Apple today released watchOS 9.5.2, a minor bug fix update for the Apple Watch. watchOS 9.5.1 is a free software update that comes three weeks after the launch of watchOS 9.5.1, another bug fix update.
watchOS 9.5.2 can be downloaded for free through the Apple Watch app on the iPhone by opening it up and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the iPhone.
According to Apple's release notes for the update, it includes important security fixes and it is recommended that all users download the software. Apple has also released watchOS 8.8.1 for those unable to upgrade to watchOS 9.
Apple today released iOS 16.5.1 and iPadOS 16.5.1, minor updates to the iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 operating system updates that came out last September. iOS 16.5.1 comes over a month after Apple released iOS 16.5.
iOS 16.5.1 and iPadOS 16.5.1 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes for the updates to propagate to all users because of demand.
According to Apple's notes for the update, the update includes important security fixes and is recommended for all users. It also addresses a bug that could prevent charging with the Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter. Reports in May suggested that the Camera Adapter was not working with iPhones and iPads that had been updating to the iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 updates, with the adapter failing to power connected devices.
Apple has also released an iOS 15.7.7 security update for iPhone users who are unable to upgrade to the iOS 16 operating system.
Amazon today announced that its annual Prime Day sale event will take place beginning Tuesday, July 11 and run through Wednesday, July 12. Amazon began Prime Day back in 2015, and since 2019 the event has been running for two days straight every summer.
Shoppers can expect massive discounts on an array of products, including Apple devices. Some deals will last the entire run of the sale, but there will also be lightning deals that drop every 30 minutes and last for select periods, or until they sell out.
To get in on these Prime Day deals, you will need to be an Amazon Prime member. If you aren't, you can join Prime via a free 30-day trial to participate in this year's Prime Day. Once your trial is over, Prime membership will run for $14.99/month or $139/year. For students, that's $7.49/month or $69/year.
Amazon is already highlighting early Prime Day deals that you can shop now, weeks ahead of the event. For now, this mainly includes Amazon devices like Kindles, Echo Dot, Fire TVs, and other Amazon branded products.
Once Prime Day kicks off, Amazon's website will be filled with lightning deals on everything from tech products to home appliances, clothing, toys, and much more. We'll be covering all of the best deals you can get throughout Prime Day, particularly on all of the Apple products that appear, so be sure to keep an eye on the MacRumors front page starting July 11.
Last year, Prime Day discounts were available to Amazon Prime members in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, and the United States. Although Amazon has not confirmed exact countries for 2023, shoppers can expect the same countries to participate again this year.
Additionally, Amazon held two Prime Day events last year, one in July and a second in October. Given that we're only now hearing about the July event, we don't know yet if the retailer will again host a second Prime Day, which it called "Prime Early Access," in the fall. If and when that is announced, you can also expect us to cover all of the deals that come out.
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.
Today we're tracking a series of discounts on both Apple's previous and current generation MacBook Pro, offered by B&H Photo and Amazon. You'll find the M1 models from 2021 at B&H Photo, while the newest M2 computers are on sale at both retailers in most cases.
M1 MacBook Pro
Starting with the M1 Max notebooks, B&H Photo is offering steep discounts on a pair of high-end configurations. You can get a 14-inch M1 Max MacBook Pro (32-core GPU, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD) for $2,499.00, down from its original price of $4,099.00. It's only available in Space Gray at this 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.
There's also a 16-inch M1 Max MacBook Pro (32-core GPU, 64GB, 4TB) for $3,199.00 in Silver and Space Gray, down from $4,899.00. Both of these computers are custom high-end configurations of the 2021 MacBook Pro, offering more memory and storage over the stock models that Apple sells.
We're also tracking a few discounts on Apple's latest MacBook Pro at Amazon and B&H Photo. These markdowns include a return of the best-ever price on the entry-level 10-Core M2 Pro, 512GB 14-inch model at $1,749.00, down from $1,999.00.
You can only get Space Gray at this discounted price, which is a match of the previous all-time low price on this model. As of writing, only B&H Photo is offering the sale on this version of the 14-inch MacBook Pro.
In a rarer discount, we're also tracking a new sale on the 12-Core M2 Max, 1TB 14-inch MacBook Pro at Amazon. You can get this notebook for $2,849.00, down from $3,099.00. Only Silver is available at this price on Amazon, but B&H Photo has both colors.
