MacRumors

We're nearing the end of the iOS 18.1 beta testing process, but Apple is continuing to make tweaks to refine built-in features ahead of when the software launches. With testing winding down, there are fewer new additions, but Apple has made changes worth noting. The new beta is available for both developers and public beta testers.

Control Center

In the Control Center, Apple has added new separate toggles for Satellite and AirDrop, so these can be added to Control Center setups as individual buttons for the first time.

Prior to now, Satellite and AirDrop were only accessible through the all-in-one Connectivity control. With these additions, there are separate Control Center options for all of the following connectivity features:

• Airplane Mode
• Cellular Data
• Personal Hotspot
• AirDrop
• Bluetooth
• Satellite
• VPN
• Wi-Fi

Apple has also added new Measure and Level controls to the Control Center. Measure opens up the Measure app, while Level opens up the Measure app to the included Level feature.

Notification Summaries

The Notification Summary feature that is part of Apple Intelligence includes a minor update in the latest beta. When you have a notification stack with a count on it on the Lock Screen, the number now takes on the color of your wallpaper.

Apple Music

Apple Music now has an option to share ‌Apple Music‌ songs directly on TikTok. To do so, tap on Share Song and then choose TikTok from the list of apps.

Sleep Apnea Detection

If you've been running iOS 18.1 since before the Apple Watch Series 10 models came out, the sixth beta of iOS 18.1 finally adds support for sleep apnea detection and breathing disturbances readings.

After updating to iOS 18.1, you can go to the Health app and search for Breathing Disturbances to find the setting to turn on sleep apnea alerts. Sleep apnea notifications won't be sent until the Apple Watch has collected at least 10 days of Breathing Disturbance information, according to Apple. Data is analyzed every 30 days, and an alert is sent at that point.

Data for sleep apnea detection and Breathing Disturbance information is not collected until the update is installed and sleep apnea alerts are turned on.

Many people already had access to sleep apnea alerts through the base iOS 18 update, but people who were running the betas were never able to download the software that added alerts back in September.

Wallet App

In the Wallet app, if you have an Apple Card and your Daily Cash goes to a savings account, you'll no longer see the savings account balance on the main ‌Apple Card‌ screen. Instead, you can tap on the savings button to get your current account balance.

Camera Control

On the iPhone 16 models, if you hold down the Camera Control button with a light press, you will now see a bar underneath the adjustment options. It's not clear what the bar is for, but perhaps it's meant to let users know that more options are available with a swipe.

Apple Intelligence Splash Screens

With the launch of iOS 18.1 creeping closer, there are now splash screens introducing the new ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features in many apps. In Mail, for example, Apple highlights Message Summaries, Priority Messages, and Smart Replies. In the App Store app, the splash screen lets users know that natural language search is available in the ‌App Store‌ and Apple Arcade.

Release Date

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple plans to release iOS 18.1 on Monday, October 28.

Mac Studio and Mac Pro machines that are equipped with Apple's next-generation M4 chips will be some of the last Macs to be refreshed with the new chip technology, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in this week's Power On newsletter.

The ‌Mac Studio‌ is set to come out somewhere around the middle of the year in 2025, which could mean a June debut at WWDC, while the ‌Mac Pro‌ will come out sometime in the second half of 2025. The distinction between the middle of the year and the second half of 2025 suggests the ‌Mac Pro‌ is likely to launch around fall 2025.

Both the ‌Mac Pro‌ and the ‌Mac Studio‌ will use Apple's M4 Ultra chips, which have yet to be announced. So far, we've only seen the standard M4 chip, which has come out in the iPad Pro.

Apple is gearing up to release new MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac machines with M4 chips in October, with the MacBook Air to follow sometime in early 2025.

Apple is planning to launch the first M4 Macs in early November, and new benchmarks for one of the upcoming models surfaced on Geekbench, giving us some insight into how the M4 Mac will perform compared to the M4 iPad Pro and prior-generation M3 Macs.

The "Mac16,1" that was benchmarked features a 10-core CPU and it earned a single-core score of 3864 and a multi-core score of 15288.

Comparatively, the base M4 ‌iPad Pro‌ with 9-core CPU has an aggregate single-core score of 3647, and a multi-core score of 13135. The ‌iPad Pro‌ models have either a 9-core CPU or a 10-core CPU depending on storage capacity, and 10-core models have higher multi-core scores of around 14500 on Geekbench.

