MacRumors

Aptoide, a popular Google Play alternative for Android devices, will be launching an iOS game marketplace on Thursday, June 6, in the European Union.

The Aptoide iOS store will launch with a limited selection of titles, but the company says that new games will arrive every day, and that 30 titles are currently being processed for inclusion. Examples of current games include Word Jungle, Condor — Leap of Faith, Solitaire, Mahjong, and Charades.

Initially, access to the store will be restricted to users with invitation-only access codes, but Aptoide says it has a waiting list of 20,000 signups and plans to issue between 500 to 1,000 codes per day.

As noted by The Verge, Aptoide is the first third-party iOS marketplace to launch with an Apple-approved in-app purchases (IAP) solution, which it will provide to developers via an IAP software development kit.

Apple's 50 euro cents Core Technology Fee (CFT) will be covered by a fee charged to developers for in-app purchases, which means IAP-driven apps will be "preferred" in Aptoide iOS, according to the marketplace's CEO, Paulo Trezentos.

Apps distributed through alternative app marketplaces are required to submit to a notarization process to ensure they are free from malware, but Apple does not have restrictions on content so apps that might not have been eligible for the ‌App Store‌ can be distributed through alternative means. Alternative app marketplaces are not available outside of the European Union.

Aptoide has operated for an Android ‌App Store‌ since 2009, and last year reached nearly half a billion downloads.

Update: OpenAI's status page indicates the first issue was resolved at 4:45 a.m. Pacific Time, but the service is continuing to have problems.

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OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot is currently suffering a major outage that is making the generative AI service unavailable for "some users," according to the company's system status page.

ChatGPT has been down for several hours, with the chatbot unable to respond to queries via the web and mobile apps due to an internal server error. The company says it first started working on the issue at 12:21 a.m. Pacific Time on June 4.

ChatGPT has more than 100 million weekly users, according to OpenAI. Apple has reportedly closed in on a deal with OpenAI that should see ChatGPT being used to power new features in iOS 18, Apple's next major iPhone operating system update, so outages like this one could potentially affect millions more users.

ChatGPT also suffered a partial outage last month when Microsoft's Bing API stopped functioning, leaving the chatbot and many other services unable to search the web.

As expected, Apple has ended its limited-time promotion that increased the trade-in values for select iPhone models in the United States when customers buy a new iPhone.

The two-week promotion officially came to a close on June 3, which means anyone trading in their existing iPhone 11 or newer today will get slightly less money knocked off the price of a new iPhone than they would have done the previous day. Some of the new values have been reproduced below, with the previous promotional values in brackets:

• iPhone 14 Pro Max: Up to $630 (vs. $650)
• iPhone 14 Pro: Up to $520 (vs. $530)
• iPhone 14 Plus: Up to $420 (vs. $430)
• iPhone 14: Up to $370 (vs. $380)
• iPhone 13 Pro Max: Up to $450 (vs. $460)
• iPhone 13 Pro: Up to $370 (vs. $380)
• iPhone 13: Up to $300 (vs. $320)
• iPhone 13 mini: Up to $270 (vs. $300)
• iPhone SE (3rd generation): Up to $160 (vs. $170)

Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website or at an Apple Store, and the credit can be applied towards the purchase of a new Apple product, or placed on an Apple gift card for later use. Apple's trade-in page offers a complete list of values for devices.

Last month, Microsoft announced the upcoming launch of Copilot+ Windows PCs with integrated AI hardware and software. One feature that Microsoft touted was Recall, a tool that's designed to take regular snapshots of PC content to help users find anything they've seen or done on their machine.

As it turns out, Recall might be a security nightmare for Windows users. Security expert Kevin Beaumont recently said (via The Verge) that he was able to automate a program that provides plain text data of everything a user has viewed, despite Microsoft's claims that Recall information cannot be exfiltrated remotely.

Beaumont claims that Recall is "essentially an infostealer" that's included in Windows by default, and that it will "set cybersecurity back a decade by empowering cybercriminals." With Recall, hackers are able to scrape "everything you've ever looked at within seconds," and users should prepare for "AI powered super breaches."

