MacRumors

Apple this week began selling its new Beats Studio Buds+ in the UK and most other countries, with the exceptions of Brazil, Mexico, and Taiwan, where the earbuds will be available starting mid-August. The earbuds first launched in the U.S. in May.

Key new features of the Studio Buds+ include a transparent design option similar to the Nothing Ear (2) earbuds, up to 36 hours of battery life with the included USB-C charging case, and up to 1.6× as much active noise cancellation as the original Studio Buds that launched in 2021. In the U.S., the earbuds are priced at $169.99.

Studio Buds+ are essentially a sportier alternative to the AirPods Pro, and have a more compact design without "stems" that drop below the ears. Other color options include Black/Gold and Ivory, and ear tip size options include XS, S, M, and L.

Studio Buds+ support features such as one-touch pairing with Apple devices, hands-free "Hey Siri" voice commands, and the Find My app. They also support similar Android features, such as Google Fast Pair, Audio Switch, and Find My Device. For more details about the earbuds, check out our hands-on coverage from last month.

With the advent of iOS 17 this coming fall, Apple Music is getting a handful of notable new features that should make using the Music app and the ‌Apple Music‌ streaming service in general a more immersive and enjoyable experience. Below, we run through all the changes and improvements that you can expect to arrive when iOS 17 is released later this year.

1. Collaborative Playlists

Perhaps one of the most requested features coming to ‌Apple Music‌ this year, Collaborative Playlists will give subscribers the ability to invite friends to add and edit songs in a shared playlist. Rival streaming services like Spotify have had similar features for a while now, so it's good to see that Apple has finally read the room.

When a person adds a song to a Collaborative Playlist, their profile picture appears beside the track. People invited to the playlist will also be able to react to their favorite songs using emoji.

Apple says Collaborative Playlists will be available in an update later this year, so this feature may not be included when ‌iOS 17 is released in the fall‌.

2. Crossfade

Another feature that rival music streaming services have had for some time is crossfade, and now it's coming to ‌Apple Music‌. That's right – soon you'll be able to smoothly transition between songs so the music never stops.

If you're running the first iOS 17 developer beta, note that trying to enable Crossfade in Settings -> Music invariably crashes the Settings app and locks you out of the Music settings menu. Apple clearly needs more time to iron out a few creases.

3. SharePlay for CarPlay

In iOS 17, when you're playing music via CarPlay, there's a new SharePlay option that lets you play from an iPhone other than the one that's connected to the car.

By accepting a notification or scanning a QR code, soon even passengers in the back seat will be able to play their favorite music and contribute to what's playing.

4. Camera Support for Karaoke

If you've not used ‌Apple Music‌ Sing before, the feature basically uses the app's built-in follow-along lyrics, while also adding a toggle to turn down the vocals of a song to replace them with your own.

In iOS 17, you'll also be able to watch yourself perform your favorite hits at your own karaoke party. That's because ‌Apple Music‌ Sing is getting support for Continuity Camera, which lets you wirelessly pair your ‌iPhone‌ or iPad with a Mac or Apple TV 4K and use it as a camera.

5. Redesigned UI

The ‌Apple Music‌ app user interface is receiving some nice quality of life improvements and design tweaks. The music player now features full-screen animated artwork on supported albums, allowing them to seamlessly blend into the media playback controls at the bottom.

In addition, when you minimize the music player, it takes on a depth effect that makes it appear as though it's hovering over the rest of the interface as you navigate through the app. Lastly, Apple is making non-synced lyrics easier to read by adopting a larger and more legible font.

Want to try the new ‌Apple Music‌ features for yourself? If you can't wait for the official release – and you have a spare ‌iPhone‌ that isn't your daily driver – the iOS 17 beta is now available to download on iPhones for free.

iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 include a new Screen Distance feature that can alert you when you hold an iPhone or iPad too close to your eyes for an extended period. Apple says the opt-in feature is designed to help lower the risk of nearsightedness in children by encouraging healthy viewing habits, and can help reduce eye strain overall.

Screen Distance can be turned on in the Settings app under Screen Time → Screen Distance, and is available on all iPhone and iPad Pro models with Face ID. The feature uses the same TrueDepth camera that powers Face ID to measure the distance between the screen and your eyes, and a full-screen alert prompts users to move their device farther away after holding it closer than 12 inches to their eyes for an extended period.

