MacRumors

The Apple Card is a credit card that's linked to Apple Pay and built right into the Wallet app. Apple partnered with Goldman Sachs for the card, which is optimized for ‌Apple Pay‌ but will still works like a traditional credit card for all of your transactions.

There's a lot of fine print associated with the Apple Card, so we've created this guide to provide details on what you can expect when signing up for the card. Apple Card has been available since 2019, and Apple is continuing to add new features. Apple says that more than 12 million people now use the Apple Card in the United States.

You'll find everything that you need to know about Apple Card below.

How do you get the Apple Card?

Signing up for Apple Card is as simple as opening up the Wallet app, tapping on the Apple Card interface, and walking through the activation steps. Much of the information you need is pulled from your Apple ID, which means Apple Card setup takes just a couple of minutes to set up. You can also apply on Apple's website when making a device purchase that uses the Monthly Installment Plan or through the Apple Card website.

Information required includes first and last name, date of birth, phone number, home address, country of citizenship, the last four digits of your Social Security number, and your annual income. Some users may also be asked to scan their driver's license or state ID.

Once you've signed up for Apple Card, it will be available for use immediately for digital purchases. Availability is subject to credit approval, so you need to qualify for Apple Card just like you do with any other kind of credit card. While digital payments are available immediately, Apple will also ship out a physical Apple Card that can be used like a traditional credit card.

Who Qualifies for the Apple Card?

To get an Apple Card, you need to be 18 years or older and be a U.S. citizen or a lawful U.S. resident with a U.S. residential address (no P.O. Box). The Apple Card is not available outside of the United States, and there is no word on if or when it will expand to additional countries.

An iPhone, iPad, or Mac is required to use the Apple Card, and it will not be available if you do not have an Apple product. Two-factor authentication must be turned on, and you must be signed in to iCloud on your ‌iPhone‌ with your ‌Apple ID‌.

Using Apple Card with Apple Pay

Apple Card is designed to work with any other credit or debit card stored in the Wallet app for use with ‌Apple Pay‌. You can set it as the default card and use it for in store purchases on ‌iPhone‌ and online purchases on Apple Watch, ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, and Mac.

• How to Use Apple Card
• How to Make Apple Card the Default Card on Your iPhone
• How to Make Apple Card the Default Card on Your Apple Watch
• How to Add Apple Card to Your Mac
• How to Make Apple Card the Default Card on Your Mac

Using Apple Card for Non-Apple Pay Purchases

If you need to pay for purchases that can't be made with ‌Apple Pay‌, you can use the physical version of the Apple Card that Apple sends once you sign up. In addition to Goldman Sachs, Apple is partnering with Mastercard, so the physical Apple Card can be used wherever Mastercard is accepted.

When your physical card comes in the mail, setting it is simple. On a modern ‌iPhone‌, all you need to do is hold your device near the envelope that it came in for an NFC scan and then tap the "Activate" button on your ‌iPhone‌ when it pops up.

The Titanium Apple Card

With Apple Card you can make digital ‌Apple Pay‌ payments, but Apple is also provides a physical card. Since this is a credit card designed by Apple, it is, of course, unique among credit cards.

It's made entirely from titanium, which is laser etched with your name. The front of the card does not have a card number or an expiration date listed, and on the back, there's no CVV and no signature. If someone finds or steals your card, there's no real way for them to use it, at least for online purchases.

The physical Apple Card does not support contactless payments itself -- you need to use your ‌iPhone‌ for ‌Apple Pay‌ payments. There is no cost for the card and there is no fee associated with replacing it if you lose it.

The titanium Apple Card weighs in at 14.7 grams, which is heavier than the Chase Sapphire Preferred and lighter than the AMEX Platinum, both of which are also considered heavier weight cards.

• How to Order a Titanium Apple Card
• How to Activate Your Titanium Apple Card Without the Original Card Packaging
• How to Activate Your Titanium Apple Card
• How to Activate Your Titanium Apple Card on iPhone X or Earlier
• How to Lock or Unlock Your Titanium Apple Card
• How to Request a Replacement Titanium Apple Card

Apple Card on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac

The Apple Card offers deep integration with the Wallet app on the ‌iPhone‌, but it can also be used on the ‌iPad‌, Apple Watch, and the Mac for making purchases and viewing some credit card information.

Adding the Apple Card to ‌iPad‌ can be done via the Wallet & ‌Apple Pay‌ section in the Settings app and the Wallet & ‌Apple Pay‌ section of the My Watch tab in the Apple Watch app on ‌iPhone‌.