Microsoft describes Recall as a feature that lets you "search across time to find the content you need." Powered by AI, Recall takes snapshots every five seconds when content on the screen is different from the prior snapshot and stores the snapshots in a timeline, with AI software using OCR to make the text in the snapshots searchable. Microsoft says that snapshots are locally stored and are analyzed on-device, which should make them secure, but the OCR data is stored in an SQLite database that could be accessed by hackers who infiltrate a PC using malware.

According to Beaumont, infostealer trojans are able to be "easily modified to support Recall" and data from the feature can be accessed remotely. Microsoft "tried to do a bunch of things" to improve security, but ultimately, "none of it actually works properly in the real world." The database that is theoretically accessible by malicious actors contains everything a user has seen such as text messages and passwords, every user interaction, and all websites visited (with the exception of Microsoft Edge in Private Mode).

Beaumont has not shared full technical details on how he automated exfiltration of the Recall database, and is holding until Recall is shipped because he wants to give Microsoft "time to do something." Beaumont recommends that Microsoft pull the feature for the time being.

Copilot+ PCs with Recall are set to launch on June 18. As of now, Recall is turned on by default, though users can optionally disable it.

Update: Given the response to Recall, Microsoft has decided to make it an opt-in feature rather than an opt-out feature. It will no longer be on by default, and there will be an option to opt in or opt out when setting up a Copilot+ PC. Windows Hello will also be required to turn on Recall for an extra layer of authentication. Windows Hello requires a face scan, fingerprint, or PIN to access a machine. Proof of presence will be required as well, so a screenshot timeline won't be accessible without authentication.

To address concerns about the accessibility of the database that Recall creates, Microsoft is adding additional layers of protection linked to authentication, and the search index database has been encrypted.

Spotify today announced that it is increasing Premium plan pricing in the United States in order to "bring users the best experience."

The Individual Premium plan is now priced at $11.99, up from $10.99. Duo is priced at $16.99 (up $2), Family is priced at $19.99 (up $3), and Student is priced at $5.99 (no change).

This is actually the second time Spotify has raised prices in the last 12 months. In July 2023, the Premium plan price went from $9.99 to $10.99, so there has been a 20 percent increase in the last year. Prior to the July 2023 increase, Duo was priced at $12.99 and the Family plan was priced at $15.99, marking a 31 percent total increase for Duo and a 25 percent increase for Family after the 2024 price hikes.

Spotify subscribers will soon be seeing emails notifying them of the upcoming price increase. Emails will include instructions on how to cancel a Premium subscription.

On Spotify, users discover and enjoy music, podcasts, and audiobooks. So that we can continue to invest in and innovate on our product features and bring users the best experience, we occasionally update our prices. Over the next month, subscribers in the U.S. will receive an email explaining what this update means for their subscription.

At $11.99 and $19.99, respectively, the Spotify Premium and Family plans are now more expensive than the equivalent Apple Music plans. Apple's Individual plan is priced at $10.99 per month, while the Family plan is priced at $16.99 per month.

Though Apple mistakenly listed the M2 chip in the iPad Air as having a 10-core GPU instead of a 9-core GPU, the performance claims that it shared during the ‌iPad Air‌ launch and in marketing materials are accurate.

In a statement provided to 9to5Mac, Apple said that the details it shared on the ‌iPad Air‌'s performance were always based on a 9-core GPU.

We are updating Apple.com to correct the core count for the M2 iPad Air. All performance claims for the M2 iPad Air are accurate and based on a 9-core GPU.

Apple's website says that the ‌M2‌ chip is "nearly 50 percent faster than the previous generation," and that it specifically has "25 percent faster graphics."

Apple recently updated its technical specifications website for the ‌M2‌ ‌iPad Air‌ to state that the device has a 9-core GPU. Prior to the update, it listed a 10-core GPU. The prior-generation iPad Pro had a 10-core GPU, so it is a surprise that the ‌iPad Air‌ version is limited to a 9-core GPU.

