for your needs, this is a solid option and there aren't a ton of these types of accessories on the market yet. The USB port also lets you fall back to wired charging if you need to charge without a stable surface around to set things up on. It feels like a pretty large price premium over standard power banks just to add wireless charging, but it might be worthwhile for some users.

The design is a fairly simple black plastic that's nothing special, but it does the trick and has a non-slip surface for charging pad. There's an LED on the side that lets you know the wireless charging status with the same green and red colors as the other HyperAir chargers, and the charging state of the power bank itself can be determined from a set of four small blue LEDs on the top surface. RAVPower includes a flat micro-USB cable and a USB-C to micro-USB adapter in the box, but there's no included power adapter. RAVPower recommends you use at least a 2A adapter for maximum recharging speed.

RAVPower tells me it is applying to the WPC for Qi certification on these new chargers and hopes to receive it by the end of next month.

Note: RAVPower provided the wireless chargers to MacRumors free of charge for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon and may earn commissions on purchases made through links in this article.

ColorWare this week announced it has released a limited edition original iPhone skin for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, and iPhone X.

Over 10 years ago, Apple debuted their revolutionary iPhone. This product changed everything for mobile phone owners. The bar of expectations was risen to a point that changed the market forever. ColorWare would like to pay homage to this historical event by offering our Limited Edition Original iPhone skin.

ColorWare says its single-piece matte skins are made with genuine 3M vinyl, allowing for easier installation and a better final look.

The skins are available for $19 each in the United States for a limited time only. They are estimated to ship in three to five business days.

iOS and Android ride-hailing app Lyft has begun testing monthly subscription plans for "high-frequency users," in a style comparable to services like Netflix, Apple Music, and MoviePass.

According to The Verge, the terms of each "All-Access Plan" vary and an overall detailed report from Lyft has yet to come out, but prices appear to start at $200/month for 30 standard Lyft rides. Standard rides are defined as those costing up to $15 for each ride. Higher tiers are priced at $250, $300, and one for $400/month provides 60 rides.

Images of the ads for All-Access Plans promote "predictable pricing," the ability to cancel anytime, and auto-renew payments.

Lyft CEO Logan Green discussed the new subscription plans this week, saying, "We are going to move the entire industry from one based on ownership to one based on subscription." As is typical for these tests, it's still unclear if and when Lyft will launch subscription plans for all of its users.

“We’re always testing new ways to provide passengers the most affordable and flexible transportation options,” the spokesperson said. “For the past few months, we’ve been testing a variety of All-Access Plans for Lyft passengers.”

Lyft recently expanded to Toronto at the end of 2017, which marked the company's first market outside of the United States. Earlier in 2017, the ride-hailing company partnered with self-driving startup Waymo in an effort "to bring autonomous vehicle technology into the mainstream."

The company has had an ongoing rival in similar ride-hailing app Uber, which itself trialed monthly subscription payments for its users back in 2016 but never launched the service on wide scale.

This week, popular console and desktop game Fortnite hit the iOS App Store in beta form, allowing players to access the "same 100-player" Battle Royale mode found on PS4 and Mac computers while on-the-go. Following Fortnite, it's been announced that another large-scale console title is getting a full game on iOS and Android, called ARK: Survival Evolved and launching this spring (via TouchArcade).

ARK originally released in early access on Steam and Xbox One in 2015, and then the final game launched across most platforms in 2017, including PC, Mac, Xbox One, and PS4. ARK is an action survival game that takes place in a large open world inhabited by dinosaurs, tasking players with building bases and weapons, taming and taking care of dinosaurs, and joining up with other players in tribes.

A few other features coming to ARK on mobile include:

– 80+ Dinosaurs: Use cunning strategy and tactics to tame, train, ride and breed the many dinosaurs and other primeval creatures roaming the dynamic, persistent ecosystems across land, sea, air, and even underground.
– Discover: Explore a massive living and breathing prehistoric landscape as you find the means to survive, thrive, and escape on the Ark.
– Craft and Build: Using any means necessary to survive, craft weapons, clothes, and items, and build shelters, villages, or even large cities.
– Survive Alone or With Others: Group up with, or prey on, hundreds of other players in a large-scale online world or choose to go it alone in single-player mode.
– Join a Tribe: The ‘Tribe’ system encourages cooperation, by supporting dynamic parties to share resources, XP, and re-spawn points.

Beta invites for iOS are already open for the game, and mobile game developer War Drum Studios stated that the plan for the smartphone version "is to contain the full online experience as the PC version of ARK." This includes the game's 50-person multiplayer environment where players can join tribes to share resources, gain XP, and more, as well as engage in an offline single player experience.

There will also be a few tweaks in the transition to mobile, including faster paced gameplay, a unique user interface, and a "specialized control setup" that was developed specifically for ARK on mobile. The iOS and Android version of the game will offer optional upgrades that players can acquire with "Amber" to progress faster, obtain certain buffs for certain amounts of time, build unique crafting structures, and bring lost dinosaurs back from the dead. The developers said these updates "allow for the ultimate experience on mobile," while maintaining the true ARK experience as closely as possible.

In a tweet on the new @PlayARKMoible Twitter account, War Drum Studios said that ARK will require 2GB of download space on iOS, and run at 30 FPS on iPhone 7 devices and newer. It "will feature the entire Island map with most of the creatures," requiring 2GB of RAM on iOS and 3GB of RAM on Android. The developers also put out a trailer for the game, noting that all gameplay footage included was recorded live using an iPhone 8.

