MacRumors

Apple's AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C have returned to their all-time low price of $189.99 today on Amazon, down from $249.00. We last saw this deal during Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, and Amazon has been one of the only retailers to offer the sale.

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

Apple launched these earbuds in September and their headlining new feature is the addition of a USB-C port on the MagSafe Charging Case, replacing the Lightning port. There are a few minor changes to the AirPods Pro 2 besides the addition of USB-C, including additional dust resistance and support for lossless audio with the Vision Pro headset.

Apple doesn't sell the USB-C/MagSafe Charging Case separately, so if you want USB-C support you'll have to purchase a full new set of earbuds. Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

Google has issued a critical security update for Chrome on macOS, Windows, and Linux that fixes a zero-day vulnerability in the browser. On Tuesday, Google in a Chrome stable channel update said it "is aware that an exploit for CVE-2023-6345 exists in the wild."

Google has not provided further details about the CVE-2023-6345 exploit, which was discovered last week by security researchers in Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG). However, it is believed to be related to Skia, the open-source 2D graphics library in the Chrome graphics engine.

According to the notes for the macOS update 119.0.6045.199, the exploit allowed at least one attacker to "potentially perform a sandbox escape via a malicious file," which could theoretically result in arbitrary code execution and data theft.

Users who have Chrome browser set up to automatically update should not need to do anything. Anyone else is advised to manually update immediately (version 119.0.6045.199 on macOS) to avoid the risk posed by the zero-day exploit. In Chrome settings, click the About Chrome tab, and click Update Google Chrome. If there is no option to update, you are already on the latest version.

(Via Android Central.)

Meta intends to launch Threads in the European Union next month, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

The social media network debuted in most markets in July, but did not launch in the EU because Meta was unsure whether it would be able to adhere to the bloc's stringent regulations for online services. Threads can import data from Instagram, including behavioral and advertising information.

According to sources who spoke to WSJ, Meta will comply with the regulations by giving EU users a choice of using Threads purely for consumption, without a profile that allows them to make their own posts.

The change coincides with recent comments by Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, who said the platform was rolling out a way to delete or deactivate a Threads profile separately while leaving the associated Instagram account intact.

The large market expansion should see Threads' user numbers take a jump. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on a company earnings call last month that Threads now has "just under" 100 million monthly users. Since its launch earlier this year it has gained a web app, an ability to search for posts, and a post editing feature.

The expansion comes after several major advertisers, including Apple and Disney, suspended ad spending on Threads rival X (formerly Twitter) after Elon Musk posted controversial comments from his account. Musk on Wednesday said the post in question was a "mistake," and anyone trying to "blackmail" him over advertising money could "go f–yourself," while also admitting the loss of ad revenue could end the social media platform.

• Delete Your Threads Profile and Stay on Instagram - Here's How

As mentioned above, Threads integrates with Instagram, so it continues to have a strong user base for such a new app. MacRumors is on Threads, and all of our content is posted there for those who would like to follow us outside of Twitter and Facebook.

Apple today chose its 2023 App Store Award winners, highlighting the best apps and games on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and more. Apple is recognizing 14 apps and games in total, with the winners picked by the global App Store Editorial team.

According to Apple, the 2023 App Store Award Winners provided users "with meaningful experiences" and inspired cultural change. The picks "empowered users to unleash their creativity, discover a world of new adventures, and have fun with family and friends."

"It's inspiring to see the ways developers continue to build incredible apps and games that are redefining the world around us," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "This year's winners represent the limitless potential of developers to bring their visions to life, creating apps and games with remarkable ingenuity, exceptional quality, and purpose-driven missions."

Apple selected App of the Year winners for each of its products, and Game of the Year winners for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Apps

• iPhone App of the Year: AllTrails, from AllTrails, Inc.
• iPad App of the Year: Prêt-à-Makeup, from Prêt-à-Template.
• Mac App of the Year: Photomator, from UAB Pixelmator Team.
• Apple TV App of the Year: MUBI, from MUBI, Inc.
• Apple Watch App of the Year: SmartGym, from Mateus Abras.

Games

• iPhone Game of the Year: Honkai: Star Rail, from COGNOSPHERE PTE. LTD.
• iPad Game of the Year: Lost in Play, from Snapbreak Games.
• Mac Game of the Year: Lies of P, from NEOWIZ.
• Apple Arcade Game of the Year: Hello Kitty Island Adventure, from Sunblink.

