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For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Southern Straps to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an Apple Watch Series 8 in aluminum and a matching nylon Southern Straps Apple Watch band.

Southern Straps is a small business that makes a range of Apple Watch bands available in both leather and nylon materials. There are 18 watch band styles in total, all of which can be ordered with custom hardware in black, silver, and gold to match your Apple Watch.

The bands from Southern Straps are available in sizes that work with all models of the Apple Watch, from the older 38mm Apple Watch to the new 49mm Apple Watch Ultra. The hand stitched leather bands come in either black or brown leather, while there's a whole selection of colors available in nylon. Leather bands are priced at $69, and nylon bands are priced at $49, plus there's a buy two get a third free deal.

All of the nylon bands from Southern Straps are made from a single piece of nylon that is doubled over, heat sealed, and stitched for impressive durability. Southern Straps is so confident in the sturdiness of the nylon band that they offer a five year warranty for each one.

Nylon bands are equipped with pegged spring bars so the hardware can be swapped out or upgraded for changes in watch material or watch sizing. The nylon bands are available in solid colors like green, sand, black, and there are also several multicolor striped options. Two colors like green and blue or black and grey are available, and there are even three-color options like blue, black, and orange.

Southern Straps bands are ideal for everyday wear, from sports activities to work and play. All of the bands are hand made, and the company's goal is to ensure that only the best quality straps end up on customer wrists.

We have one aluminum Apple Watch Series 8 (winner to pick size) and one nylon Southern Straps band up for grabs. To enter to win our giveaway, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older, UK residents who are 18 years or older, and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. All federal, state, provincial, and/or local taxes, fees, and surcharges are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (December 9) at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time on December 16. The winner will be chosen randomly on December 16 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.

Starting with iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, and macOS 13.1, all of which are expected to be released next week, users have the option to enable a new Advanced Data Protection feature that expands end-to-end encryption to many additional areas of iCloud, including Messages backups, Photos, Notes, Reminders, Voice Memos, and more.

To protect users, Apple does not allow Advanced Data Protection to be enabled from a brand new device for an unspecified period after the device was first set up and added to a user's Apple ID account. We have seen dates range from late January to early February for when users will be able to turn on the feature from a new device. This buffer helps to prevent a malicious actor from enabling the feature if a user is hacked.

Users can still enable Advanced Data Protection from an older device they added to the same Apple ID account, such as another iPhone, iPad, or Mac. In this case, all devices added to that Apple ID account are fully protected by the expanded end-to-end encryption for iCloud, including newer ones that are still in the waiting period.

Turning on Advanced Data Protection removes your encryption keys from Apple's servers for the iCloud categories protected by the feature, ensuring that your data remains secure even in the case of a data breach in the cloud. When the feature is enabled, the encryption keys are only stored on your trusted Apple devices, meaning that they cannot be accessed by Apple or others. The feature can be turned off at any time, at which point your devices will securely upload the encryption keys to Apple's servers again.

When Advanced Data Protection is enabled, access to your data via iCloud.com is disabled by default. Users can turn on data access on iCloud.com, which allows the web browser and Apple to have temporary access to data-specific encryption keys.

iCloud already protects 14 data categories using end-to-end encryption by default, without Advanced Data Protection enabled, including passwords stored in iCloud Keychain, Health data, Apple Maps search history, Apple Card transactions, and more. Apple has a support document with a chart detailing what is protected by standard levels of encryption and what is protected by Advanced Data Protection when enabled.

Advanced Data Protection is available for U.S. users only at launch and will start rolling out to the rest of the world in early 2023, according to Apple. For more details about the feature, read our coverage of Apple's announcement earlier this week.

All-time low prices on Apple's AirPods lineup have been hard to come by in the wake of Black Friday, but on Verizon you can still get the best price we've ever tracked on the first-generation AirPods Pro with MagSafe Charging Case. This model is available for $159.99, down from their original price of $249.99.

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

As with other Verizon sales, free two day shipping is available and you don't need to be a Verizon customer to get this deal. This price point on the AirPods Pro is a match of the all-time low price that we saw over Black Friday.

Stock for the 2021 AirPods Pro has been dwindling since the announcement of the second generation model, so Verizon's deal today makes for a great chance to get the previous generation model at its best price before it disappears again.

This model of the AirPods Pro was introduced in 2021 with the MagSafe Charging Case, but otherwise the headphones themselves are the same as the 2019 AirPods Pro.

If you're looking for latest second-generation AirPods Pro, Verizon also has a discount on those, bringing them down to $199.99 from $249.99.

