The Threads social network from Meta is rolling out tags, which work like hashtags on other platforms but include some unique additional functions.
The Threads compose window includes a new # button to add a tag to your post. Unlike hashtags, a tag can be a word or a phrase (with spaces) and does not include the hash symbol, so tags fit into sentences more naturally. Tags can also use special characters.
Typing your tag performs a real-time search of existing tags that you can choose to use, or you can create your own tag. But users can tag only one topic per post to avoid tag spam. Users can click on a tag in a post to open all the posts in the search view.
Tagging a post makes it more easily discoverable in searches of the topic, although all mentions of the used keywords show up in the same search screen, whether or not the posts they are included in have also been tagged.
Currently there is no way to order searches chronologically, and Threads still lacks a trending section. Meta intends to launch Threads in the European Union this month.
Apple's AirPods Max were announced three years ago today, marking the company's first push into the high-end over-ear headphones market under its own brand name.
Rumors about Apple's work on a pair of high-end headphones, at the time believed to be called the "AirPods Studio," heated up throughout 2020. They were announced abruptly via a somewhat unexpected press release on December 8, 2020 and went on sale the same day. Orders started arriving to customers one week later on Tuesday, December 15.
The AirPods Max offer many popular AirPods features such as the H1 chip, easy pairing, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, automatic switching, Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, but in a premium over-ear design for the first time. They also offer a headband made of a flexible mesh canopy, replaceable magnetic earcups, a Digital Crown for volume control, a button for switching between ANC and Transparency, and a Smart Case for storage and to put the headphones into a low power state.
Demand for the AirPods Max was high immediately after launch, with shipping estimates that stretched out several months. Initial reviews of AirPods Max were favorable, applauding the headphones for being "more than enough to compete with other high-end headphones." While the recommended retail price remains at $549, the AirPods Max are often available with discounts of over $100.
While the AirPods Max are now three years old, the next-generation may only introduce a small number of upgrades consisting of a USB-C port, Bluetooth 5.3, and new color options.
The Apple Podcasts app is set to arrive on Tesla vehicles with the company's 2023 Holiday Update that rolls out next week.
Tesla Model S, 3, X, Y, and Cybertruck owners in almost 50 countries and regions will receive the app via a free, over-the-air software update. A Premium Connectivity subscription is required to stream Apple Podcasts over a cellular connection.
Following the update, users will see the Apple Podcasts app in the Tesla's App Launcher. It can be opened on top of the map or dragged to the My Apps dock at the bottom where it will remained pinned. When opening the Apple Podcasts app for the first time, users must use their iPhone to scan an on-screen QR code to open a corresponding webpage and sign-in using their Apple ID.
The Apple Podcasts app for Tesla vehicles features the Listen Now tab, Up Next queue, Latest Episodes, Recently Played episodes, Browse tab, Top Shows, and Top Episodes, just like its counterparts on Apple devices. It also contains a user's entire podcasts library, enabling them to see the shows they follow, saved episodes, and the latest episodes from shows they follow.
Playback is synced across devices so, when the driver arrives at their destination, they can continue listening from where they left off on another Apple device. Apple Podcasts is also directly integrated into Tesla's search experience, allowing users to search for specific shows, people, and topics and browse relevant results.
Apple will release a new entry-level iPad in the second half of next year, according to a Taiwanese report on Apple's product development resource allocation plans.
Nikkei Asia reports that Apple is working with China's BYD, a key iPad assembler, to move new product introduction (NPI) resources to Vietnam. NPI refers to when Apple works with suppliers on the design and development of new products to ensure they can be made properly in a new manufacturing plant. Apple has not moved NPI resources to Vietnam for such a core device before.
Engineering verification for test production of the new iPad model will start around mid-February next year, according to the report's sources. The entry-level model, likely to be an 11th-generation iPad, will then become available in the second half of 2024.
Starting at $449, the "iPad" is Apple's low-priced mainstream iPad, last updated in October 2022 with a complete redesign, larger display, USB-C port, A14 Bionic chip, 12-megapixel camera, and more.
Apple was thought to be working on a new version of the low-cost iPad, and the 11th-generation model is expected in 2024, but a more specific timeframe for its launch has not been rumored. There are no rumors about new features coming in the 11th generation model, but it is likely to get an updated processor and possibly camera upgrades.
Apple's relocated iPad production to Vietnam follows a trend of Apple diversifying its supply chain and reducing its reliance on China as a major production hub with decades of experience in hardware manufacturing. Apple is also sending some NPI resources for the iPhone to India.
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced in March 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.