When pitting the M4 against the M3 chip with 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU that was used in last year's Macs, single-core performance is up 26.7 percent, and multi-core performance is up 30.6 percent. The M3 iMac, for example, has a single-core score of 3048, and a multi-core score of 11708.

In the ‌iPad Pro‌, Apple said the M4 was up to 25 percent faster than the M3, and M4 performance in Macs will be the same or better. Note that this is just one benchmark, so there will be some variability in scores when the machines are actually released.

Metal scores for one of the new M4 Macs also surfaced today, and GPU performance is roughly on par with the M4 ‌iPad Pro‌ chip. Mac16,1, which has 16GB RAM, earned a Metal score of 57603. The M4 ‌iPad Pro‌ has a Metal score of 53374. The M4 Macs will likely perform a little bit better due to thermal differences, but again, there is variance in scores.

The M4 chip showing up on Geekbench is the standard M4, and it will be used in the Mac mini and 14-inch MacBook Pro models. We are also expecting to see M4 Pro and M4 Max chips for the higher-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ and ‌Mac mini‌ models, and benchmark results for those machines have not yet surfaced. The M3 chip had a Metal score of 47414, suggesting GPU performance will improve around 20 percent year-over-year.

Apple will likely hold a small event to announce the new M4 Macs toward the end of October, with a launch to follow on November 1.

Alleged photos and videos of an unannounced 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 chip continue to surface on social media, in what could be the worst product leak for Apple since an employee accidentally left an iPhone 4 prototype at a bar in California in 2010.

The latest video of what could be a next-generation MacBook Pro was shared on YouTube Shorts today by Russian channel Romancev768, just one day after another Russian channel shared a similar video. The clip shows a box for a 14-inch MacBook Pro that is apparently configured with an M4 chip with a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a Space Black finish.

According to the "About This Mac" software menu shown in the video, the MacBook Pro in the video is allegedly an unreleased November 2024 model.

Given this MacBook Pro has the standard M4 chip, instead of a higher-end M4 Pro or M4 Max chip, the leaked unit could be the next entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro. If so, that means the minimum amount of RAM for the MacBook Pro lineup would be doubled from 8GB to 16GB, as previously rumored. A third Thunderbolt 4 port would also be an upgrade for the base model, as the current entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro is equipped with only two Thunderbolt 3 ports. Last, Space Black would be a new color option for the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, as the base model is currently only offered in Space Gray and Silver.

All other specifications listed on the box are familiar, including the display size and resolution, and other ports like MagSafe 3, HDMI, and an SD card slot. In addition, the 14-inch MacBook Pro does not appear to have any noticeable design changes.

Photos of this alleged MacBook Pro box were first shared by the leaker "ShrimpApplePro" on social media platform X last week. At the time, the authenticity of the photos was debated, particularly because the box reuses the same MacBook Pro graphic that appears on the current-generation MacBook Pro boxes. The two unboxing videos increase the likelihood of these leaks being legitimate, but there is no definitive proof.

The source of these leaks is unclear. Last week, "ShrimpApplePro" claimed that at least one of the unannounced 14-inch MacBook Pro units was apparently being offered for sale in a private Facebook group. In a follow-up post on X on Sunday, the leaker claimed that he saw someone online who was apparently advertising 200 of the unannounced 14-inch MacBook Pro units for sale, leading him to believe this leak originates from a warehouse. It is unclear if these details are accurate, but this whole situation is clearly very sketchy.

Even if these leaks are fake, some of the specifications shown are likely accurate regardless. For example, the M4 chip already debuted in the iPad Pro earlier this year, and from that we know that the chip is indeed available with up to a 10-core CPU.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman on Sunday said that he expects Apple to announce the first Macs with the M4 series of chips around the end of October, including a 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip, higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, a redesigned Mac mini with M4 and M4 Pro chips, and an iMac with the M4 chip. He said Apple plans to release "at least some" of these Macs on Friday, November 1.

Gurman previously said that Apple would likely hold an October event this year to announce the new Macs, similar to how it introduced the current MacBook Pro and iMac models with M3 chips during a virtual event on October 30 last year. Apple has yet to announce an October event this year, however, and press releases are always possible instead.

Apple is well known for having a culture of secrecy, so this magnitude of leak is rarely seen for its products. As previously mentioned, this could be the most significant leak for Apple since Gizmodo obtained and shared photos of an iPhone 4 prototype that a then-employee of the company accidentally left behind at a bar in California. In that case, Apple got law enforcement involved, but how it acts this time around remains to be seen.