Apple selected five Cultural Impact Winners that were "recognized for their ability to drive positive change through apps and games."

• Pok Pok
• Proloquo
• Too Good to Go
• Unpacking
• Finding Hannah

According to Apple, the Trend of the Year was generative AI, with apps integrating AI throughout the year in multiple ways.

All App of the Year and Game of the Year winners will receive a physical App Store award modeled after the App Store logo.

Samsung kicked off its Cyber Week sale a few days ago, offering discounts across smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, computers, and home appliances. Many of the deals in this sale are the same exact prices we tracked during Samsung's Black Friday sale, making Samsung one of the few retailers to keep these best-ever prices around all week.

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

Right now, both the Smart Monitor M8 and ViewFinity S9 5K Display have all-time low prices on Amazon. The Smart Monitor M8 is available for $399.99 ($300 off) and the ViewFinity S9 5K Display is available for $1,201.82 ($398 off). The latter deal has been fluctuating on Amazon, so if it does disappear, Samsung has a second-best offer at $1,299.99 for the next few days.

Samsung is encouraging users to shop through the Shop Samsung mobile app this season, which has some exclusive deals and deep discounts on smartphones, smartwatches, and mobile accessories. Clicking any of the Samsung links in this post while on mobile should give you the option to install the app.

Other than monitors and TVs, we're also now tracking quite a few deals on refrigerators, tablets, and computers below. These sale prices will be live for this week only, so be sure to check out Samsung's event before the best prices of the year disappear.

Monitors

• Smart Monitor M8 - $399.99 at Amazon, down from $699.99
• ViewFinity S9 5K Smart Monitor - $1,299.99, down from $1,599.99
• 27-inch Odyssey G32A Gaming Monitor - $179.99, down from $279.99
• 34-inch ViewFinity S50GC Monitor - $279.99, down from $379.99
• 49-inch Odyssey G9 QLED Curved Gaming Monitor - $899.99, down from $1,499.99
• 55-inch Odyssey Ark 2nd Gen Curved Gaming Monitor - $1,999.99, down from $2,999.99

TVs

• 85-inch Crystal UHD TV - $1,199.99, down from $1,599.99
• The Frame QLED 4K TV - Save up to $1,000, starting at just $549.99 for 32-inch
• 85-inch QLED 4K TV - $1,489.99, down from $2,799.99
• 85-inch Neo QLED 4K TV - $2,599.99, down from $4,799.99
• 55-inch OLED TV - $1,899.99, down from $2,499.99
• 85-inch Neo QLED 8K TV - $5,499.99, down from $7,999.99
• S-Series Wireless Dolby ATMOS Soundbar - $599.99, down from $899.99
• Q-Series Wireless Dolby ATMOS Soundbar - $1,399.99, down from $1,899.99

Refrigerators

• Bespoke Side-by-Side Fridge with Beverage Center - $1,399.00, down from $2,314.00
• Large Capacity 3-Door Fridge with AutoFill Water Pitcher - $1,599.00, down from $2,423.99
• Bespoke 3-Door French Door Fridge with Beverage Center - $1,799.00, down from $3,114.00
• Bespoke 4-Door French Door Fridge - $1,999.00, down from $3,114.00
• Bespoke 4-Door Flex Fridge with Family Hub - $3,099.00, down from $5,114.00

Smartphones

If you're shopping for a Samsung smartphone this week, there are extra cash discounts to be found on these devices when shopping via the Shop Samsung mobile app, beyond the trade-in bonus offers listed below.

• Galaxy S23 Ultra - Get up to $800 instant trade-in credit with an eligible phone trade-in
• Galaxy S23 - Get up to $600 instant trade-in credit with an eligible phone trade-in
• Galaxy S23+ - Get up to $600 instant trade-in credit with an eligible phone trade-in
• Galaxy Z Fold5 - Get a free storage upgrade and up to $1,000 instant trade-in credit
• Galaxy Z Flip5 - Get up to $600 instant trade-in credit with an eligible phone trade-in
• Galaxy S23 FE - Get up to $400 instant trade-in credit with an eligible phone trade-in

Smartwatches

• Galaxy Watch6 - $229.99, down from $299.99
• Galaxy Watch6 Classic - $319.99, down from $399.99
• Galaxy Watch5 Pro - $399.99, down from $449.99

