MacRumors

DuckDuckGo Browser users can now securely sync their favorites, bookmarks, and passwords across multiple devices, without having to set up an account or sign in to use it.

The privacy-first browser enables this through its new "Sync & Backup" feature, which generates a QR code on mobile devices or an alphanumeric code on a computer to establish syncing.

As per DuckDuckGo's privacy, DuckDuckGo doesn't track users, and cannot access users' synced data, including passwords in the browser's built-in password manager, which encrypts passwords locally. When private sync is used, all data stays securely encrypted throughout the syncing process, since the unique key needed to decrypt it is stored only on the devices.

Backup & Sync also enables users to migrate bookmarks and passwords to a new device, and sync their Email Protection account between devices. (DuckDuckGo Email Protection is a free email forwarding service that removes hidden email trackers and lets users create unique private email addresses on the fly.)

According to DuckDuckGo, the new feature works across most Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhone devices, and can be found in the browser's Settings (Sync & Backup ➝ Sync With Another Device). Those only working with one device can choose Sync and Back Up This Device from the Single-Device Setup section.

After setup, the browser generates a Recovery PDF document that contains the user's unique, locally generated Recovery Code, which can be used to gain access to synced data if the associated devices are lost or damaged.

DuckDuckGo's browser offers more than a dozen privacy protections, including ad tracker blocking and cookie pop-up removal. It is available for iOS devices on the App Store and for Mac on the Mac App Store and DuckDuckGo website.

All of Apple's products have a 14-day return window, including the $3,500 Vision Pro. For those who purchased a Vision Pro online or in a retail store on the February 2 launch date, the two week return window will end on Friday, February 16.

With the Vision Pro positioned as Apple's first dedicated AR/VR device and the first new product category Apple has entered since 2015, many people may have purchased the headset to try it out without an intention to keep it. Multiple buyers on social media networks have also been reporting returns this week because of eye strain, the comfort of the device, the bulky size, a lack of apps and functionality, or an inability to find a day-to-day use case for it.

If you bought a Vision Pro and haven't found it to be worth the purchase price, Apple will take it back, and the same goes for accessories like the $200 Vision Pro Travel Case.

Based on reports from those who have returned the device, it is a seamless process at an Apple retail location. In some cases, Apple employees will ask a number of questions about the reason for the return, but Apple does not deny returns within the 14-day window.

Returned products must be in their original condition with the original parts, accessories, and packaging. Returns can be done at an Apple Store or can be initiated online through Apple's support channels.

Custom ZEISS lens inserts purchased alongside the Apple Vision Pro can't be returned to an ‌Apple Store‌. Apple will accept returns for them on behalf of ZEISS, but that return must be initiated through the Order Listing page. Readers that are not a specific prescription can be returned at a retail location.

Apple has pulled the Apple Music SharePlay feature that it was testing for the HomePod and Apple TV in the iOS 17.4 and tvOS 17.4 betas, which suggests the option may not be available when the updates are released in March.

The first betas of tvOS 17.4 and iOS 17.4 enabled SharePlay music controls on both the HomePod and the Apple TV, but as of the second beta, the functionality has been removed.

SharePlay is a feature that allows users to watch television, listen to music, use apps, and play games together over FaceTime, but Apple has been expanding the feature. In iOS 17, SharePlay was added to CarPlay, allowing everyone in the car to contribute songs to a shared playlist.

On the ‌HomePod‌ and the ‌Apple TV‌, the SharePlay feature allowed users to generate a QR code (on the iPhone for ‌HomePod‌) that could be scanned to give friends and family members the option to play songs on the device. The ‌HomePod‌ or ‌Apple TV‌ owner was required to have an ‌Apple Music‌ subscription, but those contributing content simply needed the Music app without a subscription.

It is not clear if Apple will return the SharePlay feature to the ‌HomePod‌ or ‌Apple TV‌ ahead of the launch of the iOS 17.4 and tvOS 17.4 updates, but so far, SharePlay has been missing from the past two beta releases.

iOS 17.4 and tvOS 17.4 are set to come out in March.

(Thanks, Hidde!)

Apple's next-generation A18 and M4 chips for future iPhone and Mac models will feature an upgraded Neural Engine with "significantly" more cores, according to a report today from the Taiwanese publication Economic Daily News.

An upgraded Neural Engine would improve performance for AI/machine learning tasks. iOS 18 is rumored to have new generative AI features for Siri, Shortcuts, Messages, Apple Music, and more. On an earnings call this month, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company was working on generative AI and would share details "later this year." iOS 18 should be announced at Apple's annual developers conference WWDC in June.

