MacRumors

2024 is just a few days away, and there are many iOS 17 and iOS 18 features that are expected to launch throughout the year.

Below, we have recapped new iOS features expected in 2024, including Stolen Device Protection, collaborative Apple Music playlists, AirPlay on hotel room TVs, app sideloading in the EU, next-generation CarPlay, roadside assistance via satellite outside of the U.S., RCS support in the Messages app, and generative AI for Siri.

Stolen Device Protection

Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal reported about thieves spying on an iPhone user's passcode before stealing the device, often in public places like bars. With knowledge of the passcode, the thief can then change the victim's Apple ID password, turn off Find My, and more to gain full control of the device. The thief can also use the passcode to gain access to passwords stored in iCloud Keychain and other sensitive information.

Stolen Device Protection is Apple's hopeful solution to the problem. Apple says the feature is designed to add an additional layer of security in the event someone has stolen your iPhone and also obtained the device's passcode.

When the feature is turned on, Face ID or Touch ID authentication is strictly required for the following actions, with a passcode fallback no longer available:

• Accessing passwords or passkeys saved in iCloud Keychain
• Applying for a new Apple Card or viewing an Apple Card's virtual number
• Turning off Lost Mode
• Erasing all content and settings
• Taking certain Apple Cash and Apple Card Savings actions in the Wallet app
• Using payment methods saved in Safari
• Using your iPhone to set up a new device

For especially sensitive actions, including changing the password of the Apple ID account associated with the iPhone, the feature adds a one-hour security delay on top of biometric authentication. In these cases, the user must authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID, wait one hour, and authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID again. However, Apple says there is no delay when the iPhone is in familiar locations, such as at home or work.

Actions that require Face ID or Touch ID authentication, and have a one-hour security delay, when the feature is turned on:

• Changing your Apple ID password
• Updating select Apple ID security settings, including adding or removing a trusted device, trusted phone number, Recovery Key, or Recovery Contact
• Changing your iPhone passcode
• Adding or removing Face ID or Touch ID
• Turning off Find My
• Turning off Stolen Device Protection

Stolen Device Protection is an opt-in feature that can be found in the Settings app under Face ID & Passcode, and it is available for all iPhones that are compatible with iOS 17. iPhone users who update to the iOS 17.3 beta are able to preview the feature.

Apple plans to share additional information about the feature once iOS 17.3 is released widely.

Apple Music Collaborative Playlists

A new Collaborative Playlists option for Apple Music subscribers allows multiple people to add, reorder, and remove songs in a shared playlist. Users are able to leave animated emoji reactions next to songs in the playlist.

This feature was initially expected to launch with iOS 17.2, but it was removed from that update towards the end of the beta testing period. The feature was re-added in iOS 17.3, and Apple's website confirms that it will return in 2024.

AirPlay on Hotel Room TVs

Following the release of iOS 17.2, Apple updated its website to indicate that an AirPlay feature for hotel room TVs has been delayed until next year.

Apple originally said the feature was "coming later this year," but it now says it will be "coming in an update in 2024." Apple did not provide a more specific timeframe, but the feature should be added in an iOS 17 update in the first half of next year.

The feature will allow iPhone users to scan a QR code on their hotel room TV to establish an AirPlay connection, allowing them to wirelessly stream videos, photos, and music from their iPhone to the TV. Google already offers a similar feature on some hotel TVs, allowing guests to stream content from their smartphone via Chromecast.

Apple in June said Holiday Inn parent company IHG Hotels & Resorts would be one of the first hotel chains to adopt the feature.

App Sideloading in EU

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last year reported that Apple was preparing to allow app sideloading on the iPhone in order to comply with the European Union's Digital Markets Act. This would allow users to install apps outside of Apple's App Store, but the change is only expected to be made in European Union countries, at least initially.

Gurman recently said that he expects app sideloading in the EU to roll out in an iOS 17 update released in the first half of 2024.

Next-Generation CarPlay

Apple said that the first vehicles with support for its next-generation CarPlay system would be announced in late 2023, and it delivered on that promise with just days to spare. Earlier this month, Aston Martin and Porsche previewed what the next-generation CarPlay experience will look like in some of their upcoming vehicles.

Aston Martin confirmed that it will release its first vehicles with next-generation CarPlay in 2024, but there is no specific timeframe, and details remain slim.

Apple first previewed the next-generation CarPlay experience in June 2022, promising deeper integration with the instrument cluster and climate controls, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, a dedicated FM radio app, widgets, and more. The interface can be tailored to each specific vehicle model and automaker's brand identity.