On Mac, you can add Apple Card by going to System Preferences, selecting Wallet & ‌Apple Pay‌, and clicking the "+" button to add the Apple Card. Adding an Apple Card to Wallet on Mac requires a Mac with Touch ID.

On Macs without ‌Touch ID‌, you can turn on the "Allow Payments" feature that will let you complete purchases on your Mac using authentication via an eligible ‌iPhone‌ or Apple Watch.

Credit Limits

As with any other credit card, there is a credit limit for Apple Card that will vary from person to person. A better credit score means a higher credit limit, and credit limit also increases over time.

Making Payments

There is an Apple Card website that allows users to apply for a card, check their balances, view statements, and make Apple Card payments online. With the website, an ‌iPhone‌ is no longer required to get an Apple Card, so it can be used for things like Mac purchases for those who want to sign up for Monthly Installment Options.

The website can be found at card.apple.com, and Apple Card holders can sign in with their Apple IDs.

‌Apple Pay‌ payments can also be made directly on an ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌ using the Wallet app.

• How to Add a Bank Account to Your Apple Card
• How to Use Apple Cash to Help Pay Off your Apple Card
• How to Check Your Apple Card Balance
• How to Check Your Apple Card Payment History
• How to Make a One-Time Payment on Your Apple Card
• How to Set Up Scheduled Apple Card Payments

Monthly Statements

Monthly Apple Card statements are provided in the Wallet app. You can save a PDF of the statement from the Wallet app so that you can access it on other devices.

Apple Card Family Sharing

There is an Apple Card Family feature, which allows for spouses to share a single Apple Card account, with each person serving as a co-owner in order to build credit.

Apple Card Family also lets parents share an Apple Card with their children for making purchases, with optional spending limits and parental controls to help children learn smart financial habits. All spending by the family is tracked with a single monthly bill.

Up to five people can be added to an Apple Card account for sharing purposes, with sharing handled through the Wallet app. All users must be part of the same Family Sharing Group, and be 13 years of age or older.

Co-owners must be 18 years or older, and will have a combined spending limit and the ability to see each other's spending. Existing Apple Card customers will be able to merge their Apple Card accounts if they have two cards, resulting in a higher shared credit limit with the lower APR of the two accounts.

• How to Share Your Apple Card With Family
• How to Add a Co-Owner to Apple Card

Fees

Apple says there are no annual fees, international fees, fees for making a late payment or fees for exceeding your credit limit.

There may be no late fees, but if you make a late or miss one payment, Apple says this will result in "additional accumulating toward your balance." That means making a late payment will not result in penalty rates, aka increased interest rates. You're still going to have to pay interest on the outstanding balance, and a late payment will impact credit score, but interest rates won't increase.

There are no foreign transaction fees, but the exchange rate for foreign transactions is determined by Mastercard.

PIN for International Purchases

The Wallet app does not provide a PIN, which is often necessary when making credit card purchases outside of the United States. There is no PIN support, which means the Apple Card may not be accepted by some international vendors.

Interest Rates

The Apple Card currently offers an APR between 17.99 percent and 28.24 percent based on your credit score, but the APR does fluctuate regularly.

Apple is aiming to make the Apple Card available to as many customers as possible with a wide APR range, offering it even to those with less than stellar credit scores. There are tools built into the Wallet app to encourage users to pay off their balances quicker to avoid interest fees.

Credit Check

A credit check is required when signing up for the Apple Card. Approvals are done by Goldman Sachs, and Goldman Sachs uses TransUnion for credit checks. If you have a credit freeze applied, you will need to unfreeze your TransUnion credit.

TransUnion has an option to temporarily release your credit report for a set number of days, which makes it easy to unfreeze and then refreeze your credit. Lifting your credit freeze temporarily is free.

Apple does a soft credit pull when you apply for Apple card so you can see Apple's offer with credit limit and APR. A hard pull happens after you hit the "accept" button.

Credit Ranges

Apple wanted to make the Apple Card accessible to as many people as possible, which means Apple Card partner Goldman Sachs is approving people with a wide range of credit scores.

Reports have suggested that some customers with credit scores in the 600s have been successfully approved. APRs and credit limits will vary based on credit score, but many people may be able to successfully get an Apple Card.