In terms of the larger screen model, Amazon also has a few notable discounts on the 16-inch MacBook Pro. You can get the 12-Core M2 Pro, 512GB 16-inch notebook for $2,249.99, down from $2,499.00. This deal is available in both colors and they're both in stock with delivery estimated for around June 23 to June 26.
Lastly, you can get the 12-Core M2 Pro, 1TB 16-inch MacBook Pro for $2,449.99, down from $2,699.00. Both colors are on sale at this price, and delivery dates for both are still estimated for around June 23.
The Information's Wayne Ma today reiterated several features that Apple apparently developed but did not announce for the Vision Pro at WWDC earlier this month, including various fitness and wellness apps, full-body tracking, and more.
Ma said some of the features could remain in development, while others may have been abandoned. Apple is not releasing the Vision Pro until early 2024, and has yet to reveal complete details about the device, so there may be additional features that will be available at launch. Apple can also add features with visionOS software updates.
On fitness and wellness apps:
At one point, though, Apple planned many more fitness and wellness applications for the headset, according to former employees who worked on the device. Some employees discussed collaborations with brands such as Nike for working out with the headset, while others investigated face cushions that were better suited for sweaty, high-intensity workouts, said one of the people. One proposal even involved wearing and interacting with content on the Vision Pro while on a stationary bike, a former employee said.
On full-body tracking:
Apple has yet to complete full-body tracking, which it had planned for the device, according to multiple people who worked on it. That feature is among the reasons the device has two cameras that point downward and can see the wearer’s body and hands. Apple representatives told developers earlier this month that full-body tracking wouldn’t be available when the device ships next year, according to screenshots of an Apple-hosted Slack conversation following the Vision Pro launch event.
The report added that Apple had planned to make 3D content available on Apple TV+, but that could be announced later. Apple also apparently did not emphasize gaming on the Vision Pro as much as it was planning to at an earlier stage, and the ability to use the headset as an external display for a Mac is apparently not as advanced as once planned.
The full article at The Information offers more details. Over the coming months, the Vision Pro's full feature set should become clearer.
Photography has become a staple use of the modern iPhone, and Apple isn't resting on its laurels in its efforts to advance what you can do with a photo in iOS 17.
Below we've listed eight new photo-related features and improvements coming with Apple's latest mobile operating system, which is expected to get its official release in the fall. Can't wait until then? The iOS 17 beta is available now.
1. Pet Recognition
In iOS 17, Apple has improved the image recognition capabilities of the Photos app, which can now recognize not only your family and friends, but also your beloved pets.
The Photos app's ability to detect animals isn't new, but now it can identify animals that are important to you by taking into account the number of photos that you have of them. That's why the "People" album has become the "People and Pets" album, where you can add the names of your pets and confirm additional photos.
2. One-Tap Crop
In iOS 16, cropping images in the Photos app involves tapping into the Edit interface, choosing the crop tool, and adjusting the crop from there with either pinch zoom gestures or by dragging the corners of the cropping tool.
In iOS 17, Apple has made the process quicker and easier. Now when you zoom into an image, there's a new "Crop" button that appears in the upper right. Tapping it brings up the crop interface with the zoom level that you've selected, so you can crop into the part of the image that you prefer with just a couple of taps.
3. Turn Photos into Animated Stickers
In iOS 16, Apple added a neat "remove subject from background" tool for plucking things out of images. In iOS 17, Apple has supercharged the feature, and now you can use it to make your own custom animated stickers for use in Messages.
When long-pressing a subject in a photo, the pop-up menu includes a new "Add Sticker" option that exports the selected subject into Messages' sticker interface. From there, you can add effects like a white sticker outline, a "puffy" sticker effect, a glittery effect, and more. Subjects pulled from Live Photos even have the option of animating.
4. Get Recipes for Food
When viewing your photos, Apple has enhanced Visual Look Up in iOS 17 in a few ways, one being the ability to find recipes for similar dishes when meals are recognized in the picture.
When an image of food is identified in the Photos app, a knife and fork icon appears at the bottom of the interface. The Look Up Food option gives you direct links to recipe websites, so now you can get inspiration about what to cook, without having to trawl the web yourself in Safari.
5. Straighten Your Shooting Angle
For the last few years, the Camera app's Grid mode has included a somewhat-hidden leveling feature for top-down photos, popping up a floating crosshair to help make sure you're lined up properly above your subject.
In iOS 17, Apple has enhanced the camera leveling functionality, separating it out from the Grid mode to its own option and expanding it to include a horizontal level for more traditional straight-on photos.