Earbuds

• Galaxy Buds FE - $79.99, down from $99.99
• Galaxy Buds2 - $99.99, down from $149.99
• Galaxy Buds2 Pro - $169.99, down from $229.99

Tablets

• Galaxy Tab A7 Lite - $99.99, down from $159.99
• Galaxy Tab S8 - Get up to $400 off
• Galaxy Tab S9 FE - Get $30 off and up to $350 instant trade-in credit
• Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra - Get a free storage upgrade and up to $700 instant trade-in credit

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

Black Friday deals have expired on most Apple products, but today Amazon is back with an all-time low price on the Apple Watch Series 9. Deals are available for both the 41mm and 45mm GPS models, and they're the exact same prices we saw last week.

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

You can get the 41mm GPS Apple Watch Series 9 for $329.99 with the on-page coupon, down from $399.00. This one is available in Pink Aluminum and (PRODUCT)RED Aluminum, and they both require you to clip an on-page coupon in order to see the sale price at checkout.

Additionally, the 45mm GPS Apple Watch Series 9 is down to $359.99 with the on-page coupon, from $429.00. You can get this deal in Storm Blue Aluminum, Midnight Aluminum, and (PRODUCT)RED Aluminum, and all three require you to clip an on-page coupon to see the deal price at checkout.

Not only GPS models are on sale, as you can also get 41mm cellular and 45mm cellular Apple Watch Series 9 models at Black Friday pricing right now. Just like the other watches, these require you to clip the on-page coupon in order to get the discounts.

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

Apple pays British chip architect Arm less than 30 cents per chip in royalties, The Information reports.

Apple licenses the underlying technology used in the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and HomePod from Arm. Despite being one of its biggest and most important customers, Apple represents less than five percent of Arm's annual revenue, with the company paying the least of any of Arm's smartphone chip customers. Apple pays a flat fee of less than 30 cents in royalties for each chip used in its devices, regardless of how many cores it has.

SoftBank is the owner of Arm, and in 2017, the company's CEO gathered Arm executives and explained that Apple pays more for the piece of plastic that used to be used to protect the screens of new iPhones than it does to license Arm's intellectual property. SoftBank's attempts to renegotiate Arm's deal with Apple to raise royalty rates were apparently unsuccessful.

While Apple is unlikely to sever its ties with Arm, the company has apparently explored the long-term possibility of using a competing open-source technology for its chips called RISC-V. Apple's current licensing agreement with Arm was signed in September and it "extends beyond 2040," but the chip architect is said to have continually attempted to renegotiate its financial terms.

From November 28 through December 8 this year, Apple says it will donate $1 to the life-saving organization The Global Fund for every purchase made with Apple Pay on Apple.com, in the Apple Store app, or at an Apple Store worldwide. Apple says it donation through this initiative will be limited to a maximum of $1 million.

The Global Fund aims to combat diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria throughout the developing world. Apple says its donation to the organization will continue to "help fund critical health programs that save lives."

Apple has supported The Global Fund for 17 years through its partnership with the (RED) brand, co-founded by U2 singer Bono in 2006. Apple offers several products in a (PRODUCT)RED color, ranging from iPhones to Apple Watch bands, and a portion of the proceeds from every one of these products sold by Apple goes to The Global Fund.

December 1 is World AIDS Day, and Apple typically has a (PRODUCT)RED-related announcement and initiatives throughout the day.

Apple is discontinuing in-house modem development after several unsuccessful attempts to perfect its own custom 5G modem chip, according to unconfirmed reports coming out of Asia.

According to the operator of news aggregator account "yeux1122" on the Naver blog, supply chain sources related to Apple's 5G modem departments claim that the company's attempts to develop its own modem have failed so far, and that Apple is in the process of winding down its years-long investment in the project. Separately, the leaker known as @Tech_Reve today said they had heard similar reports from a Japanese supply chain source.

It's too early to say if the latest reports are accurate, but according to a September Wall Street Journal report, Apple's attempts to develop its own modem chip have been hampered by major issues related to unrealistic goals, an inadequate understanding of the challenges involved, and unusable prototypes.

Apple's plan to design its own in-house modem led to the hiring of thousands of engineers: Apple acquired the majority of Intel's smartphone modem business in 2019, and as it filled the project's ranks with Intel engineers and others hired from Qualcomm, company executives set a goal to have the modem chip ready for fall 2023.

