MacRumors

Apple released the third beta of iOS 9 to developers this morning, bringing some significant changes to the operating system, including the new Apple News app.

First introduced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, "News" provides curated lists of personalized news content for iOS users, offering up content from popular websites and newspapers and displaying it in an iOS-friendly layout. We went hands-on with News to give our readers a detailed walkthrough of the app and the different features that it offers.

News is built around topics and channels that are selected by each individual user, which are then used to populate an individualized "For You" tab that displays a list of stories each day. There's a Favorites section that display the sites you've added to a favorites list for quick browsing, a search feature for finding new content, and an Explore tab for casual browsing. Explore suggests topics or channels you might be interested based on what you've previously read.

If you come across a favorite story, you can add it to the "Saved" section in News, and you're able to share stories with friends by using the Share Sheet when reading content. In Safari, there's also a feature that will let you add any RSS feed to News by visiting a site and choosing "Add to News."

News includes more than a million topics, and as you read more stories, the app will get better at offering content that might interest you. Media content like photos and videos can be displayed full screen and there are features like built-in audio and photo galleries.

News is only available in iOS 9 beta 3, which is limited to registered developers. Public beta testers will likely get access to News in the near future when the first public beta test is released, and the general public will be able to access the app when iOS 9 launches in the fall.

Apple today released the third beta of iOS 9, which has turned out to be the biggest update to the operating system so far. It adds a revamped Music app with access to Apple Music, the News app that was first unveiled at WWDC, a new two-factor authentication system, and several other smaller tweaks, along with the traditional performance improvements and bug fixes.

With today's changes, the beta is feeling faster, more polished, and more full featured. For beta testers and those eager to know what's coming in the OS ahead of its official release, we've rounded up a complete list of all of the new changes introduced in iOS 9 beta 3 below.

News app - Today's beta is the first iOS 9 beta to include Apple's new News app, first announced at WWDC. The news app offers up a curated list of news stories based on each user's preferences and interests. The News app displays specific channels and topics and also supports the addition of RSS feeds from Safari. The News app appears to be available only to U.S. users for the time being.

Two-Factor Authentication - iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 El Capitan include an entirely revamped two-factor authentication system that Apple says is more streamlined.

App folders on iPad - App folders on the iPad now display apps in a 4x4 arrangement instead of a 3x3 arrangement, allowing users to see more apps in a folder at a glance.

Photo app folders - There are new folders for selfies and screenshots in the Photos app. The "Selfies" folder aggregates all photos captured with the front-facing camera, while the "Screenshots" folder houses all screenshots captured by holding down the power button and home button.

Music app - The Music app in iOS 9 has been updated, giving beta testers access to Apple Music, Beats 1 radio, and Apple Music Connect.

Music settings - There's a new option in the Settings app under "Music" to stream music at the highest quality while using a cellular connection.

Search improvements - When swiping downwards to bring up search, Siri App Suggestions are now displayed.

Camera - As mentioned in the release notes, in iOS 9 beta 3 the volume buttons cannot be used to snap a picture. Given that it's mentioned in the release notes under the "Known Issues" section, it's likely that the feature's removal is a bug that will be fixed in a future beta.

Restrictions - In General --> Settings --> Restrictions there's a new logo for Siri & Dictation. There's also a new setting to toggle on/off access to the News app, and the option to turn off Apple Music Connect is gone. People had been using this option to replace Connect with a Playlists tab, but doing so is no longer possible.

Battery Settings - The Battery section of the Settings app has an icon without rounded edges, which may be a mistake. In the app usage portion of the Battery section, there's a new clock icon to represent the list of apps that use the most battery instead of a hamburger icon.

Additional feature updates in iOS 9 beta 3 will be added here as they are discovered. Apple should continue to release regular updates to iOS 9 at two to three week intervals throughout the beta testing period to bring minor performance boosts and changes ahead of the operating system's official launch. iOS 9 is expected to be released to the public in the fall, but a public beta test will come first and is expected in the near future.