A18 series chips are expected to debut in iPhone 16 models in September. It was previously rumored that some generative AI features could be exclusive to iPhone 16 models, and the upgraded Neural Engine could be a reason why.

Neural Engine history for iPhones:

• 2-core Neural Engine in the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X
• 8-core Neural Engine in the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR
• 8-core Neural Engine in the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max
• 16-core Neural Engine in all iPhone 12 models
• 16-core Neural Engine in all iPhone 13 models
• 16-core Neural Engine in all iPhone 14 models
• 16-core Neural Engine in all iPhone 15 models

Apple has still improved the Neural Engine's performance over the years, even when core counts have not changed. For example, Apple says the iPhone 15 Pro's A17 Pro chip has up to a 2x faster Neural Engine compared to the one in the iPhone 14 Pro.

As for the Mac, most models with Apple silicon chips are equipped with a 16-core Neural Engine. The only exceptions are the Mac Studio and the Mac Pro, which feature a 32-core Neural Engine when configured with an M1 Ultra or M2 Ultra chip.

The first Macs with an M4 chip would likely be released in late 2024 or early 2025.

Generative AI surged in popularity in 2022 after OpenAI released ChatGPT, a chatbot that can respond to questions and other prompts. Google, Microsoft, and other companies have also released similar chatbots and tools, including ones that can automatically generate images, respond to voice queries, and more.

Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 updates to public beta testers, allowing non-developers to test the software ahead of its release. The third public iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 betas come a week after Apple released the second betas.

Public beta testers can get the beta by opening up the Settings app, going to the Software Update section, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option, and toggling on the iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 Public Beta. Signing up on Apple's beta testing website is required.

The iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 betas introduce a whole slew of changes for users in the European Union, allowing for alternative app stores and alternative payment methods.

There are new options for choosing a default browser, NFC has been opened up to banks and other financial institutions, and browsers aren't mandated to use WebKit.

Along with these changes, the update also brings new emoji characters, Podcast transcripts, tweaks to Safari, hints of what we can expect from the next-generation CarPlay, and more.

Full details on what's included in iOS 17.4 can be found in our features guide.

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Sonoma 14.4 update to public beta testers, allowing non-developers to test the software ahead of its launch. The third public beta comes a week after Apple released the second public beta.

Beta testers can opt-in through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. Under Beta updates, simply toggle on the Sonoma Public Beta. Note that you must sign up to participate on Apple's beta testing website.

macOS Sonoma 14.4 introduces some of the features in the iOS 17.4 beta, such as new emoji characters. We don't know what Mac-specific features are included, but nothing new has been found in the developer betas so far.

Apple today announced the launch of two new personalized radio stations that are available to Apple Music subscribers. The "Love" and "Heartbreak" stations come just in time for Valentine's Day. The songs that are available through each station are tailored to each user's taste, featuring preferred artists and similar recommendations.

According to Apple, the Love Station includes songs about romantic love, falling in love, feeling amorous, and the feelings of these experiences. The Heartbreak Station includes songs about heartbreak, unrequited love, breaking up, and sad love.

Apple says that these new stations are "deeply personalized" and designed to offer up the best music for each listener. The stations are continually updated to provide an endless stream of music that fits within the theme.

The Love and Heartbreak stations can be accessed via the Stations for You section on the Listen Now page.

It has been more than three years since Apple released the AirPods Max, leading some to wonder when the over-ear headphones will be updated.

Below, we outline when to expect new AirPods Max, and rumored features.

Timing

In an October 2023 edition of his newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new AirPods Max in "late 2024," so the headphones are likely around 7-10 months away from being updated based on that timeframe.

Apple announced the current AirPods Max in a press release on December 8, 2020, and the headphones launched a week later.

New Features

Apple is only planning minor changes for the AirPods Max, including a USB-C port instead of Lightning for charging and wired audio playback, according to Gurman. He also said the headphones will be available in new color options. The current color options include Green, Pink, Silver, Sky Blue, and Space Gray.

Gurman said the updated headphones will still be considered first-generation AirPods Max, signifying how minor the changes may be.

The updated AirPods Max will likely support Bluetooth 5.3, up from Bluetooth 5.0, for more reliable and power-efficient wireless audio connectivity.

Amazon today has the first $99 discount on Apple's AirPods Max since Black Friday, available for $449.99 in select colors, down from $549.00. Most models can deliver as soon as February 16 with Prime delivery, but others have slipped into a late February delivery estimate.

