MacRumors

iOS 16.2 is now available for the iPhone 8 and newer following two months of beta testing. With last-minute additions like Apple Music Sing and Advanced Data Protection, the software update includes over a dozen new features and changes for the iPhone.

Below, we've recapped many of the new features available with iOS 16.2, including Apple's new whiteboard app Freeform, two new Lock Screen widgets, the ability to hide the wallpaper and notifications on the iPhone 14 Pro's always-on display, a new AirDrop setting, SharePlay support for Game Center, Live Activities enhancements, and more.

Apple Music Sing

Apple Music Sing is a new karaoke-like feature on the lyrics screen in the Apple Music app that lets you sing along to tens of millions of songs. The feature allows users to lower the volume of the vocals in a song and then take over as the singer.

Apple Music Sing is compatible with devices equipped with an A13 chip or newer, including the iPhone 11 and newer, select iPads, and the latest Apple TV 4K.

Advanced Data Protection

iOS 16.2 introduces an optional Advanced Data Protection feature that, when enabled, expands end-to-end encryption to many additional iCloud data categories, including Messages backups, photos, notes, reminders, voice memos, and more.

Advanced Data Protection is currently limited to U.S. users and will start rolling out to the rest of the world in early 2023, according to Apple.

Freeform App

iOS 16.2 includes Apple's new digital whiteboard app Freeform on the iPhone. The app provides an infinite canvas for you to draw on and insert sticky notes, text boxes, shapes, photos, videos, links, PDFs, and more. The app is also available on the iPad and the Mac, and you can collaborate with others in real time via FaceTime and iMessage.

Freeform is more useful on the iPad given the device supports the Apple Pencil, but you can still use a capacitive stylus on the iPhone.

Two New Lock Screen Widgets

There are two new Lock Screen widgets for Sleep and Medications on iOS 16.2. With the Sleep widget, you can view your most recent sleep session and sleep stages, while the Medications widget can let you quickly access your medication schedule.

New Always-On Display Options

Starting with iOS 16.2, you can hide the wallpaper and notifications in always-on display mode on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. This results in the Lock Screen having a solid black, minimal appearance in always-on mode, similar to Android.

The new "Show Wallpaper" and "Show Notifications" toggles are located in the Settings app under Display & Brightness → Always On Display.

Live Activities for Sports Scores via Apple TV App

iOS 16.2 adds Live Activities support for sports scores via the Apple TV app. The feature allows iPhone users to view live scores of MLB, NBA, and Premier League games at a glance on the Lock Screen, and in the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models.

During a Premier League match, for example, the Dynamic Island shows a live-updating scoreboard with the number of goals scored by each club. When long pressed, the Dynamic Island expands to show the time elapsed and play-by-play action. When an iPhone 14 Pro is locked, and on all other iPhone models, the score is shown in a Lock Screen banner.

To use the feature with an iPhone running iOS 16.2, open the TV app and tap on the "Follow" button for a supported game. Apple says the feature is available for NBA and Premier League games for users in the U.S. and Canada, and for MLB games for users in the U.S., Canada, Australia, U.K., Brazil, Mexico, Japan, and South Korea.

New AirDrop Setting

iOS 16.2 replaces AirDrop's previous "Everyone" setting with a limited "Everyone for 10 Minutes" option to cut down on unwanted requests from strangers. AirDrop now automatically reverts to "Contacts Only" after 10 minutes.

New Home App Architecture

After updating to iOS 16.2 and opening the Home app, an update to the app is available with new underlying architecture. Apple says the new architecture improves the app's performance, efficiency, and reliability for controlling smart home accessories. This comes after the Home app gained support for Matter accessories in iOS 16.1.

Other New Features

• SharePlay support in Game Center lets you play multiplayer games with the people you are on a FaceTime call with.
• iOS 16.2 enables support for 5G networks in India on the iPhone 12 and newer, starting with carriers Airtel and Reliance Jio.
• The built-in Weather app now features an Apple News section.
• Improved search in the Messages app allows you to find photos based on their content, like a dog, car, person, or text.

There are a few other changes and optimizations in iOS 16.2, as outlined in the full release notes.

Amazon today introduced a new all-time low price on the 2022 Apple TV 4K (128GB Wi-Fi + Ethernet), available for $139.99, down from $149.00. The Apple TV 4K is in stock and has an estimated delivery date of December 12 - 14 for most residences in the United States.