The third betas of iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan launched today, and a new document outlining a revamped two-factor authentication feature built into the operating systems suggests we may be seeing public beta availability in the very near future. A support document accompanying the two-factor authentication changes explicitly states that it's designed for "the public betas of iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan."

When Apple introduced iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 El Capitan at its Worldwide Developers Conference, the company promised that a public beta would be available beginning in July, so customers who are enrolled in Apple's public beta testing programs may not have much longer to wait to get access to the new software.

It is not clear exactly when the public beta will be seeded to customers, but the wording in the support document suggests beta testers will be receiving access to the same third betas of iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 that were seeded to developers this morning.

Public beta tests for major software releases are a relatively new feature from Apple, introduced for OS X with OS X Yosemite last year and iOS with the release of iOS 8.3 in March of 2015. iOS and Mac users can sign up for Apple's Beta Software Program on the company's dedicated beta testing site.

With the third betas of iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 El Capitan, Apple is introducing a revamped two-factor authentication system, according to both the beta release notes and a detailed support FAQ that outlines the changes.

The new two-factor authentication system is different from Apple's existing two-step verification system, using "different methods" to trust devices and deliver verification codes. Apple also says it includes a "more streamlined user experience."

Based on the support document, the new two-factor authentication system works similarly to the existing two-step verification system. Any device that you sign into using two-factor authentication in iOS 9 or El Capitan becomes a trusted device that can be used to verify identify when signing into other devices or services linked to an Apple ID.

Apple recommends that iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan beta testers using the new two-factor authentication system update all of their devices to iOS 9 or El Capitan for "the best experience." As outlined in the release notes, customers who use two-factor authentication with older devices may be required to put a six-digit verification code at the end of a password instead of using a dedicated verification field.

If you enable two-factor authentication, iTunes purchases on Mac and Windows will require you to append a 6-digit code to the end of your password on every purchase. The 6-digit code will automatically be sent to your iOS 9 or OS X El Capitan devices.

Older devices are also not able to receive two-factor authentication codes when used with devices running iOS 9 and El Capitan, but customers who stick with the older two-step verification system should not run into any issues as Apple tests the newer two-factor authentication system. Apple does not recommend that customers using two-step verification swap over to two-factor authentication until the feature is available to all.

First introduced in March of 2013, two-factor verification is an opt-in system that increases the security of Apple ID accounts. Since its debut, Apple has been working to expand two-factor authentication to cover several different services like iCloud, iMessage, and FaceTime.

It is not entirely clear what other changes the new two-factor authentication system brings to iOS and Mac devices, but the switch to a new system may allow Apple to further extend the functionality of two-factor authentication in the future.

Update: An Apple spokesperson told Macworld that the troublesome recovery key feature that has caused people to lose their Apple ID accounts in the past has been removed in the new two-factor authentication system.

With the existing two-step verification system, either a recovery key or a trusted device/trusted phone number is required to access an Apple ID account. If both should be lost, such as when a trusted device is stolen, an Apple ID is irretrievable.

With the new authentication system, Apple's customer support team will help users recover their Apple IDs through a recovery process should both trusted devices and phone numbers become inaccessible.

If you can't sign in, reset your password, or receive verification codes, you can regain access to your account by requesting account recovery. Simply provide a verified phone number where you can receive a text message or phone call regarding your account. Apple will review your case and contact you at the number provided when your Apple ID is ready for recovery. The automated message will direct you to iforgot.apple.com to complete the required steps and regain access to your account.

Account recovery will take a few days—or longer—depending on how much information you can provide to verify that you are the account owner. The process is designed to get you back into your account as quickly as possible while denying access to anyone who might be pretending to be you.

As noted by Apple, not all beta testers and developers will have access to the new two-factor authentication system right away, but Apple plans to add additional testers gradually as we get closer to the release of iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan.