Repair site iFixit today disassembled the 46mm Apple Watch Series 10, giving us a look at the components inside Apple's thinnest Apple Watch to date.

Apple used an enclosed case for the Series 10, a move that allowed for a the thinner design without impacting the sensor lens assembly. Tolerances in the Apple Watch are super tight, which makes it difficult to get into.

The Series 10 has a 327 mAh, 1.266 Wh battery inside, with a soft pouch as prior models have had. Though Apple changed the adhesive in the iPhone 16 models, that's not the case in the Apple Watch, and it uses traditional adhesive.

iFixit took a close up look at the OLED display, and there wasn't a noticeable difference between the Series 9 and the Series 10. Apple tweaked the Series 10 display to allow for wider viewing angles, but it's not a feature that can be seen internally.

iFixit gave the Apple Watch Series 10 a 3 out of 10 repairability score because it's so difficult to get to the battery and to replace the glass at the bottom.

With macOS Sequoia, Apple is requiring users to regularly reauthorize permissions for screen recording apps, but you may not have to do it quite as often with a change that's being implemented in ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.1.

In the release notes for the sixth beta of the ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.1 update, Apple says that users aren't going to see as many popups for apps they regularly use.

Applications using our deprecated content capture technologies now have enhanced user awareness policies. Users will see fewer dialogs if they regularly use apps in which they have already acknowledged and accepted the risks.

During the ‌macOS Sequoia‌ beta testing process, Apple was showing permission popups for screen recording apps on a weekly basis, which people quickly got tired of. The permission setting was tweaked to show a popup only once per month prior to when ‌macOS Sequoia‌ launched, but now users will see fewer popups once they've given an app they use on a regular basis screen recording permissions.

The prompt that Apple shows is designed to remind users that apps are able to record screen and system audio, including sensitive information.

[App Name] is requesting to bypass the system private window picker and directly access your screen and audio. This will allow [App Name] to record your screen and system audio, including personal or sensitive information that may be visible or audible.

There is no option to remove the popup permanently, but ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.1 may make the frequency of the popup more bearable for those who use screen recording apps on a daily basis. ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.1 is expected to see a release on Monday, October 28.

Apple today updated its iCloud.com website, which is the way you can access your iCloud apps and settings from any web browser. With today's refresh, iCloud.com supports some of the features that have previously been introduced in iOS.

There's now a Dark Mode option that will match your Mac's Light Mode or ‌Dark Mode‌ color scheme, plus a customizable homepage where you can select different colors for your background.

There's support for pinned notes, improved navigation in the Photos app, and a Shared View for iCloud Drive. Apple has a full list of what's new when you log into iCloud.com. Here's the list:

• ‌Dark Mode‌
• Customizable background
• A refreshed design for the Calendar app and support for Hijri calendar.
• Shared View for ‌iCloud Drive‌ that shows files that have been shared with you.
• Option to jump to a month or year in ‌Photos‌ by clicking the calendar icon.
• Option to modify date, time, and location of a photo from the info pane.
• Option to display an album in the ‌Photos‌ tile on the iCloud.com homepage.
• Important notes can be pinned to the top of the list in the ‌iCloud‌ Notes app.
• In Reminders, new lists can be created and recurring reminders can be completed.

These new iCloud.com options should be available for all users as of now.

Epic Games has successfully forced Google to change its Play Store business model following the conclusion of a 2020 antitrust lawsuit. A U.S. judge today decided that the Google Play Store has an illegal monopoly, and Google has been ordered make multiple changes as a result, reports Reuters.

Google will need to allow Android users to download rival app stores like the ‌Epic Games‌ Store from within Google Play, plus it is required to allow third-party app stores to distribute Google Play apps, unless developers opt out of providing their apps through the alternative app stores.

Further, Google can no longer require developers to use Google Pay Billing for apps that are sold through the Google Play Store, which means that app developers will be able to offer alternative payment methods that do not give Google a cut of app sales.

Developers will also be able to link to alternative installation options in their apps, and will be able to let customers know about other ways to make purchases. Google is prohibited from offering carriers and device makers a financial incentive to preinstall the Play Store, and it is not able to offer developers money to launch their apps exclusively on the Play Store.

Google can, however, charge a fee for "reasonable measures" that are implemented to preserve user safety and security related to apps and app stores downloaded through Google Play.