Earlier this month, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple was continuing to run into troubles in its attempt to develop a 5G modem to replace Qualcomm's 5G modems in the iPhone and other products. The modem chip launch was said to have been postponed until the end of 2025 or early 2026, but Apple was reportedly still planning to introduce the technology in a version of the low-cost iPhone SE.

Development on a modem chip was said to be in the early stages, and it "may lag behind the competition by years." One version in development does not support faster mmWave technology, and Apple has also run into issues with the Intel code that it has been working with. Rewrites have been required, and adding new features has been causing existing features to break, plus Apple has to be careful not to infringe on Qualcomm patents while developing the chip.

Despite delays, the company was thought to be continuing development because it is eager to end its expensive deal with Qualcomm. In 2017, Apple sued Qualcomm over alleged anticompetitive practices and $1 billion in unpaid royalty rebates. The two companies settled the lawsuit in 2019.

Apple's first modem chip was expected to be a standalone chip, but the company hoped to eventually develop a system-on-a-chip that would also cut out suppliers like Broadcom and give it more control over component development.

Google Drive for iPhone and iPad has been updated to finally include the document scanning feature that has featured in the Android version of the app for almost a decade.

Rolling out over the next three days, the scanning feature can be accessed via the app's camera icon. The scanner detects the edges of a document in the viewfinder, aligns things properly, and removes all glare and tilt to achieve a clean scan ready for uploading.

Multiple pages can be scanned in a session, users can crop scans if needed, and users residing in the U.S. can receive relevant title suggestions based on machine learning, according to Google. Apple has included a similar scanning feature in its stock Notes app since 2017.

On Tuesday, Google Drive users were warned not to disconnect their account within the Google Drive for desktop app, after a spate of reports of files going missing from the cloud service. Google is still investigating the issue.

Apple is ending its credit card partnership with Goldman Sachs, according to The Wall Street Journal. Apple plans to stop working with Goldman Sachs in the next 12 to 15 months, and it is not yet clear if Apple has established a new partnership for the Apple Card.

Apple and Goldman Sachs will dissolve their entire consumer partnership, including the ‌Apple Card‌ and the Apple Savings account. Apple in a statement that was provided to CNBC said that it will continue to provide "the best tools and services" for ‌Apple Card‌ customers.

"Apple and Goldman Sachs are focused on providing an incredible experience for our customers to help them lead healthier financial lives. The award-winning Apple Card has seen a great reception from consumers, and we will continue to innovate and deliver the best tools and services for them."

Rumors earlier this year suggested that Goldman Sachs wanted to get out of its relationship with Apple as part of a plan to cut back on its consumer business. Goldman Sachs at the time was said to be speaking with American Express about a possible takeover, but the ‌Apple Card‌ needs to run on the Mastercard network until 2026 due to a deal established between Apple and Goldman Sachs. Amex also had concerns about aspects of the program such as loan loss rates due to Apple's push to have customers approved, so the status of the talks is not known.

Synchrony Financial, known as the largest issuer of store credit cards, has considered taking over the ‌Apple Card‌, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Goldman Sachs and Apple have worked together on the ‌Apple Card‌ since it launched in 2019, and have also teamed up for the high-yield Apple Savings account and the Apple Pay Later feature. The partnership has not gone smoothly, with Goldman Sachs running into customer service issues due to long wait times for disputed ‌Apple Card‌ transactions and issues with the Apple Savings account.

The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau launched an investigation into Goldman Sachs due to the customer complaints, leading to tension with Apple. Apple is unhappy with the customer service reputation of its ‌Apple Card‌ and Apple Savings products, while some Goldman Sachs executives blame Apple for the regulatory scrutiny.

Goldman Sachs was new to consumer banking when the ‌Apple Card‌ launched, and to establish a deal with Apple, it is not collecting fees that many credit card issuers receive. The bank does not get a cut of the fee that merchants pay to Apple to accept the ‌Apple Card‌, nor is it able to collect annual fees, late fees, or foreign transaction fees. Goldman Sachs does earn money from loans issued to cardholders who split Apple purchases into installments, but it is not known if Apple will be able to establish a similar deal with another issuer because of the limited revenue the ‌Apple Card‌ provides.

Apple today began promoting new holiday-themed Apple Pay discounts, with a handful of stores offering deals when purchases are made with Apple Pay.