Apple today seeded the third watchOS 2 beta to developers, just over two weeks after seeding the second watchOS 2 beta and a month after announcing the new operating system update at its Worldwide Developers Conference.

watchOS 2 requires iOS 9 and can be downloaded over-the-air through the Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General -> Software Update.

watchOS 2 is the first major update to the software that runs on the Apple Watch. The new software brings many new features that Apple Watch developers can take advantage of, including native apps that run on the Apple Watch itself instead of the iPhone. It also allows developers to access the Taptic Engine and a number of other sensors in the Apple Watch, including the heart rate monitor, the microphone, and the accelerometer.

Along with these features for developers, which will lead to much more complex and full-featured third-party Apple Watch apps, the update introduces new watch faces (photo albums and time-lapse), third-party Complications, Time Travel for viewing upcoming events in a watch face Complication, and a Nightstand mode that's activated when the watch is charging, displaying the time.

watchOS 2 is currently only available to registered developers who have also installed iOS 9 on their iPhones. Apple plans to release the software to the public in the fall.

Apple today seeded the third beta of iOS 9 to developers for testing purposes, just over two weeks after releasing the second beta and exactly a month after unveiling the new operating system at the 2015 Worldwide Developers Conference.

The update, build 13A4293f, is available through Apple's over-the-air updating system on iOS devices and is also available for download through the Apple Developer Center.

As promised by Eddy Cue last week, today's beta includes the updated Music app, allowing those running iOS 9 to access the new Apple Music service and the Beats 1 radio station. Today's beta also includes the new News app, a new two-factor authentication system, and more. For a full rundown of changes, make sure to check out our iOS 9 beta 3 tidbits post.

iOS 9 is Apple's newest operating system, focusing on intelligence and proactivity. It allows iOS devices to learn user habits and act on that information, providing recommendations on places we might like, apps we might like to use, and more. Siri is smarter in iOS 9, with the ability to create contextual reminders, and search is improved with new sources.

Many of the built in apps have been improved, including Notes, Maps, and Mail. Passbook has been renamed to Wallet, and iOS 9 introduces split-screen multitasking for the iPad along with a revamped keyboard. In addition to these consumer-facing features, iOS 9 brings significant under-the-hood performance improvements.

With battery optimizations, iOS devices have an additional hour of battery life, and a new Low Power Mode extends the battery even further. iOS updates take up less space in iOS 9, and many app install sizes are smaller due to a feature called app thinning. iOS 9 is capable of running on all devices that support iOS 8.

iOS 9 is currently only available to developers, but Apple plans to introduce a public iOS 9 beta in July before the final release of the software in the fall.

Apple today released the third beta of OS X 10.11 El Capitan to developers for testing purposes, just over two weeks after releasing the second El Capitan beta and a month after unveiling the new operating system at its 2015 Worldwide Developers Conference.

The update is available through the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store and through the Apple Developer Center.

OS X El Capitan largely builds on the features introduced with OS X Yosemite, focusing on improving performance and user experience. Behind-the-scenes improvements in El Capitan have made a number of apps and processes on the Mac much faster, and the introduction of Metal makes system-level graphics rendering 40 percent more efficient.

Along with a new systemwide font, El Capitan includes a revamped Mission Control feature, a new Split View feature for using two full-screen apps at once, deeper functionality for Spotlight, and several new features for Safari, including Pinned Sites for housing frequently-visited websites and a universal mute button that quiets all tabs.

OS X 10.11 El Capitan is currently only available to registered developers, but Apple plans to offer a public beta of the software in July. Following testing, El Capitan will see a final release in the fall of 2015.

What's new in OS X El Capitan beta 3:

Two-Factor Authentication - iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 El Capitan include an entirely revamped two-factor authentication system.

Photos app - As in iOS 9 beta 3, there are new albums for selfies and screenshots in the Photos app in El Capitan beta 3.