When first unveiling next-generation CarPlay last year, Apple said committed automakers included Acura, Audi, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Polestar, Porsche, Renault, and Volvo. Beyond the addition of Aston Martin, it's unclear if this list has changed since that initial announcement.

Roadside Assistance via Satellite Outside U.S.

Starting with iOS 17, all iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models offer a roadside assistance via satellite feature that allows users in the U.S. to contact roadside assistance company AAA for vehicle service when outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage.

Apple said the feature is available "beginning" in the U.S., so it will likely expand to some additional countries starting in 2024.

RCS Support

In November, Apple announced that it will support the cross-platform messaging standard RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone starting "later next year," so it will likely be an iOS 18 feature based on that timeframe.

RCS support should result in the following improvements to the default messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices:

• Higher-resolution photos and videos
• Audio messages
• Typing indicators
• Read receipts
• Wi-Fi messaging between iPhones and Android devices
• Improved group chats, including the ability for iPhone users to leave a conversation that includes Android users
• Improved encryption compared to SMS

These modern features are already available for iPhone-to-iPhone conversations with blue bubbles, via iMessage, and many of the features are also available in third-party messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Telegram. RCS support on the iPhone will extend the features to green bubbles in the Messages app.

Smarter Siri

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects iOS 18 to feature generative AI technology that "should improve how both Siri and the Messages app can field questions and auto-complete sentences." He said Apple has also explored generative AI features for other apps across its platforms, including Apple Music, Pages, Keynote, and Xcode.

The Information reported that Apple plans to incorporate large language models into Siri to let users automate complex tasks, a feature that would involve deeper integration with the Shortcuts app. The report said this feature is expected to be released in an iPhone software update coming next year, which would likely be iOS 18.

Generative AI surged in popularity last year when OpenAI released ChatGPT, a chatbot that can respond to questions and other prompts. Google and Microsoft released similar chatbots earlier this year, as more companies race into the space. The chatbots are trained on large language models, allowing them to respond like a human.

Amazon today has a collection of M3 MacBook Pro models on sale at all-time low prices, including both 14-inch and 16-inch notebooks. Most of the MacBook Pros will arrive in the second week of January at this point.

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

The highlight of the sale is the 8-Core M3, 1TB 14-inch MacBook Pro for $1,549.00, down from $1,799.00. This is a record low price on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, and it's only available in Space Gray.

For the larger display, Amazon has the 12-Core M3 Pro, 36GB RAM, 512GB 16-inch MacBook Pro for $2,599.00, down from $2,899.00. This, along with a pair of deals on other M3 Pro and M3 Max models, represent all-time low prices on the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

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

Inverse's Raymond Wong today published an in-depth overview of Apple's increasing push towards high-end gaming on the Mac. The story includes commentary from Apple marketing managers Gordon Keppel and Leland Martin.

One of the biggest reasons that gaming has improved on the Mac in recent years is the switch from Intel processors to Apple silicon, resulting in MacBooks providing industry-leading performance-per-watt. In addition, the latest M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips for the Mac feature hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading for improved graphics rendering, which is especially beneficial for high-end AAA games.

"Now, every Mac that ships with Apple silicon can play AAA games pretty fantastically," said Keppel. "Apple silicon has been transformative of our mainstream systems that got tremendous boosts in graphics with M1, M2, and now with M3."

Apple silicon also results in the Mac having the same underlying hardware architecture as the iPhone and iPad, simplifying the development process.

"If you look at the Mac lineup just a few years ago, there was a mix of both integrated and discrete GPUs," said Martin. "That can add complexity when you're developing games. Because you have multiple different hardware permutations to consider. Today, we've effectively eliminated that completely with Apple silicon, creating a unified gaming platform now across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Once a game is designed for one platform, it's a straightforward process to bring it to the other two. We're seeing this play out with games like Resident Evil Village that launched first [on Mac] followed by iPhone and iPad."

A new technology built into the M3 family of chips is Dynamic Caching, which allows the GPU to allocate memory usage in real time. Apple says this capability "dramatically increases GPU utilization and performance" for demanding apps and games.

Apple has made gaming-related improvements on the software side, too. macOS Sonoma features a new Game Mode that temporarily prioritizes CPU and GPU performance for gaming. Game Mode also lowers AirPods audio latency, and reduces input latency with popular third-party game controllers by doubling the Bluetooth sampling rate.