Safari Technology Preview 184 includes fixes and updates for Accessibility, CSS, HTMK, JavaScript, Media, Web Animations, Web API, Web Assembly, Web Inspector, and WebGL.
The current Safari Technology Preview release is compatible with machines running macOS Ventura and macOS Sonoma, the latest version of macOS that Apple released in September 2023.
The Safari Technology Preview update is available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences or System Settings to anyone who has downloaded the browser. Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.
Apple's aim with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.
Former Apple director of corporate law Gene Levoff was today sentenced to a fine and four years of probation for insider trading, according to Bloomberg. Levoff was facing up to two years in prison, but he will avoid time behind bars.
Levoff's role at Apple was supposed to include ensuring that Apple employees were compliant with the company's insider trading policies, including enforcement of "blackout periods" around Apple's earnings reports, but he ended up committing the crime he was meant to police.
Due to his position, Levoff was given access to Apple's earnings results before they were made available to the public, and he used the information to buy Apple shares prior to better-than-expected results, and sell shares when there were weaker-than-expected earnings. Levoff earned around $277,000, and avoided losses of around $377,000 before he was fired by Apple in 2018.
Levoff last June pleaded guilty to six counts of securities fraud for insider trading, and his sentencing took place today. In addition to four years probation, Levoff will pay approximately $604,000.
Federal prosecutors argued that Levoff should be sent to prison for insider trading to deter other corporate executives from committing a similar crime, but the judge overseeing the case said that he didn't feel it was necessary because Levoff lost his job and will no longer be able to practice law.
Apple's iPhone 15 lineup came out in September, and while most reviews are done shortly after a new device launches, we like to follow up with a longer term review that gives us an opportunity to provide a deeper dive into what it's like using these phones on a day to day basis for months.
MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has been using his iPhone 15 Pro Max without a case to test durability, and the titanium frame has been holding up much better than stainless steel. Even after some minor drops, there are no scratches or scuffs to speak of.
There were reports of overheating early on with the iPhone 15 Pro models, but Apple has addressed this in software updates. The iPhone 15 Pro stays cool to the touch for the most part, even when playing games. It can heat up when charging at random times, but it's not a consistent issue.
Battery life is about on par with the iPhone 14 Pro Max battery life, and there doesn't seem to be much of an improvement.
With the iPhone 15 Pro models, Apple added an Action Button, and , well, it's not getting much use. It's hard to get in the habit of using a new button for things that we've done for years using other workflows.
As for the camera, the best feature by far is the automatic portrait mode that lets you adjust focus after an image is captured without having to turn on Portrait mode. It's fun to use, and you can tap on each subject in the photo to change the focus from the foreground to the background. The 5x Telephoto lens is also a useful addition.
Make sure to watch our full video for more thoughts on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and let us know how it's performed for you over the last two months if you have one.
Apple today announced that starting in January 2024, all Apple Developer Program memberships will include 25 compute hours of Xcode Cloud at no additional cost on top of the Developer membership fee.
Xcode Cloud is designed to provide cloud-based tools to developers for building apps, running automated tests, providing apps to testers, and managing user feedback. It was introduced in 2021, and made available to all developers in June 2022.
Since launch, Apple has given developers access to 25 hours of Xcode Cloud per month at no cost, but that was scheduled to end this month. Apple has now decided to continue offering the free compute hours as part of its Developer Program membership.
We're pleased to announce that as of January 2024, all Apple Developer Program memberships will include 25 compute hours per month on Xcode Cloud as a standard, with no additional cost. If you're already subscribed to Xcode Cloud for free, no additional action is required on your part. And if you haven't tried Xcode Cloud yet, now is the perfect time to start building your app for free in just a few minutes.
Apple initially planned to charge $15 per month for 25 hours, but that tier will be free. 100 compute hours is priced at $50 per month, 250 hours is priced at $100 per month, and 1,000 hours is priced at $400 per month.
Each compute hour is an hour of time used to execute a task in the cloud, such as building an app or running tests. Compute hour usage is tracked through App Store connect and the Apple Developer app.
There is an Apple Pay and Wallet outage that is causing some users to experience issues with Apple Pay web payments and in-app payments using Apple Pay.
According to Apple's System Status page, the outage began at 5:04 a.m. Eastern Time, and it is ongoing. Apple says that only "some users" are having problems, but there are multiple tweets about the payment issues.
Note that this is not affecting payments that are made using Apple Pay in retail stores, with those Apple Pay purchases working fine. Apple does say that some users could experience issues managing, purchasing, or topping-up transit cards.
There is no word yet on when the Apple Pay outage might be resolved, but we'll update this article when Apple says that the Apple Pay issues have been addressed.