When the feature is enabled, users will receive an "iPhone is Too Close" warning as necessary. After the iPhone is moved to a safe distance, a checkmark will appear on the screen, and users can tap the "Continue" button to proceed.

iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 will be released later this year, and are currently available in beta for users with an Apple developer account. Devices compatible with Screen Distance include the iPhone XS and newer, and 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models released in 2018 and later. The feature can be turned on or off at any time.

As some subreddits continue blackouts to protest Reddit's plans to charge high prices for its API, Reddit has informed the moderators of those subreddits that it has plans to replace resistant moderation teams to keep spaces "open and accessible to users."

In a comment shared by r/Apple moderator @aaronp613, Reddit cited its Moderator Code of Conduct and said that it has a duty to keep communities "relied upon by thousands or even millions of users" operational. Mods who do not agree to reopen subreddits that have gone private will be removed.

If a moderator team unanimously decides to stop moderating, we will invite new, active moderators to keep these spaces open and accessible to users. If there is no consensus, but at least one mod wants to keep the community going, we will respect their decisions and remove those who no longer want to moderate from the mod team.

Between Monday and Wednesday of this week, the majority of popular subreddits on the Reddit site participated in a "blackout" and went private or stopped allowing new posts to be made in order to protest planned API changes that will cause the shutdown of popular third-party Reddit apps like Apollo.

The move was aimed at pushing Reddit to enact fairer pricing for developers and to give developers more time to adopt the API changes, but Reddit opted to wait out the protests rather than make adjustments.

As a result, some subreddits such as r/Apple made the decision to continue the blackout indefinitely, which means millions of Reddit users no longer have access to those communities. It seems Reddit plans to forcibly end further blackouts by removing entire moderation teams that are participating.

On Monday, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said that the blackouts had not caused "any significant revenue impact so far" and that while there was a "lot of noise" amid the planned two-day protest, it would "pass." In an interview with The Verge today, Huffman further said that Reddit's API was "never designed to support third-party apps" and that the apps don't add much value to the site. Reddit created its API for "tools, bots and enhancements to Reddit," according to Huffman.

Huffman confirmed that the blackouts have made no change to Reddit's API pricing plan. "That's our business decision, and we're not undoing that business decision," said Huffman. Huffman said in the interview that Reddit will not force communities to reopen, which contradicts the messaging that moderators are receiving.

Reddit also just published a blog post with "key facts" about the API updates. In the post, Reddit says that "dissent, debate, and discussions are foundational parts of Reddit," and that it respects the right of its community to protest, so long as mods follow the Moderator Code of Conduct. The Moderator Code of Conduct is what Reddit is citing in messaging to moderators about moderation teams being removed from closed communities.

Moderators and Reddit users are unhappy with Reddit's decision to charge an unreasonable amount for its API, and for the short 30-day timeline that third-party developers have been given to adopt the new API fees.

Apollo developer Christian Selig determined that adopting the API would cost him $20 million per year, leading him to decide to shut down his app on June 30, a day before Reddit begins charging. As of July 1, there will be few if any third-party apps for viewing Reddit content, pushing Reddit users to either the Reddit website or the Reddit app.

Apple today opened its new store in Battersea, South West London – the second to feature the company's overhauled retail store design after the Tysons Corner revamp last month.

Apple Battersea is the 40th Apple Store in the UK and it is located inside the redeveloped Battersea Power Station on the Ground Floor in Turbine Hall A. The building is a decommissioned coal-fired power station, regarded as an iconic landmark owing to its Art Deco fittings and status as one of the world's largest brick constructions.

The store is positioned around four original brick piers from the 1930s, with exposed steel supports on the ceiling. The walls feature an overlaid oak framework of shelving and a revamped fixture set, defining a Genius Bar, hardware flex space, Apple Watch Studio, pickup area, and more. With the new design, Apple has increased the amount of circulation space around the edge of the store. New acoustic baffles on the ceiling improve acoustic clarity inside the store. Apple Battersea also uses more biomaterials to reduce reliance on carbon-intensive elements.

Apple had moved away from physical Genius Bar sections in its stores in recent years, but Apple Battersea has a dedicated Genius Bar in the left rear corner. This is the second fully fledged Genius Bar that Apple has installed in a store since 2015. The reimagined Genius Bar has a counter for stand-up service in addition to a lowered area where customers can be served sitting down.