• Banter - 40% off jewelry priced at $50 or more with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Champion - $20 off $100 or more with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Chewy - $5 off orders of $5 or more in the Chewy app with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Columbia - $25 off orders of $150 or more.
• Compartes Chocolatier - 15% off your purchase with promo code APPLEPAY.
• Coyuchi - Extra 10% off sale items and 10% off full-priced styles with promo code APPLEPAY.
• HotelTonight - 10% off your hotel reservation in the HotelTonight app with promo code APPLEPAYHT.
• Theory - Extra 10% off your purchase.

These holiday ‌Apple Pay‌ promotions will be available through December 13. ‌Apple Pay‌ must be used to make the purchase in order to get the discount, with more information available on the Apple Pay holiday website.

Apple is wrapping up development on iOS 17.2, with the update expected to come out in December. While we're getting to the end of the beta testing period, Apple is still tweaking features and adding new functionality.

We've rounded up everything new in the fourth beta of iOS 17.2.

Default Notification Sound

Under Sounds & Haptics, there's a new "Default Alerts" section that allows you to choose the sound used for all incoming notifications aside from texts, mail alerts, and calendar alerts, which already had customization options.

All of the text tones can be used for the default notification sound, plus there is an option to also change the haptic vibration of default notifications.

Collaborative Apple Music Playlists

While collaborative Apple Music playlists were introduced in an earlier version of iOS 17.2, Apple has removed the option in the fourth beta, which suggests this is not an option that will be coming in iOS 17.2 after all.

AppleCare Settings

The "Coverage" section under Settings > General has been renamed to AppleCare & Warranty. It still includes ‌AppleCare‌ info for your iPhone and connected devices such as the Apple Watch and AirPods.

Under General > About there's a new Warranty section that provides coverage information for the ‌iPhone‌.

Recording to an External Device

With the iPhone 15 Pro models, ProRes video can be recorded directly to an external device. iOS 17.2 appears to include a new pop up message that lets users know that external recording is not working because of a USB-C cable that is too slow.

There was previously a warning about an external storage device not having a fast enough write speed to support external recording, but now there is an added message about the write speed of the USB-C cable.

iTunes

Code in iOS 17.2 confirms that Apple is planning to eliminate the option to purchase TV shows and movies in the iTunes app. TV and movie content will need to be purchased in the TV app in the future, but for now, the change has not actually been implemented.

"You can buy or rent TV shows and find your purchases in the Apple TV app," reads the code.

More iOS 17.2 Beta 4 Features

Know of a feature that we left out in this list? Let us know in the comments below.

Best Buy's Cyber Monday sale has transitioned into a "Holiday Deals" event that's promising new discounts and offers every day for the next 20 days. For today, the focus is on a few laptop deals, including the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air.

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.

As with the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals we saw, some of the discounts below require a My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total membership. These start at $49.99/year and grant members early access to sales, exclusive discounts on select products, and more.

MacBook Air

The highlight of the sale is Apple's 256GB 13.6-inch M2 MacBook Air for $949.00, down from $1,099.00. Best Buy has this sale price in all four colors, and it represents a solid second-best price on the 2022 notebook.

Similarly, the 512GB model of the 13.6-inch M2 MacBook Air is available on sale during Best Buy's Cyber Week event. You can get this version for $1,249.00, down from $1,399.00. Neither of these deals require you to have a My Best Buy Plus/Total membership.

Computers

• Lenovo Ideapad 15-inch Touch Laptop - $329.99, down from $629.99
• Windows Laptops - Save up to $600 on select models
• Gaming Laptops and PCs - Save up to $600 on select models
• PC Storage and Accessories - Save up to 40 percent

TVs

• TCL 40-inch S-Class 1080p Smart TV with Fire TV - $149.99, down from $229.99
• LG 65-inch LED 4K Smart TV - $399.99, down from $599.99
• LG 48-inch Class A2 Series OLED Smart TV - $599.99, down from $1,299.99
• Samsung 75-inch Class TU690T Crystal 4K Smart Tizen TV - $579.99, down from $749.99
• LG 86-inch Class UR7800 Series LED 4K UHD Smart TV - $899.99, down from $1,249.99
• Samsung 65-inch OLED 4K UHD TV - $1,599.99, down from $2,099.99
• Samsung 77-inch Class S89C OLED 4K UHD Smart Tizen TV - $2,299.99, down from $3,599.99