Update: Apple's status page has been updated to indicate the issue has been resolved.
Starting with the upcoming iOS 17.2 software update, there is a new NameDrop-like feature that allows an iPhone user to quickly share boarding passes, movie tickets, and other Wallet app passes with another iPhone user.
To use the feature, open the Wallet app and tap on the pass that you want to share. Then, hold your iPhone near the top of another iPhone, and a "Share" button will appear below the pass on your iPhone. Finally, tap on the "Share" button to send the pass to the other iPhone via AirDrop. Both iPhones must be updated to iOS 17.2.
While it is already possible to share many Wallet app passes via AirDrop, Messages, Mail, and more through the iOS sharing menu, this new feature aims to provide a quicker and more convenient method. It works similarly to NameDrop, an iOS 17 feature that lets users quickly share contact information by bringing two iPhones together.
The feature is mentioned in the iOS 17.2 release notes: "AirDrop improvements including expanded contact sharing options and the ability to share boarding passes, movie tickets, and other eligible passes by bringing two iPhones together." The software update is in the final stage of beta testing and should be released next week.
iOS 17.2 includes many other new features and changes, including a Journal app, spatial video recording on iPhone 15 Pro models, several improvements to the Messages and Weather apps, a Favorite Songs playlist in Apple Music, and more.
Apple today seeded a second release candidate (RC) version of an upcoming macOS Sonoma 14.2 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming few days after Apple seeded the first RC. The second RC has a build number of 23C64, up from 23C63 for the first RC.
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.
The release candidate version of macOS Sonoma 14.2 represents the finalized version of the softwae that will be released to the public should no major issues be found.
macOS Sonoma 14.2 adds support for enhanced AutoFill for PDFs, along with Contact Key Verification for Messages, a sticker tapback option, new Weather widgets, and more. Apple's release notes for the update are below.
This update introduces enhanced Autofill for PDFs and improvements to Messages and Weather. This release also includes other features, bug fixes, and security updates for your Mac.
PDFs - Enhanced AutoFill identifies fields in PDFs and other forms enabling you to populate them with information such as names and addresses from your contacts
Messages - Catch-up arrow lets you easily jump to your first unread message in a conversation by clicking the arrow visible in the top-right corner - Add sticker option in the context menu lets you add a sticker directly to a bubble - Contact Key Verification provides automatic alerts and Contact Verification Codes to help verify people facing extraordinary digital threats are messaging only with the people they intend
Weather - Precipitation amounts help you stay on top of rain and snow conditions for a given day over the next 10 days - New widgets let you choose from next-hour precipitation, daily forecast, sunrise and sunset times, and current conditions such as Air Quality, Feels Like, and wind speed - Wind map snapshot helps you quickly assess wind patterns and access the animated wind map overlay to prepare for forecasted wind conditions for the next 24 hours
Clock - Multiple timers let you run several timers simultaneously and create a name for each timer - Timer presets help you quickly start a timer with a range of preset options - Recents makes it easy to restart your recently used timers
This update also includes the following new features: - Favorite Songs Playlist in Apple Music lets you quickly get back to the songs you mark as favorites - Use Listening History in Apple Music can be disabled in a Focus so music you listen to does not appear in Recently Played or influence your recommendations - Shazam Music Recognition allows you to quickly identify songs playing online or around you, even when wearing AirPods - New keyboard layouts provide support for 7 additional Sámi languages - Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices.
For detailed information about the security content of this update, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
Apple is expected to release macOS Sonoma 14.2 next week.
Apple today shared a study conducted by MIT professor Dr. Stuart Madnick that found 2.6 billion personal records were compromised by data breaches in the past two years. The study was commissioned by Apple, but the cover page says that the "conclusions and opinions expressed are exclusively those of the author."
Apple provided an overview of the study in its press release:
The report illustrates that the historic threats to user data that saw the number of data breaches nearly triple between 2013 and 2022, compromising 2.6 billion records over the course of two years, are only getting worse in 2023. In the U.S. alone, there were nearly 20 percent more breaches in just the first nine months of 2023 than in any prior year. The target for cybercriminals was very clear, with a 2023 survey finding that over 80 percent of breaches involved data stored in the cloud. This is after attacks targeting cloud infrastructure nearly doubled from 2021 to 2022.
Apple says the study's findings emphasize the need for end-to-end encryption, which iCloud already provides for 14 data categories by default. For users looking for additional protection, Apple offers an optional feature called Advanced Data Protection, which increases the number of iCloud data categories covered by end-to-end encryption to 23, including iCloud Backup, Notes, Photos, Voice Memos, and more.