Rewards System

Apple offers a cash back rewards system for the Apple Card, providing daily cash up to 3 percent. Depending on your particular spending habits, there may be better options available (Apple Card Rewards vs Others).

With Apple Card, you get 1 percent cash back for purchases made with a physical card or online without ‌Apple Pay‌, which is just okay compared to many other credit cards available. On purchases made with ‌Apple Pay‌, you get 2 percent cash back, which is a good motivator to use ‌Apple Pay‌ where available.

For purchases made from the Apple Store (physical or online) you'll get three percent back. This also includes purchases made from the App Store, iTunes Store, and Apple services.

You'll also get three percent back when using the Apple Card with ‌Apple Pay‌ for purchases from select companies, including Uber, Uber Eats, T-Mobile, Walgreens, Nike, Duane Reade, Panera Bread, Exxon and Mobil gas station, and Ace Hardware purchases due to partnerships Apple has established with these companies.

Daily Cash

One of the perks of Apple Card's rewards system is "Daily Cash," with Apple paying out your cash back bonuses on a daily basis rather than making you wait weeks for them to show up on a statement.

If you've signed up for Apple Cash (the feature that adds an ‌Apple Pay‌ Cash debit card to your Wallet for sending and receiving money from friends) you will get your Daily Cash payouts on your Apple Cash card.

Apple Cash is required for Daily Cash, but if you don't have Apple Cash set up, you'll still get your rewards, just on a monthly basis as a credit on your statement balance. There is no limit on the amount of Daily Cash that you can get, according to Apple.

• How to See Your Daily Cash Rewards From Apple Card
• How to Use Apple Cash on iPhone and iPad
• How to Set up an Apple Cash Card on iPhone and iPad
• How to Turn Off Daily Cash Notifications on Your iPhone

How Daily Cash Can Be Used

Your Daily Cash balance, which is transferred to your Apple Cash card (essentially an Apple debit card) can be used for ‌Apple Pay‌ purchases, sent to friends or family using the Apple Cash feature in Messages, or transferred over to your bank account.

Apple Cash can be transferred to your bank account at no cost, a process that takes between one and three days. There's also an Instant Transfer feature that will cost one percent of the total money being sent. The Instant Transfer fee has a minimum of $0.25 and maxes out at $10. Transfers can be initiated in the Wallet app after linking a bank account to Apple Cash.

Daily Cash - Returns

If you return a purchase that you made with Apple Card, you will be refunded the purchase price. Daily Cash that you received when making the purchase is charged back to the Apple Card.

Spend Tracking and Budgeting

All transactions made with the Apple Card are listed clearly in the Wallet app with color-coded categories like Food and Drinks, Shopping and Entertainment, and more. Apple Card also provides weekly, monthly, and yearly (as of iOS 14.2) spending summaries, again using the same color coding so you can see what you're spending at a glance.

Along with categorized spend tracking, the Wallet app provides a Total Balance summary that provides a look at your previous monthly balance, new spending (including pending transactions, and any payments or credits that have been made.

Interest charged and Daily Cash earned are also offered up, and users can see PDF statements from past months.

Daily Cash Savings Account

Apple Card owners can open a high-yield savings account from Goldman Sachs that houses Daily Cash, with Daily Cash automatically deposited when it is accrued. There are no minimum fees, no minimum deposits, and no minimum balance requirements.

The Savings account has a 3.65 APY at the current time.

Purchase Notifications

As is the case with many cards added to ‌Apple Pay‌, when you make a purchase with Apple Card, you'll get an instant notification right on your phone. This will let you know immediately if there's a charge that you don't recognize, and there are built-in tools for flagging a fraudulent purchase.

Clear Transaction Labeling

Apple is using machine learning and Apple Maps to make sure that all of your Apple Card transactions are clearly labeled. If you've opened up a credit card statement and have seen a confusing arrangement of truncated letters and numbers instead of a full merchant name, that's the problem Apple is solving.

All transactions are listed clearly with merchant name and exact location so you can better keep track of what was purchased and where it was purchased.

Payments

Apple Card shows you multiple payment options and it calculates the amount of interest that you'll be paying on different payment amounts in real time. Apple says Apple Card is designed to encourage customers to pay a bit more every month to cut down on interest, and it offers the flexibility to schedule payments in multiple ways -- weekly, biweekly, and monthly rather than just monthly. You can also make a one-time payment if desired.