The Level option displays a broken horizontal line on the screen when your iPhone senses you're lining up for a straight-on shot and you tilt your device slightly out of horizontal. The line appears white while your phone is out of level and then turns yellow once you achieve a level orientation to indicate success.
6. Look Up What You Just Lifted
In iOS 17, when you use the "remove subject from background" tool, you can now look up information about the subject in question, thanks to a new option in the popup menu.
Not only that, the Photos app now also offers the ability to pause video on any frame and look up information on a subject.
7. Visual Look Up for Auto Symbols
Apple hasn't publicly promoted this feature, but Reddit users digging into the iOS 17 beta have discovered that Visual Look Up can now detect car symbols on vehicle dashboards.
When the Photos app identifies one or more symbols in an image, iOS 17 presents the name of the icon and a short description of its meaning, and offers up links to learn more about each symbol in Safari.
8. Tweaked Editing Tools Interface
Lastly, Apple in iOS 17 has made some quality of life improvements to the Photos app editing interface to make it a little more intuitive. The Cancel and Done buttons have been moved from the bottom of the screen to the top, and the tool icons have been given text descriptions to make their function clearer.
Photos app editing UI in iOS 16 (left) vs iOS 17
In order to make it more obvious whether Adjust, Filters, or Crop is currently selected, Apple has also changed the indicator from a yellow circle beneath the active icon, to a triangle pointing down at it from above.
If you open up Spotify's desktop app on a Mac or PC today, things should look a lot more "mobile." That's because the company has redesigned the "Your Library" and "Now Playing" interfaces to make them more aligned with Spotify's smartphone app.
"Your Library" is now located in the sidebar to let you access saved music and podcasts. Spotify says its research has shown that the new library helps users save time by providing a better overview, while making it easier to switch between playlists. Users can also now move and pin the playlists in the Library, as well as drop songs into the editable listed playlists.
Elsewhere, the "Now Playing" view takes up the right-hand side of the app, showing the currently playing song or podcast. According to Spotify, "You can even find more information about the song and artist here, as well as information on tour dates and merch — making it easier to connect with your favorite artists and discover more about them. For select podcasts, you can even follow transcripts as you listen."
By default, Friend Activity is now hidden, but easily accessible via a new Friends icon beside the user profile icon in the top-right corner of the window. You can also now hide the library by clicking "Your Library" for a more compact layout.
Previously, the only way to find playlists was through the search bar, where users had to trawl through not only their own content, but results from the entire Spotify catalog. Now, when it’s expanded, the new Library design allows users to toggle through their dedicated music, podcast, and audiobook feeds and search Your Library exclusively.
Spotify says the desktop app revamp began rolling out on Tuesday and will eventually make its way to all users over the next week.
Google today outlined several new features available for or coming to the Chrome app for the iPhone and iPad, including deeper integration with Google Maps, Google Calendar, and Google Lens.
Chrome for iOS now uses AI to detect addresses on webpages and show a location directly on a mini version of the Google Maps app in Chrome, so there's no need to swap apps to see map-related information about a search term.
Google Calendar events can be created directly in Chrome without needing to swap apps. Chrome users can press and hold on a detected date and choose the option to add it to Google Calendar. The Chrome app will automatically create and populate the calendar event with time, location, and description.
Google has expanded the translation functionality in Chrome, and it is now possible to highlight a specific passage and long press to get a translation right in the Chrome Browser.
With upcoming deeper Google Lens integration, Chrome users will be able to use the camera to search new pictures and pictures in the camera roll to identify plants, translate languages, and more. The Lens icon will show up in the Chrome on iOS address bar.
Chrome for the iPhone and the iPad can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Starting in July, ads in the App Store's Today tab will have a more compact design and be fully visible without any scrolling. The new ad format will include the app's icon, name, and subtitle, along with an "Ad" label and a "Get" button.
The new ad format will be shown on iPhones running iOS 16.4 and later. Today tab ads will not be available on iOS 16.3 and earlier. Existing ads will automatically switch to the new format in July, with no action required from advertisers.
Ads in the Today tab currently appear as a full-height card that can only be viewed after scrolling past the first unsponsored slot.
Since the ads will no longer have a custom graphic, Apple says the approval process will be quicker and easier. The compact format will also make the ads more distinguishable from unsponsored content in the Today tab, so this is a change that should be well received by both advertisers and App Store users.
Apple began showing ads in the Today tab in October 2022. The upcoming ad format change was first reported by 9to5Mac.