The store's flexible hardware space is designed to spotlight Apple's latest devices and can be adapted over time. There is also an in-person Apple Watch Studio where customers can mix and match Apple Watch cases and bands.

Today at Apple sessions at the store draw inspiration from the local area, including photo and art tours around the building. In celebration of the opening of Apple Battersea, Apple Music will host live performances outside the store throughout the rest of the week.

Battersea Power Station is also home to Apple's new UK headquarters, with enough space for approximately 3,000 employees. Apple occupies around 40 percent of the entire building, including the top six floors inside the former boiler room around a central atrium. The company first announced plans for the new campus in 2016. Last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook told London's Evening Standard:

Apple has been part of the London community for more than 40 years, and we're thrilled to soon bring some of our teams together in the historic Battersea Power Station.

Once a source of energy for much of London, the transformation this building has undergone honors London's past and celebrates its future. We're so glad to be a part of it.

Battersea Power Station and its surrounding area has undergone a "painstaking" restoration process in recent years. In addition to Apple's office space, the building contains three floors of shops, bars, and restaurants, a 24,000 sq ft food hall, 253 apartments around a "garden square in the sky," a 2,000-seat auditorium and cinema, and more.

With iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura last year, Apple introduced Lockdown Mode, an optional security setting designed to protect the "very small number" of users who may be at risk of "highly targeted cyberattacks" from companies developing state-sponsored spyware, such as journalists, activists, and government employees.

Starting with iOS 17 and watchOS 10, enabling Lockdown Mode on an iPhone also turns on Lockdown Mode on a paired Apple Watch. Apple says Lockdown Mode provides an "extreme" level of security, with strict limitations on apps, websites, and features.

At launch, Lockdown Mode included the following protections:

• In the Messages app, most message attachment types other than images are blocked, and some features like link previews are unavailable.
• Incoming FaceTime calls from people you have not previously called are blocked. Incoming invitations for other Apple services from people you have not previously invited are also blocked.
• In Safari and other WebKit browsers, some complex web technologies and browsing features, including just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compilation, are disabled unless the user excludes a trusted site from Lockdown Mode.
• Shared albums are removed in the Photos app, and shared album invitations are blocked.
• When a device is locked, wired connections with other devices/accessories are blocked.
• Configuration profiles cannot be installed, and the device cannot enroll into mobile device management (MDM), while Lockdown Mode is turned on.

In a press release last week, Apple said it is expanding Lockdown Mode's protections to encompass "safer wireless connectivity defaults, media handling, media sharing defaults, sandboxing, and network security optimizations."

Apple today seeded the third beta of macOS Ventura 13.5 to developers for testing purposes, with the beta introduced two weeks after the release of the second beta.

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

No notable features were found in the first beta of macOS 13.5, so it's not yet clear what's included in the update. iOS 16.6 lays the groundwork for iMessage Contact Key Verification, so if that feature ultimately launches in the iOS 16.6 update, iMessage Contact Key Verification will also be included in macOS Ventura 13.5 as it is a cross-platform setting.

With macOS Sonoma now in development and slated for launch this fall, Apple's work on macOS 13 will soon be wrapping up. macOS 13.5 is likely to be one of the final updates to macOS Ventura.

Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after the release of the second betas.

Registered developers can opt in to the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to Software Update, tapping on the “Beta Updates” option and toggling on the iOS 16 Developer Beta. Note that an Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.

iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 lay the groundwork for iMessage Contact Key Verification. It is meant to let Apple device owners verify that they are messaging with the people they intend to message rather than a malicious entity that has intercepted a message or is eavesdropping on a conversation.

The feature is designed for Apple users who are facing “extraordinary digital threats.” Apple intends for iMessage Contact Key Verification to be used by journalists, human rights activists, government officials, and others who are in danger of malicious digital attacks from state-sponsored attackers or other malicious actors.

Apple said that iMessage Contact Key Verification would be available on the iPhone and other Apple devices at some point in 2023, and it is one of the last features we are expecting to see in iOS 16. In the first two betas, hints of iMessage Contact Key were available, but the option was not fully enabled.

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming watchOS 9.6 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software update coming two weeks after the release of the second beta.

To install the watchOS 9.6 update, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center.