Earlier this year, Apple released a new toolkit that makes it easier for game developers to port Windows games to the Mac. The toolkit provides an emulation environment that allows developers to run their existing, unmodified Windows game on the Mac and quickly evaluate how well the game could run on macOS before writing any code.

"We've definitely seen interest from developers and publishers like Kojima Productions and Annapurna Interactive Games on how to take advantage of both parts of the Game Porting Toolkit," Martin said. "When you download the toolkit, there's really two parts to it. There's that emulation environment and that's helped demonstrate today's game — you drop in an existing Windows game and see how well it could run on the Mac. The second part is the Metal shader converter and that's there to help developers convert their tens of thousands of shader code into Metal. And they've praised how incredibly useful this is and how it's saved them a bunch of time in their development timeline."

Several high-profile games launched on the Mac this year, including a Resident Evil 4 remake, Resident Evil Village, Stray, and Baldur's Gate 3. Death Stranding Director's Cut and Assassin's Creed Mirage are also expected to launch on the Mac next year.

The full interview at Inverse is a worthwhile read for those interested in gaming on the Mac.

Apple's second-generation Vision Pro headset will feature more advanced micro-OLED displays that offer higher brightness and improved efficiency, according to market research firm Omdia (via The Elec).

Apple is reportedly planning to upgrade the Vision Pro to an RGB OLEDoS display in 2027, a notable improvement over the WOLED with color filter used in the first-generation model. RGB OLEDoS technology produces light and color directly from nearby RGB sub-pixels on a single layer, putting an end to the need for a color filter.

This results in significantly higher brightness compared to WOLED and color filter OLEDoS displays, which depend on filtering white light through an RGB color layer. It is also markedly more efficient than WOLED and color filter technology.

Samsung is currently the only company capable of supplying RGB OLEDoS displays following its acquisition of eMagin earlier this year, with the company likely set to take over from Sony in Apple's supply chain if it proceeds with the upgrade.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, like Omdia, previously mentioned a 2027 launch time frame for the second-generation Vision Pro headset. He said that it is possible there will be no hardware updates for the Vision Pro until then. There have been several reports of Apple planning to launch a lower-cost headset as soon as 2025, but there is some skepticism about whether these plans are still in place.

2023 was a relatively iterative year for Apple product releases, but there were still many notable announcements and surprises throughout the year. Apple previewed its upcoming Vision Pro headset, the full-sized HomePod made a comeback, the iPhone finally switched to USB-C, leather accessories were discontinued, and much more.

Below, we recap some of the most noteworthy Apple news stories of 2023, in no particular order.

Behold the Vision Pro

After several years of rumors about Apple planning an augmented reality/virtual reality headset, the company officially unveiled the Vision Pro in June. Apple says the headset will be available in the U.S. starting in early 2024, with pricing set at a staggering $3,499.

Vision Pro will allow you to interact with apps as if they are floating in the air. The headset is powered by an all-new operating system called visionOS, and it can be controlled with your eyes and hands. It has an Apple Watch-like Digital Crown for switching between virtual reality and augmented reality, and it is powered by an external battery pack.

Read our Vision Pro roundup for more details about the headset.

The Return of the HomePod

The full-sized HomePod made a comeback this year, as Apple announced a new model in January.

The second-generation HomePod features a virtually identical design as the full-sized model that was discontinued in 2021. However, it has two fewer tweeters and two fewer microphones compared to the original model, and it has an added sensor that can measure temperature and humidity in indoor environments. Many early reviews of the latest HomePod said it has very similar sound quality as the original model.

In the U.S., the HomePod is priced at $299, with white and midnight color options available.

iPhone Goes USB-C — Finally!

It finally happened. After years of hopes and rumors, all iPhone 15 models are equipped with a USB-C port instead of Lightning.

While the USB-C port on iPhones is completely standard, only the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max support USB 3.2 data transfer speeds of up to 10 Gbps. The lower-end iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are limited to USB 2.0 data transfer speeds of up to 480 Mbps, which is equal to Lightning speeds on previous iPhones.

All iPhone 15 models can charge an Apple Watch, AirPods case, and other small accessories connected to the USB-C port, and support DisplayPort for up to 4K HDR video mirroring and video output to an external display or TV.

Apple still sells a handful of devices and accessories with Lightning ports, all of which will likely be updated with USB-C or discontinued in the future.

Green Bubble Dreams

In November, Apple announced that it will support the cross-platform messaging standard RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone starting "later next year." Based on that timeframe, RCS support will likely be added as part of iOS 18.