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

On Amazon, colors being discounted include Green, Pink, and Silver. You can find a matching sale at Best Buy right now, with similar shipping estimates in most colors. Best Buy's sale is depicted as lasting for one day only, but Amazon's should stay up a little longer.

There are plenty of other AirPods deals happening right now on Amazon. This includes the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C at $189.99 ($59 off), the AirPods 3 for $139.99 ($29 off), and the AirPods 2 for $89.99 ($39 off). In regards to the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 3, these are both all-time low prices on these models.

Apple is rumored to be updating the AirPods Max sometime in 2024, and the new models should be getting a USB-C port and new color options. Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.

Apple has still not fixed a bug in macOS that causes the audio balance to drift on Macs under certain conditions, despite having acknowledged the issue 12 years ago.

A developer named Fabian highlighted the problem today in a post on X (formerly Twitter), claiming that Apple "still has not fixed the audio left/right balance bug in macOS. I still have to use an app to fix it automatically. The app is from 2015, that means we are approaching the 10 year anniversary [of the bug]."

Balance Lock is the app in question, a free download available from Tunabelly Software. The bug's continuing existence was corroborated by other users who responded to the X post and commented on it over on Hacker News. However, it seems as though the issue has persisted for even longer than Fabian initially supposed.

Writing in 2013 on Stack Exchange, one user claimed to have experienced the same bug on multiple Macs going back to 2003. Whether or not that is the case, what we do know is that Apple acknowledged the bug on February 12, 2012 in a Mac OS X 10.2 support document, which is no longer on Apple's website but retrievable via the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. In it Apple states:

In some cases the audio balance may unexpectedly drift towards the left or right channel. This can happen if you rapidly press the volume up or down keys while the computer's microprocessor is under heavy load.

To rectify the problem, Apple advises users to open the Sound panel in System Preferences (now System Settings) and "Drag the audio balance slider to the desired position."

Given Apple's advice at the time, it sounds like the company had not been able to come up with a proper fix when the support document was published, which begs the question as to whether it still has no solution to the bug, and that is why the company has let it remain in successive versions of Mac OS X and macOS up to this day.

Have you experienced the audio balance drifting on your Mac? Let us know in the comments.

Apple has made another addition to its growing AI repertoire with the creation of a tool that leverages large language models (LLMs) to animate static images based on a user's text prompts.

Apple describes the innovation in a new research paper titled "Keyframer: Empowering Animation Design Using Large Language Models."

"While one-shot prompting interfaces are common in commercial text-to-image systems like Dall·E and Midjourney, we argue that animations require a more complex set of user considerations, such as timing and coordination, that are difficult to fully specify in a single prompt—thus, alternative approaches that enable users to iteratively construct and refine generated designs may be needed especially for animations.

"We combined emerging design principles for language-based prompting of design artifacts with code-generation capabilities of LLMs to build a new AI-powered animation tool called Keyframer. With Keyframer, users can create animated illustrations from static 2D images via natural language prompting. Using GPT-4 3, Keyframer generates CSS animation code to animate an input Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG)."

To create an animation, the user uploads an SVG image – of a space rocket, say – then types in a prompt like "generate three designs where the sky fades into different colors and the stars twinkle." Keyframer then generates CSS code for the animation, and the user can then refine it by editing the code directly or by entering additional text prompts.

"Keyframer enabled users to iteratively refine their designs through sequential prompting, rather than having to consider their entire design upfront," explain the authors. "Through this work, we hope to inspire future animation design tools that combine the powerful generative capabilities of LLMs to expedite design prototyping with dynamic editors that enable creators to maintain creative control."

According to the paper, the research was informed by interviews with professional animation designers and engineers. "I think this was much faster than a lot of things I've done," said one of the study participants quoted in the paper. "I think doing something like this before would have just taken hours to do."

The innovation is just the latest in a series of AI breakthroughs by Apple. Last week, Apple researchers released an AI model that harnesses the power of multimodal LLMs to perform pixel-level edits on images.

In late December, Apple also revealed that it had made strides in deploying LLMs on iPhones and other Apple devices with limited memory by inventing an innovative flash memory utilization technique.

Both The Information and analyst Jeff Pu have said that Apple will have some kind of generative AI feature available on the ‌iPhone‌ and iPad later in the year, when iOS 18 is released. The next version of Apple's mobile software is said to include an enhanced version of Siri with ChatGPT-like generative AI functionality, and has the potential to be the "biggest" update in the ‌iPhone‌'s history, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman.

(Via VentureBeat.)