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.

This is the lowest price we've ever tracked for this version of the Apple TV 4K, beating the previous low by about $5. The 64GB model is also on sale at a slight discount of $123.49, down from $129.00.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

As you may have heard, Apple this week announced it's expanding end-to-end encryption to additional types of data stored in iCloud with a feature called Advanced Data Protection, including device backups, photos, messages, and more. With the new change, even more types of data stored in iCloud will be fully end-to-end encrypted, a higher level of encryption standard.

To help MacRumors readers better understand what the new feature is, how it works, and more, we've created this short post answering some of the most-asked questions about Advanced Data Protection.

What does it do and why is it new?

Before Advanced Data Protection, Apple only encrypted certain types of user data in iCloud, such as passwords and health data. By encrypting data, only a trusted user device can access that information. Other information stored in iCloud, however, such as your photos, messages, and device backups, were not fully end-to-end encrypted meaning if Apple wanted to, it could access your information. With Advanced Data Protection, that all changes.

With Advanced Data Protection enabled for a specific iCloud account, the vast majority of data stored in the cloud will be end-to-end encrypted, meaning no one, not Apple, law enforcement, or governments can ever gain access to that information. Only a trusted device can decrypt that information.

What data will be fully end-to-end encrypted?

With Advanced Data Protection, users will have the following types of data end-to-end encrypted in iCloud alongside Health data and passwords.

• Device Backup
• Messages Backup
• iCloud Drive
• Photos
• Reminders
• Safari Bookmarks
• Siri Shortcuts
• Voice Memos
• Wallet Passes

It's worth noting that iCloud Mail, Contacts, and Calendar will not be end-to-end encrypted as they all require the ability to connect to external sources, such as Gmail, Yahoo, etc.

Is it enabled by default, and if not, how do I enable it?

Advanced Data Protection will not be enabled by default for users. In a recent interview, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering Craig Federighi explained that Advanced Data Protection requires extra effort from the user to enable a recovery method. The extra process and responsibility that lies on the shoulders of users in case they forget their password or lose access to their account make it impractical to force every user to go through that process, Federighi explained.

Nonetheless, even if not enabled by default, it's still easy to enable. When the feature rolls out to all US users by the end of this month, depending on when you activated your device, you'll be able to go into Settings, iCloud, and Advanced Data Protection, enable it and follow the on-screen prompts.

Can I use it now?

Not yet. Advanced Data Protection will roll out to all US users by the end of this month, and Apple says it will launch globally in early 2023. Specific dates for a global rollout are unknown.

Is it free?

Yes, it's free. Advanced Data Protection is an additional layer of protection offered to anyone with an iCloud account, at no extra charge.

What has the reaction been?

As expected, the reaction from users has been positive. With Advanced Data Protection, user data will stay more secure and private. Privacy groups have also praised the decision by Apple, calling it a "victory for user privacy." On the flip side, governments don't seem especially thrilled about the new option given to users.

New renders and design details for the long-rumored Google Pixel Fold have emerged online, including display sizes and overall dimensions, as well as an expected launch date in the spring.

According to established leaker OnLeaks (via Howtoisolve), previous rumors were correct to claim that the Google Pixel Fold will adopt a form factor similar to the Oppo Find N. Google's foldable is set to feature a 5.79-inch outer display with a center hole-punch camera cutout, with a 7.69-inch inner screen and a right-aligned selfie camera cutout embedded in a slightly thicker bezel. The Samsung-built OLED panels are said to feature an ultra-thin glass (UTG) cover, also supplied by Samsung.

The display sizes are said to be housed in a rounded-edge chassis measuring approximately 158.7 x 139.7 x 5.7mm when unfolded, making it marginally wider than the Oppo Find N and approximately the same height, but with a slightly bulkier camera bump with an 8.3mm thickness.

The camera bump on the back side of the screen, reminiscent of Google's latest Pixel phone, houses a triple-lens strip with flash and microphone, while the SIM tray is located at the bottom edge of the outer screen. The USB-C port sits directly opposite when folded. The volume buttons sit on the right edge alongside a fingerprint scanner-equipped power button.