Payments are made by linking a bank account to your Wallet app (or to your Apple Card though the website), but Apple Cash can also be used as an Apple Card payment method. If you've already linked a bank account for Apple Cash, Apple will ask you if you want to use the same bank account for Apple Card, but you can also select a different account or swap your account at any time.

Privacy

As with any credit or debit card added to Wallet, Apple creates a unique card number on ‌iPhone‌ for Apple Card that's stored in the Secure Element. All payments are confirmed with Face ID or ‌Touch ID‌ along with a one-time unique dynamic security code.

This system means Apple does not know which stores a customer shopped at, what was purchased, or how much was paid.

Goldman Sachs, Apple's partner, can see data for internal reporting purposes, but it cannot be used for external or internal marketing or advertising, and the same goes for any regulatory or operational third-party partner.

• How to Request a New Apple Card Number

Benefits

Because Apple Card uses the Mastercard network for payment processing, it offers benefits available to Mastercard card holders, such as fraud protection, identity theft protection, and a free ShopRunner membership that offers free two-day shipping from some websites.

Other benefits include Mastercard's travel discounts and upgrades, Mastercard's exclusive "special events," Mastercard golf offerings, and home rental discounts via Onefinestay, all of which are available to all Mastercard users. Purchase protection and extended warranties offered by some credit cards as benefits are not available with the Apple Card.

Apple does offer a Disaster Relief Program for Apple Card holders affected by a natural disaster. This program lets users apply to skip a payment and pay no interest for two months.

Advanced Fraud Protection

Advanced Fraud Protection is a new feature in iOS 15 that's designed to keep Apple Card information more secure by changing the three-digit security code associated with the card on a regular basis.

When enabled, Advanced Fraud Protection will cause the three digit security code used for making purchases online to change every so often, which protects you if your card details are compromised by an online merchant. Apple says that the feature will not impact recurring purchases and subscriptions.

Advanced Fraud Protection can be enabled by opening up the Wallet app, tapping on the Apple Card, tapping on the card number icon, authenticating, and then toggling on the Advanced Fraud Protection option.

Interest-Free iPhone Payments

Apple Card customers can purchase a new ‌iPhone‌ and then pay it off over 24 months with no interest. It's the same general setup as Apple's current device payment plan options, but integrated into the Apple Card for convenience with cash back and the option to manage payments in the Wallet app.

The 24-month purchase option also applies to the SIM-free iPhone, allowing the SIM-free ‌iPhone‌ to be paid for in installments, something that was not previously possible with Apple's payment plans.

Interest-Free Payments for Mac, iPad, and More

Apple in June 2020 began offering interest-free monthly installment payment plans for Macs, iPads, AirPods, HomePods, and more. Users can pay for products over time with the Apple Card, and will also earn 3 percent Daily Cash for purchases.

The installment plans can be used when checking out on the online ‌Apple Store‌. Products like Macs and iPads offer 12-month interest-free installment plans, while others, like the Apple TV, AirPods, and HomePod have 6-month interest-free installment plans.

There are no payment plans for Apple Watch or iPod touch, but there are payment options for accessories like ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ cases.

Credit Reporting

Goldman Sachs now works with TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax to report Apple Card information, so Apple Card holders will see Apple Card data on their reports.

Exporting Data and Using Budget Apps

In 2024, Apple added an API that allows budget apps to read real-time Apple Card transaction data for keeping track of spending.

Apple also has an option for downloading a CSV spreadsheet or OFX data featuring Apple Card transactions for the month. Apple also supports exporting in Quicken QFX and QuickBooks QBO formats as of May 2020.

The Apple card only allows transactions to be downloaded for a full statement, with no option to download recent activity. Downloads are also limited to the ‌iPhone‌ because there's no website designed for the Apple Card.

• How to Export Apple Card Data in CSV, OFX, QFX, or QBO Format

Virtual Card Numbers for Online Non-Apple Pay Purchases

There are no credit card numbers or other information on the physical titanium Apple Card. This data is instead available in the app, leaving some questions about online purchases where you often need a number and a CVV.

Apple Card is able to generate virtual card numbers for these kinds of purchases. The Wallet app provides a virtual card number and a virtual confirmation code, with the number being semi-permanent and able to be regenerated whenever you want. This info can be used for non-Apple Pay online purchases, over-the-phone purchases, and other similar situations.

There is not, however, support for single-use numbers or single-merchant numbers for having separate card numbers for different merchants. Purchases are also protected by a one-time use dynamic security code rather than a persistent CVV.