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

Apple is accepting orders for the HomePod mini in Finland, Norway, and Sweden on its online store. The smart speaker is available in space gray, white, blue, orange, and yellow and is estimated for delivery in 4-6 business days in each country.

HomePod mini pricing is set at €109 in Finland, 1,249 kr in Norway, and 1,295 kr in Sweden, compared to $99 in the United States.

Apple previously announced that the HomePod mini would be available in these countries starting December 13 and orders can be placed in advance. Apple said the HomePod mini will also be available in South Africa starting December 19 and in Denmark next year.

Apple first released the HomePod mini in the U.S. and select other countries in November 2020. With Siri, the smart speaker can be used for listening to music, controlling HomeKit smart home accessories, setting a timer, and other tasks. Beyond new colors, the device has not received any hardware changes since launching two years ago.

iOS 16 is installed on almost 70% of compatible devices as the update's 100-day launch anniversary approaches, according to third-party analytics website Mixpanel.

iOS 16 was released to the public on September 12, 2022, and was initially doing better than last year's iOS 15 update regarding how quickly users were updating their iPhone to the newest version. Apple periodically shares adoption numbers for its latest operating system but has not yet done so for iOS 16.

According to Mixpanel, iOS 16 is installed on 68.90% of devices, with iOS 15 at 24.82% and iPhones running older operating systems at around 7%. iOS 16 has had multiple updates since its release in September, addressing bugs being experienced by users previously causing some to be reluctant to update.

Apple is expected to release iOS 16.2 this month, bringing multiple new features to iPhone users, including Apple Music Sing, Advanced Data Protection, new Lock Screen widgets, new options for the always-on display on the iPhone 14 Pro, and more.

Foxconn, Apple's largest supplier, has invested $500 million in India to bolster its production capabilities in the country as the Cupertino tech-giant and its partners ramp up efforts to diversify the supply chain, South China Morning Post reports.

The report cites documents filed in the Taiwan Stock Exchange which show that Foxconn has invested $500 million into its Indian subsidiary in hopes of increasing its production capacity in India. Foxconn already has an existing presence in the country, producing select iPhone models, including the iPhone 14 with reported plans to make other products, such as the iPad.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Apple was making more aggressive plans to move its supply chain solely out of China and into other countries such as India and Vietnam. Apple warned last month that the supply of iPhone 14 Pro models would be heavily constrained due to ongoing disruption to Foxconn's ‌iPhone‌ production plants in China.

Ahead of the holidays, the supply of Apple's highest-end ‌iPhone‌ models remains heavily limited, with the company's online store estimating a three-week wait for customers looking for the latest ‌iPhone‌. Apple CEO Tim Cook said during the company's last earnings call that it's "working hard" to meet the demand for the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro Max.

Last month, Geekbench scores for an unannounced Mac running the upcoming M2 Max chip surfaced online, showing only minor performance increases compared to the M1 Max. Now, another set of scores claiming to be for the ‌M2‌ Max chip has surfaced online, showing a larger jump in performance.

In the Geekbench scores last week, the ‌M2‌ Max chip scored 1,853 in single-core and 13,855 in multi-core, representing only a minor jump compared to its predecessor. Now, in a new set of scores alleged for the ‌M2‌ Max, the chip scored 2,027 in single-core and 14,888 in multi-core. For reference, the ‌M1 Max‌ chip achieves 1,755 in single-core and 12,334 in multi-core.

The new Geekbench scores offer no further details over any upcoming Macs, which we expect first to be 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros. The scores list the chip as running on a Mac with an identifier "Mac14,6" with 96GB of memory and running macOS Ventura 13.2. The only difference between today's scores and last month's ones is that the updated scores show an ‌M2‌ Max chip with a higher base frequency of 3.68 GHz compared to 3.54 GHz, which could explain the higher scores.

Apple was initially expected to announce updated Macs with ‌M2‌ Pro and ‌M2‌ Max chips in November this year, but the company pushed plans until early 2023. Apple has multiple new Macs in the work, including an updated iMac and MacBook Pro.

The Google Chrome app for Mac was today updated with new Memory Saver and Energy Saver modes, which are designed to give users more control over memory usage and battery life.

Memory Saver mode frees up memory from tabs that are not being actively used, allowing for a smoother experience for tabs that are in use. Google says that this mode is particularly useful when doing other system intensive tasks like editing videos or playing games. Tabs that are inactive are reloaded when needed.