Other ‌M2‌ chip specifications have not changed. The ‌iPad Air‌ has an 8-core CPU with four performance cores and four efficiency cores, along with 8GB RAM and a 16-core Neural Engine.

Because it took Apple several days to correct the chip error on its website, some users may have purchased the ‌iPad Air‌ believing it had a 10-core GPU. The two week return period has expired for those who bought on launch day, but customers would have a good argument for a return exception.

Verizon today has a few rare Apple deals, including record low prices on the 64GB Apple TV 4K and second generation HomePod. These deals are available to all shoppers and you don't need to be a Verizon customer to get the discounts.

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

You can get the 64GB Apple TV 4K for $89.99 in this sale, down from $129.99, which is a new all-time low price. We haven't tracked any notable deals on the 2022 A15 Apple TV 4K in nearly a year, much less one as low as Verizon's sale.

Secondly, Verizon has the second generation HomePod for $174.99, down from $299.99. This is a massive $125 discount on the 2023 smart speaker, beating the traditional discounted price by nearly $100. This one is only available in Midnight.

Lastly, the carrier has a few buy one, get one half off deals going on right now on both AirPods and HomePod mini. AirPods under this deal include AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 3, and AirPods 2. All colors of the HomePod mini are available for the BOGO deal, and would effectively make each speaker about $75.

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

Apple today released a new version of iPadOS 17.5.1, specifically for the 10th-generation low-cost iPad. The update is a second version of iPadOS 17.5.1, with a version number of 21F91, up from the original 21F90 version.

The iPadOS 17.5.1 update can be downloaded through Finder or iTunes, and it does not appear to be over-the-air as of yet. ‌iPad‌ 10 owners who already installed iPadOS 17.5.1 may not see the update, and it may be limited to those who have not yet downloaded the software.

There is no word on why Apple has released a new version of iPadOS 17.5.1 for the 10th-generation ‌iPad‌.

iOS 17.5.1 and iPadOS 17.5.1 previously came out on Monday, May 20, and included a fix for a bug that could cause images to reappear in the Photos app even after being deleted. Apple said the bug was caused by a database corruption issue.

Apple today updated its Apple Developer app in preparation for WWDC 2024, which is set to begin next Monday with a keynote event at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

The updated version of the Developer app will host 2024 session videos, 1-on-1 labs with Apple engineers and designers, and more. Apple plans to stream the WWDC keynote event in the Apple Developer app, as well as the Platforms State of the Union and other developer sessions that are set to come out throughout the week.

With the refreshed Developer app, Apple has added related videos and an option to quickly view full-screen videos on the iPhone when it's held in landscape mode, along with bug fixes. Apple's release notes:

New in this release:
- Explore all WWDC24 has to offer, including video sessions, consultations, and more.
- When a video ends, you'll see a related video to play next.
- When viewing a video in landscape orientation on iPhone, you can tap its thumbnail to present it full-screen.
- We've fixed bugs and added various other enhancements.

With every pre-WWDC update, Apple introduces new stickers, and this year there are nine sticker options that have been included. The stickers, many of which are animated, can be used in iMessage, FaceTime, and other apps. Stickers include animated emoji characters, an Apple logo, a Vision Pro, and static dogcow and Apple Park options.

WWDC 2024 will focus on iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, and more, with no hardware expected this year.

Developers can use the WWDC app to access all of what Apple has to offer. Since 2020, the bulk of the WWDC event has been online, with all developers able to view sessions and engage with Apple employees. A select number of developers have also been invited to ‌Apple Park‌ for a viewing event.

It is available on the ‌iPhone‌, iPad, and Mac. [Direct Link]

Apple Card holders can get extra Daily Cash back when making purchases at Ace Hardware during the month of June, according to a new email Apple started sending out today.

From now until June 30, ‌Apple Card‌ users who make a purchase at Ace Hardware can earn six percent cash back instead of the standard three percent cash back. Getting the extra cash requires Ace customers to use Apple Pay with the ‌Apple Card‌ specifically, and the promotion is limited to up to $500 in purchases.