Once installed, ‌watchOS 9.6 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update. To update to new software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it has to be placed on the charger, and it will need to be in range of the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ it is paired with.

It is not yet known if there are new features in the watchOS 9.6 update, but we did not find anything in the first beta. This is expected to be one of the final updates to the watchOS 9 operating system as Apple has shifted its work to watchOS 10, the next-generation version of watchOS.

If you change your iPhone's passcode and forget it soon after, iOS 17 has a new option available to help out. Specifically, it is now possible to reset an iPhone's new passcode with the previous passcode for up to 72 hours after the change is made.

If you enter an incorrect passcode, tapping on "Forgot Passcode?" at the bottom of the screen will lead to another screen with a "Try Passcode Reset" option. Tapping this option allows you to enter the iPhone's previous passcode and create a new passcode.

As a safeguard, an option in the Settings app lets you expire the previous passcode immediately so that it cannot be used to reset the new passcode.

As of the first beta of iOS 17, it is still possible to change an Apple ID account's password with an iPhone's passcode, despite a Wall Street Journal report in February highlighting instances of thieves spying on an iPhone user's passcode in public and then stealing the device in order to gain widespread access to the device. In an interview with Daring Fireball's John Gruber last week, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said Apple has continued to "look at other ways to address this," but no changes have been made as of yet.

iOS 17 will be released later this year for the iPhone XS and newer, and it is currently available in beta with a free Apple developer account.

Woot today has a pair of deals on Beats earphones, including all-time low prices on the Beats Studio Buds and Beats Fit Pro. Both devices are in new condition and come with a one year manufacturer limited warranty.

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

Starting with the Beats Studio Buds, you can get these noise cancelling earphones for $89.95 in six colors, down from $149.95. This is a match for the best price we've ever seen on this accessory, and right now only Woot has the sale.

The Beats Fit Pro are on sale for $144.95 in four colors, down from $199.95. This one is a new record low price on the earphones, beating the previous discount by about $5. Both accessories have free standard shipping for Amazon Prime members.

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

As outlined in a WWDC 2023 video, iOS 17 includes a new Cinematic API that enables developers to support Cinematic mode video playback and editing in third-party apps.

"The Cinematic framework enables you to add professional-level editing and playback features to movies, recorded with the Camera app's Cinematic mode, to your apps," says Apple's developer documentation. "These are the same features used in applications such as Final Cut Pro, Photos, and iMovie. For example, this enables your apps to change focus distance and aperture in movies, creating a bokeh effect, even after recording."

Apple offers Cinematic mode in the Camera app on iPhone 13 models and newer. Inspired by professional Hollywood films, the feature allows users to record video with a shallow depth of field and automatic focus changes between subjects.

Cinematic mode uses a technique called "rack focus" to seamlessly shift the focus from one subject to another. It does this by locking the focus on the subject in a scene and blurring the background to achieve depth of field. If you subsequently move the camera to center on a new subject, or a new subject enters the scene, Cinematic mode automatically switches the focal point to this new subject and blurs out the background.

For more details, read How to Shoot Video in Cinematic Mode on iPhone 13 and iPhone 14.

Apple announced the new 15.3-inch MacBook Air last week, and since then we've been tracking a $50 discount at Amazon, which was the first deal ever seen on the computer. Today, Amazon is sweetening this sale with an even steeper markdown at $100 off select models.

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.

You can get the 256GB 15-inch MacBook Air for $1,199.00, down from $1,299.00. This one is available in three of the four colors, and all are in stock and ready to deliver between June 17 and June 21.

There's also the 512GB 15-inch MacBook Air for $1,399.00, down from $1,499.00. This one is only available in Midnight, and stock is dwindling fairly fast on Amazon. Its delivery date is estimated for around June 21.

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

Apple last week previewed watchOS 10, its next major software update for compatible Apple Watch models. Among a handful of new features, one of the most impactful is the introduction of widgets. Let's take a closer look at how they work and what you can do with them.

What's Up With Widgets?

Widgets offer a new way to quickly bring up app-related information from any watch face on your Apple Watch, without having to open the corresponding app or rely exclusively on complications. In other words, if you choose simple faces without complications, you can still access the information you want, and if you like complication-rich faces, now you can get even more info at a glance.