Apple's upcoming Beats Studio Pro headphones today showed up in FCC filings, which means we are getting closer to a potential launch date. Apple has not yet acknowledged the Beats Studio Pro headphones, but they were spotted in the macOS Ventura 13.4 update back in May.
The headphones feature an A2924 model number and an ID of BeatsStudioPro1,1. The Beats Studio Pro will be a new version of the Beats Studio3 over-ear headphones, which are several years old at this point.
Software code suggested that the Beats Studio Pro headphones will be released in collaboration with Samuel Ross of A-Cold-Wall, who just joined Beats as a "principal design consultant." The design looks to be largely identical to the Beats Studio3 headphones, but Apple will likely add internal improvements to justify the "Pro" moniker.
The headphones could feature an updated Apple-designed chip and additions like improved Active Noise Cancellation and a Transparency Mode. Apple also plans to add "Hey Siri" support, a feature that is not available in the current Studio3 headphones.
We are expecting the Beats Studio Pro headphones to be released later this summer, and FCC information usually comes out a few weeks to a month ahead of launch.
Today we're tracking a pair of best-ever prices on the M1 Max and M1 Ultra Mac Studio from early 2022. Both of these deals can be found at B&H Photo, which is offering free two-day shipping to the contiguous United States.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with B&H Photo. 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 M1 Max/32GB RAM/512GB SSD Mac Studio, you can get this model for $1,799.00, down from $1,999.00. This is a match of the all-time low price seen on this version of the Mac Studio.
You can also get the M1 Ultra/64GB RAM/1TB SSD Mac Studio for $3,699.00, down from $3,999.00. This is another record low price on the 2022 Mac Studio, and right now we're only tracking this sale at B&H Photo.
Deals on the previous-generation Mac Studio have been somewhat rare this year, but we're now starting to see steep discounts appear in the wake of the new M2 Max and M2 Ultra models that were announced at WWDC 2023. Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.
Starting with iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma, users with an Apple ID will automatically be assigned a passkey, allowing them to sign into their Apple ID with Face ID or Touch ID instead of their password on various Apple sign-in pages, including icloud.com, appleid.apple.com, appstoreconnect.apple.com, and more.
Passkeys are a more secure alternative to passwords. Apple explains:
A passkey is a cryptographic entity that's not visible to you, and it's used in place of a password. A passkey consists of a key pair, which—compared to a password—profoundly improves security. One key is public, registered with the website or app you're using. The other key is private, held only by your devices.
Passkey support for Apple IDs will also be available for third-party apps and websites that support the "Sign in with Apple" feature.
Users running beta versions of iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma can test this functionality on supported Apple sign-in pages starting today, but it does not yet appear to be available for everyone. All users with an Apple ID will be able to sign in with a passkey once the software updates are released to the public later this year.
Apple today announced it has enhanced the search functionality of its Podcasts app across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV by adding nine additional subcategories to the Search tab. This makes it easier to discover new shows across various genres and topics.
The new subcategories:
Mental Health
Relationships
Self-Improvement
Personal Journals
Entrepreneurship
Documentary
Parenting
Books
Language Learning
The new subcategories are available now, with no software update required.
"Each subcategory has its own charts, which display the Top Shows and Top Episodes available in a listener's market," says Apple. "For example, a listener in the U.S. can browse the charts for Mental Health, which display the top 200 shows and top 200 episodes available in the U.S. based on a mix of listening, follows, and completion rate."
Apple has also added a new "Podcasts by Language" section to the app in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia that allows users to more easily find podcasts in their native language. This feature includes support for over 20 languages to begin with, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean.
Spotify is planning to introduce a more expensive premium tier that includes high-fidelity audio, Bloomberg reports.
The subscription tier, dubbed "Supremium" internally, will become Spotify's most costly plan and include HiFi audio. Spotify first announced its intention to offer HiFi audio in 2021 but subsequently delayed the launch of the feature for unknown reasons.
Spotify's existing "Premium" tier costs $9.99 for individuals or $15.99 for families. To maintain the appeal of this subscription plan following the launch of "Supremium," Spotify will give Premium subscribers expanded access to audiobooks via a specific number of free listening hours or titles.
Apple Music gained support for Lossless audio in 2021 and users do not need to pay more to get access to it. There are no Apple Music subscription tiers, so Lossless audio is included in all plans with the exception of the Apple Music Voice Plan. An Apple Music subscription costs $10.99 per month for individuals or $16.99 for families. Apple Music is also included in all of the Apple One subscription bundles, which range from $16.95 per month to $32.95 per month.