ARK will be free-to-play when it launches on iOS and Android widely this spring, but details about any potential microtransactions have not yet been revealed.

Google has announced that its previously Android-only Google Lens feature is now rolling out to iOS users who have the Google Photos app installed.

First unveiled last year at the Google I/O 2017 conference, Google Lens uses the company's image recognition and machine learning algorithms to identify the subjects of photos and videos and present additional helpful actions and information to the user.

For example, if you take a picture of a business card, Google Lens will offer to save the phone number or address to one of your contacts. Similarly, taking a photo of a book, landmark, building, painting, plant or animal can throw up an option to view more details about the picture's subject.

A few things to note: Currently Google Lens only works if your device's language is set to English, and you're running the latest version (3.15) of Google Photos. You can check what version you're running in the app's settings – tap the cog icon and select "About Google Photos" in the menu. Also note that your Google Lens activity is saved to your Google Account if you have Web & App Activity turned on.

If you still don't see the Google Lens icon when viewing individual photos or videos, it's likely the feature hasn't reached your region yet. Google says the update is being released in batches and all devices should receive it soon.

Google Photos is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Unsolicited phone calls and messages can become a regular annoyance and even a cause of stress for many smartphone users these days. Thankfully, Apple provides features in iOS 11 that allow you to block nuisance calls and messages from the same number coming through to your phone, and in this article we're going to show you how to set them up.

Whether it's messages from a debt collector looking for the wrong person, a random number from a foreign country that keeps calling in the middle of the night, or just someone in your contacts that you'd rather not hear from again, following the steps below should stop them from bothering you.

How to Block a Recent Caller in iOS 11

If the number you want to block is a recent caller, follow these steps on your iPhone.

1. Launch the Phone app.
   

2. Tap Recents.
   
   

3. Locate the number you want to block in the All or Missed calls list.
   

4. Tap the information icon (the encircled lowercase "i") to the right of the number.
   

5. Scroll down the Caller ID screen and tap Block this Caller.

How to Block a Number That Messages You

If you're the recipient of unwanted messages from a specific number, here's how to prevent them from coming through to your iPhone.

1. Launch the Messages app.
   

2. Navigate to the main messages list if necessary, and tap a message received from the number you want to block.
   
   

3. Tap the information icon (the encircled lowercase "i") at the upper right of the message window.
   

4. At the top of the Details screen, tap the name of the contact or the associated phone number.
   
   

5. Scroll down the Caller ID screen if necessary and tap Block this Caller.

How to Block a Number in FaceTime

If you received a FaceTime call from a number that you want to block, follow these steps.

1. Launch the FaceTime app.
   

2. Tap either the Video or Audio button, depending on the type of FaceTime call you received from the caller you want to block.
   
   

3. Locate the unwanted call you received in the list and tap the information icon (the encircled lowercase "i") next to it.
   

4. Scroll down the Caller ID screen if necessary and tap Block this Caller.

How to Manage Blocked Contacts on iPhone

Follow these steps to add or remove a contact from your blocked list of numbers.

1. Launch the Settings app.
   

2. Tap Phone in the list.
   

3. Tap Call Blocking & Identification.
   
   

4. To remove a contact from your blocked list, tap Edit in the upper right corner of the screen, tap the red minus button that appears next to the contact(s) you want to remove, and then tap Done.
   

5. To add a contact to your blocked list, tap Block Contact... and select the contact from your Contacts list. All of the numbers in the contact card you select will be added to your blocked list.

Note that you can also access and manage your blocked contacts list in the Settings app via Messages -> Blocked and FaceTime -> Blocked.

Try a Third-Party Blocking Solution

If you're inundated with spam calls from different numbers on a regular basis, then consider one of the many third-party blocking solutions available from the App Store: Several apps like Hiya and TrueCaller use an implementation of Apple's CallKit to identify and block suspect numbers before your phone even rings.

After installing one of these apps, you can manage their call permissions at any time from within the Settings app, by tapping Phone and selecting Call Blocking & Information.

Epic Games' popular multiplayer game Fortnite Battle Royale is now available for download from the iOS App Store, and the first beta invites for the game have been sent out to those who signed up for the beta.

The new free-to-play iOS game is identical to the Battle Royale mode in Fortnite for PCs, Macs, and consoles, and it is similar to other games of this style like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. Battle Royale supports up to 100 players, with gamers able to play solo or in squads of up to four people.

The aim of the game is to be the last person standing, taking out opponents with a variety of weapons while also avoiding death from other people. Players start out with just a pickaxe and must scavenge through the world for weapons, armor, and resources.

Fortnite Battle Royale for iOS supports Cross Play and Cross Progression between Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Mac, which means players across multiple devices can play together.

If you haven't yet signed up for the Fortnite Battle Royale beta test on iOS, you can do so on the Epic Games website. Not all players who signed up for the test have received beta invites at this time, with Epic Games planning to send out invites on a rolling basis.

Each person who is invited to the Fortnite Battle Royale beta test will also receive invite codes to share with others.

To participate in the beta, players must have an internet connection and a device running iOS 11. Eligible devices able to run the game include the iPhone 6s and later, the iPad mini 4, all iPad Pro models, the iPad Air 2, and the 2017 5th-generation iPad.

Fortnite can be downloaded from the App Store for free, but a beta invite is required to play. [Direct Link]