Spotify is sending emails to its customers encouraging them to stop paying for the Spotify music service through Apple's App Store, reports The Verge. The email informs customers they can save $3 per month on their Spotify fees by canceling their App Store Spotify subscription and resubscribing through the Spotify website.

Spotify subscriptions that people signed up for using the App Store are priced at $12.99 to account for the 30 percent fee that Apple collects for all app and subscription revenue routed through the App Store. The same service is priced at $9.99 through Spotify's website.

Customers who subscribe to Spotify through the App Store might mistakenly think that Spotify is more expensive than Apple's new streaming service, Apple Music, which is also priced at $9.99 per month. That's true, but only when the service is purchased via the App Store.

Spotify's emails are accompanied by a step-by-step tutorial that walks customers through the process of turning off auto-renew on their App Store subscriptions and then instructs them to wait for the service to run out before resubscribing to the Spotify service on the web.

Spotify continues to be the dominant on-demand streaming service in the music industry with 75 million active users and 20 million paid subscribers, but it is unclear what impact Apple Music will have on the company's business.

Apple is asking suppliers to assemble a record-breaking 85 to 90 million units of its next-generation iPhone models combined by year-end, according to The Wall Street Journal. That order tops the reported 70 to 80 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus units that Apple ordered during its initial production run last year.

The report reiterates rumors that the so-called "iPhone 6s" and "iPhone 6s Plus" will feature both Force Touch, which can distinguish between a light tap and deep press, and a new color option, likely rose gold or pink. Foxconn and Pegatron are expected to be the main suppliers of the next-generation iPhones, while Apple may elect to use a third assembler Wistron to help fulfill the record-breaking number of orders.

The next-generation iPhones will reportedly enter mass-production starting next month and are expected to retain the same 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screen sizes and current display resolutions. The "iPhone 6s" and "iPhone 6s Plus" are widely expected to be announced in September with a focus on non-cosmetic improvements such as an A9 processor with 2GB of RAM, Force Touch, faster Qualcomm LTE chip and improved 12-megapixel rear-facing camera.

In a letter to Microsoft employees sent out this morning, company CEO Satya Nadella confirmed that over the next few months Microsoft will undergo a massive restructuring mainly focused on its phone business and which will see the loss of "up to 7,800 positions globally."

In addition, the company will take a $7.6 billion impairment charge and an estimated restructuring cost of $750 million to $850 million as Microsoft attempts to rebuild its phone hardware division after its 2013 acquisition of Nokia's hardware units that has failed to generate momentum.

In his letter to Microsoft employees, Nadella reaffirmed that he doesn't take such changes lightly, and that the company has plans for its future, with Microsoft moving from a hardware-focused phone strategy and pivoting to the building of a "vibrant Windows ecosystem."

I don’t take changes in plans like these lightly, given that they affect the lives of people who have made an impact at Microsoft. We are deeply committed to helping our team members through these transitions.

I am committed to our first-party devices including phones. However, we need to focus our phone efforts in the near term while driving reinvention. We are moving from a strategy to grow a standalone phone business to a strategy to grow and create a vibrant Windows ecosystem that includes our first-party device family.

As the iPhone and Android devices have taken increasingly large shares of the smartphone market, Microsoft's Windows Phone division and BlackBerry have struggled to compete, seeing their market shares fall to the low single digits in many countries. Nadella's suggestion of Microsoft's phone business shifting to a more software-focused angle could point towards services like Cortana -- already announced to be coming to iOS later this year -- seeing an increase in attention and focus from Microsoft in the coming months.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas on Tuesday voided $532.9 million in damages awarded to patent licensing firm Smartflash LLC in February in an iTunes-related patent lawsuit, per Reuters.

The report claims federal judge Rodney Gilstrap has set a new damages trial on September 14 after ruling that "his jury instructions might have 'skewed' jurors' understanding of the damages that Apple should pay."

Apple was initially ordered to pay $532.9 million in damages to Smartflash LLC after a federal jury in the Tyler, Texas courtroom found certain iTunes apps to be infringing upon the company's patents related to digital rights management, data storage and managing access through payment systems.

