MacRumors

iOS 11.2 beta, released this morning, introduces SiriKit support for the HomePod, according to Apple. With SiriKit for HomePod now available, Apple is asking developers to make sure SiriKit-compatible apps are optimized for HomePod ahead of the device's release.

SiriKit is designed to allow iOS and watchOS apps to work with Siri, so users can complete tasks with Siri voice commands. SiriKit is available for a wide range of apps on those two platforms, but its availability is slightly more limited when it comes to HomePod.

Third-party apps that use SiriKit Messaging, Lists, and Notes are compatible with the HomePod. Siri will recognize voice requests given to the HomePod, with those requests carried out on a linked iOS device. So, for example, users can ask HomePod to send a message to a friend, add an item to a list, or create a new note. Sample HomePod requests:

- Send a text to Eric using WhatsApp
- In WeChat, tell Eric I'll be late
- Add chocolate and bananas to my list in Things
- Create a note that says "hello" in Evernote

Developers can test the voice-only experience of their apps using Siri through headphones connected to an iOS device with the iOS 11.2 beta.

Apple plans to release the HomePod this December, but a specific launch date for the speaker has not yet been provided. When it becomes available, the HomePod will cost $349.

Square today announced the launch of Square Register, a new point-of-sale device that joins Square Stand and Square Reader, the company's existing iPad and iPhone-based point-of-sale systems.

Unlike Square Stand and Square Reader, Square Register is a fully integrated solution with hardware and software designed by Square. The device features a large display that faces the cashier, and at the back is a second, smaller display that's customer-facing.

The smaller display offers up a look at the order total and allows customers to swipe their cards to make a payment. With previous Square solutions, the display had to be flipped around so both customer and cashier could use it, but the two-display option alleviates that problem.

Merchants can also opt to pay $49 per month for the Square Register over the course of 24 months, and there are custom pricing options for large businesses.

Like other Square point-of-sale options, Square Register is equipped with NFC and will allow businesses to accept Apple Pay payments. Other features include support for accessories through a five-port USB hub and Ethernet and offline support for use even in situations with poor connectivity.

Texas resident Mark Kilbourne has filed a lawsuit against Apple in Southern Texas for selling the HomeKit-enabled August Smart Lock.

The complaint claims that the August Smart Lock infringes upon his patented Remotizer keyless entry system for existing deadbolt locks. For selling the product, Apple is somehow being solely targeted here rather than August.

Kilbourne allegedly submitted a Remotizer app for iPhone for review around September 2014, but Apple said it was unable to continue with the process because it needed the associated hardware to fully assess the app.

"We began review of the app but are not able to continue because we need the associated hardware to fully assess your app features," read Apple's email response, according to the complaint. It appears Kilbourne never complied.

Both the Remotizer and August Smart Lock are electronic systems for remotely opening and closing a preexisting deadbolt lock without a key. Both products allow homeowners to keep their existing exterior door hardware and replace only the interior side of most standard deadbolts.

Kilbourne is seeking an award of unspecified damages and legal costs, and he wants Apple to stop selling the August Smart Lock, according to the complaint. The lawsuit is rather humorous given that it should probably be targeted at August Smart Lock, so we'll see how far this one goes before getting tossed out.

Apple this morning released new firmware for the HomePod ahead of its December launch. The new firmware isn't available through the Developer portal, but it will be downloadable by testers who have a HomePod and it is listed on third-party iOS software sites, making it available for download by the public.

HomePod devices are currently in the hands of Apple employees who are testing the smart speaker to iron out bugs before it becomes available for purchase later this year.

Apple previously released publicly available HomePod firmware in July, unwittingly leaking many secrets about the iPhone X. The HomePod firmware referenced the unreleased iPhone and confirmed its design and several features like Face ID facial recognition.

The update also highlighted details about the HomePod like its startup process and internal features that include display resolution and RAM.

This time around, there are no unreleased iOS devices coming in the immediate future so the new HomePod firmware is unlikely to be as exciting as the first, but it could potentially unveil new information about the HomePod itself as developers dig into the firmware code.

HomePod is Apple's Siri-based smart speaker that focuses heavily on high-quality sound. It incorporates a 7 tweeter array, an Apple-designed 4-inch upward-facing woofer, and an A8 chip to power features like spatial awareness.

When it launches this December, HomePod will be priced at $349.

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming tvOS 11.2 update to developers for testing purposes, more than a month after releasing tvOS 11 to the public and while tvOS 11.1, the first tvOS update, is still in testing.

Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the tvOS 11.2 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that’s installed using Xcode.

According to the release notes accompanying the tvOS 11.2 beta, the update fixes several bugs related to 4K support and introduces new 4K features.

tvOS 11.2 includes new features, bug fixes, and security improvements in the OS and SDK, including:
- Automatic mode switching to native frame rate and dynamic range of video content with Apple TV 4K
- Support for switching Apple TV 4K display output to SDR for apps that are GPU-bound when running in HDR
- Restoring Unwatched category in Home Sharing for Movies, TV Shows, and Home Videos

Apple has released a video for the new AVDisplayManager feature for developers. With tvOS 11.2, Apple TV 4K is able to automatically switch video display modes to match the native frame rate and dynamic range of video content, so developers will need to make sure their apps and video content are ready to support the new functionality.

