MacRumors

Apple today updated its dedicated Support app that is designed to help Apple product owners get help with their iPhones, Macs, iPads, Apple Watches, and other accessories.

According to Apple, the updated version of the app has a new layout to make it easier to view and manage calls, chats, and reservations, along with quicker access to the locations of nearby service providers.

What this means in practice is that Apple has added a navigation bar to the bottom of the app with "Support," "Locations," and "Activity" tabs. The Activity tab lists all of the support activity over the past 90 days, such as past and upcoming reservations and calls, while Locations shows you a list of service providers and options to schedule a repair.

The main Support tab continues to offer all of the same functionality that it did before, with options to manage subscriptions, check AppleCare coverage, and search for device advice.

In addition to the layout updates, Apple has also expanded Support app access to Vietnam and added Vietnamese as a supported language, with this change coming following the launch of the online Apple Store in Vietnam. Apple says the Apple Support app is available in 174 regions and 32 languages.

The Apple Support app is a free app that can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Apple today seeded the third release candidate (RC) version of macOS Ventura 13.4 to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming just a a week after Apple released the second RC. The RC represents the final version of macOS Ventura 13.4 that will be provided to the public, and it is unusual to have three RCs before an official launch.

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.

According to Apple's release notes, the update adds a Sports feed in the sidebar of Apple News and it addresses several bugs, including one that would prevent the Mac Auto Unlock feature from working with the Apple Watch.

macOS Ventura 13.4 includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:
- Sports feed in the sidebar of Apple News gives easy access to stories, scores, standings, and more, for the teams and leagues you follow
- My Sports score and schedule cards in Apple News take you directly to game pages where you can find additional details about specific games
- Resolves an issue where Auto Unlock with Apple Watch does not log you into your Mac
- Fixes a Bluetooth issue where keyboards connect slowly to Mac after restarting
- Addresses a VoiceOver issue with navigating to landmarks on webpages
- Fixes an issue where Screen Time settings may reset or not sync across all devices

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

macOS 13.4 also adds the simplified beta installation method that was first introduced in iOS 16.4. With the update, developers and public beta testers enrolled in Apple's respective programs can toggle on beta updates from System Settings on the Mac, without the need to install a profile.

An Apple ID associated with either a public beta account or a developer account is required to turn on beta updates, which means that it is no longer possible to use a developer profile not associated with a developer account to install the developer betas.

A new Discover Samsung event has kicked off this week on the retailer's website, discounting a wide selection of monitors, TVs, and more home electronics for a limited time. Specifically, this sale runs through May 21, although some deals will last for one day only during this weeklong event.

Monitors

Starting with monitors, Samsung has its iMac-like Smart Monitor M8 for $499.99, down from $699.99. This is a second-best price on the monitor, but still a solid deal at $200 off the original price.

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.

Samsung's Smart Monitor M8 has a design very similar to the new 24-inch iMacs, and it uses USB-C charging connectivity and includes AirPlay support. All four colors are available at this discounted price during the event.

Besides the Smart Monitor M8, we've rounded up a few other items you can get on sale during the Discover Samsung event. One of the best deals in this sale is Samsung's curved 55-inch Odyssey Ark 4K monitor for $1,999.99 ($1,000 off).

• 2TB Portable SSD - $129.99, down from $179.99
• 27-inch ViewFinity S8 Monitor - $429.99, down from $599.99
• 34-inch ViewFinity HDR10 Curved Monitor - $469.99, down from $699.99
• 27-inch Odyssey G6 Curved Monitor - $549.99, down from $699.99
• 43-inch Odyssey Neo G7 4K Gaming Monitor - $699.99, down from $999.99
• 49-inch Odyssey G9 Curved Monitor - $1,099.99, down from $1,499.99
• 55-inch Odyssey Ark 4K UHD Curved Monitor - $1,999.99, down from $2,999.99

TVs

Samsung is also discounting a collection of TVs, with as much as $2,700 off select models for this week only. Samsung's sale is mainly focused on discounts for 4K and 8K QLED TVs, with multiple sizes available. As with the monitor sale, all markdowns have been applied automatically and you don't need any coupon code to get these deals.