Apple countered that Smartflash LLC was exploiting the patent system to collect royalties.

“Smartflash makes no products, has no employees, creates no jobs, has no U.S. presence, and is exploiting our patent system to seek royalties for technology Apple invented,” said Kristin Huguet, an Apple spokeswoman. “We refused to pay off this company for the ideas our employees spent years innovating and unfortunately we have been left with no choice but to take this fight up through the court system.”

Smartflash LLC was originally seeking $852 million in damages, and claimed it was entitled to a percentage of sales of Apple products used to access iTunes, such as iPhones, iPads and Macs. Apple argued that $4.5 million was fair at most, claiming it does not infringe upon any of Smartflash LLC's inventions and that its patents are invalid.

Apple likely still faces a fine of a different amount pending the results of the new damages trial scheduled for September, but the iPhone maker plans to appeal the decision.

Apple Pay in the United Kingdom has yet to officially launch, but some banks are preparing for the upcoming release of the payments service and have begun allowing customers to register their cards for use with Apple Pay.

Several Santander customers on the MacRumors forums have been able to successfully add their cards to Passbook for use with Apple Pay, making the cards available on both their iPhones and their Apple Watches.

Customers registering their cards are also receiving confirmation emails from Santander, informing them that they're now able to use Apple Pay. As of the time of writing, customers have not yet tested the Apple Pay service at a location that accepts Apple Pay. One customer was told the bank's system is not live and that customers who were able to mistakenly register early would be de-registered, so it is not clear if the registered cards will be able to be used to make purchases.

Activating a Santander card with Apple Pay at this time requires U.K. users to set their region to U.S., add a card, and change their region back to U.K., at which point the card remains available in Passbook. It's clearly a workaround, but a sign that banks are preparing to accept Apple Pay in the near future.

Other banks, like MBNA and Nationwide, are giving error messages like "Contact Card Issuer" and "Your Issuer Does Not Yet Offer Support."

It is not clear exactly when Apple Pay will become officially available in the United Kingdom, but during its Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple said the payments service would launch in July. Recently released employee training documents have suggested the launch could come next week, on Tuesday, July 14. 250,000 merchants are expected to support Apple Pay in the U.K. when it is released.

Update: One of the Santander customers who was able to activate his card for use with Apple Pay was able to use it at a McDonald's to make a purchase.

Update 2: Santander customers who were able to activate their cards are now receiving email notifications letting them know the Apple Pay service is no longer available for use.

As it works on introducing some major changes to the third-party accessory sections of its retail stores, Apple has launched a new section in its online store dedicated to "Apple Tested Cases."

The new page is displayed alongside third-party iPhone and iPad cases and outlines the testing procedures for Apple-approved Made for iPhone/iPad (MFi) third-party cases that Apple sells both online and in its retail stores. Designed to reassure customers about the quality of the third-party accessories available from Apple, the site goes over several testing parameters that cases must meet, including design, camera, acoustics, sensors, and cellular and wireless.

We analyze how a case fits, so you can still access every button, port, and jack. And a series of drop tests tells us the design is strong enough for day-to-day use.

Each case must fit the iPhone or iPad exactly, leaving all ports and features accessible. The camera and flash must be unobstructed, cases can't interfere with FaceTime, phone calls, or audio sound, and sensors for ambient light and Touch ID must work the same with the case on and off. Cellular, Wi-Fi, and NFC connectivity are also tested, with each case needing to meet Apple's standards for signal quality.

Apple has long engaged in these testing procedures to make sure accessories are compliant with its MFi programs, but the launch of the "Apple Tested Cases" page marks the first time that Apple's prominently shared its testing guidelines with the public.

The introduction of the page comes as Apple prepares to revamp the third-party accessory sections in many of its retail locations, cutting down on the number of accessories offered and packaging many of them in boxes that were co-designed by Apple to match the packaging of its own products.