• How to Find Your Apple Card Number, Expiration Date, and CVV

Apple Card Support

Apple Card support is handled through the Messages app, with support representatives available 24/7. All you need to do is send a text, which is a handy way to interact with support staff.

If you run into an issue with a transaction, you can select the transaction and tap on the "Report an Issue" option. This lets you provide feedback to Apple if the wrong spend category, merchant name, or location is listed.

It also provides tools for a Charge Dispute, Unknown Transaction, and Other, which will put you in touch with the Apple Card support staff.

Apple Card Denials

Apple has a detailed support document and webpage outlining reasons why people might be declined for an Apple Card, and what can be done about it.

Reasons for denial include low credit score, frequent credit card applications, heavy debt and low income, tax liens, bankruptcy, property repossession, past due debt obligations, a recent checking account closure by a bank, past due medical debt, and more.

For those denied, Apple recommends requesting a free credit report and checking for common errors that can be disputed if inaccurate.

Apple also has a "Path to Apple Card" program that's designed to help people who have their Apple Card applications declined improve their credit over a four-month period to quality. The program offers suggestions and goals like resolving past due balances, making payments to secured and unsecured debt accounts on time, and lowering credit card and personal loan debt.

Availability and International Expansion

Apple Card is limited to the United States, but in the future, it could be expanding to additional countries much like ‌Apple Pay‌ has expanded, and Apple was rumored to be in talks with European regulators about an expansion in Europe, but it has not been made available in other locations as of yet. Apple Card can be used worldwide where Mastercard is accepted.

Customer Agreement

The Apple Card Customer Agreement provides additional insight into how the Apple Card works and the terms and conditions of its usage. Details are available on the Goldman Sachs website. [PDF]

• How to Opt Out of Arbitration When Signing Up for Apple Card

Goldman Sachs Partnership

Apple is ending its credit card partnership with Goldman Sachs over the next 12 to 15 months, which means Apple will need to find a new parter for the Apple Card. Goldman Sachs is exiting the consumer credit card business and has been aiming to get out of its deal with Apple. Goldman Sachs provides the Apple Card and the Apple Savings account.

As of right now, there are no changes for Apple Card users because it will take time for Apple to establish a new partnership and transition the Apple Card service. Apple is said to be in talks with JP Morgan Chase, Barclays, and Synchrony Financial about a potential Apple Card partnership.

Apple Card Features

• Up to 3% cash back
• Daily cash back
• No fees
• Accepted worldwide (wherever Mastercard is available)
• Engraved Titanium physical card with concealed numbers
• Easy sign-up on ‌iPhone‌
• Spending tracking
• Clear transaction labeling
• Privacy focused

Guide Feedback

See something we left out of our Apple Card guide or have a question not answered here? Let us know in the comments or Send us an email here.

Earlier this week, Apple announced plans to debut an updated TV app in May, and as of today, that revamped app is available on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV in a beta capacity.

The new betas of iOS 12.3 and tvOS 12.3 both include the new TV app. The TV app is an updated version of the original TV app, housing movies, sports, news, and more all in one easy-to-access spot.

Apple still has the "Watch Now" feature for keeping track of what you're watching, which is offered alongside a new machine learning-based "For You" feature that offers recommended TV shows and movies based on what you like to watch.

To make recommendations, Apple will pull content from more than 150 streaming apps, like Hulu, Amazon Prime, DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue, and more.

The TV app also has a new feature called Channels, which are subscription services that you can sign up for and watch all in the TV app without having to open another app. Some of the new Channels include CBS All Access, Starz, Showtime, HBO, Nickelodeon, Mubi, The History Channel Vault, and Comedy Central Now. During the beta, users can subscribe to Showtime, Starz, Smithsonian, and Tastemade.

In the future, the TV app will house ‌Apple TV‌+, Apple's new streaming service that will feature all of its original TV shows and movies.

Update: Apple today also released new software designed for the third-generation ‌Apple TV‌, and this software adds the updated ‌Apple TV‌ interface on the older set-top box.

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming iOS 12.3 update to developers, a few days after the launch of iOS 12.2, a major update that introduced an Apple News subscription service, new Animoji, and tons of other changes.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.3 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.

As a 12.x update, the new software may include more significant features than the smaller 12.x.x updates. iOS 12.3 will mark the third major update to iOS 12 after iOS 12.2, an update that brought an ‌Apple News‌ subscription service, updates to the TV remote and TV features in HomeKit, Safari changes, new Animoji, tweaks to the Wallet app, and more.

iOS 12.3 could potentially introduce the revamped TV app that Apple is planning to debut in May, and it may also bring improvements to the ‌Apple News‌+ service that launched on Monday.