• Neo QLED 4K TV (2023) - Save up to $500
• The Frame QLED 4K TVs (2022 Models) - Save up to $800
• 75-inch/85-inch Neo QLED 4K TV - Save up to $2,700
• QLED 4K TVs - Save up to $500
• The Terrace Outdoor QLED 4K TVs - Save up to $1,500
• Neo QLED 4K TVs (2022 Models) - Save up to $2,700
• Neo QLED 8K TVs (2022 Models) - Save up to $2,000

There are many more products on sale during the Discover Samsung event, so be sure to browse before everything ends on May 21. Besides monitors and TVs, you'll find bargains on vacuums, smartphones, soundbars, notebooks, and more. Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.

Apple's new Beats Studio Buds+ earbuds that were leaked on Amazon and spotted at Best Buy will likely be formally announced this Wednesday, May 17 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time, according to a teaser tweet from Beats today. The short video in the tweet appears to show the new transparent Studio Buds+ charging case option.

Key new features of the Studio Buds+ are expected to include a transparent design option like the Nothing Ear (2) earbuds, up to 36 hours of battery life with the included USB-C charging case, and 3x larger microphones and up to 1.6× as much active noise cancellation as the original Studio Buds that launched in 2021. The earbuds will be priced at $169.95 in the U.S., according to a since-removed Amazon listing.

Beats Studio Buds+ are a sportier alternative to the AirPods Pro, and have a more compact design without "stems" that drop below the ears. The earbuds will also be available in Black and Ivory color options, and have XS, S, M, and L ear tip size options for a wider range of ears, the Amazon listing and leaked photos revealed.

Studio Buds+ were first discovered in iOS 16.4 beta code last month, and they have also surfaced in FCC filings and other regulatory databases around the world. Apple acquired Beats in 2014 for $3 billion, gaining ownership of both the Beats Electronics headphones line and the Beats Music streaming music service that led to Apple Music.

Rumors suggest new Beats Studio Pro over-ear headphones will also be launching soon, but it's unclear if they will be announced tomorrow.

The same "Deep Dive LLC" shell company that filed for an "xrOS" trademark in New Zealand last week also filed for a "Deep Screen" trademark in the U.S. and over two dozen other countries around the world in 2017 and 2018, according to online records. The additional filing was brought to our attention by Marcus Schappi.

Apple is likely behind the "Deep Screen" trademark filing given Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has reported that "xrOS" will be the name of the operating system for Apple's long-rumored AR/VR headset, which the company is expected to unveil during WWDC next month. Apple has routinely used shell companies registered with the Delaware Corporation Trust Center to secretly apply for trademarks related to future products.

It's unclear if Apple still plans to use "Deep Screen" for its headset, as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office marked the application as abandoned in July 2022 after the shell company failed to file a statement explaining how the trademark would be used within the required timeframe. The shell company had filed for and received a maximum of five six-month extensions on the deadline to submit the statement and never ended up doing so. The application is still registered or pending in some other countries, such as Canada and New Zealand.

On a speculative basis, the "Deep Screen" name could be Apple's branding for the screen inside its headset, with "deep" potentially referring to an immersive virtual reality and augmented reality experience. However, given the age of the trademark application and its abandoned status in the U.S., it's unclear if the name will still be used.

Last year, Gurman reported that another shell company named "Immersive Health Solutions LLC" applied for "Reality Pro" and "Reality One" trademarks in over two dozen countries. Apple is likely behind these applications as well, and perhaps one of them will be the name of Apple's headset. WWDC begins with Apple's keynote on June 5, so we're likely just under three weeks away from the headset being unveiled.

Apple has not notably tweaked iPhone screen sizes since the introduction of the ‌iPhone‌ 12 models in 2020, but that's set to change with the 2024 iPhone 16 lineup. The iPhone 16 Pro models will have larger display sizes than the iPhone 14 Pro models and the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro models.

According to researcher Unknownz21, the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ (D93 in Apple's internal documentation) will feature a display with a size of 6.3 inches, while the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max (D94) will feature a display size of 6.9 inches. Note that these are the full dimensions of the display, and the actual viewable area will be slightly smaller due to the rounded corners of the design.

The ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro Max displays measure in at 6.1 and 6.7 inches, respectively, so increases to 6.3 and 6.9 will be noticeable. A screen size increase of 0.2 inches perhaps suggests a new design, plus Apple could potentially also slim down the bezels even further than it plans to with the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models.

Increased screen sizes are expected to be limited to the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max, with the standard ‌iPhone 16‌ to continue to feature a screen size of 6.1 inches.

Analyst Ross Young was the first to suggest that the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ models would have larger display sizes. Last week, Young also said that Apple will introduce displays that are 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches, though he said these numbers are rounded to the nearest decimal place from 6.2x and 6.8x inches. Young plans to provide more specific information later in the month, and the sizing discrepancy between what he's shared so far and Unknownz21's sizing detail is likely due to the difference between actual display area and viewable display area.

Unknownz21 confirms that ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max will both get periscope zoom camera technology, a feature that will be limited to the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max this year. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also said that the updated camera functionality will be coming to both Pro models in 2024. The periscope lens will allow for 5x to 6x optical zoom, a notable improvement over the current 3x maximum zoom offered by the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro Max.

MacRumors has worked with Unknownz21 on past leaks and we have seen documentation that suggests the information he is sharing is legitimate and reliable.

Apple's 2021 M1 iMac (7-core GPU, 256GB) has returned to its all-time low price of $999.99 on Amazon, down from $1,299.00. This sale price is available in Blue and Pink on Amazon, and stock is dwindling so be sure to head to Amazon soon if you're interested.

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.

At $299 off, this is a match of the previous record low price that we tracked on this iMac, and only Amazon has the sale. Delivery dates are provided for around May 18 - 22 for most residences in the United States.

For a higher-end iMac, the 8-Core GPU, 512GB M1 iMac is on sale for $1,399.99 on Amazon, down from $1,699.00. This is another all-time low price, and it's only available in Pink.

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 today announced new concert discovery features for Apple Music and Apple Maps that will be rolling out around the world beginning today.

Apple Music is getting a new Set Lists page that spotlights "a selection of major tours, letting fans listen to set lists and read about the productions."

Apple Maps is gaining 40 new guides curated by Apple Music editors that "highlight the best venues to experience live music" around the world, with initial featured cities including Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York City, San Francisco, Berlin, London, Paris, Vienna, Tokyo, Melbourne, Sydney, and Mexico City.

In both Apple Music and Apple Maps, users will now be able to browse upcoming performances directly in the apps via Shazam's concert discovery feature.

The Apple Watch Ultra has hit a new record low price of $701.99 on Amazon, down from $799.00. This beats the previous best-ever price by about $29 and as of writing only Amazon is offering the sale.

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

The only model on sale at this price is the 49mm Yellow Ocean Band Apple Watch Ultra, while nearly all other models are on sale at the more common price of $729.99. If you're more interested in one of these bands, note that you won't see the sale price until you add them to your cart and head to checkout.

Below we've collected a full list of the Apple Watch Ultra models that are available at the second-best price of $729.99 on Amazon right now. Remember that you will need to add these watches to your cart and head to the checkout screen in order to see the $729.99 deal price.

• Black/Gray Trail Loop (Medium/Large)
• Blue/Gray Trail Loop (Medium/Large)
• Yellow/Beige Trail Loop (Medium/Large)
• Orange Alpine Loop (Large)
• Orange Alpine Loop (Medium)
• Starlight Alpine Loop (Large)
• Starlight Alpine Loop (Medium)
• Starlight Alpine Loop (Small)
• Midnight Ocean Band
• White Ocean Band

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

Eve today announced the launch of a second-generation Eve Flare light, which comes equipped with Thread support. Eve Flare is a portable, battery-powered lamp that can be used anywhere in the home or garden.

The light features an IP65 water resistance rating and it includes a carrying handle so that it can be moved indoors and outdoors, and hung up if desired. The Eve Flare supports millions of colors and can be controlled through the Eve app, the Home app, or with Siri voice commands.

Eve Flare is designed for ambiance rather than for use as a main lamp, and it comes with several pre-selected colors like scarlet and jade, or you can pick your own colors. Color and brightness can be adjusted with voice commands or the app. The next-generation Eve Flare replaces the original model.

