MacRumors

Goldman Sachs this week updated its Apple Card customer agreement to reflect the credit card's upcoming Daily Cash savings account feature, which was expected to launch with iOS 16.1 but appears to have been delayed.

"To enable new ways to use Daily Cash like the upcoming Savings account feature, we are updating the Daily Cash Program section of your Apple Card Customer Agreement," reads an email sent to Apple Card holders this week.

In October, Apple announced that Apple Card users would soon be able to open a new high-yield savings account from Goldman Sachs and have their Daily Cash cashback rewards automatically deposited into it, with no fees, no minimum deposits, and no minimum balance requirements. The account will be managed through the Wallet app on the iPhone.

The savings account was listed in the release notes for the iOS 16.1 Release Candidate, but it did not end up launching with that update. The savings account has not been present in any iOS 16.2 betas, so it's unclear when it will become available, but Goldman Sachs evidently continues to lay the groundwork for the feature's launch.

Once the account is set up, all Daily Cash received from that point on will be automatically deposited into it and start earning interest, unless a user opts to continue having Daily Cash added to their Apple Cash balance. Apple Card provides 2-3% Daily Cash on purchases made with Apple Pay and 1% on purchases made with the physical card.

Launched in 2019, Apple's credit card remains exclusive to the United States. Customers who sign up for an Apple Card and use it to purchase Apple products through December 25 will receive 5% Daily Cash as part of a limited-time promotion.

Google is continuing on with its attempt to convince Apple to adopt the RCS messaging standard, publishing a new "it's time for ‌RCS‌" blog post. Promoted heavily by Google, ‌RCS‌ or Rich Communication Services is a messaging standard that is designed to replace the current SMS messaging standard.

It provides support for higher resolution photos and videos, audio messages, and bigger file sizes, plus it adds improved encryption, cross-platform emoji reactions, and more reliable group chats across different devices. Google has been pushing Apple to adopt ‌RCS‌ for well over a year now, but so far, Apple is not budging.

Google's new blog post points out that this week marks the 30th anniversary of the SMS messaging standard, as the first SMS message was sent on December 3, 1992. Google argues that it's time for an update, calling out Apple for "dragging its heels."

Google points out that with ‌RCS‌, cross-platform end-to-end encrypted messaging would be available. Features like real-time typing indicators, read receipts, higher-quality photos and videos, and more control over group chats would be standard on both iPhones and Android phones.

All major mobile carriers and manufacturers have implemented ‌RCS‌ support, including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Motorola, Nokia, OnePlus, Samsung, Sony, and others. Apple continues to be the lone holdout, and the company has so far hardly acknowledged Google's attempts to push ‌RCS‌ adoption.

There is no word on if Apple has considered supporting ‌RCS‌, nor when such support might be implemented. In a September interview, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that it is not a priority. "I don't hear our users asking that we put a lot of energy in on that at this point," said Cook.

Cook further suggested an iPhone upgrade to a reporter who mentioned having trouble texting photos to his mother who uses an Android phone. "Buy your mom an ‌iPhone‌," he said.

Google has gone as far as publishing an entire "Get the Message" website on ‌RCS‌ and Apple's lack of adoption for the feature, encouraging Apple customers to ask Apple to "fix what's broken" by switching from SMS to ‌RCS‌. Google has also published anti-Apple ads promoting RCS, but nothing so far has caught Apple's attention.

Apple today in collaboration with artist Zedd announced that a new Remix Session of Zedd's hit dance song "Clarity" is now available in GarageBand.

iPhone and iPad users can now open the GarageBand app and remix "Clarity" with guided instruction from Zedd. The free Remix Session can be downloaded in GarageBand's Sound Library, and Zedd has shared a companion video on YouTube with tips on how to remix the song in a couple of minutes using the app's Live Loops interface.

Live Loops allows GarageBand users to explore all the isolated parts of the Grammy award-winning song, such as vocals, beats, synths, and quickly rearrange and add new elements to the song, with no musical experience required.

"Clarity" is also available in Spatial Audio on Apple Music starting today following the 10-year anniversary of the song's release last month.