Previous rumors have suggested the Pixel Fold will be powered by Google's Tensor G2 chip processor and come with at least 12GB of RAM. The likelihood is that it will run Android 13. The starting price is expected to be $1,799, with black and silver color options available when the device launches in May 2023.

Google's foldable has been a long time coming. Documents leaked in 2020 suggested Google planned to release a in-folding smartphone in late 2021, but that didn't happen. Google didn't even mention foldable devices at its recent I/O developer conference, leaving some Pixel fans wondering if the device had been canned.

In 2019, when Google revealed it was developing technology that could be used in a foldable, it admitted in the same breath that it didn't see "a clear use case yet." However, well-connected Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young has said the emergence of software innovations or a new chipset that Google wants to incorporate likely held back the device.

Meanwhile, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold and Flip devices having made inroads into the nascent market, and Google is in catchup mode. Where that leaves Apple is unclear. The company's long-rumored foldable iPhone is unlikely to launch until 2025 or later, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Apple's first foldable device may even be a hybrid ‌‌iPhone‌‌ and ‌iPad‌, or simply a foldable ‌‌iPad‌‌.

If or when its foldable comes, Apple's long game has allowed it to watch and learn. Early foldable devices had a long list of issues with screen quality and durability, which perhaps explains why Apple has yet to come out with a foldable device of its own.

The European Union has set an official deadline for when all smartphones sold in its jurisdiction must have a USB-C port, including the iPhone.

The EU officially approved the common charger law in October, but a specific date for when the law would come into force was unknown. Now, in a newly published directive, the EU says all smartphones must have USB-C by December 28, 2024. Other consumer products, such as tablets and gadgets, will also be required to switch to USB-C under the new law. Products that rely solely on wireless charging with no port will not have to include USB-C.

Apple's vice president of worldwide marketing, Greg Joswiak "Joz," confirmed that Apple would have no choice but to adhere to the EU's new law. Joz didn't say when Apple would make the switch to USB-C and away from Lightning, but with the December 2024 deadline, Apple could wait until the iPhone 16 in September 2024 before transitioning to the newer port.

Reports suggest that Apple is planning to make the switch to USB-C earlier than the fall of 2024 with the iPhone 15 in September 2023. Other Apple products and accessories such as the AirPods and Mac keyboards, mouses, and trackpads are also expected to follow suit with USB-C shortly after.

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 yesterday announced that end-to-end encryption is coming to even more sensitive types of iCloud data, including device backups, messages, photos, and more, meeting the longstanding demand of both users and privacy groups who have rallied for the company to take the significant step forward in user privacy.

‌iCloud‌ end-to-end encryption, or what Apple calls "Advanced Data Protection," encrypts users' data stored in ‌iCloud‌, meaning only a trusted device can decrypt and read the data. ‌iCloud‌ data in accounts with Advanced Data Protection can only be read by a trusted device, not Apple, law enforcement, or government entities.

Following its announcements, the EFF or Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group that has long-called for Apple to enable end-to-end encryption and take more steps to safeguard user privacy, put out a statement applauding the new feature and Apple's renewed commitment to privacy.

We applaud Apple for listening to experts, child advocates, and users who want to protect their most sensitive data. Encryption is one of the most important tools we have for maintaining privacy and security online. That's why we included the demand that Apple let users encrypt iCloud backups in the Fix It Already campaign that we launched in 2019.

Meredith Whittaker, CEO of the popular encrypted messaging app Signal, said the decision by Apple to offer end-to-end encryption "is great." "There's been enough pressure and enough narrative work that they see the side of history forming. It's really incredible," Whittaker told The Washington Post.

The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, or S.T.O.P, called Advanced Data Protection "essential and overdue." Despite the announcement, the group is "disappointed" that end-to-end encryption will require users to opt-in and is not to be enabled by default. Fox Cahn, the group's executive director, said, "it's good to see Apple's privacy protections catching up with its sales pitch, but making these protections opt-in will leave most users vulnerable."

For years, Apple has touted its privacy record while leaving its users vulnerable, particularly to police surveillance. Much of the data users store on iCloud is just a court order away from becoming a policing tool. With these changes, Apple will keep up with the privacy best practices that other companies have followed for years. But it's disappointing that users have to opt-in to many of these new protections, leaving the vast majority at risk.

