MacRumors

Apple has delayed a new feature that will provide Apple Card users with the option to have their Daily Cash earnings deposited into a high-yield savings account.

During the iOS 16.1 beta testing process, the feature was mentioned as a new Wallet app addition in the release notes for the Release Candidate version of the update, but in the notes for the final version of iOS 16.1, the mention is missing.

"Savings account enables ‌Apple Card‌ customers to grow their Daily Cash by depositing it in a high yield savings account," read the RC release notes.

Apple announced plans for the Apple Card savings account in mid-October, and while the company did not provide specific information on a launch date in the announcement other than suggesting it would be available "in the coming months," it was believed that the savings account would launch alongside iOS 16.1 given the mention in the RC notes for the update.

With no sign of the feature in iOS 16.1, it will now be coming at a later date. When Apple does implement the ‌Apple Card‌ savings account, it will have no minimum fees, no minimum deposits, and no minimum balance requirements. Apple will offer the account through ‌Apple Card‌ partner Goldman Sachs, but Apple has not yet said what the interest rate will be.

‌Apple Card‌ users will be able to manage their savings accounts through the Wallet app, and once set up, all Daily Cash will be automatically deposited.

Apple today announced that a new version of its privacy-preserving SKAdNetwork framework is now available in iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16.1.

SKAdNetwork enables advertisers to measure the success of ads by attributing app installations to specific ad campaigns — in other words, it allows advertisers to know how successful an ad is at getting users to download an app from the App Store.

With the launch of SKAdNetwork 4.0 today, Apple says the framework now provides more performance insights and is now available for web ads:

• Hierarchical source identifiers: Identify which campaign an installation was attributed to, as well as additional attribution information.
• Coarse conversion values: Receive less specific attribution information when the privacy thresholds for conversion values are not met, or more detailed attribution information when additional privacy thresholds are met.
• Multiple conversions: Receive up to three postbacks to better understand how often someone who installed an app from a campaign engages with the app over time.
• SKAdNetwork for web ads: Attribute web advertising that directs to App Store product pages.

For more details, review the updated SKAdNetwork documentation on Apple's website.

Apple today released macOS 13 Ventura, the latest version of the operating system designed to run on Macs. macOS Ventura comes after several months of beta testing and feature refinements, and it is compatible with the 2017 iMac and later, the ‌iMac‌ Pro, the 2018 and later MacBook Air, the 2017 and later MacBook Pro, the 2019 and later Mac Pro, the 2018 and later Mac mini, and the 2017 MacBook.

The macOS Ventura update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Preferences, and it is also available through the Mac App Store.

macOS Ventura brings Stage Manager, an all-new way of focusing on a task while having other apps ready to go. ‌Stage Manager‌ is designed to put your main app front and center on the desktop, and tucks your other apps at the side for quick access when they're needed. Apps and windows can be grouped together, so you can set up your desktop in the right way for your workflow.

A new Continuity Camera feature does away with the need for a poor quality built-in Mac camera because it allows you to use your iPhone as a webcam for your Mac. The ‌iPhone‌ can be positioned on top of the Mac using a stand, and it is designed to connect automatically. A Desk View uses an Ultra Wide view to show off your desk if you need to demo something, plus there's Center Stage support and Studio Light, an effect that illuminates your face while dimming the background.

Handoff has expanded to FaceTime, allowing you to take calls on the Mac and transfer them seamlessly to the ‌iPhone‌ or vice versa. Messages has new undo and edit buttons to fix errors in or recall a recently sent iMessage, and there is an option to mark messages as unread. Accidentally deleted messages can be recovered, and there are new collaboration features.

SharePlay works in Messages in addition to ‌FaceTime‌ in macOS Ventura, so you can watch TV shows and use apps with others while chatting with them in the Messages app.

The Mail app has been overhauled in macOS Ventura, and the search feature is more relevant and accurate than ever before. When you click into search and start typing, you'll see relevant emails, contacts, documents, photos, and more. Emails can be scheduled, and if you make a mistake you can undo an email for up to 30 seconds after it's sent.