"Bad actors continue to pour enormous amounts of time and resources into finding more creative and effective ways to steal consumer data, and we won't rest in our efforts to stop them," said Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi.
Anker has launched its newest holiday sale, this one offering a special deal every day in the lead-up to Christmas. These sales offer up to 50 percent off select products, and include discounts on USB-C chargers, portable batteries, and much more.
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.
Today's exclusive offer is a free gift on orders worth $99 or more. This one will expire later tonight and be replaced by an unknown sale tomorrow, so be sure to shop soon if you want a free gift added to your order. Additionally, Anker is offering exclusive holiday packaging on the PowerCore 24,000 mAh Power Bank with Smart Digital Display and the MagGo Portable Battery.
The Apple executive responsible for the company's multitouch technology, health sensors, Touch ID, and Face ID is set to retire from the company, Bloomberg reports.
Steve Hotelling currently works as a vice president reporting to senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji. During his tenure, Hotelling significantly contributed to the development of some of Apple's most innovative and complex technologies used in the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro headset. Hotelling's name appears on hundreds of patents, including filings related to multitouch displays and Touch ID.
Hotelling led the company's camera engineering team and was involved in the development of custom sensors. His work oversaw the development of the depth-sensing technologies crucial for augmented reality experiences and components fundamental to haptic feedback and ProMotion displays.
Hotelling has also been a prominent representative for Apple in numerous legal trials throughout his two decades with the company. He was a key figure in a patent case against Samsung in the last decade and recently served as a crucial witness in a trial involving Masimo, which sued Apple over patents related to health sensors.
Despite the significance of his departure, Apple has not yet shared an official statement regarding Hotelling's retirement. His responsibilities are apparently being distributed among several of Srouji's direct reports, with Alan Gilchrist taking over the management of the camera and depth sensor teams, and Wei Chen taking over display technologies. Apple's hardware technologies group continues work on a custom 5G cellular modem, new wireless chips, microLED displays, and a non-invasive blood sugar sensor.
Spotify appears to be bringing in-app payments back to its iOS app, based on code strings unearthed in the latest beta.
MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered the new code references to an in-app payment system, including an IAP checkout screen and purchase retry panels for failed purchases.
It's not clear what the IAP references relate to, but the fact that they are included is curious in itself. Spotify has not allowed customers to sign up for a Spotify Premium subscription through the App Store for the last seven years.
There is no mechanism for subscribing to Spotify through the Spotify app, as Spotify has restricted signups to its website in order to avoid paying Apple's fees. "You can't upgrade to Premium in the app," reads Spotify's "Premium" section in its iOS app. "We know, it's not ideal."
Over the years, Apple and Spotify have had a long running dispute over Apple's App Store policies, with multiple public conflicts over app and subscription fees and app rejections due to Spotify's attempts to skirt the up to 30 percent cut that Apple takes from purchases.
In comments made in November 2022, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek accused Apple of giving developers "the illusion of control," and said that the App Store is a "threat to the future of the internet" that denies consumers choice.
Ek also clashed with Apple over Spotify's audiobooks feature. Apple in 2022 rejected Spotify's audiobook update several times and ultimately did not allow Spotify to direct users to purchase audiobooks through an in-app email signup button.
Things are different over on Android devices. Since November 2020, Spotify has been be able to bill Android users directly in the Google Play version of Spotify without needing to go through the Google Play billing system.
This is because Spotify uses Google's "User Choice Billing," a feature that allows Android users to make purchases using the payment option they prefer. User Choice Billing is essentially an alternative billing option for in-app purchases, and it comes with a reduced fee.
Apple offers no alternative billing from the App Store. There are two exceptions, however, including South Korea and the Netherlands. Regulators in these countries have forced Apple to allow some apps to use third-party payment providers.
With Google adopting options for alternative billing and continued regulatory pressure, it is possible that Apple will also fold and expand the Dutch and South Korea processes to other countries and app types. However, whether the IAP references in Spotify's code relate to such a plan is unknown. Another possibility is that Spotify is preparing to increase the price of its subscriptions to account for Apple's commission on in-app purchases.
Earlier this week, Spotify announced it will lay off about 1,500 employees, or 17% of its workforce, as the company seeks to downsize after a period of aggressive spending on podcasts and audiobooks. The latest round of cuts is the third in a year, with Spotify still facing annual financial losses amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.
Update: Spotify tells The Verge it has "no plans to switch IAP [in-app payments] on at the moment."
Meta is rolling out end-to-end encryption for personal messages and calls on Messenger and Facebook, finally delivering on a pledge it committed to some time ago.