Fight for the Future, another privacy-focused advocacy group, said on Twitter that Apple's announcement of end-to-end encryption brings the company's marketing of being privacy-focused to reality. "Apple's reputation as the pro-privacy tech company has long been at odds with the reality that ‌iCloud‌ backups aren't secured by end-to-end encryption. This news means people's personal messages, documents, and data will be secure from law enforcement, hackers, and Apple itself." The group is now calling upon Apple to implement RCS messaging into iPhone, a move the group says is a "non-negotiable next step."

While privacy groups and apps applaud Apple for the expansion of end-to-end encryption in ‌iCloud‌, governments have reacted differently. In a statement to The Washington Post, the FBI, the largest intelligence agency in the world, said it's "deeply concerned with the threat end-to-end and user-only-access encryption pose." Speaking generally about end-to-end encryption like Apple's Advanced Data Protection feature, the bureau said that it makes it harder for the agency to do its work and that it requests "lawful access by design."

"This hinders our ability to protect the American people from criminal acts ranging from cyber-attacks and violence against children to drug trafficking, organized crime, and terrorism," the bureau said in an emailed statement. "In this age of cybersecurity and demands for 'security by design,' the FBI and law enforcement partners need 'lawful access by design.'"

Former FBI official Sasha O'Connell also weighed in, telling The New York Times "it's great to see companies prioritizing security, but we have to keep in mind that there are trade-offs, and one that is often not considered is the impact it has on decreasing law enforcement access to digital evidence."

In January 2020, Reuters reported that Apple dropped plans to encrypt user data in ‌iCloud‌ at the behest of the FBI, which was concerned such a move would hinder investigations and its intelligence efforts. In an interview yesterday with The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern, Apple's vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, labeled the report as inaccurate. "I've heard that rumor, but I don't know where it came from."

In that same interview, Federighi said Apple "deeply appreciates the work of law enforcement and supports the work of law enforcement. We view that we really have the same mission at heart which is to keep people safe." Apple says that Advanced Data Protection will be available to all US users by the end of this year, with plans to launch globally in early 2023.

Update: This article has been updated to note that the FBI was speaking generally about end-to-end encryption, which includes Apple's new Advanced Data Protection feature.

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's AirPods Max were announced two 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 an 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 up to around $100.

The ‌AirPods Max‌ have also been subject to criticism since their launch, including for their price relative to rival sets of high-end over-ear headphones, the design of the Smart Case, condensation inside the earcups, poor battery life (something that was later fixed via a software update), and, most recently, ANC strength being reduced over time.

• Ten Things AirPods Pro 2 Tell Us About AirPods Max 2

While the ‌AirPods Max‌ are now two years old, there is no sign of a new model despite a growing number of upgrades and features that could come to the headphones. In May 2021, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple was not actively working on second-generation AirPods Max, and talk of a color options refresh for the device seems to have diminished. The most recent mention of a second-generation model was Gurman's claim in October that the next version of ‌AirPods Max‌ will feature USB-C and launch "by 2024."

Twitter plans to charge $11 per month for a Twitter Blue subscription on the iPhone in order to account for the 30 percent cut that Apple takes from in-app purchases, reports The Information. On the web, Twitter Blue will be priced at $7 per month.

Prior to when Twitter Blue was paused, Twitter was charging $7.99 for a subscription, but the pricing will change before it relaunches. According to The Information, some employees have been briefed on the new pricing, but Twitter CEO Elon Musk is known for making snap decisions, so it is still not yet clear if plans could change.

The higher price point on the ‌iPhone‌ will allow Twitter to provide Apple with its 30 percent cut of in-app purchase proceeds without significantly cutting in to Twitter's bottom line. The pricing difference will likely encourage most customers to subscribe on the web, allowing Twitter to avoid in-app purchase fees.

Other companies like Spotify have in the past charged higher prices on the ‌iPhone‌ than on the web, but this often leads to confusion for consumers who do not understand why the prices are different on a device to device basis. Apple does not have an issue with companies charging more for subscriptions in apps than on the web.

The Twitter Blue pricing changes come after a short dispute between Twitter and Apple. Musk last week criticized Apple's App Store fees and claimed that Apple had "threatened to withhold Twitter from its ‌App Store‌," but he later walked that statement back following a meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Musk and Cook met at Apple Park, and afterward, Musk said they had a "good conversation" and that there had been a "misunderstanding" over Twitter being potentially removed from the ‌App Store‌.