Along with the Eve Flare, Eve is today introducing the Eve Shutter Switch, which offers an Adaptive Shading function for use with roller shutters. The Eve Shutter Switch can change the position of the shutter based on where the sun is. The Eve Shutter Switch is limited to select regions in Europe.

Both the new Eve Flare and the Eve Shutter Switch feature support for Thread, a mesh smart home network system that improves the connectivity and responsiveness of connected products. Eve Shutter Switch and Eve Flare will also receive free Matter firmware updates in the future and will eventually support the Matter smart home standard.

Eve Flare can be purchased from the Eve Home website or from Amazon for $100, while Eve Shutter Switch is available in some European countries for 100 euros.

Photomator 3.0 today got its official release on macOS, bringing Pixelmator's iPhone and iPad photo-editing app to MacBooks and Mac desktops for the first time.

With an interface that will be familiar to users of Photomator on iOS and iPadOS, the Mac app includes a fully fledged photo browser with native Photos app integration, allowing users to organize, duplicate, share, and favorite images, as well as sync edits between Photomator and the ‌Photos‌ Library.

The app includes nondestructive tools to crop images, adjust colors, or repair and clone objects in photos, and users can edit specific parts of photos and make automatic subject, sky, and background selections.

According to the developers, machine learning algorithms enable users to increase the resolution of photos without noticeable reductions in detail or sharpness, match the colors of two photos, and remove camera noise. Photomator for Mac also supports batch-editing workflows and includes a Workflows browser, allowing users to crop images, adjust colors, and automatically apply edits to other images.

The app includes support for over 600 RAW image formats, and features built-in integration with Pixelmator Pro, which supports many Photomator edits, including selection masks and perspective corrections.

Apple Silicon should also bring a boost to Photomator workflows. Built for macOS using SwiftUI, the app runs on Mac mini models with M2 Max and ‌M2‌ Pro chips more than 20 times faster compared to the most recent Intel-powered Macs, claim the developers.

Photomator for Mac is available to download today from the Mac App Store and offers a subscription model ($29.99 yearly, $4.99 monthly) or a lifetime purchase fee ($99.99).

Apple today previewed a wide range of new accessibility features for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac that are set to arrive later this year.

Apple says that the "new software features for cognitive, speech, and vision accessibility are coming later this year," which strongly suggests that they will be part of iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS 14. The new operating systems are expected to be previewed at WWDC in early June before launching in the fall.

Assistive Access

Assistive Access distills ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ apps and experiences to their core features. The mode includes a customized experience for Phone and FaceTime, which are combined into a single Calls app, as well as Messages, Camera, Photos, and Music. The feature offers a simplified interface with high contrast buttons and large text labels, as well as tools to help tailor the experience. For example, users can choose between a more visual, grid-based layout for their Home Screen and apps, or a row-based layout for users who prefer text.

Live Speech and Personal Voice Advance Speech Accessibility

Live Speech on the ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, and Mac allows users to type what they want to say and have it spoken out loud during phone and ‌FaceTime‌ calls, as well as in-person conversations. Users can also save commonly used phrases to chime into conversations quickly.

Users at risk of losing their ability to speak, such as those with a recent diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), can use Personal Voice to create a digital voice that sounds like them. Users simply need to read along with a randomized set of text prompts to record 15 minutes of audio on an ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌. The feature uses on-device machine learning to keep users' information secure and private, and integrates with Live Speech so users can speak with their Personal Voice.

Detection Mode in Magnifier and Point and Speak

In the Magnifier app, Point and Speak helps users interact with physical objects that have several text labels. For example, while using a household appliance, Point and Speak combines input from the Camera app, the LiDAR Scanner, and on-device machine learning to announce the text on buttons as users move their finger across the keypad.

Point and Speak is built into the Magnifier app on ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌, works with VoiceOver, and can be used with other Magnifier features such as People Detection, Door Detection, and Image Descriptions to help users navigate their physical environment more effectively.