RCS support should result in the following improvements to the default messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices:

• Higher-resolution photos and videos
• Audio messages
• Typing indicators
• Read receipts
• Wi-Fi messaging between iPhones and Android devices
• Improved group chats, including the ability for iPhone users to leave a conversation that includes Android users
• Improved encryption compared to SMS

These modern features are already available for iPhone-to-iPhone conversations with blue bubbles, via iMessage, and many of the features are also available in third-party messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Telegram. RCS support on the iPhone will extend the features to green bubbles in the Messages app.

Google had been urging Apple to adopt RCS for a few years.

All the Apple Wallet News

2023 was a big year for the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone, as several new features launched, including the Apple Card savings account, Apple Pay Later financing option, and more. However, it wasn't all good news on this front, as it was reported that the Apple Card's financial partner Goldman Sachs will be out in the next year or so.

M3 Trio

During its Halloween-themed "Scary Fast" event in October, Apple announced the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips for the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro all at once, rather than holding the Pro and Max chips for a later time.

Apple updated the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M3 Pro and M3 Max chips, and there is also an entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the standard M3 chip. Other new features for the laptops include a Space Black finish for M3 Pro and M3 Max configurations, and 20% brighter displays for standard content.

Goodbye Leather, Hello FineWoven

As part of its efforts to be environmentally friendly, Apple discontinued all of its leather accessories this year, including iPhone cases, Apple Watch bands, AirTag holders, the MagSafe Wallet, and more. Apple unveiled a new FineWoven material as a replacement for leather, but customers complained about quality issues.

Bloomberg's Jessica Nix referred to FineWoven as Apple's "biggest dud of 2023."

Final Cut Pro for iPad

YouTubers rejoiced this year when Apple expanded its video creation app Final Cut Pro to the iPad. The app was previously only available on the Mac.

Apple says Final Cut Pro for the iPad is optimized for the device's touch-first interface, providing the "ultimate mobile studio for video and music creators." The app is priced at $4.99 per month or $49 per year in the U.S., after a one-month free trial, and it is compatible with iPad models equipped with the M1 chip or newer.

Apple also released its music creation app Logic Pro for the iPad.

Next-Generation CarPlay Teaser

Apple said that the first vehicles with support for its next-generation CarPlay system would be announced in late 2023, and it delivered on that promise with just days to spare. Earlier this month, Aston Martin and Porsche previewed what the next-generation CarPlay experience will look like in some of their upcoming vehicles.

Aston Martin confirmed that it will release its first vehicles with next-generation CarPlay in 2024, but there is no specific timeframe and details remain slim.

Apple first previewed the next-generation CarPlay experience in June 2022, promising deeper integration with the instrument cluster and climate controls, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, a dedicated FM radio app, widgets, and more. The interface can be tailored to each specific vehicle model and automaker's brand identity.

When first unveiling next-generation CarPlay last year, Apple said committed automakers included Acura, Audi, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Polestar, Porsche, Renault, and Volvo. Beyond the addition of Aston Martin, it's unclear if this list has changed since that initial announcement.

Apple Watch Sales Ban

Earlier this month, Apple paused sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the U.S. due to a patent dispute with medical tech company Masimo, which has accused Apple of poaching its employees and stealing trade secrets in order to develop the blood oxygen sensing feature available on the Apple Watch Series 6 and newer.

In January, the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that Apple had infringed on a Masimo patent related to blood oxygen sensing, and it ordered an import and sales ban for Apple Watch models offering the feature. However, Apple appealed the decision in court and was granted a temporary stay, so the ban is lifted for now.

Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 are back in some of Apple's retail stores in the United States today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Select stores will have availability today, while all stores will have the Apple Watch models back in stock by December 30. Online sales of the devices are set to resume tomorrow by 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

Apple is able to begin selling the Apple Watch models again after the U.S. Court of Appeals temporarily paused the import ban levied by the U.S. International Trade Commission. It's likely that Apple will be able to sell the Apple Watch models through most of January, and perhaps longer depending on what the court decides.

The import ban has been halted while the appeals court determines whether a longer pause should be implemented while the full ITC vs. Apple appeal plays out. If that happens, the import ban will be stayed for several months, but if the appeals court decides not to stay the ban during the appeals process, Apple will need to stop sales again.

The U.S. ITC has until January 10 to argue its case for the import ban to restart immediately, and the appeals court is accepting letters supporting or opposing the import ban through January 15. After that, the court will make a final ruling on the stay.