‌Apple Card‌ owners who spend $500 at Ace Hardware will earn a total of $30 in Daily Cash during the month. Purchases can be made at participating Ace Hardware stores, the Ace Hardware website, and the Ace mobile app.

Apple partners with several retailers to offer three percent Daily Cash back on ‌‌‌Apple Pay‌‌‌ purchases made with ‌‌‌Apple Card‌‌‌, including Ace Hardware. Three percent cash back can also be earned from Panera Bread, T-Mobile, Nike, Uber Eats, Uber, Panera, Walgreens, Exxon Mobil, and Apple's own retail stores.

Standard ‌‌‌Apple Pay‌‌‌ purchases earn two percent cash back, and all other purchases earn one percent.

WWDC 2024 will kick off with Apple's keynote on June 10 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, and the page where the presentation will be live streamed is now available on YouTube. On the page, you can set a reminder to be notified before the keynote begins.

Apple will announce major new software updates during the keynote, such as iOS 18, macOS 15, and visionOS 2, but no new hardware is expected.

The keynote will also be streamed on Apple's website, in the Apple TV app, and in the Apple Developer app. On-demand playback will be available afterwards.

Apple recently shared the full schedule for WWDC 2024, which will also include the Platforms State of the Union and Apple Design Awards for developers as usual. For the first time, WWDC coding sessions will be shared on YouTube.

Apple today shared a trio of humorous Mac ads that focus on the battery life, Find My, and the performance capabilities of Apple silicon notebooks. The "Charged" ad, for example, shows a serious professor commenting on a student's remaining battery life.

"First class of the day and no charger? You're playing a dangerous game..." he says, but the student says that she doesn't have to worry about it because the Mac's battery lasts all day.

In "Powered," a student in a library is approached by a woman who says that laptops aren't meant to handle big files and multiple apps. "You think it won't crash?" she says. "You're a hot dog in a hurricane." The student lets her know that "it's a Mac," so it's "running fine."

The "Found" ad features a student looking for her laptop. "Yeah, computers have a funny way of vanishing around here..." says a man nearby. The student uses ‌Find My‌ to ping her laptop and is able to locate it while he's still going on about how computers are often sold for parts.

All three videos have a dramatic, funny vibe that should play well on social networks. The ads are 38 seconds long, so they'll likely be shown on TikTok, Instagram, and other social networks.

Apple is unlikely to release a foldable iPhone before 2027, but it could significantly disrupt the market when it launches, according to Taiwanese research firm TrendForce.

The report highlights that foldable phones currently represent a mere 1.5% of the smartphone market, with projections suggesting an increase to 4.8% by 2028. Apple is apparently "still evaluating component specifications and performance, with strict requirements for crease and reliability." Screen creasing is an issue that plagues many current foldable devices, raising concerns about long-term durability and the risk of screen damage from debris.

Despite the emergence of a range of popular foldable devices from the likes of Samsung, Huawei, Motorola, and Nubia, Apple's delayed entry to the foldable space is not necessarily a disadvantage. The company's significant market influence and established customer base mean that a foldable ‌iPhone‌ could quickly gain popularity upon release. As a result, analysts believe that Apple's entry into the foldable phone space could "significantly shift market dynamics."

Apple is widely expected to release a large-screen foldable iPad or MacBook to kick-off its foray into the product category before launching a higher volume foldable ‌iPhone‌.

In a social media post last week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said iOS 18 will include "updates" to Control Center, and he has now outlined a few specific changes.

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter on Sunday, Gurman said Control Center will feature an upgraded music widget and improved controls for HomeKit smart home accessories. However, he did not provide any further details about these changes, so all we know for now is these will apparently be two focus areas for Apple.

Apple will unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, and the first beta should be made available to members of the Apple Developer Program immediately following the presentation. The update should be widely released in September.