Apple's iCloud Mail service is experiencing issues for the second day in a row, and Apple's System Status page says that the service may be slow or unavailable for some users.

The outage began at 5:06 a.m. Pacific Time, and affected users may not be able to access their mail until the issue is resolved, which is the same problem that the service was having yesterday.

Apple has not provided a timeline on when a fix might be available, but we'll update this article when the outage has been addressed. Yesterday's outage lasted for several hours, and has recurred twice now.

Update: Apple says that the outage has been resolved.

Apple has announced that customers who open an Apple Card account 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.

The following purchases with the Apple Card are ineligible for 5% Daily Cash: purchases made with Apple Card Monthly Installments or the iPhone Upgrade Program, wireless carrier financing plans, Apple services, and monthly AppleCare+ payments. Full terms and conditions are listed at the bottom of the Apple Card website.

Apple Card typically offers 3% Daily Cash on purchases completed via Apple Pay at Apple, Nike, Panera Bread, Walgreens, T-Mobile, Exxon Mobil, and Ace Hardware. Other purchases made with Apple Card via Apple Pay are eligible for 2% Daily Cash, and purchases made with the physical Apple Card are eligible for 1% Daily Cash.

Apple's credit card launched in 2019 and is available for approved U.S. customers only.

Technicians in China have developed an arduous modification to eliminate the 24-inch iMac's "chin," achieving an all-screen design.

Io Technology, a group that makes hardware and chip-related modification and repair videos, posted a video that reveals some of the engineering behind the striking ‌iMac‌ modification on Chinese video sharing website Bilibili. It garnered attention on Twitter after being reposted by users like "DuanRui."

2002's ‌iMac‌ G4, which had equal bezels around the display, was cited as an inspiration for the modification. While moving most of the ‌iMac‌'s internal components to the stand like the G4 was initially considered, placing them directly behind the bottom edge of the display was the method eventually chosen to reduce the device's front profile, while retaining most of its thin design.

First, the ‌iMac‌ was disassembled and the display's "chin" area was cut off, with the edges being ground into the same shape as the top. A new rear casing with an enlarged area for the logic board and ports was created digitally and 3D printed for testing, before being machined out of aluminum and anodized. The ‌iMac‌'s components were then placed into the new housing, with some added measures to mitigate increased thermal constraints.

Along with the new casing, a backlit Apple logo made out of laser cut acrylic was added, reminiscent of older MacBook models. Io Technology also created a Space Gray version of the modified 24-inch ‌iMac‌ with black bezels around the display.

An all-screen iMac design was widely rumored in the run-up to the announcement of the 24-inch ‌iMac‌ in April last year. When the device was finally announced with white bezels and a prominent "chin," some users criticized the design. Nevertheless, it seems likely that the consistent thickness of the ‌iMac‌ and placement of its processor below the screen prevents heat from the chip being directly transferred to the display, which could shorten its life, as well as provides a more suitable place for the power cord.

In a small but significant change to the way the Notification Center works in the latest iOS 16.2 beta, older notifications are now shown by default without having to swipe up.

In the current release as well as earlier versions of iOS 16, users do not automatically see older notifications in the Notification Center like they did in iOS 15, and instead must manually swipe up from the middle to reveal them, if there are any.

In other words, if a new notification is received and the user unlocks and then locks their iPhone without interacting with it, iOS treats it as an old notification and sends it to the Notification Center where it is hidden, which some users say often results in important notifications being missed.

Note that in iOS 16.2 beta 4, the Lock Screen still hides older notifications unless the user swipes up from the middle of the screen. The change to showing older notifications by default only applies to Notification Center, which can be pulled down with a swipe down from the top of the screen when the ‌iPhone‌ has been unlocked.

Whether or not the change will make it into the official release of iOS 16.2, due later this month, is unknown, but if it does, many users will welcome the new behavior as an improvement to the way iOS deals with older notifications.

Password management app LastPass says it is investigating a security incident after an "unauthorized party" compromised its systems on Wednesday and gained access to some customer information.

The information was stored in a third-party cloud service shared by LastPass and parent company GoTo, said LastPass CEO Karim Toubba in a blog post. Toubba said the hackers used information stolen from LastPass' systems in a separate previously disclosed incident that occurred in August of this year. Toubba added in the blog post that "customers' passwords remain safely encrypted."