With Energy Saver mode, Chrome will automatically limit battery draining tasks when the battery hits 20 percent. Background activity will be limited, as will visual effects for websites with animations and videos.

Energy Saver and Memory Saver can be toggled on or off using the three-dot menu in Chrome, and important websites can be marked as exempt from Memory Saver.

The new modes are rolling out with the latest release of the Chrome app for Mac (version 108), and will be available to all users around the world in the coming weeks.

Satechi today announced the launch of a new Duo Wireless Charger Power Stand, which is capable of charging up to three devices at one time with a built-in 10,000mAh battery.

Priced at $99.99, the Duo Wireless Charger Power Stand features a folding design with a magnetic charging base for the iPhone. The charging platform features Qi-based wireless charging, maxing out at 7.5W. There is also a platform for charging the AirPods, with 10W charging total possible.

Satechi says that the stand has been designed for making hands-free calls, streaming videos, listening to music, and more while on the go. The dock can be placed flush with the base or upright for viewing in landscape or portrait modes.

Along with the wireless charging platforms for ‌iPhone‌ and AirPods, there is also a USB-C port for charging one additional device. Because the stand is foldable, it can be tucked in a pocket or a backpack for charging anywhere.

The Satechi Duo Wireless Charger Power Stand can be purchased from the Satechi website for $99.99, but there is a 25 percent off discount available with the promo code DUO25 through December 15.

Samsung today began a new winter deals event, offering sales on TVs, tablets, monitors, memory, audio accessories, and more. The "Discover Samsung" event is set to run through December 15 and introduce new deals of the day every day of the sale.

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.

Below we've collected a few of the highlights of the sale, particularly focusing on major discounts on Samsung TVs and monitors. The new sale continues Samsung's discount on the 32-inch Smart Monitor M8, available for $399.99 in select colors, down from $729.99, an all-time low price on the iMac-like monitor.

TVs

• 50-inch The Frame Smart TV - $899.99, down from $1,299.99
• 55-inch OLED 4K Smart TV - $1,449.99, down from $2,099.99
• 75-inch Neo QLED 4K Smart TV - $1,799.99, down from $2,599.99
• 85-inch QLED 4K Smart TV - $2,199.99, down from $3,299.99

Monitors

• 24-inch LED Monitor - $99.99, down from $179.99
• 32-inch Smart Monitor M5 - $199.99, down from $299.99
• 32-inch Smart Monitor M7 - $299.99, down from $399.99
• 32-inch Smart Monitor M8 - $399.99, down from $729.99
• 49-inch Odyssey G9 Gaming Monitor - $899.99, down from $1,499.99
• 55-inch Odyssey Ark 4K Curved Monitor - $2,499.99, down from $3,499.99

Storage

• 980 PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD 500GB - $49.99, down from $59.99
• 980 PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD 1TB - $89.99, down from $119.99
• 870 EVO SATA 2.5" SSD 1TB - $89.99, down from $119.99
• 870 QVO SATA III 2.5" SSD 2TB - $179.99, down from $199.99

Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.

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

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

Apple Music Sing

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

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

Advanced Data Protection

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

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

Freeform App

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

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

Two New Lock Screen Widgets

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

New Always-On Display Options

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

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

Live Activities for Sports Scores via Apple TV App

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

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

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

New AirDrop Setting

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

New Home App Architecture

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

Other New Features

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What does it do and why is it new?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Can I use it now?

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

Is it free?

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

What has the reaction been?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple's AirPods Max were announced two years ago today, marking the company's first push into the high-end over-ear headphones market under its own brand name.

Rumors about Apple's work on a pair of high-end headphones, at the time believed to be called the "AirPods Studio," heated up throughout 2020. They were announced abruptly via an unexpected press release on December 8, 2020 and went on sale the same day. Orders started arriving to customers one week later on Tuesday, December 15.

The ‌AirPods Max‌ offer many popular AirPods features such as the H1 chip, easy pairing, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, automatic switching, Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, but in a premium over-ear design for the first time. They also offer a headband made of a flexible mesh canopy, replaceable magnetic earcups, a Digital Crown for volume control, a button for switching between ANC and Transparency, and a Smart Case for storage and to put the headphones into a low power state.

Demand for the ‌AirPods Max‌ was high immediately after launch, with shipping estimates that stretched out several months. Initial reviews of AirPods Max were favorable, applauding the headphones for being "more than enough to compete with other high-end headphones." While the recommended retail price remains at $549, the ‌AirPods Max‌ are often available with discounts up to around $100.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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