With Spotify Premium costing just $1 less than Apple Music, it seems highly likely that the streamer's Supremium Tier will come in at a higher price point than Apple's rival service. Spotify's new top-tier plan will apparently launch this year starting in non-U.S. markets.
After having "multiple conversations" with companies within Apple's supply chain this week, Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O'Malley believe that Apple is unlikely to release a fourth-generation iPhone SE in 2024.
In a research note shared with MacRumors, the analysts said Apple's decision not to launch a new iPhone SE next year could indicate that the company's rumored in-house 5G modem will not be ready any time soon, which would benefit Apple's existing iPhone modem supplier Qualcomm. Apple has reportedly been planning its own modem since at least 2018, and acquired the majority of Intel's smartphone modem business in 2019.
In April, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said mass production of Apple's modem would begin in 2025 at the earliest, suggesting that even iPhone 16 models launching later next year will continue to use Qualcomm modems.
Kuo had previously claimed that the next iPhone SE would have a similar design as the standard iPhone 14 model released last year, suggesting that the device would have been equipped with a 6.1-inch OLED display and Face ID. It's not entirely clear if Apple will move forward with launching this device with a Qualcomm modem at some point.
The current iPhone SE was released in March 2022 with a 4.7-inch LCD display, Touch ID, 5G, a 12-megapixel rear camera, and the A15 Bionic chip. Priced starting at $429 in the U.S., it is one of Apple's more affordable iPhone models. The first-generation and second-generation iPhone SE were released in 2016 and 2020, respectively.
We've been tracking an ongoing series of discounts across Apple's entire MacBook Air lineup in the wake of the 15-inch model announced at WWDC earlier this month. This week, B&H Photo has a new all-time low price on the 256GB 13.6-inch MacBook Air, priced at $949.00, down from $1,099.00.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with B&H Photo. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
This beats the previous record low on this computer by about $50, and B&H Photo only has it in Midnight. The deal will also end tonight at 10:59 p.m. Central Time, so if you're interested be sure to place your order soon.
B&H Photo also has the 512GB model for $1,249.00, down from $1,399.00. This is a solid second-best price on the higher storage model. 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.
Apple today announced that its self-service repair program will be expanding to the iPhone 14 lineup, 13-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip, and 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips starting June 21.
First launched in April 2022, Apple's program provides customers with access to parts, manuals, and tools to repair select devices. Apple says the program is designed for anyone with "experience repairing electronic devices," but says the "vast majority" of customers are better off visiting an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider.
Apple also announced that customers can now complete the post-repair System Configuration process by placing the device into Diagnostics Mode and following the on-screen prompts. Users no longer need to contact the program's support team to complete this step, which verifies that the parts are genuine and working properly.
"Running System Configuration after a repair authenticates genuine Apple parts, updates firmware, and calibrates parts to ensure maximum performance and quality," says Apple. "Additionally, for repairs involving biometric authentication, such as Touch ID or Face ID, System Configuration links the biometric sensors to the Secure Enclave on the logic board to ensure device security and customer privacy."
Last, Apple said it is expanding the program to Mac desktops with M1 series chips in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K., and making parts available for the TrueDepth camera and top speaker on iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models.
Lighting company Signify has announced a new feature coming to the Philips Hue app that aims to give users better control over brightness in their home, as well as a Hue bridge automation update that brings more nuance to motion sensor triggers.
Philips Hue lights will soon include a brightness balancer that lets users customize the relative brightness of individual lights in an Entertainment area, instead of controlling the lights as a group.
Signify says the new feature was developed following requests from Philips Hue's users who wanted to more control over their lights while watching a movie, listening to music or gaming.
Using the brightness balancer, users can "make lights that have higher lumens dim lower than lights with lower lumens," according to Signify, allowing users to choose what is in the spotlight when syncing lights to movies, games, or music.
In addition, a forthcoming update to the Philips Hue bridge will allow users to have more control over lighting automation triggered by motion sensors.
Currently, Philips Hue motion sensors support two time slots for automating lighting conditions – daytime and night – so users can for example set up a bright light to come on in the daytime and a low-level light at night.
With the upcoming Hue bridge update, users will be able to customize lighting conditions using a total of 10 time slots, allowing for various settings throughout the day. The Natural light scene can also be selected as part one of these time slots, to mimic the sun throughout the day.
Signify says both the brightness balancer feature for the Hue app and the Hue bridge automation enhancements are scheduled to launch later this summer.
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.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with B&H Photo. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with B&H Photo. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