Twitter is planning to relaunch Twitter Blue on Friday. Twitter Blue subscriptions were paused after Musk included a verification checkmark with Twitter Blue, allowing companies, celebrities, and other high-profile individuals to be impersonated by anyone with $8 to spend. Twitter Blue has not been available since November 11.

With the relaunch, Twitter Blue is expected to include different badge colors for corporations, government accounts, and individuals, as well as restrictions on changing usernames and limits on signups for newer accounts.

Following the launch of iOS 16.1.2 on November 30, Apple has stopped signing iOS 16.1.1 and iOS 16.1, two previously available versions of iOS.. With iOS 16.1 and iOS 16.1.1 no longer being signed, it is not possible to downgrade to those versions of iOS after upgrading to iOS 16.1.2.

Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date, so it is not unusual that the updates are no longer being signed.

iOS 16.1 was a major update that added support for iCloud Photo Library and Live Activities, while iOS 16.1.1 was a bug fix update.

iOS 16.1.2 will soon be replaced with iOS 16.2, a major update that is in testing and should launch next week. iOS 16.2 will introduce Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, the Freeform app, Apple Music Sing, and other new features.

With the iOS 16.2 release candidate that came out today, Apple added the new Apple Music Sing feature that was announced earlier this week. We thought we'd check out the new karaoke feature to see how it works.

‌Apple Music‌ Sing is available on modern iPhones and iPads, as well as the newest Apple TV 4K. It's built in to the ‌Apple Music‌ app, and therefore limited to ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers. Note that you need to have a full ‌Apple Music‌ subscription, as it is not included with the more affordable voice-only plan.

If you've used ‌Apple Music‌'s built-in follow along lyrics feature, you know how to use ‌Apple Music‌ Sing. The feature basically uses the lyric functionality, while also adding a toggle to turn down the vocals of a song to replace them with your own.

Just pick a song, turn on the lyrics, and then use the little microphone icon to adjust the vocals. ‌Apple Music‌ Sing is not available for every song, and it's not entirely clear which songs Apple is limiting it to.

Apple is going to provide playlists for ‌Apple Music‌ Sing, which will be filled with popular songs to sing along to. ‌Apple Music‌ Sing will be available to all users with the launch of iOS 16.2, and as we already have a release candidate, iOS 16.2 could come out as soon as next week.

‌Apple Music‌ Sing is available on the iPhone 11 and later, the third-generation 11-inch iPad Pro and later, the fifth-generation 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ and later, the fourth-generation iPad Air and later, the ninth-generation iPad and later, the sixth-generation iPad mini, and the new third-generation ‌Apple TV‌ 4K.

Apple could expand the Emergency SOS via Satellite and Find My via satellite functionality to the United Kingdom as soon as next week, according to a source that spoke to MacRumors. Emergency services personnel in the country have been told that calls from the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature will be routed to local emergency services facilities starting on Tuesday, December 13.

Emergency SOS via Satellite launched in the United States and Canada last month, and at the time, Apple said that it would expand to France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK in December. Apple did not provide a specific date, but the December 13 date we've heard from the UK source makes sense. It is not clear if the expansion will also include France, Germany, and Ireland, but it seems likely, and this could also be the day we see iOS 16.2 launch.

Apple's Emergency SOS via Satellite feature is available to all iPhone 14 users running iOS 16.1 in supported countries and it is free to use for two years. It is designed to allow iPhone users to make emergency calls using satellite connectivity outdoors when no cellular or WiFi connection is available.

Satellite connectivity can also be used to update a ‌Find My‌ location without WiFi or cellular connectivity through the ‌Find My‌ app.

Now through December 15, you can get exclusive holiday offers when you shop with Apple Pay in the United States. There are 12 participating brands, including Revolve, Le Creuset, HotelTonight, and more, with a full list outlined on Apple's website.

The offers are available for qualifying purchases made with Apple Pay on participating apps and websites using devices like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Apple previously announced that customers who sign up for an Apple Card between December 1 and December 25 are eligible for an increased 5% Daily Cash on Apple products purchased with the card between those dates at Apple Stores and on Apple.com.