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg today compared the Apple Vision Pro to the $500 Meta Quest 3 in an Instagram video, and provided several reasons why he thinks Meta's headset is better than Apple's.

According to Zuckerberg, the Quest 3 is better "for the vast majority of things that people use mixed reality for," and here are some of the things he said about the Meta Quest 3:

• It's 7x less expensive than Vision Pro.
• It does high-quality passthrough with big screens "just like Vision Pro."
• Quest is a lot more comfortable - it's 120 grams less.
• There are no wires that get in the way when you move around.
• The field of view is wider and the screen is brighter.
• Vision Pro has motion blur when you move around. Quest is a lot crisper.
• Precision controllers are available, as is hand tracking, and Quest's hand tracking is more accurate.
• Quest's immersive content library is a lot deeper.
• You can watch YouTube or play Xbox.

Zuckerberg said that he was surprised at the "tradeoffs" that Apple had to make to provide a higher resolution screen than is offered by the Quest 3, sacrificing "comfort," "ergonomics," and more. He went on to explain that Apple is not always the leader in a new product category, and that he hopes Meta's devices will ultimately "win."

Now look, I know that some fanboys get upset whenever somebody dares to question if Apple is going to be the leader in a new category, but the reality is that every generation of computing has an open and a closed model. And yeah, in mobile, Apple's closed model won. It's not always that way. If you go back to the PC era, Microsoft's open model was the winner. In this next generation, Meta is going to be the open model, and I really want to make sure that the open model wins out again. The future is not yet written.

The Meta Quest 3 launched back in October. It has two 2K LCD panels compared to the ‌Apple Vision Pro‌'s 4K microLED displays. It weighs 515 grams while the Vision Pro weighs 600 to 650 grams, and it does not have a separate battery pack. It uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset, has 8GB RAM, and is equipped with Touch Plus controllers.

Meta has produced several headsets so far, including the Oculus Quest, the Oculus Quest 2, the Quest 3, and the Quest Pro. Apple plans to continue producing headsets, and rumors suggest that the next-generation version will be much more affordable. When explaining the price of the Vision Pro, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that it was "tomorrow's technology today."

A vision testing app named "Kimi" with a not-so-hidden pirated movie feature recently made its way past Apple's review team, ultimately reaching number eight on the list of top free entertainment apps.

As reported by The Verge, Kimi's App Store listing claimed that it was an app that "tests your eyesight," but when downloaded and installed, it opened right up to a clear TV show and movie interface for downloading and watching pirated content. There was no attempt to hide the app's true purpose behind some kind of vision test interface, which begs the question of how it made its way past the ‌App Store‌ review team.

The ‌App Store‌ description mentioned comparing two pictures as an eyesight test, watching scenery, and playing games, but none of those features were present in the app.

For an app focused on pirated content, Kimi had a fleshed out feature set. It offered top movies, search options, recommended suggestions, games, and more, with ads included for monetization purposes. The app was first approved in September, and it was available for several months in the iOS and macOS App Stores without Apple noticing.

Apple pulled the app this morning after The Verge wrote about it, and it is no longer available.

This is the second time in the last week that Apple's ‌App Store‌ has made headlines for questionable app approval. Last Thursday, popular password management app LastPass raised the alarm about a fake "LassPass" app that was imitating its design and feature set. Apple pulled the app about a day after the news was shared on media sites.

There are more than 1,000 apps available for the Vision Pro, Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak said today. There are also more than 1.5 million iPad apps that are compatible with the Vision Pro and that are able to run on the device.

When the Vision Pro launched, Apple said there were more than 600 apps available for the headset, so the number of apps has increased by over 400 in the weeks since the Vision Pro debuted.

The Vision Pro is able to run many of the apps that are on the ‌iPad‌, but the 1,000 app count is for those that have been designed for and optimized for the headset.

We've rounded up some of the many Vision Pro apps available that are worth checking out.

Apple is losing yet another longtime industrial design team members, reports Bloomberg. Bart Andre, who has been with Apple for over 30 years, is set to retire this year.

Andre joined Apple in 1992 alongside Jony Ive, and he is one of the last remaining design team members that worked with Ive to establish the design aesthetic Apple was known for during Ive's tenure.

Andre has been helping run the design team following the 2022 departure of Evans Hankey, who served as Apple's vice president of industrial design after Ive left in 2019. When Ive quit Apple to start LoveFrom, several of the designers he had worked with went with him, and since then, other design team members have departed as well.