Audio

• Samsung A Series 2.1ch Dolby & DTS and Soundbar - $129.99, down from $279.99
• Bose QuietComfort 45 Noise Cancelling Over-the-Ear Headphones - $199.00, down from $329.00
• Bose Smart Soundbar 900 - $699.99, down from $749.99

Smart Home

• TP-Link Tapo Smart Plug Mini with Matter (3-Pack) - $22.99, down from $49.99
• Echo Show 5 - $39.99, down from $89.99
• Nest Hub Max - $129.99, down from $229.99
• Nest Learning Smart Thermostat - $179.99, down from $249.99
• Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera Security Bundle - $299.99, down from $599.99

LEGO

Best Buy has numerous discounts on LEGO sets this season, including Botanicals, Technic, Architecture, Disney, Icons, and more.

• Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (Technic) - $39.99, down from $49.99
• Orchid (Botanical Collection) - $39.99, down from $49.99
• Succulents (Botanical Collection) - $39.99, down from $49.99
• Wildflower Bouquet (Botanical Collection) - $47.99, down from $59.99
• Up House (Disney) - $47.99, down from $59.99
• Vespa 125 (Icons) - $84.99, down from $99.99
• Great Pyramid of Giza (Architecture) - $109.99, down from $129.99

Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.

The fourth beta of iOS 17.2 that Apple released today adds a much-desired feature, the option to change the default notification alert.

Under Sounds & Haptics, there's a new "Default Alerts" section that allows you to choose the sound used for all incoming notifications aside from texts, mail alerts, and calendar alerts, which already had customization options.

Apple has not previously offered an interface for tweaking the default notification sound, so this is a notable update for those who have always wanted to select a sound. All of the text tones can be used for the default notification sound.

There's also an option to change the default haptic feedback. Apple in iOS 17 changed the haptic alert, and now it can be changed back or customized for those who were not happy with the update.

Apple today released the fourth betas of upcoming iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after Apple released the the third betas of iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2.

Registered developers are able to opt into the betas 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 Developer Beta. An Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.

The biggest new feature in iOS 17.2 is the Journal app, which can be used to record daily activities and thoughts. You can write about your day to day life, but Apple also provides topic suggestions based on the music you listen to, the places you visit, and the people you see. Journal entries support pictures, voice recordings, and location information, with the app organized by entry date.

In Apple Music, there's a Favorites playlist that houses everything you've favorited, plus Apple added support for collaborative playlists. You can now share a playlist with multiple people, and each participant can add songs.

Stickers can now be used to reply to iMessages when you long press on a chat bubble in the Messages app, and there's also now support for the extra-secure iMessage Contact Key Verification option. If you have an iPhone 15 Pro, the Action Button supports Translate in iOS 17.2, and there are new Weather and Clock widgets.

More on what's new in iOS 17.2 can be found in our iOS 17.2 beta features list.

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming macOS Sonoma 14.2 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third beta of macOS Sonoma 14.2.

Registered developers can opt-in to the beta through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. Under Beta updates, toggle on the Sonoma Developer Beta. Note that an Apple ID associated with an Apple Developer account is required to get the beta.

macOS Sonoma 14.2 adds an Apple Music Favorites playlist that houses everything you've favorited, plus Apple added support for collaborative playlists. You can now share a playlist with multiple people, and each participant can add songs.

Shazam can also be added to the Control Center or menu bar on the Mac.

Stickers can be used to reply to iMessages when you long press on a chat bubble in the Messages app, and there's also now support for the extra-secure iMessage Contact Key Verification option.

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming watchOS 10.2 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third watchOS 10.2 beta.

To install the ‌watchOS 10.2‌ update, developers will need to open the Apple Watch app, go to the Software Update section under "General" in Settings, and toggle on the ‌watchOS 10‌ Developer Beta. An Apple ID linked to a developer account is required.

Once beta updates have been activated, ‌watchOS 10‌ can be downloaded under the same Software Update section. To install software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life and it must be placed on an Apple Watch charger.

watchOS 10.2 adds support for iMessage Contact Key Verification, a feature designed for those who face "extraordinary digital threats," such as journalists, human rights activists, and government officials.

Users can ensure that there is no "man in the middle" snooping on iMessage conversations, and there is a Contact Verification Code so that iMessage users can verify that they're speaking to the correct individual during in-person meetings or on FaceTime calls.

The update also reintroduces an option to change watch faces by swiping left and right.