Apple paused Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 sales online on December 21 and in stores after December 24 to comply with an ITC ruling. The ITC banned imports of Apple Watch components related to blood oxygen monitoring technology after it decided the Apple Watch infringes on patents owned by medical device company Masimo.

The temporary stay on the ban not only allows Apple to resume sales for now, but it also gives Apple time to provide adequate stock to third-party retailers in case the ban is reinstated. Apple retail stores in the United States will have to stop selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 if that happens, but the ban does not extend to retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, and Target.

Today we're tracking a collection of deals on Apple accessories, many of which are at all-time low prices this week. This includes AirTag, MagSafe Charger, Apple Pencil 2, MagSafe Duo Charger, and the Pro Display XDR. All of these deals can be found on Amazon.

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.

Highlights include the AirTag at $23.99 ($6 off) and AirTag 4-Pack at $78.99 ($20 off), both of which are just a few dollars away from their previous all-time low prices and are the best prices we've tracked during the holiday season.

For MagSafe products, there's the MagSafe Charger at $29.00 ($10 off) and MagSafe Duo Charger at $98.50 ($30 off). These are also just a few dollars short of their record low prices, and certainly the best deals you'll find for the remainder of 2023.

Lastly, Amazon has the Apple Pencil 2 at $89.00 ($40 off) and there's also a record low price on the Pro Display XDR (Standard Glass), priced at $4,399.99, down from $4,999.00.

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

The ban on imports of Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models has today been temporarily paused, meaning that the devices can now go back on sale for a short while longer in the United States.

Apple filed an emergency request to the United States Court of Appeals following President Biden's decision to decline a veto on the sales ban, allowing it to take effect earlier this week. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit today accepted an interim stay while the court reviews Apple's request for a full stay for the length of the appeal, effectively pausing the ban on Apple Watch imports for a brief period.

The International Trade Commission (ITC) now has until January 10 to file its response to Apple's request for a full stay while the appeal plays out. The ITC initiated proceedings against Apple after Masimo accuses Apple of hiring away its employees to steal technology related to blood oxygen monitoring in the Apple Watch.

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 is continuing work on a new HomePod model that features a curved LCD display, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami."

The device, codenamed B720, apparently features the same design as the current ‌HomePod‌ but with a curved, convex LCD screen at the top to display content.

In October, Kosutami shared images of component parts that allegedly belong to a prototype touch screen ‌HomePod‌. Other reports at the time claimed to verify the legitimacy of these images with other sources.

Apple is believed to be working to adapt Apple Music and Apple Podcasts to be compatible with the new display, which will show a blurred animation based on the colors of the album art when a song or podcast is playing. The screen could also potentially show important notifications.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman was first to suggest in 2021 that Apple is working on new HomePods with displays and cameras. Earlier this year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed Apple plans to release a redesigned HomePod with a 7-inch display in the first half of 2024.

In the long term, Apple is believed to be rethinking its smart home strategy, and is working on a combined Apple TV and HomePod device, as well as a ‌HomePod‌ with a screen mounted on a robotic arm, according to a Gurman.

Health technology company AliveCor has praised the International Trade Commission (ITC)'s ban on sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the United States.

AliveCor, like Masimo, accuses Apple of violating its patents related to heath technology used in the Apple Watch. While Masimo's fight focuses on the Apple Watch's blood oxygen sensing capabilities, AliveCor contends that Apple is in breach of patent with its ECG technology.

AliveCor demonstrated a prototype Apple Watch band with a built-in ECG sensor to Apple in 2015. Apple then unveiled its own built-in ECG technology in 2018 with the Apple Watch Series 4, leading AliveCor to argue that Apple had stolen its technology and request that the ITC bans Apple Watch sales in the United States. AliveCor also initiated an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, alleging that it was making it needlessly difficult for third-party apps to access the Apple Watch's heart rate data.

In a statement to 9to5Mac, AliveCor expressed its support for Masimo and praised the move to ban Apple Watch sales:

This is the second time in less than 12 months President Biden has allowed an International Trade Commission Limited Exclusion Order (LEO) to stand against imports of Apple Watches that violate the patents of small U.S. innovators. Earlier this year, AliveCor's patent for its FDA-cleared personal electrocardiogram (ECG) technology was similarly affirmed and we share our support today for Masimo's tenacity in its face off with Apple. Innovator companies and health consumers alike should be encouraged that industry giants are increasingly being held accountable for anticompetitive practices that would ultimately limit access to potentially life-saving technology.

The ITC ruled in favor of AliveCor's patent infringement claims, but the case did not result in a ban on Apple Watch sales as AliveCor hoped. Unlike AliveCor, Masimo argues that Apple actively hired its engineers and key executives to steal technology.