Messenger encryption originally arrived in 2016 in the form of "secret conversations," and plans to extend the platform's cryptographic features have been floated ever since.
According to Loredana Crisan, Head of Messenger, Meta is only now turning on end-to-end encryption for all messages and calls between two people after years spent "rebuilding Messenger features from the ground up."
Since 2016, Messenger has had the option for people to turn on end-to-end encryption, but we're now changing private chats and calls across Messenger to be end-to-end encrypted by default. This has taken years to deliver because we've taken our time to get this right. Our engineers, cryptographers, designers, policy experts and product managers have worked tirelessly to rebuild Messenger features from the ground up. We've introduced new privacy, safety and control features along the way like delivery controls that let people choose who can message them, as well as app lock, alongside existing safety features like report, block and message requests. We worked closely with outside experts, academics, advocates and governments to identify risks and build mitigations to ensure that privacy and safety go hand-in-hand.
The extra layer of security provided by end-to-end encryption means that the content of messages and calls are protected from the moment they leave the sender's device to the moment they reach the receiver's device. In other words, nobody, including Meta, can see what is sent or said, unless the message is reported.
End-to-end encrypted conversations also offer additional functionality including the ability to edit messages, higher media quality, and disappearing messages.
Meta notes that end-to-end encryption won't prevent users from using features like themes and custom reactions, but "it may take some time for Messenger chats to be updated with default end-to-end encryption."
As things stand, end-to-end encryption for group Messenger chats remains opt-in, and Meta previously said that Instagram messages will be encrypted "shortly after" the rollout of default encryption for Messenger chats.
Apple has updated its Legal Process Guidelines to reflect the company's legal obligation to comply with law enforcement requests for Apple ID information associated with its push notification service. The change follows yesterday's revelation that governments are actively using smartphone notification data as a user surveillance tool.
In the section titled "Information Available from Apple," Apple has appended an alphabetical list with the subsection "AA. Apple Push Notification Service (APNs)," which reads:
When users allow an application they have installed to receive push notifications, an Apple Push Notification Service (APNs) token is generated and registered to that developer and device. Some apps may have multiple APNs tokens for one account on one device to differentiate between messages and multi-media.
The Apple ID associated with a registered APNs token may be obtained with a subpoena or greater legal process.
Apple and Google have been forced by governments at home and abroad to provide users' data from notifications they get on their devices, US Senator Ron Wyden revealed on Wednesday in a letter to the Justice Department, drawing attention to a new smartphone privacy concern.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the letter, but Apple and Google confirmed that they have been subject to the requests. The companies explained that they had been prohibited from sharing information about how governments monitored push notifications until Wyden's letter had been made public and given them the legal opening they needed.
With push notifications enabled, Apple and Google create a small bit of data, known as a token, that links the user's device to the account information they've given the companies, such as their name and email address.
A Reuters source familiar with the matter confirmed that both foreign and U.S. government agencies have been asking Apple and Google for user information related to push notifications. The data is said to have been used to attempt to tie anonymous users of messaging apps to specific Apple or Google accounts.
The Washington Post said on Wednesday it had found more than two dozen search warrant applications and other documents in court records related to federal requests for push notification data. Though many were redacted, nine of the documents pertained to the federal hunt for U.S. Capitol rioters on January 6, 2021.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple plans a significant upgrade to the iPhone 16 microphone to improve the new AI-enhanced Siri experience, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Writing in his latest Medium post, Kuo says that "strengthening Siri's hardware and software features and specifications is the key to promoting AI-generated content," adding that Apple's generative AI ambitions and integration of large-language models (LLMs) into Siri will heavily rely on improved voice input processing.
To that end, Apple is preparing a major microphone upgrade for the iPhone 16, with better signal-to-noise ratio a key specification that will "improve the Siri experience significantly," says Kuo. The new microphone will also have better water resistance.
The upgrade corroborates other reports suggesting Apple plans to make enhanced Siri features a key selling point of the iPhone 16. New Siri features powered by LLMs are expected in iOS 18, and Kuo's report notes that Apple reorganized its Siri team in the third quarter of this year to integrate generative AI and LLMs. However, Kuo's predictions also add weight to rumors that additional on-device AI features could remain exclusive to the iPhone 16 models.
According to the analyst's latest survey, AAC and Goertek are the microphone suppliers for the iPhone 16, and will benefit equally from the specification upgrade. "The ASP of microphones for each iPhone 16 will be at least 100–150% higher than that of the iPhone 15," says Kuo. "As a result, AAC's and Goertek's revenues and earnings are expected to benefit significantly from this upgrade."
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