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming watchOS 4.2 update to developers, more than a month after releasing the new watchOS 4 operating system to the public and while watchOS 4.1, the first major update to watchOS 4, is still in testing.

Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS 4.2 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 must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the iPhone.

It's not yet clear what new features watchOS 4.2 will introduce, but it could bring support for Apple Pay Cash, Apple's new peer-to-peer payments feature. We'll know more about what's included in the update once developers are able to download the software and dig into the new features.

Apple Maps has been updated with comprehensive transit data in the Phoenix, Arizona and Birmingham, Alabama areas, enabling navigation with public transportation options such as buses and trains in those regions.

In the Phoenix area, supported vehicles include Valley Metro buses and trains, and the PHX Sky Train at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Routes extend to and from suburbs such as Chandler, Mesa, Glendale, Scottsdale, and Tempe.

In the Birmingham area, supported vehicles include MAX Transit buses operated by the Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority. Transit directions have also recently been enabled in Montgomery and Huntsville.

MacRumors reader Bernd Keuning, who keeps close tabs on Apple Maps, also sees hints of transit directions eventually expanding to Nordic and Baltic countries. Progress is visible in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Keuning has a good track record, having tipped us ahead of time about transit in several cities and countries where the functionality eventually launched, including Las Vegas, Phoenix, Ottawa, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Taiwan, and Singapore.

The telltale sign is that Apple Maps typically adds station outlines to a region shortly before launching transit directions in the area.

Apple Maps gained a Transit tab in iOS 9. The feature lags several years behind Google Maps, but Apple's public transportation support is at least exhaustive, mapping all station entrances and listing departure times. Apple Maps also provides detailed advisories about service interruptions and other changes.

At launch, the feature was limited to Baltimore, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Sydney, Toronto, and over 300 cities in China. Since then, Apple has been working to expand support for public transportation to other cities around the world.

For an occasionally updated list of cities and regions with Apple Maps transit directions, visit the iOS Feature Availability page on Apple's website.

YouTube today announced that its live-streaming service, YouTube TV, is now launching as a dedicated app for smart TVs, streaming devices, and gaming systems. The company also confirmed that an Apple TV app for YouTube TV will launch "in the coming weeks."

Today, YouTube TV will be available on Android TV devices and smart TVs, as well as the Xbox One, Xbox One S, and upcoming Xbox One X.

So today we’re excited to unveil the new YouTube TV app built for TV devices. In the next few days, you’ll be able to stream live TV through the new YouTube TV app on Android TV devices including NVIDIA SHIELD and TVs with Android TV built-in, such as Sony, as well as on the Xbox One family of devices (Xbox One, Xbox One S, and soon Xbox One X).

In the coming weeks we'll be launching the new app on Smart TVs, such as LG, Samsung, Sony, along with Apple TV.

The new YouTube TV app is similar to the app on mobile, with Home, Live, and Library tabs for viewing content. New features include a dark background, Live guide to look at upcoming shows, and the ability to navigate the app while keeping video running in the background.

YouTube TV originally debuted in early April and continued expanding throughout the spring, and was initially available only for iOS and Android mobile devices, as well as on the web. YouTube TV allows viewers to live stream and watch shows on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, CW, Disney, ESPN, FX, USA, and dozens of other major cable channels, alongside standard YouTube video content.

As we get closer to the iPhone X's launch on Friday, November 3, more tidbits about the device are beginning to emerge thanks to the first wave of impressions, reviews, and hands-on coverage that hit this morning. Within his first impressions, Steven Levy shared an interesting aspect of the iPhone X's software, which turns on hiding text previews for your notifications by default instead of making you turn this privacy feature on yourself.

As an explanation, with the launch of iOS 11 Apple introduced a way for you to hide text previews of all apps at once within Settings. With this turned on, you'll notice when you have a notification for apps like Messages and Snapchat, but the actual content of the notification is hidden until you "unlock" the iPhone with Touch ID or a passcode. Then, you can read the content, and tap the Home Button to enter your iPhone. This feature has to be turned on manually on current iPhones.

Levy said that he used this feature as a way to confirm that Face ID had unlocked the iPhone X. Here's the part from his review concerning text previews on the iPhone X Lock Screen:

I then see if the little lock icon on the screen has released its latch. Alternatively, a good way to see when you’ve been recognized is to notice the generic messages on the lock screen saying “you have a notification” from Facebook, Gmail, or wherever. When you and your iPhone X make that turn-on connection, those flesh out with the actual content of the message. (This feature—withholding potentially private alerts until the phone was unlocked—had previously been available as an option but now is the default.)

It's also worth noting that sometimes the iPhone X review unit would unlock with Face ID and go "straight to where [Levy] left off," while other times the UI asked him to swipe up to unlock the iPhone X, as has been showcased in marketing for the smartphone. Levy didn't have an explanation for this part of his experience with the new iPhone, further stating that he was "mystified" as to why it would sometimes say swipe up after Face ID unlock, and other times simply open the iPhone.

Check out more information on the iPhone X in our Roundup.