‌Epic Games‌ sued Google alongside Apple back in 2020, but the ‌Epic Games‌ v. Google lawsuit went differently from the ‌Epic Games‌ v. Apple lawsuit. While Apple won and was not declared a monopolist, Google lost to ‌Epic Games‌. Late last year, a nine-member jury ruled in Epic Games' favor, and said that Google had abused its power by charging developers unreasonable fees and operating an app store monopoly. While Google said that changes to the Play Store would be a hardship due to the time and money required, the judge overseeing the case was not swayed.

Google has to keep these changes in place for three years, starting on November 1, 2024. In a blog post, Google confirmed that it plans to appeal the ‌Epic Games‌ verdict, and it plans to ask the court to stay the ruling until the appeal plays out. Gogole believes the proposed changes would put consumer privacy and security at risk, make it harder for developers to promote their apps, and reduce competition on devices.

Google says that while the changes will satisfy ‌Epic Games‌, the unintended consequences will "harm American consumers, developers and device makers." Google's blog post further explains the reasons why it will appeal.

Google is also facing another ‌Epic Games‌ lawsuit, which was filed last week. ‌Epic Games‌ accused Google and Samsung of colluding to prevent sideloading on Galaxy devices through the Auto Blocker safety feature, though ‌Epic Games‌ CEO Tim Sweeney has confirmed that there is as of now no proof that the two companies worked together to limit sideloading on Samsung smartphones.

With the sixth beta of iOS 18.1 and the fourth beta of watchOS 11.1, Apple has finally added support for sleep apnea on iPhones that have been running the iOS 18.1 beta since before the Apple Watch Series 10 launched.

Sleep apnea alerts were introduced with iOS 18 and watchOS 11 on the Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Series 9, and Apple Watch Ultra 2, but those running iOS 18.1 and watchOS 11.1 never got the ‌iOS 18‌ and ‌watchOS 11‌ updates that added the feature, which means it has been missing for many beta testers until now.

If you've been running the iOS 18.1 and watchOS 11.1 betas and haven't been able to use the sleep apnea alert feature, it will be available after updating. Note that this is only relevant to people who did not previously have sleep apnea available in the beta.

After updating, you will need to set up sleep apnea notifications, which can be done in the Health app. You will need to answer questions about your age and whether you've previously been diagnosed with sleep apnea in order to turn the feature on.

Before you receive a sleep apnea notification if you have the feature, the Apple Watch will need to collect 10 days of Breathing Disturbance data.

Apple today provided developers with the sixth beta of an upcoming macOS Sequoia 15.1 beta, with the new update coming two weeks after Apple released the fifth beta.

Registered developers can opt-in to the ‌macOS Sequoia‌ beta through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. An Apple ID associated with an Apple Developer account is required to get the beta.

‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.1 introduces the first Apple Intelligence features, adding support for Writing Tools, new Siri features, Smart Replies in Mail and Messages, Priority messages in the Mail app, Memory Movie and Clean Up in Photos, and more.

The update does not include Image Playground, Genmoji, or more advanced ‌Siri‌ functionality.

Using Apple Intelligence features requires a Mac that has an Apple silicon chip.

Apple today provided developers with the sixth betas of iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 to continue testing Apple Intelligence features. The fifth betas come two weeks after Apple seeded the fifth iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 betas.

The updates can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. Note that ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features still an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16 to run.

‌Apple Intelligence‌ includes Writing Tools that are available wherever text can be selected and edited, and it can be used for spell checking, fixing grammar, rewriting with a new tone, and summarizing text.

Siri has a new design with a subtle glow around the display, and there is a Type to ‌Siri‌ feature so you don't have to speak to ‌Siri‌. ‌Siri‌ can follow along if you stumble over your words, and can maintain context between requests. Safari can summarize articles, and there's a new Reduce Interruptions Focus Mode.

Smart replies are available in Messages and Mail, plus the Mail app surfaces time sensitive messages and puts them at the top of your inbox. Photos has a Memory Movie feature for creating slideshows based on text descriptions, and you can record, transcribe, and summarize phone calls. Transcription and summarization are also available for any audio recording.

More on all of the features that are available in the betas right now can be found in our Apple Intelligence guide. Image Playground, Genmoji, and other new ‌Siri‌ features have not yet been implemented.

The update also includes phone call recording and transcription on all devices, plus it adds the option to take spatial photos on the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models.

Apple's latest operating system updates iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15 Sequoia bring a notable enhancement for gamers: official support for wired Xbox controllers.

Previously, Apple devices supported wireless Xbox and PlayStation controllers via Bluetooth, but when it came to wired connections, only PlayStation controllers were compatible. This update marks a step forward in broadening gaming accessory support across Apple’s ecosystem.