The redesigned TV app, which will be available on Apple TV and iOS devices when it launches, has an updated look and new functionality. A new recommendation engine will surface TV shows and movies that fit with your interests, while a new Channels feature will let you subscribe to and watch content from sources like HBO, Starz, and Showtime right in the app.

We don't yet know exactly what's new in iOS 12.3, but once we've installed the software, we'll update this post with any new features that are discovered.

What's new in iOS 12.3: Today's update includes Apple's new TV app, which will see a public release in May.

Last year, Apple introduced new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models with a redesigned third-generation butterfly keyboard that was meant to address issues with sticking and non-responsive keys. However, as noted by The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern, some customers are continuing to experience these issues.

We are aware that a small number of users are having issues with their third-generation butterfly keyboard and for that we are sorry. The vast majority of Mac notebook customers are having a positive experience with the new keyboard.

Apple added that affected customers should contact the company for support.

Unfortunately, while Apple initiated a service program offering free repairs of affected 2015-2017 MacBook and 2016-2017 ‌MacBook Pro‌ models with first- and second-generation butterfly keyboards, the latest 2018 ‌MacBook Pro‌ and 2018 ‌MacBook Air‌ models with third-generation butterfly keyboards do not qualify at this time.

Stern wrote her column without using the letters E or R as a clever way of illustrating the problem — there are toggle switches to turn each letter back on. Humorously, there are also toggle switches to read the article with double E's or double T's, as repeating letters are one symptom of the sticky keys.

In an internal document obtained by MacRumors last year, Apple said the third-generation keyboard has a silicone membrane under the keycaps to "prevent debris from entering the butterfly mechanism." However, the membrane has only reduced the keyboard issues instead of eliminating them entirely.

Apple has not admitted this reasoning publicly, instead saying that the third-generation keyboard delivers a "quieter" typing experience.

Stern concludes with a plea to Apple to "stop prioritizing thinness over usability."

Apple's first and only retail store in Singapore opened at the Knightsbridge Mall shopping complex on Orchard Road in 2017. Now, a report says the iPhone maker plans to open two additional stores in the island country later this year.

Apple Pay appears to be on the cusp of another European expansion, with upcoming availability in at least seven additional countries.

Mobile banking service N26 today on its Twitter account announced that ‌Apple Pay‌ will soon be available in Estonia, Greece, Portugal, Slovakia, and Slovenia, one day after revealing that Apple Pay is coming soon to Austria. Likewise, ING Bank has announced that ‌Apple Pay‌ is coming soon to Romania.

‌Apple Pay‌ has been gradually expanding across Europe and the Middle East, including Belgium and Kazakhstan in November, Germany in December, and Czech Republic and Saudi Arabia last month. Apple said the service, which debuted in the U.S. in October 2014, will be available in over 40 regions by the end of 2019.

(Thanks, André and Aurel!)

Update: ‌Apple Pay‌ is also coming soon to Luxembourg via BGL BNP Paribas.

(Thanks, Eric Cancela!)

If you missed Apple's "It's Show Time" event that took place at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time yesterday morning, or if you just want to rewatch, the event video is now available in its entirety on YouTube.

Apple News+, the only service that's available now, is designed to let ‌Apple News‌ readers sign up to access magazines and content from some paywalled news sites like The Wall Street Journal for $9.99 per month.

‌Apple Card‌, set to be available this summer, is a new Apple credit card being released in partnership with Goldman Sachs. ‌Apple Card‌ offers daily cash back on purchases, unique privacy features, and spending tracking options right in the Wallet app.

Apple Arcade is a gaming service that Apple plans to release this fall that will give subscribers access to more than 100 iOS games for a single monthly fee (not yet announced). Apple is contributing to the development costs of the games included, all of which are new and have been created with the service in mind. ‌Apple Arcade‌ includes all updates and content within games, with no in-app purchases.

‌Apple TV‌+, also launching in the fall, is Apple's new streaming TV service that will house its original content. It's similar to something like HBO in that it will only offer Apple-created content. Apple has also announced a revamped ‌Apple TV‌ app coming in May that will include channels, aka subscriptions you can buy right in the TV app with content you can watch without leaving the TV app.