In watchOS 10, an upward turn of the Digital Crown or a swipe up from the bottom of the watch face using your finger (Control Center is now accessed via the Side button) reveals a dynamic Smart Stack of widgets below the time and date that takes up half of the screen. You can scroll through these widgets with the Digital Crown or your finger, and tap a widget to open its corresponding app.

By using machine learning, the order of widgets can change based on your needs at any given time of day.

For example, if you have upcoming events in your calendar, a boarding pass for an upcoming flight, or tasks you need to complete, these will be displayed in order of priority. Or if you start a timer, it will appear at the top of the widget stack so you can easily see how long is left.

In addition to relevance-based ordering, Smart Stack also includes the ability to manually organize widgets, so the Smart Stack can be as dynamic or as fixed as you want.

There are actually two types of widget in watchOS 10: Dedicated app widgets that provide information from a single app, and a user-configurable complications widget that shows up to three watch face-style complications.

At the very bottom of the widget stack is a button that takes you to the traditional app menu to access all your Apple Watch apps.

Choosing the Widgets You Want to See

Like iPhone Home Screen widgets in iOS 16, Apple Watch widgets in watchOS 10 can work as a Smart Stack that changes based on the context or time of day, or you can manually choose the ones you want to include and also pin widgets to the top of the stack. The following steps show you how to edit widgets from any watch face.

1. On an Apple Watch running watchOS 10, scroll up using the Digital Crown, or swipe up from the bottom of the screen using your finger.
2. Long press any widget to enter the stack's jiggle mode. (Note that you can't edit the date and time display at the top of the stack.)
3. Tap the red minus button on a widget to remove it from the stack, or tap the large plus button above the stack to add one.
4. To pin a widget so that it remains at the top of the stack, tap its yellow pin icon.
5. To edit the complications widget, scroll to the bottom and tap the minus icon next to a complication, then tap the plus symbol to replace it with another available complication. (Note: You can also pin the complications widget.)

Summing Up

Apple is pitching widgets as a way of enjoying simple watch faces like Portrait, without being far from the sort of onscreen information that complications typically provide. By using the Digital Crown, real-time data from your favorite apps is just a dial turn away. What do you think of widgets? Let us know in the comments.

watchOS 10 will be released to the public this fall and is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 4 and later. In addition, you'll also need an iPhone capable of running iOS 17. This includes the iPhone XS or later and iPhone XR or later. For a full list of iPhones compatible with iOS 17, check out our quick guide.

In a support document published today, Apple said certain SATA hard drives might unexpectedly disconnect from the 2023 Mac Pro after the computer wakes from sleep. Apple said it is "aware of this issue" and will fix it in a "future macOS update."

While the Mac Pro is configured with SSD storage, it has SATA ports for connecting internal hard drives, and some can disconnect due to a bug.

"Certain models of internal SATA drives might unexpectedly disconnect from your computer after your Mac wakes from sleep," said Apple. "This can occur if your Mac automatically goes to sleep or if you manually put your Mac to sleep. If you see a message that your disk was not ejected properly, you can restart your Mac to reconnect to the drive."

As a temporary workaround, users can prevent their Mac Pro from automatically going to sleep by opening the System Settings app, clicking on Displays → Advanced…, and turning on "Prevent automatic sleeping when the display is off."

Released on Tuesday, the new Mac Pro features Apple's M2 Ultra chip. The desktop tower has the same design as the Intel-based model from 2019, but lacks graphics card support and user-upgradeable RAM due to Apple silicon's unified architecture. Customers who do not need PCIe expansion should consider the Mac Studio instead.

Starting August 15, the Apple Card Monthly Installments term for new Apple Watch purchases will change from 24 months to 12 months, according to fine print on Apple's website. This means each payment will be higher, but the Apple Watch will be paid off faster.

In a recently updated support document, Apple also says a carrier connection with AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon will be required at the time you purchase an iPhone with Apple Card Monthly Installments starting August 15.

Apple Card Monthly Installments is an interest-free financing option available for most Apple products purchased with the Apple Card on Apple.com and at Apple retail stores. Customers can view their monthly installments, remaining balance, and payment history in the Wallet app, and the balance can be paid off in full at any time.

Apple offers a 24-month installment term for iPhones, a 12-month term for Macs and iPads, and a six-month term for AirPods and Apple TVs. Other eligible products and accessories are outlined in a support document on Apple's website.

(Thanks, Brandon Fawcett!)