We recently detected unusual activity within a third-party cloud storage service, which is currently shared by both LastPass and its affiliate, GoTo. We immediately launched an investigation, engaged Mandiant, a leading security firm, and alerted law enforcement.

We have determined that an unauthorized party, using information obtained in the August 2022 incident, was able to gain access to certain elements of our customers' information. Our customers' passwords remain safely encrypted due to LastPass’s Zero Knowledge architecture.

According to a blog post dated August 22, the previous incident saw a threat actor gain access to the LastPass Development environment using a developer's compromised endpoint to steal source code and some proprietary LastPass technical information. LastPass said at the time that its systems "prevented the threat actor from accessing any customer data or encrypted password vaults."

LastPass is currently working to understand the scope of Wednesday's incident and identify what specific information has been accessed. GoTo, formerly LogMeIn, said it was also investigating the incident, although it did not explain whether GoTo users were also impacted by the hack. In the meantime, LastPass products and services remain "fully functional," said Toubba.

With the launch of iOS 16.1, Apple rolled out a Emergency SOS via Satellite, which is designed to allow iPhone 14 owners to contact emergency services using satellite connectivity when no cellular or WiFi connection is available. The feature was put to the test in Alaska today, when a man became stranded in a rural area.

In the early hours of the morning on December 1, Alaska State Troopers received an alert that a man traveling by snow machine from Noorvik to Kotzebue had become stranded. The man was in a cold, remote location with no connectivity, and he activated the Emergency SOS via satellite feature on his ‌iPhone 14‌ to alert authorities to his predicament.

Apple's Emergency Response Center worked with local search and rescue teams and the Northwest Arctic Borough Search and Rescue Coordinator to send out volunteer searchers directly to the GPS coordinates that were relayed to Apple using the emergency function.

The man was rescued successfully and there were no injuries. The area where he was located is remote and on the fringes of where satellite connectivity is available. Apple says that satellite connectivity might not work in places above 62° latitude, such as northern parts of Canada and Alaska, and Noorvik and Kotzebue are close to 69° latitude.

Troopers who helped with the rescue were "impressed with the accuracy and completeness of information included in the initial alert," with the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature designed to ask several questions ahead of when an alert is sent out to expedite rescue missions.

Emergency Satellite via SOS is available to all ‌iPhone 14‌ users, and it can be activated when an emergency situation occurs and there is no WiFi or cellular connection available. The feature is free to use for two years, and Apple has not yet provided detail on how much it will cost going forward.

Satellite connectivity is available in North America at the current time, and it will soon expand to France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK.

Apple-1 computers are the ultimate collector's item for Apple fans, and they often sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars due to their rarity. RR Auction is this month selling a functional Apple-1 computer that was hand-numbered by Steve Jobs, and the site expects the machine to fetch upwards of $375,000.

There were just 200 Apple-1 computers produced by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak back in 1976, and it is believed that only 60 to 70 remain. The Apple-1 that's up for auction is listed as #78. The machine was initially sold at auction in 2018 after it was restored to its original operational state by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen.

When it was sold in 2018, the buyer paid $375,000, so it could potentially go for even more this time around. At the current time, bids have reached $220,000.

This Apple-1 computer was restored to its original operational state by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen. A comprehensive, technical condition report prepared by Cohen is available to qualified bidders; he evaluated the condition of the unit as 8.5/10, and confirmed the computer's functionality in August 2022. The most remarkable aspect of this Apple-1 computer is that it is documented to be fully operational: the system was operated without fault for approximately eight hours in a comprehensive test.

There is a letter of authenticity that confirms Jobs' handwriting on the board, and it includes the original Apple-1, original Apple Cassette Interface, original operation manual, a surplus ASCII keyboard from the same time period, and an open frame Sanyo 4205 monitor.

Various Apple-1 computers that have surfaced on auction sites over the years have sold for between $130,000 and $815,000 depending on the history of the machine, the included components, and the condition. The auction for the #78 Apple-1 will end on December 15, 2022.