As noted by Apple engineer (and one of the key contributors to the original Xbox) Nat Brown back in June, Xbox uses a custom USB protocol for its wired controllers, and with its latest operating system updates, Apple now directly supports the protocol to allow for native wired Xbox controller connections.

Connecting to Apple Devices with Lightning Ports

If you're using an iOS device with a Lightning port—such as older iPhones or iPads—you'll need a Lightning to USB Camera Adapter to connect your wired Xbox controller. This requirement mirrors the setup process for wired PlayStation controllers on these devices. The adapter facilitates the necessary USB connection, ensuring your controller communicates effectively with your device.

Connecting to Apple Devices with USB-C Ports

Simply plug the controller in using a USB-C to USB-C cable to establish the wired connection.

What to Expect When Connecting

Upon connecting your wired Xbox controller:

• On iOS 18 and iPadOS 18: The wired Xbox controller does not appear in the Bluetooth settings since it's connected via USB, not Bluetooth.
• On macOS 15 Sequoia: Upon initial connection, macOS presents an accessory permissions dialog asking the user: "Do you want to connect Microsoft Controller to this Mac?" The controller appears as "Controller" in the Game Controller settings pane, displaying the Xbox logo next to it. However, the "Identify" feature doesn't function with the wired Xbox controller—the controller doesn't vibrate when prompted.

Despite the minor hiccup with the "Identify" feature on macOS, the controller functions as expected within games and applications that support game controllers.

Support for wired Xbox controllers on Apple's platforms is a welcome addition for gamers who prefer the reliability and low-latency of a wired connection or own wired-only Xbox controllers. By accommodating a wider range of controllers, Apple's move aligns with the growing trend of cross-platform gaming and the increasing popularity of game streaming services, where controller support is critical for an optimal experience.

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming visionOS 2.1 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new software coming a week after Apple seeded the third visionOS 2.1 beta.

Registered developers are able to opt into the betas by opening up the Settings app on their device, going to the Software Update Section, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option, and toggling on the Developer Beta. Note that an Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.

There's no word yet on what's included in visionOS 2.1, but there are visionOS 2 features that Apple has not yet released, such as the option to use a larger ultrawide screen for the Mac Virtual Display and support for Multiview for MLS and MLB games.

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming watchOS 11.1 update to developers for testing purposes. The fourth beta comes a week after Apple released the third watchOS 11.1 beta.

To install the ‌‌watchOS 11‌.1 update, developers need to open the Apple Watch app, go to the Software Update section under "General" in Settings, and toggle on the ‌‌watchOS 11‌‌ Developer Beta. An Apple ID linked to a developer account is required.

Once beta updates have been activated, ‌‌watchOS 11‌‌.1 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.

It's not yet clear what new features are included in the watchOS 11.1 update at this time, as the update primarily focuses on Apple Intelligence, and ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features are not available on watchOS.

Apple today shared a trailer for Submerged, its first scripted film designed for the Apple Immersive Video experience on the Vision Pro headset.

Announced back in July, Submerged is a short film that's set in World War II, and it follows a group of sailors that are struggling to survive a deadly torpedo attack. It was created by Austrian filmmaker Edward Berger, who directed 2022 movie All Quiet on the Western Front.

Apple has not provided details on the length of Submerged, but most Apple Immersive Video content is on the shorter side. Apple has been regularly adding Immersive Video to the Vision Pro since the device came out last February. The immersive content is in 3D, and is meant to make the viewer feel like they are part of the scene.

Apple Immersive Video content can be viewed in the Apple TV app in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, the U.K., and the U.S. Users in China can watch the content through the Migu Video and Tencent Video apps.

Submerged is set to premiere on the Vision Pro on Thursday, October 10.

Ahead of the holiday season, Apple is sharing iPhone 16 ads highlighting the new functionality in an effort to entice customers to upgrade to the latest models. Today's ad focuses on the 4K 120 frames per second Dolby Vision video recording feature that is exclusive to the iPhone 16 Pro and ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max.

The minute-long ad shows several slow motion shots, including a wind storm, an astronaut floating in space, an arrow flying through the air, a car crash, and more. The spot ends with the tagline "Hollywood in your pocket."

An option to capture cinematic slow motion video at 4K 120fps is one of the major new features that sets the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ models apart from the standard ‌iPhone 16‌ models. When recording video using the new 120fps mode, there is an option in the Photos app to change the frame rate later, so you can select from 60, 48, 30, or 24 fps in post processing.