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.

Amazon Prime Video will introduce limited ads to its content starting on January 29, offering an ad-free option for an additional fee.

In an email to subscribers, Amazon confirmed that movies and TV shows on Prime Video will soon feature "limited advertisements" starting on January 29, 2024. The company assured users that Prime Video will have "meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers."

The current price of Amazon Prime subscriptions will not change, but members who prefer to avoid ads can opt for a new ad-free version at an extra cost of $2.99 per month. Amazon's email to subscribers reads:

Dear Prime member,

We are writing to you today about an upcoming change to your Prime Video experience. Starting January 29, Prime Video movies and TV shows will include limited advertisements. This will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time. We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers. No action is required from you, and there is no change to the current price of your Prime membership. We will also offer a new ad-free option for an additional $2.99 per month...

Amazon already operates Freevee, a free, ad-supported streaming service. Competitor streaming services like Disney+, Hulu, and Netflix have also introduced ad-supported options amid rising subscription costs.

An official Apple Vision Pro cover has emerged in new design patent filings from Hong Kong, revealing the first-party headset accessory for the first time.

Apple was granted 70 more design patents in Hong Kong related to its Vision Pro headset on Friday, December 22. The filings, first spotted by PatentlyApple, include a never-before-seen Vision Pro accessory with a range of accompanying images showing various angles of it.

The accessory's design seems to match the Vision Pro's headband, using a soft-touch woven fabric to cover the entire front and sides of the headset. It does not cover the back of the headset or Light Seal in any way, likely being designed to help protect the headset's EyeSight display from scratches and other damage. The cover also features a tab on the left-hand side to help remove it from the headset easily.

The other notable design patent won by Apple in the latest batch of filings is a Vision Pro battery, incorrectly identified by some websites as a new MagSafe battery pack, showing a recessed port. This is worth highlighting as it confirms that the battery unit's cable is removable.

Japan is preparing antitrust legislation to force Apple to allow app sideloading and alternative payment methods for in-app purchases, Nikkei Asia reports.

The plans by Japan's Fair Trade Commission focus on combating Apple and Google's dominance in app stores and payments, search, browsers, and operating systems. The regulation could encompass a wide range of changes to Apple's practices, such as an obligation to allow users to utilize alternative app stores, effectively allowing sideloading on iPhones and iPads in Japan.

The regulation also looks to impose fines for violations of the rules amounting to around six percent of revenue earned from "problematic activities." The Fair Trade Commission's work on the legislation is ongoing, with plans to finalize it in the spring. The legislation will have to be approved by parliament in 2024 before coming into effect.

Japan's proposed regulation bears a strong resemblance to the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which is set to force Apple to enable app sideloading in the EU by March 2024 among other significant changes.

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 vice president of product design Tang Tan is set to join Sir Jony Ive's LoveFrom to design hardware products for OpenAI, Bloomberg reports.

Tan will become the latest Apple designer to join LoveFrom, a design company founded by Jony Ive after he departed Apple in 2019. A total of 14 members of Ive's former design team at Apple have now left the company. Only around six designers who once reported to Ive still remain at Apple.

Ive took more Apple designers with him to LoveFrom than remain at Apple. To date, more than 20 former Apple employees have joined Ive's new design firm, including Marc Newson and Shota Aoyagi.

Bloomberg says that Ive's work for OpenAI marks one of his "most ambitious efforts" since he left Apple, and he apparently hopes to turn the work into a new company, with current efforts focused on hiring talent and creating concepts.

At Apple, Tang Tan is vice president of product design and reports to senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus. Tan is responsible for the design of the iPhone, Apple Watch, accessories, and acoustic devices like AirPods. News of his departure emerged earlier this month.

Tan will lead hardware engineering on the OpenAI project while working at LoveFrom. Little is known about OpenAI's hardware ambitions, but Bloomberg claims that projects in the concept stage include devices for the home. Tan officially departs Apple in February, but his responsibilities have already been divided up among successors.

In celebration of the Japanese New Year, Apple will be holding a promotion that offers customers in Japan a free Apple gift card worth up to ¥30,000 with the purchase of an eligible Apple product from January 2 through January 5.

Gift card values range from ¥4,000 for products like the iPhone SE and third-generation AirPods to ¥30,000 for the 15-inch MacBook Air.

In addition to a gift card, the first 50,000 customers in Japan who purchase a new iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 13, or third-generation iPhone SE from Apple during the promotion will receive a limited-edition AirTag with a "Year of the Dragon" engraving.