Belkin this week announced the launch of a new AirPods Cleaning Kit, which is designed to remove earwax and dirt build-up from the earbuds to restore acoustic performance.

The kit is designed for the AirPods 1, 2, and 3 models, as these earbuds do not have silicone tips that protect them from exposure to earwax when in the ears.

Belkin's kit includes a cleaning brush, an earwax softening solution, cleaning gel, and a microfiber cloth. It seems to be designed to be a one-time use kit as the cleaning components are provided in small quantities, and the cleaning gel in particular says that it must be used within two hours of opening.

According to Belkin, wax and dirt build-up can impact sound quality, and the kit is able to remove up to 99 percent of materials that are clogging up the AirPods. The cleaning components are designed to be mess-free, and Belkin says that they will not damage the AirPods.

The AirPods Cleaning Kit is available from the Belkin website for $14.99.

Apple has decided to call the software that will run on its upcoming AR/VR headset "xrOS," an update from the original "RealityOS or "rOS" naming the company was planning on, according to Bloomberg.

The name change comes as Apple begins to prepare for the launch of the headset, which is expected at some point in 2023. The headset will feature its own operating system, much like the Apple TV and the Apple Watch, and it will have a dedicated App Store.

"XR" is meant to stand for extended reality, which pertains to both augmented and virtual reality. Rumors indicate that the headset Apple is working on will be "mixed reality" like the Microsoft HoloLens, supporting both augmented and virtual reality capabilities. Augmented reality augments what the user is seeing in the real world, while virtual reality is an entirely digital experience.

As has been previously rumored, 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 internally referred to the headset's operating system as "rOS" during the development process, but Bloomberg suggests that ‌xrOS‌ is a less generic name that will allow the headset to stand out more.

In addition to confirming the name change with unnamed Apple sources, Bloomberg also discovered that a shell company named Deep Dive LLC has been registering the ‌xrOS‌ name across several countries, and Apple could potentially be behind these filings. Apple often uses shell companies to try to secretly register for trademarks for upcoming products.

There is still no solid sign of when the headset might be introduced, but it is expected to be unveiled in the first half of the year, perhaps at WWDC or even earlier to give developers time to create apps for the device.

In 2020, Apple introduced a digital car key feature that allows users to unlock and start a compatible vehicle by bringing an iPhone or Apple Watch near the driver-side door. The car keys are stored in the Wallet app in the same way that a credit card is. The feature is currently limited to select BMW, Kia, and Genesis vehicles.

Apple has been working with the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and others to establish an industry standard for sharing digital keys across platforms. As part of this effort, Apple today announced that iPhone users can now share car keys in the Wallet app with Pixel device users through apps such as Messages, Mail, and WhatsApp. Simply choose a car key in the Wallet app, tap the Share button, and follow the steps.

Apple says Google will be expanding this functionality to select other smartphones running Android 12 or later soon.

Key sharing support was enabled on the iPhone with iOS 16.1 in late October. Apple outlines additional information regarding key sharing in the Wallet app in a support document, including steps to revoke access to a shared car key.

Nothing, known for a range of Android-based lower-cost devices, recently came out with a new set of $99 "Ear Stick" earbuds. We picked up some of the new earbuds and thought we'd check them out to see how they measure up to Apple's AirPods.

Stylized as the Nothing Ear (stick), the earbuds from Nothing have a rather unique design. You can see the hardware inside the stem thanks to the clear housing, something that Nothing also did with the matching Nothing Phone.

The Nothing Ear Stick earbuds are more similar in design to the third-generation AirPods than AirPods Pro, and there is no silicone tip. Instead, it features what Nothing says is an ergonomic design, with an earbud that sits in the outer part of the ear like the AirPods. Size wise, the Nothing Ear Stick earbuds are almost the size of the AirPods 3.

Unsurprisingly, the fit of the Ear Stick is similar to the AirPods, and we found them to be comfortable to wear. There are squeeze-based gestures for pausing/playing, swapping tracks, and changing volume, with customization options available in the accompanying app.