Other Features

• Deaf or hard-of-hearing users can pair Made for ‌iPhone‌ hearing devices directly to a Mac with specific customization options.
• Voice Control gains phonetic suggestions for text editing so users who type with their voice can choose the right word out of several that might sound similar, like "do," "due," and "dew."
• Voice Control Guide helps users learn tips and tricks about using voice commands as an alternative to touch and typing.
• Switch Control can now be activated to turn any switch into a virtual video game controller.
• Text Size is now easier to adjust across Mac apps including Finder, Messages, Mail, Calendar, and Notes.
• Users who are sensitive to rapid animations can automatically pause images with moving elements, such as GIFs, in Messages and Safari.
• Users can customize the speed at which Siri speaks to them, with options ranging from 0.8x to 2x.
• Shortcuts gains a new "Remember This" action, helping users with cognitive disabilities create a visual diary in the Notes app.

Apple's second-generation AR/VR headset will be offered in high-end and low-end versions and shipments are expected to be around ten times those of the first generation model, according to Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Multiple rumors have indicated that Apple's first AR/VR headset coming later this year will be priced somewhere around $3,000 and will be positioned as a device for developers, content creators, and professionals. Apple expects to sell just one headset per day per retail store, and the company has told suppliers that it expects sales of seven to 10 million units during the first year of availability.

The expensive price point is due to the high-end hardware that Apple is using, but the company reportedly wants to make a future version more affordable by using less pricey components such as lower-resolution lenses.

That could see Apple offer a two-tiered series of the second-generation device to appeal to a wider customer base, similar to the way it offers both standard and more premium Pro-branded iPhones each year.

The company's plans to release a cheaper version were first reported by The Information's Wayne Ma and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman earlier this year, but the assertion that it will be one of two second-generation models is a more specific claim attributed to Kuo.

According to one report, Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn is already developing a cheaper second-generation version of the headset, but it is still believed to be in the early stages. Gurman has said the second-generation headset could arrive in 2024 or 2025, whereas Kuo's sources suggest to him that a 2025 release is more likely.

The first generation model of Apple's mixed reality headset is expected to be announced during Apple's WWDC opening keynote on Monday, June 5.

WhatsApp is rolling out a new Chat Lock feature that allows users to secure select conversations in their inbox behind a passcode, fingerprint, or Face ID authentication, parent company Meta has announced.

In a post on its news page, Meta explained that locked conversations are removed from the regular chat list and hidden in a password-protected folder. Notification previews for any locked chats don't show sender or message content, while any media shared in locked chats won't be auto-saved to the phone's photo library, altogether keeping the conversations more private.

"We believe this feature will be great for people who share their phones from time to time with a family member, or in moments where someone else is holding your phone at the exact moment an extra-special chat arrives," said Meta.

To lock a one-to-one or group chat, tap the name at the top of the conversation to reveal the thread's settings menu, where there is a new Lock option. To later reveal locked chats, slowly pull down on WhatsApp's main conversations list, and you'll be prompted for authentication before the locked chats folder can be opened.

The feature is coming to the latest version of WhatsApp for iOS on the App Store, and is rolling out to all users on both iPhone and Android in the coming days.

Both of next year's iPhone 16 Pro models will feature a periscope lens, in contrast to this year's iPhone 15 series in which only the iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature the telephoto camera technology, according to the latest update from Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a new memo posted on his Medium blog, Kuo suggested that the iPhone 16 Pro would be slightly bigger than previous Pro models, and that the "larger internal space" afforded by the new size was the reason why Apple would be able to bring the periscope lens to both premium devices for the first time.

Last week, oft-accurate display industry analyst Ross Young claimed that Apple will adopt new screen sizes for both the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max models. The smaller ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro is expected to have a display size of 6.3 inches, while the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max will have a display size of 6.9 inches.

The current iPhone 14 Pro has a display size of 6.1 inches and the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max has a display size of 6.7 inches. This year's iPhone 15 models are all expected to retain the same dimensions as those in the iPhone 14 series, so the step change from the 2023 to 2024 Pro models would be an approximate increase of 0.2 inches for both devices.

Long before rumors appeared about the new Pro sizes coming in 2024, Kuo predicted that both iPhone 16 Pro models would get the periscope camera, based on Apple's strategy of setting apart models by reserving certain higher-end hardware features for the most premium models, and then expanding technology to additional models the next year.