Apple has shared terms and conditions for the promotion with additional details. Notably, iPhone orders placed through the Apple Store app will not qualify for a limited-edition AirTag, so make sure to complete your purchase on Apple's website or at a physical Apple Store in Japan if you are interested in receiving one.

Apple holds a Japanese New Year promotion on an annual basis, and this is the third consecutive year it has offered a special AirTag.

Lowe's home improvement stores across the United States have finally started accepting Apple Pay. ‌Apple Pay‌ has been available in the Lowe's app and the Lowe's website for some time, but the company has been a longtime ‌Apple Pay‌ holdout for its retail store locations.

On Reddit, Lowe's employees said in late December that they had received a memo about the upcoming ‌Apple Pay‌ and contactless payment rollout, which was set to begin on December 20.

A Lowe's customer on the MacRumors forums said that he was able to successfully use Apple Pay at two different Lowe's stores in Texas, confirming the rollout.

The Lowe's employees on Reddit said they were glad to hear about the rollout due to the number of customers asking to use contactless payment options. There have also been many complaint threads from Lowe's customers about the lack of ‌Apple Pay‌ on Reddit and the MacRumors forums.

Lowe's has more than 2,000 stores in the United States, making it the second largest home improvement store after Home Depot. Accepting ‌Apple Pay‌ could lure customers to Lowe's over Home Depot, as Home Depot does not accept the payment technology at this time.

Apple is now officially unable to sell the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the United States as the International Trade Commission's import ban has become final. This morning, the Biden administration announced that it would not veto the ban.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative said that after "careful consultations" it was opting not to reverse the ITC's decision.

"On October 26, 2023, the U.S. International Trade Commission found that Apple, Inc. infringed two patents owned by Masimo Corporation and Cercacor Laboratories, Inc, both based in the United States. Since 2005, the Office of the United States Trade Representative has been delegated the President's authority under Section 337 of the Trade Act of 1930 to review the ITC's decision for a 60-day period. After careful consultations, Ambassador Tai decided not to reverse the ITC's determination and the ITC's decision became final on December 26, 2023."

Apple in a statement to Reuters said that it is "taking all measures" to get the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 back on store shelves as soon as possible.

Apple has filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, and it has been working on a software solution that it hopes will allow it to resume sales.

The Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 are not able to be sold by Apple in the United States at this time because the ITC ruled that the devices violate blood oxygen monitoring technology owned by medical device company Masimo.

The ban is limited to Apple Watch models that have a blood oxygen sensor, so the Apple Watch SE is still on sale. It also only applies to Apple retail stores in the United States, so all Apple Watch models are still available in other countries. Stores like Target, Best Buy, and Walmart are able to continue Apple Watch sales as long as supplies hold out, but Apple is not able to bring more units into the United States from overseas.

Apple will not be able to sell the Apple Watch Series 9 or the Apple Watch Ultra 2 unless the appeal is successful, it settles with Masimo, or it finds a way to change the blood oxygen sensor so it is not using Masimo's patented technology.

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 iPhones include several headline camera features that are worth using, such as Portrait Mode and Photographic Styles. But if all you want to use is the standard photo mode, there are still several tools and settings that can improve the composition of your pictures and help you capture the perfect shot using more traditional techniques.

Whether you are the owner of a new iPhone or a longtime user looking to up your ‌iPhone‌ photography game, here are six camera tools and settings in iOS that are worth checking out and experimenting with.

1. Use the Rule of Thirds

For a while now, Apple's Camera app has included a few optional settings that can help you line up your shots. Foremost in these settings is the Grid tool, which should be used when applying the rule of thirds. It divides the frame of your photo into a grid with two horizontal lines and two vertical lines, creating nine equal parts.

The rule of thirds helps guide the viewer's eye to the most important parts of your photo and creates a more harmonious composition. Here's how to overlay a grid on the viewfinder.

1. Open the Settings app on your ‌iPhone‌.
2. Scroll down and tap Camera.
3. In the "Composition" section, toggle on the switch next to Grid.

Here are five things to keep in mind when using the grid to apple the rule of thirds.