The sound is decent, and with EQ adjustments, the Ear Stick earbuds offer a similar sound profile to the third-generation AirPods. There is a 12.6mm driver inside the earbuds, and with some tweaking, the bass is more noticeable than on the AirPods.

There are some Apple-like features available, such as ear detection for playing/pausing music and the option to locate a sound when the earbuds are misplaced, plus the app supports battery percentages, gesture customization, and sound adjustments.

While the Ear Stick earbuds themselves are similar in design to the AirPods, Nothing went in a different direction with the case. There is a tube-shaped case that resembles lipstick, which the earbuds fit inside for charging purposes. The USB-C case can be twisted to open it up to get to the earbuds, and it adds 22 hours of play time.

The Nothing Ear Stick earbuds can be paired to an iOS device and they are available as an AirPods alternative for those who are interested, but features like automatic pairing and quick device switching will not be available, which is always a downside when using third-party earbuds with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Do-it-yourself repair website iFixit today shared a video teardown of Apple's new 10th-generation iPad, providing a closer look inside the tablet and revealing why the device lacks support for the second-generation Apple Pencil.

The teardown reveals the internal layout of the iPad, including its two-cell 7,606 mAh battery, logic board with the A14 Bionic chip, and more.

As suspected, the teardown shows that components for the iPad's landscape-positioned front camera occupy the space where the wireless charging coil would have been located for the second-generation Apple Pencil. As a result, the device is only compatible with the first-generation Apple Pencil, with an adapter required for pairing and charging.

iFixit also confirmed that the iPad has stretch-release battery pull tabs like the fifth-generation iPad Air and the sixth-generation iPad mini, making it easier for repair shops and customers to replace the battery. In comparison, the ninth-generation iPad and many other older iPads have completely glued-in battery cells.

iFixit was disappointed that the iPad's USB-C port is soldered to the logic board and noted that Apple's self-service repair program does not currently offer parts, manuals, or tools for iPads, making it harder for customers to complete their own repairs.

Apple released the 10th-generation iPad in late October. Key new features include a 10.9-inch display with slim bezels, flat edges, A14 Bionic chip, USB-C port, Touch ID power button, landscape-positioned FaceTime camera, 5G support on cellular models, Wi-Fi 6, and a new two-piece Magic Keyboard Folio accessory with a row of function keys. Pricing starts at $449, while the ninth-generation iPad remains available for $329.

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming macOS Ventura 13.1 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta launching two weeks after Apple seeded the third 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.

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.

Apple today seeded the fourth betas of upcoming iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the betas coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas of iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2.

Registered developers are able to download the iOS 16‌.2 and iPadOS 16.2 profiles from the Apple Developer Center, and once installed, the beta is available over the air.

iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 include the Freeform app, which can be used for jotting down notes, sketching, drawing, brainstorming ideas, creating mood boards, and more. Multiple people can work on the same Freeform board, with changes synced for all participants in real time.

For the iPad, iPadOS 16.2 brings external display support to the Stage Manager multitasking feature, allowing up to eight apps to be used at once. External display support is available for the M1 and M2 ‌iPad‌ models.

Apple has added a new Home app architecture coming in iOS and iPadOS 16.2, which Apple says is designed to bring faster, more reliable performance, especially in homes with a lot of smart home accessories. The new architecture requires the HomePod 16.2 beta software, and it causes the Home app not to work with devices updated to iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, or macOS Ventura 13.1.

Unintentional Emergency SOS calls can be reported to Apple in iOS 16.2, there's a new Sleep widget, live sports scores are back for the TV app, there are changes to always on display on the iPhone 14 Pro, and more, with full details available in our iOS 16.2 feature guide. iOS 16.2 is expected to see a release in mid-December.

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming watchOS 9.2 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming two weeks after the launch of the third watchOS 9.2 beta.

To install the new ‌watchOS 9.2 update, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center.

Once installed, ‌watchOS 9.2‌ 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.

watchOS 9.2 introduces support for a new Home app architecture that has also been added to iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, and macOS Ventura. The update also adds a race route workout feature for runners and cyclists. Race Route is designed to allow athletes to compete against themselves on a route they've already completed or tracked as an outdoor run or outdoor cycle on Apple Watch.