If you missed MacRumors' coverage of all the announcements yesterday, we've rounded it up below:

• Apple Announces Apple News+ $9.99 a Month Subscription Service With Access to Over 300 Magazines
• Apple Announces Original TV Streaming Service 'Apple TV+'
• Apple Announces 'Apple Card' Credit Card With Daily Rewards, Simplified Statements, and No Fees
• Apple Announces 'Apple Arcade' Cross-Platform Subscription Games Service With Access to Over 100 Titles
• Apple Reveals Redesigned Apple TV App With 'Apple TV Channels' Subscription Feature
• Apple Shares All of the Videos From Today's Services Event
• Apple Releases iOS 12.2 With Apple News+ Service, New Animoji, HomeKit and AirPlay 2 Support for TVs, Safari Changes and More
• Apple Releases tvOS 12.2 for Fourth and Fifth-Generation Apple TV
• Apple Releases macOS Mojave 10.14.4 With Safari Automatic Dark Mode and Apple News+ Support
• How to Sign Up For an Apple News+ Subscription

You can also watch Apple's live stream on Apple's own Events website, but the YouTube version is easier to pause and fast forward/rewind than Apple's version.

Make sure to keep an eye on MacRumors because we have more coverage of Apple's new services coming, including guides on ‌Apple Card‌ and ‌Apple TV‌+.

Apple's second-generation AirPods, announced last week, started showing up on people's doorsteps this morning and also became available for purchase in Apple retail stores. We picked up a set of AirPods 2 to see how they compare to the original AirPods.

Design wise, you're not going to be able to tell the new AirPods from the original AirPods. They're still only available in white and they continue to feature the exact same design - white plastic buds with a stem at the bottom.

All of the changes to the AirPods are actually internal. There's a new H1 chip that replaces the W1 chip and brings quite a few improvements. In our experience, AirPods 2 connect to your devices much more quickly than the original AirPods, and swapping between devices is faster.

Latency has been cut down, and because the AirPods 2 support Bluetooth 5.0, you may see some range and quality improvements. We think the AirPods 2 seem to sound a bit better, especially at higher volumes.

There's a new "Hey Siri" feature that lets you activate ‌Siri‌ hands-free without the need to tap on the AirPods, and when talking on the phone, battery life is now three hours instead of two.

A major difference between AirPods 1 and AirPods 2 is the aforementioned Wireless Charging Case, which comes with AirPods 2 and can be purchased on a standalone basis for AirPods 1 for $79. The Wireless Charging Case lets you use any Qi-based wireless charger to charge up your AirPods, and it will let the AirPods work with the AirPower if Apple ever releases it.

If you try to use an original AirPod with a second-generation AirPod in the AirPods Charging Case, it will flash red to let you know they're incompatible, but the same warning also appears if you try to use AirPods from different sets of the same generation.

There's no real way to visually tell the two versions apart, but if you connect them to your iPhone, you can see which version you have by opening up the Settings app, choosing General, and scrolling down to the AirPods section. You can tell the Charging Case from the standard case because the LED light that indicates charging is on the outside of the case rather on the inside.

The second-generation AirPods shipped without features many were hoping for such as a new color and health tracking capabilities, but still mark a solid upgrade over the original version. What do you think of Apple's new AirPods? Let us know in the comments.

A U.S. International Trade Commission judge today ruled that Apple has infringed on a Qualcomm patent with its iPhones, and has recommended that a limited exclusion order and a cease and desist order be issued against Apple.

According to the ruling, Apple violated claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 8,063,674, "multiple supply-voltage power-up/down detectors." Apple did not violate two other patents that were involved in the case, with the infringement limited to the '674 patent.

The judge has recommended an import ban on infringing iPhones, which would prevent them from being sold in the United States.

As CNET points out, this is not a final ruling, and will need to be approved by a panel of judges before it moves on to presidential review.

This is one of two patent infringement rulings expected from the ITC in the ongoing Qualcomm vs. Apple legal battle. Back in September, an initial ruling in a second case also found that Apple infringed on a Qualcomm patent related to power management technology.

The judge in that case recommended against an import ban because of "public interest factors."

Qualcomm wants the ITC to ban imports of AT&T and T-Mobile iPhone 7, ‌iPhone‌ 7 Plus, ‌iPhone‌ 8, ‌iPhone‌ 8 Plus, and ‌iPhone‌ X models that use chips from Intel.