Apple is working on a new "respiration tracking" feature for Apple Vision Pro that is likely to be functional during mindfulness sessions, based on backend code discovered by MacRumors.

Contributor Aaron Perris found references to the previously unheard-of feature in lines of code related to the headset's Mindfulness app, which offers users an immersive meditation experience using either guided meditations or self-guided sessions.

Apple's Mindfulness app essentially encourages the user to cultivate awareness of their own breath to support mental wellbeing. Attention to breathing is generally considered to be a foundational component of mindfulness practice, and long-term mindfulness training is associated with reliable differences in resting respiration rate, according to empirical research.

Apple Watch can already track respiration rate while wearers are sleeping. Apple Watch uses its built-in accelerometer, which measures vibration and movement, to determine how many times a person breathes each minute. While the Vision Pro also has an accelerometer, it's unclear whether this hardware or sensors that track changes in facial musculature would be involved when a mindfulness session is in progress.

There's no information suggesting if or when the feature could make an appearance, but Apple is expected to announce visionOS 2 at its annual developers conference, WWDC, which begins next week, June 10.

Amazon today has a large collection of Apple Watch Series 9 models on sale at all-time low prices, including both GPS and cellular devices. It's been a few weeks since we last tracked any notable markdowns on the Series 9, so if you've been waiting for a deal now is definitely the time to buy the wearable.

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.

You can get up to $100 off most Apple Watch Series 9 models right now on Amazon, starting at $299.00 for the 41mm GPS watches. We've rounded up all of the deals in lists below, focusing on the aluminum devices, but you can also find $100 discounts on a few stainless steel models as well.

All of the Apple Watch Series 9 devices in this sale lack the Blood Oxygen feature that were available on models prior to the sales ban that began in the United States back in January. The sales ban covers any Apple Watch model with blood oxygen sensing, and since it began most retailers continued to sell through their stock of devices that still supported the feature.

Now that it's been a few months, retailers like Amazon are starting to see their stock dwindle on Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 models with blood oxygen support. Other than this, the Apple Watch Series 9 is the exact same as it was when it launched, the new models just have blood oxygen disabled.

41mm GPS

• (PRODUCT)RED Aluminum with (PRODUCT)RED Sport Band - $299.99, down from $399.00
• Midnight Aluminum Case with Midnight Sport Band - $299.00, down from $399.00
• Silver Aluminum Case with Storm Blue Sport Band - $299.99, down from $399.00
• Starlight Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Band - $299.00, down from $399.00
• Midnight Aluminum Case with Midnight Sport Loop - $299.00, down from $399.00
• Silver Aluminum Case with Winter Blue Sport Loop - $299.00, down from $399.00
• Starlight Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Loop - $299.00, down from $399.00

45mm GPS

• (PRODUCT)RED Aluminum with (PRODUCT)RED Sport Band - $329.99, down from $429.00
• Midnight Aluminum Case with Midnight Sport Band - $329.00, down from $429.00
• Pink Aluminum Case with Light Pink Sport Band - $329.00, down from $429.00
• Silver Aluminum Case with Storm Blue Sport Band - $329.00, down from $429.00
• Starlight Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Band - $329.00, down from $429.00
• Midnight Aluminum Case with Midnight Sport Loop - $329.00, down from $429.00
• Pink Aluminum Case with Light Pink Sport Loop - $329.00, down from $429.00
• Starlight Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Loop - $329.00, down from $429.00

41mm Cellular

• (PRODUCT)RED Aluminum with (PRODUCT)RED Sport Band - $399.00, down from $499.00
• Midnight Aluminum Case with Midnight Sport Band - $399.00, down from $499.00
• Pink Aluminum Case with Light Pink Sport Band - $399.00, down from $499.00
• Silver Aluminum Case with Storm Blue Sport Band - $399.99, down from $499.00
• Starlight Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Band - $399.00, down from $499.00
• Midnight Aluminum Case with Midnight Sport Loop - $399.99, down from $499.00
• Pink Aluminum Case with Light Pink Sport Loop - $399.99, down from $499.00
• Starlight Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Loop - $399.00, down from $499.00