• Identify the Key Elements: First, identify the main subjects or elements in the scene you want to photograph. These could be a person, a building, a tree, or any focal point.
• Positioning the Subjects: Place these key elements along the lines or at the points where the lines intersect. For instance, if you're taking a photo of a person, you might position them along one of the vertical lines, rather than in the center of the frame.
• Horizontal Elements: For horizontal elements like the horizon in a landscape, align them with one of the horizontal lines. For a more dramatic sky, place the horizon on the lower line. For more emphasis on the land or sea, place it on the upper line.
• Balancing the Image: Use the rule of thirds to balance your photo. If you place a subject on the left, consider having something of lesser importance on the right to create a sense of balance.
• Experimentation: While the rule of thirds is a guideline, it's not a strict rule. Feel free to experiment with it and see how shifting elements in your frame changes the photo's impact.

2. Straighten Top-Down Shots

If you're taking a picture of something from above like a plate of food or an ornament on the ground, consider using the camera level, as it helps you capture a balanced shot without having to use a tripod arm or mount. It's also useful for taking a shot of something directly above you, like an object on the ceiling or in the sky.

The camera level tool used to be part of the Grid overlay, but Apple separated out the function in iOS 17, and it now has its own switch: Open the Settings app on your ‌iPhone‌, select Camera, then toggle on the switch next to Level. Now you are ready to use it.

1. Open the Camera app, and set the capture mode to Photo, Portrait, Square, or Time Lapse, using the sliding menu above the shutter button.
2. Point the camera straight down above your subject (or straight up if the subject/scene you want to capture is above you).
3. Line up the floating crosshair with the fixed crosshair in the center of the screen by adjusting the angle of your phone's camera. The crosshairs will both glow yellow when in perfect alignment.
4. Tap the shutter button to capture the shot.

3. Straighten Your Horizontal Shots

By making the Level tool an individual option in iOS 17, Apple has also included an additional horizontal level for more traditional straight-on photos.

Turning the Level option on makes a broken horizontal line appear on the screen when your ‌iPhone‌ senses that 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.

With the Level setting enabled (Settings ➝ Camera ➝ Level), try it for yourself. Open the Camera app and try shooting a subject at a straight angle, and you should see the broken horizontal lines in the center of the viewfinder. Straighten your angle up to connect the lines and make a single yellow line.

The leveling pop-up only appears briefly and only within a narrow range of angles close to horizontal (in either portrait or landscape orientation), so it won't intrusively pop up when you're intentionally trying to take a photo at an angle.

4. Take Burst Photos

Burst Mode refers to when the camera on your ‌iPhone‌ captures a series of photos in rapid succession, at a rate of ten frames per second. It's a great way to shoot an action scene or an unexpected event, since you're always more likely to end up with the picture you were aiming for.

To shoot in Burst Mode, simply long press on the Volume Up button and your ‌iPhone‌ will take a series of photos in quick succession. Notice that a counter increases inside the on-screen shutter button for as long as you hold down the volume button. This indicates how many shots are being captured in the current burst. Simply take your finger off the volume when you want to end the burst of shots.

When you take a series of burst photos, they automatically appear in the Photos app under the Album name Bursts. You'll also find them in your main Photo Library. Follow the link to learn how to view and select the best of your Burst photos in the ‌Photos‌ app.

5. Mirror Your Selfies

When you take a selfie with your ‌iPhone‌ using the Camera app, it automatically flips – or mirrors – the image so that it's an inverted version of the mirror image you see in the preview before you take the shot.

This can look odd, since it makes a big difference to how selfies look. It can also be annoying, since most third-party social media apps automatically take mirrored selfies, which means you're more likely to be used to the mirroring functionality than the flipped selfies that your ‌‌iPhone‌‌ takes.

Fortunately, you can change this default behavior of the Camera app, meaning that you can get the mirrored selfie you're probably more accustomed to seeing. Here's how.

1. Launch the Settings app, then scroll down and select Camera.
2. Toggle the switch next to Mirror Front Camera to the green ON position.

That's all there is to it. From now on when you use the Camera app to shoot a selfie, you'll capture the same shot that you saw in the app's preview mode.

6. View Outside the Frame

On ‌iPhone‌ 11 and later models, there is an optional camera setting that allows you to see what is outside the bounds of your photo's frame, so you can correct the alignment of photos (and videos) without having to resort to cropping.

With the "View Outside the Frame" setting enabled, when shooting using the wide lens or the telephoto lens, the camera will simultaneously shoot using the next widest sensor. So the wide lens is active when you shoot with the telephoto lens, and the ultra-wide is active when you shoot with the wide.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap Camera.
3. Under the "Composition" section, toggle on the switch next to View Outside the Frame.

You may have to play around with zoom levels to switch between lenses, but you'll know the feature is active when the camera interface turns semi-transparent to reveal the surroundings outside of the viewfinder.