Kuo believes that for both iPhone 16 Pro models, Apple partner Cowell will be the supplier of the periscope camera system, in which light entering the telephoto lens is reflected by an angled mirror towards the camera's image sensor. The change in direction in which the light travels allows for a longer "folded" telephoto setup inside phones, enabling users to zoom in further without any blurriness or other reduction in quality.

The system is expected to add a 5-6x optical zoom to the iPhone 15 Pro (the current iPhone 14 Pro supports up to 3x optical zoom). Kuo did not specify whether the zoom range would be improved for the 2024 Pro and Pro Max models or if it would remain the same as the one expected to exclusively feature in this year's iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Apple has registered a wordmark for "xrOS" in New Zealand, the first time the company has indirectly revealed both the name of the operating system for its upcoming headset and the official font and styling that accompanies it.

Spotted by Parker Ortolani, the ‌xrOS‌ wordmark registered with the New Zealand Intellectual Property Office shows that Apple will use its San Francisco typeface in ‌xrOS‌ marketing, just as it does for macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS.

"‌xrOS‌" is meant to stand for "extended reality." Extended reality represents both the augmented and virtual reality functions the headset will support. The name was already confirmed by internal Apple sources last year via Bloomberg, and Apple has also been trademarking ‌xrOS‌ in several countries through a hidden shell company.

Apple internally called the headset software "Reality OS" or "rOS" when it was in development, but with a launch approaching, it ultimately decided to update the public name to the less generic "‌xrOS‌" name.

‌xrOS‌ will have an iOS-like interface that will feel immediately familiar to Apple users as it will resemble the look of the iPhone and iPad. There will be a Home screen with app icons that can be rearranged, as well as customizable widgets.

The headset will have new versions of existing apps like Maps and Messages, which have been redesigned for an AR/VR experience. Apple is also creating a software development kit so third-party apps can be created for the headset.

Apple is expected to unveil the headset to the public during its WWDC keynote event on Monday, June 5. For everything we know about the device, click the roundup link below.

Microsoft today announced it has completed its rollout of iPhone support for its Phone Link app on Windows 11, as spotted by The Verge.

With the Phone Link app for Windows 11 and the Link to Windows app for iOS, iPhone users can make and receive phone calls, send and receive text messages, and view notifications directly on their PC. Notably, this means Windows 11 technically supports iMessage, although there are several limitations, including a lack of support for group chats, photos, videos, and conversation history beyond the current chat session.

All messages appear as gray bubbles in the Phone Link app, meaning iMessages and SMS text messages cannot be differentiated on a PC. In addition, messages are only delivered to a PC while the iPhone is connected via Bluetooth. Microsoft says the iPhone must be running iOS 14 or later, and this feature is not available for the iPad or Mac.

All in all, this is a rather clunky workaround to Apple's lack of true iMessage support on Windows, but it's better than nothing for iPhone users with a PC.

France has been investigating Apple since December after the organization Halte à l'Obsolescence Programmée (HOP) accused the company of "planned obsolescence" over serialized repair parts, according to French news agency AFP.

Apple's self-service repair program requires customers to enter a device's serial number when ordering parts for devices like iPhones and Macs, and any parts ordered need to be paired with the same device after installation. HOP said this policy gives Apple the potential to restrict repairs to approved technicians only, and limit the functionality of devices repaired with uncertified parts. The organization added that Apple's self-service repair program is bad for the environment given that Apple ships large and heavy tools to customers.

Do-it-yourself repair website iFixit also expressed disappointment about the serial number requirement when Apple's program launched last year.

"Integrating a serial number check into their checkout process is a dire omen and could allow Apple the power to block even more repairs in the future," said iFixit's Elizabeth Chamberlain. "Building the technology to provision individual repairs easily sets Apple up as the gateway to approve—or deny—any repairs in the future, with parts from any source."

The Paris Public Prosecutor's office is handling the investigation, and has yet to formally accuse Apple of any wrongdoing in relation to HOP's complaint. The organization previously filed a complaint about Apple throttling the maximum performance of some older iPhone models with aging batteries when necessary in order to prevent the devices from unexpectedly shutting down, leading to a €25 million fine in France.

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.