Apple today announced the launch of an Advanced Data Protection feature that expands end-to-end encryption to additional data stored in iCloud, including ‌iCloud‌ Backup, iCloud Drive, Reminders, Notes, and more. With the launch of the feature, Apple's Craig Federighi did a quick interview with The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern to discuss the change, and other new security features that are coming in the future.

Federighi said that expanding ‌iCloud‌ end-to-end encryption took a long time to implement because Apple needed to "build toward the moment" and prove the technology.

Some of the steps we took over a decade ago designing iCloud and the way we encrypted were necessary precursors to build toward this moment, and using end-to-end encryption for the other types of data like passwords and browser history helped prove out that technology.

With end-to-end encryption expanding to most ‌iCloud‌ services, should an attacker get access to ‌iCloud‌ data, there would be no way to decrypt it. As a downside, it will prevent information from being accessible on iCloud.com, which is why it is an opt-in feature that can be enabled or disabled dependent on the level of security and convenience each iPhone user desires.

As for data recovery, Federighi explains that a person who has Advanced Data Protection enabled that loses access to their device and forgets their ‌iCloud‌ password would need to have established a recovery key or a Data Recovery Contact to get access to their content.

A user activating this feature is taking on an additional responsibility. They're taking on responsibility for their data recovery, from setting up a Data Recovery Contact or securing a recovery key. All users might not be ready or willing to do that.

Advanced Data Protection will not allow law enforcement officials to access data like ‌iCloud‌ backups or photos, something that is possible now with unencrypted ‌iCloud‌ backups. When asked if Apple considered this when implementing Advanced Data Protection, Federighi basically said that the benefits outweigh the negatives as it provides protection to government officials who might be targeted by foreign adversaries.

We deeply appreciate the work of law enforcement and support the work of law enforcement. We view that we really have the same mission at heart, which is to keep people safe. Ultimately keeping customers' data safe has big implications on our safety more broadly. There's sensitive information that were an ill-intentioned attacker, whether that be a foreign adversary or organized crime, to get access to information of our political leaders or others who have particular secrets, or access to systems, would be a disaster for us all.

We see this as important to accomplishing the mission we share, which is to keep users safe.

Federighi said that rumors that ‌iCloud‌ backups were once scrapped because it would harm law enforcement investigations were untrue, and that the impact on law enforcement was not a consideration when implementing Advanced Data Protection. Federighi said the only way to keep customer data safe is to stay "one step ahead" of the attackers with features like Advanced Data Protection.

Federighi's full interview can be watched up above, and more information on Advanced Data Protection can be found in our dedicated article on the feature. Apple today also announced new iMessage and Apple ID security enhancements, and said that it had scrapped plans to detect known Child Sexual Abuse Material stored in iCloud Photos.

All-time low prices are available today for Apple's 256GB M2 MacBook Air on Amazon, on sale for $1,049.00, down from $1,199.00. This price is available in every color, and every one is on track to deliver before December 25.

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.

This sale is a match of the best price we've ever seen on the M2 MacBook Air, and it's one of the few Apple notebooks on sale at a record low price and still available for Christmas delivery. Shipping windows estimate anywhere from December 13 to 23, depending on the color.

If you want to save even more money, and are okay with a previous generation model, Amazon has the 256GB M1 MacBook Air for $799.99, down from $999.00. This one is also available in all colors, and all three are available for Christmas delivery.

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

With the launch of iOS 16.2, Apple is expanding an AirDrop limitation that was introduced in China with the launch of iOS 16.1.1. Going forward, AirDrop will be primarily restricted to Contacts Only, and the option to turn on AirDrop for "Everyone" will be limited to 10 minutes.

Right now, AirDrop has three options: "Receiving Off," "Contacts Only," and "Everyone." The current "Everyone" option allows users to receive files and photos from all other iPhone users that are in close proximity using AirDrop, but in iOS 16.2, it is changing to "Everyone for 10 Minutes."

With the change, "Everyone" can still be enabled to allow users to receive content from anyone, but it will switch off after a 10 minute period, reverting to "Contacts Only." The tweak will require users to explicitly activate AirDrop to receive files and photos from strangers.

Apple allegedly made this change in China in the iOS 16.1.1 update after protestors in the country used AirDrop to spread anti-government material. Apple said that the feature was actually introduced in an effort to cut down on spam content spread in crowded areas like malls and airports.