Qualcomm and Apple have been fighting in courts all over the world, and Qualcomm has successfully won import bans in China and Germany, which Apple has since skirted with software and hardware updates.

In the U.S., a jury recently found Apple guilty of infringing on three of Qualcomm's patents, recommending a fine of approximately $31 million in damages. Apple is appealing that ruling and the fight between the two companies is far from over.

Update: In a second patent infringement case that the ITC ruled on today [PDF], Apple was found not to have infringed on patented Qualcomm technology related to power management. This second ruling does not impact the first infringement ruling covered in the initial article.

Update 2: Apple provided Bloomberg with the following statement on the second ITC verdict: "We're pleased the ITC has found Qualcomm's latest patent claims invalid, it's another important step to making sure American companies are able to compete fairly in the marketplace. Qualcomm is using these cases to distract from having to answer for the real issues, their monopolistic business practices. They are being investigated by governments around the world for their behavior and we look forward to detailing the many ways they're harming consumers and stifling innovation when we present our case in San Diego next month."

Apple's new second-generation AirPods are beginning to arrive to customers around the world, and some early adopters have turned to the MacRumors forums and social media to share their first impressions of the earphones.

Hey Siri

Powered by a new H1 chip, the new AirPods support hands-free Siri, enabling users to change songs, make phone calls, adjust the volume, get directions, and more by saying "Hey Siri." Siri can still be activated by doubling tapping one of the AirPods if enabled in Settings > Bluetooth on an iOS device.

First impressions about the new Hey Siri functionality are mostly positive so far. MacRumors forum member Moxxham from Australia wrote that "Hey Siri seems to work really well," even with loud music playing in the background, while Reddit user Lachlanhunt found the feature "works reasonably well."

Sound Quality

First impressions about overall audio quality are both subjective and anecdotal, with conflicting opinions as to whether the new AirPods sound better than the original. Reports range from users not noticing any difference all the way to feeling like the new AirPods are a huge improvement for sound.

When listening to music, I could not make out any discernible difference between my AirPods 2 and my wife’s original AirPods. I bought the AirPods 2 mainly for the gym and casual wireless listening. They will replace my Jabra’s which have lousy latency issues and fatigue my ears after 30 mins or so.

At the very least, MacRumors reader Vladislav Kuznetsov and many others agree that features like Siri and FaceTime calls sound clearer:

Early adopters are also noticing that the new AirPods switch more quickly between devices like the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac they are connected. Apple says the H1 chip makes switching between sources up to two times faster.

As far as battery life is concerned, more time will be needed for a proper comparison between the new AirPods and the original pair.

Apple says the new AirPods get up to three hours of talk time per charge, compared to up to two hours with the previous generation. Other battery life stats remain the same, with up to five hours of listening time per charge and more than 24 hours of total battery life from extra charges stored in the case.

The new AirPods are available to order on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app with a wired charging case for $159, the same price as the original AirPods, and with a wireless charging case for $199. Apple says both options will be available at Apple Stores and select resellers starting this week.

MacRumors will be sharing our own second-generation AirPods hands-on video and impressions soon. Let us know your own first impressions in the comments section or by tweeting at us with a @MacRumors mention!

Apple's updated second-generation AirPods began arriving to customers around the world this morning, marking the official launch of the new earbuds.

The new AirPods have also made their way into stores and are available for in-store pickup. Many stores across the United States appear to have immediate availability of the AirPods, so if you want a set, you can pop into a retail location and get them today.

It's not clear how much available supply there is, but almost are stores are listing stock at the current time.

Retail stores are stocking the AirPods 2 with Wireless Charging Case ($199), AirPods 2 with standard Charging Case ($159), and the standalone Wireless Charging Case ($79) that adds wireless charging capabilities to your existing AirPods.

Apple's second-generation AirPods continue to be available solely in white, and there were no design changes introduced with the update. The AirPods are equipped with an updated H1 chip, which brings connectivity improvements. AirPods now connect more quickly to your devices, and swapping between devices is two times faster.

Bluetooth 5.0 is supported for improved range, and the new AirPods have a hands-free "Hey Siri" feature so you no longer need to activate ‌Siri‌ by tapping on one of the earbuds (though this option still exists).

The major new feature with the AirPods 2 is of course wireless charging, which, with the Wireless Charging Case allows the AirPods and case to be charged using any Qi-based wireless charging option. When the long-awaited and still missing AirPower is released, the new AirPods Wireless Charging Case will be required to charge AirPods with the accessory.