45mm Cellular

• (PRODUCT)RED Aluminum with (PRODUCT)RED Sport Band - $429.99, down from $529.00
• Midnight Aluminum Case with Midnight Sport Band - $429.00, down from $529.00
• Pink Aluminum Case with Light Pink Sport Band - $429.99, down from $529.00
• Silver Aluminum Case with Storm Blue Sport Band - $429.00, down from $529.00
• Starlight Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Band - $429.99, down from $529.00
• Pink Aluminum Case with Light Pink Sport Loop - $429.99, down from $529.00
• Starlight Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Loop - $429.99, down from $529.00

Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.

Apple is expected to announce iOS 18 in one week from now, and the update is rumored to include many new features for the Messages app on the iPhone.

iOS 18 is set to be unveiled during the WWDC keynote on June 10, and the first beta should be made available to members of the Apple Developer Program immediately after the presentation. The first public beta of iOS 18 will likely follow in July, and the update should be widely released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September.

Below, we recap what to expect from the Messages app on iOS 18.

RCS Support

Last year, Apple announced that it would support the cross-platform messaging standard RCS (Rich Communication Services) in the Messages app starting "later" in 2024, so it will likely be an iOS 18 feature based on that timeframe.

RCS support should result in the following improvements to the default messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices:

• Higher-resolution photos and videos
• Audio messages
• Typing indicators
• Read receipts
• Wi-Fi messaging
• Improved group chats, including the ability for iPhone users to leave a conversation that includes Android users

These features are already available for iMessage conversations with blue bubbles, and RCS will extend the capabilities to green bubbles over both Wi-Fi and cellular networks. It is expected that SMS will remain available as a fallback option.

Per-Word Effects

Apple plans to add a per-word text effects option to the Messages app on iOS 18, multiple sources familiar with the matter told MacRumors.

While it is already possible to send iMessages with entire-bubble or full-screen effects, such as invisible ink or confetti, the text effects would allow you to animate individual words within a message. Our hope is that Apple will also add bold, italics, and underline formatting options, but we have not confirmed that possibility.

Suggested Replies

iOS 18 will add AI-generated suggested replies to the Messages app, according to Bloomberg and AppleInsider. This feature would analyze recent messages in a conversation and provide a few suggested replies that users could tap on to send.

Custom Emoji

Another rumored AI-powered feature is the option to send custom emoji that are automatically generated based on the context of recent messages.

Message Recaps

iOS 18 is rumored to provide AI-generated recaps of information from several apps, including recent messages received in the Messages app.

New Tapback Icons

Tapback icons (the heart, thumbs up, thumbs down, "haha," exclamation marks, and question mark that can be added to messages) may be redesigned on iOS 18, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in his latest Power On newsletter.

Apple has seemingly updated its tech specs webpage for the latest M2 iPad Air models to indicate the M2 chip has a 9-core GPU, rather than 10 cores as previously stated.

The change was first reported by 9to5Mac. Based on available web snapshots, the update to Apple's US website was made within the last 10 days. However, the equivalent webpage on many of Apple's regional stores still lists the M2 iPad Air as having a 10-core GPU.

Apple's press release originally announcing the product on its Newsroom also mirrors the original 10-core spec, as does support documentation for the device.

Apple has not commented on the change, which, if accurate, makes the new iPad Air the first M2-based Apple device with a 9-core GPU. Since the change went live on Apple's site, the going theory is that Apple's processor yield of 10-core chips was not sufficient, so it is using a "binned" version of the 10-core chip with one of the GPU cores disabled. The practice of "binning" is sometimes used to optimize processor yields and reduce waste.

In all likelihood, every M2 iPad Air model that Apple has sold includes a 9-core GPU, and Apple is simply updating its product information for accuracy. Any real-world performance difference between an M2 iPad Air with a 9-core versus a 10-core GPU would have arguably been unnoticeable to most users. Even so, some customers will probably want to know why Apple's marketing materials were mistaken.