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.

In addition to making end-to-end encryption available for iCloud Photos, Apple today announced that it has abandoned its controversial plans to detect known Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) stored in iCloud Photos, according to a statement shared with WIRED.

Apple's full statement:

After extensive consultation with experts to gather feedback on child protection initiatives we proposed last year, we are deepening our investment in the Communication Safety feature that we first made available in December 2021. We have further decided to not move forward with our previously proposed CSAM detection tool for iCloud Photos. Children can be protected without companies combing through personal data, and we will continue working with governments, child advocates, and other companies to help protect young people, preserve their right to privacy, and make the internet a safer place for children and for us all.

In August 2021, Apple announced plans for three new child safety features, including a system to detect known CSAM images stored in iCloud Photos, a Communication Safety option that blurs sexually explicit photos in the Messages app, and child exploitation resources for Siri. Communication Safety launched in the U.S. with iOS 15.2 in December 2021 and has since expanded to the U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and the Siri resources are also available, but CSAM detection never ended up launching.

Apple initially said CSAM detection would be implemented in an update to iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 by the end of 2021, but the company ultimately postponed the feature based on "feedback from customers, advocacy groups, researchers, and others." Now, after a year of silence, Apple has abandoned the CSAM detection plans altogether.

Apple promised its CSAM detection system was "designed with user privacy in mind." The system would have performed "on-device matching using a database of known CSAM image hashes" from child safety organizations, which Apple would transform into an "unreadable set of hashes that is securely stored on users' devices."

Apple planned to report iCloud accounts with known CSAM image hashes to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a non-profit organization that works in collaboration with U.S. law enforcement agencies. Apple said there would be a "threshold" that would ensure "less than a one in one trillion chance per year" of an account being incorrectly flagged by the system, plus a manual review of flagged accounts by a human.

Apple's plans were criticized by a wide range of individuals and organizations, including security researchers, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), politicians, policy groups, university researchers, and even some Apple employees.

Some critics argued that the feature would have created a "backdoor" into devices, which governments or law enforcement agencies could use to surveil users. Another concern was false positives, including the possibility of someone intentionally adding CSAM imagery to another person's iCloud account to get their account flagged.

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The Apple Music Sing feature that Apple announced earlier this week is now available in the iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, and tvOS 16.2 release candidates that were released this morning.

Designed as a karaoke feature, ‌Apple Music‌ Sing provides real-time lyrics that iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV users can sing along with.

Features include adjustable vocals for changing the volume of the original singer, real-time lyrics that move to the rhythm of the vocals, background vocal options, and a duet view for multi-singer tracks.

Apple has introduced more than 50 playlists that include songs, duets, choruses, and anthems ideal for use with ‌Apple Music‌ Sing.

‌Apple Music‌ Sing can be used on the ‌iPhone‌ 11 and later, the third-generation 11-inch iPad Pro and later, the fifth-generation 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ and later, the fourth-generation iPad Air and later, the ninth-generation ‌iPad‌ and later, the iPad mini and later, and the third-generation ‌Apple TV‌ 4K, which is the newest model.

Apple today seeded the release candidate version of an upcoming macOS Ventura 13.1 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta launching less than a week after Apple seeded the fourth macOS Ventura 13.1 beta.

Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and after the appropriate profile is installed, the beta will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Settings.

The latest macOS 13.1 update introduces Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, which adds end-to-end encryption for ‌iCloud‌ Backup, Notes, Photos, iCloud Drive, Reminders, Voice Memos, and more. The new encryption functionality is available across all platforms and will be introduced in the U.S. with the launch of iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, and macOS 13.1.

With macOS Ventura 13.1, Apple has debuted the Freeform app, which is aimed at creative collaboration. It can be used for brainstorming, planning out ideas, jotting down thoughts, sketching, and other creative purposes. Users can insert drawings, sticky notes, shapes, text boxes, photos, videos, PDFs, links, and other documents, with Freeform serving as a blank canvas. Freeform "boards" can be shared with other people and discussed over FaceTime, with updates from all participants synced to everyone in real-time.

macOS Ventura 13.1 also introduces support for an updated Home app architecture that improves performance for smart home devices, with these features also available in iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2.