After Evans Hankey left, Apple eliminated the Product Design Chief role and restructured the product design team under operations chief Jeff Williams. According to Bloomberg, some of the people on the design team are unhappy with being led by an operations person instead of a designer, and cost cutting efforts have also changed the way the design team operates.

Apple now has only a handful of longtime designers that remain at the company.

The tvOS 17.4 beta that was released today contains code that references a future HomePod with a display, according to 9to5Mac. The site claims that there is evidence of a device with a "Z314" identifier with an A15 chip inside, with both production and "internal" versions of the device being tested by Apple.

Based on our findings, the unreleased "Z314" device is powered by an A15 Bionic chip, which interestingly is the same as the iPad mini 6. Code reveals that there are internal development and also production versions of this product under test, which suggests that it may have reached an advanced stage of development.

The latest beta also reportedly adds SwiftUI frameworks to the ‌HomePod‌ firmware to support a ‌HomePod‌ with a display.

We've heard multiple rumors about a ‌HomePod‌ with a touchscreen display from reliable sources. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in March 2023 that there was a ‌HomePod‌ with a 7-inch display in development, and in October 2023, leaker Kosutami said the next-generation ‌HomePod‌ would have a design similar to the current model but with a large LCD touch screen at the top instead of an LED array.

HomePods to date have been equipped with the same chips that Apple uses in the Apple Watch rather than the A-series chips used in Apple devices, so 9to5Mac's finding of an A15 Bionic mention could reflect a shift. The S9 chip in the Apple Watch Series 9 is, however, based on the A15 Bionic, and so that would also make sense for a new ‌HomePod‌.

In 2023, Kuo claimed that the ‌HomePod‌ with display would launch in the first half of 2024, but we have not heard additional release details since then. It is not yet clear when the device might come out, but Apple is planning to debut new iPads and Macs around the March timeframe, so we might also see a new ‌HomePod‌ at that time.

Starting with iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3, you can wirelessly stream content from your iPhone or iPad to a compatible hotel room TV via AirPlay, and we have now learned that the feature should begin rolling out at hotels over the coming months.

A spokesperson for LG today informed MacRumors that the company expects the first hotels to install AirPlay-enabled smart TVs "later this spring," meaning that the feature should be available by mid-June at the latest. LG last year announced that it would be the first manufacturer to offer AirPlay on both new hotel room TVs and older models released in "recent years," suggesting the capability could be enabled with a software update on some existing hotel room TVs.

Apple first announced this feature at WWDC 2023 last June, and it said that IHG Hotels & Resorts would be the first to offer it at select hotels. IHG owns many well-known hotel brands in the U.S. and abroad, including Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Kimpton, InterContinental, Candlewood Suites, Staybridge Suites, Hotel Indigo, Avid, and others.

IHG and other major hotel companies, including Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Wyndham, and others, did not respond to our requests for comment.

Once available, the feature will allow you to scan a unique QR code on a hotel room TV to establish an AirPlay connection, allowing you to wirelessly stream videos, music, and photos from your iPhone or iPad to the TV. After the pairing process, your device will also automatically be connected to the hotel's Wi-Fi network.

"With no logins or passwords to remember and no separate app to download, this will be the simplest way for a hotel to enable guests to access their personal entertainment apps and accounts on the big screen in their room," LG said last year.

Google already offers a similar Chromecast streaming feature on some hotel TVs that works with both iPhones and Android devices.

With thousands of hotels across the U.S. alone, it will likely take a long time for the AirPlay-enabled TVs to roll out widely. Where it is available, the feature will provide a much improved experience for quickly and seamlessly streaming content.

Apple today released the second beta of an upcoming visionOS 1.1 update for developers, allowing them to test new features ahead of the software seeing a public launch. The second beta comes a week after the release of the first beta.

The visionOS beta can be downloaded by going to the Settings app on the device and toggling on developer betas. A registered developer account is required, and Apple recommends making a backup before installing new software.

visionOS 1.1 adds an option to reset the Vision Pro in case you forget your passcode, a feature that was also just released to the public with visionOS 1.0.3 yesterday. Previously, a forgotten passcode would require the Vision Pro to be brought to Apple to reset it.

The update brings support for iMessage Contact Key Verification and it adds Apple device management to the Vision Pro. With this functionality, IT departments at companies and educational institutions can manage Vision Pro headsets in the same way they manage iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

According to Apple's beta notes, users can now reposition volumetric scenes closer than before, enabling easier direct interaction with the volumetric scene content. That means objects can be placed closer to you.

Apple has also improved Personas in visionOS, making them look more natural and lifelike than before.