Apple is bringing new apps to the Mac in macOS Ventura, including a dedicated Weather app and a Clock app, both of which mirror their iOS counterparts. System Preferences has been renamed System Settings, and it has a design that's more like the Settings app on ‌iPhone‌ and iPad.

Apple is planning to make Safari safer through Passkeys, a next-generation credential that replaces the password. Passkeys stay on device and are never on a web server, which makes them far more secure than passwords. Passkeys are easy to use, with sign-ins authenticated through Touch ID or Face ID, plus they sync across devices through iCloud Keychain and can be used on non-Apple devices with ‌iPhone‌ authentication.

Spotlight's design has been updated with simpler navigation and Quick Look support for previewing files with a click. Photo Library integration is available for searching for images in the Photos app by location, people, scenes, and objects. Spotlight can even find Live Text in images, and it supports actions like creating a document, running a shortcut, or starting a timer.

There's a new ‌iCloud‌ Shared Photo Library that allows up to six family members to share a photo library that is separate from their personal libraries, for easier enjoyment of family photos. ‌Photos‌ offers intelligent sharing suggestions for relevant photo moments that family members have participated in, and every Shared Photo Library user can add, edit, delete, or favorite shared photos and videos.

To keep Macs more secure, there's a new Rapid Security Response feature for installing security updates without a system update, and it doesn't even require a reboot. Apple's release notes for the update are below:

A deeper rundown on all of the new features that are available in macOS Ventura can be found in our dedicated macOS Ventura roundup.

Alongside iOS 16.1, Apple today released iPadOS 16.1, with the update coming after several months of beta testing. This is the first version of iPadOS 16 that has been available for Apple's tablets, as iOS 16 was released on its own back in September. iPadOS 16 was delayed in order for improvements to be added to the Stage Manager feature.

The iPadOS 16.1 update can be downloaded on eligible iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

Those who have already updated to iOS 16 will be familiar with many of the features introduced in iPadOS 16.1 as the iPadOS 16.1 software adds the Mail, Messages, Safari, and other app updates that first debuted in iOS 16.

It introduces iCloud Shared Photo Library for easier sharing of photos and videos with friends and family, plus it brings ‌Stage Manager‌. ‌Stage Manager‌ is compatible with the A12Z, A12X, M1, and M2 iPad Pro and iPad Air models. ‌Stage Manager‌ was originally limited to ‌M1‌ iPads, but during the beta testing process, Apple was able to expand it to additional iPad Pros.

As a result of the expansion, the feature that allows it to work with a connected display has been removed and will be reintroduced in a later update. When that feature is re-added, it will only be available for the ‌M1‌ and ‌M2‌ ‌iPad‌ models.

Today's update brings the Weather app to the ‌iPad‌ for the first time, plus it adds new Maps, Game Center, and Safari features, such as Passkeys. It also includes desktop-class apps with customizable toolbars, menus with better context, Find and Replace availability across apps, and more. Apple's full release notes for the iPadOS 16.1 update are below.

iCloud Shared Photo Library
- Separate library for seamlessly sharing photos and videos with up to five other people
- Setup rules allow you to easily contribute past photos based on start date or people in the photos when you set up or join a library
- Library filters for quickly switching between viewing the Shared Library, your Personal Library, or both libraries together
- Shared edits and permissions let everyone add, edit, favorite, caption, and delete photos
- Sharing toggle in Camera lets you choose to send photos you take straight to the Shared Library, or enable a setting to share automatically when other participants are detected nearby using Bluetooth

Messages
- Edit a message for up to 15 minutes after sending it and recipients see a record of edits
- Undo send allows you to recall any message up to 2 minutes after sending it
- Mark as unread makes it easy to come back to a conversation later
- SharePlay in Messages lets you enjoy activities like watching movies, listening to music, playing games, and more with friends while messaging
- Collaboration provides a simple way to invite others to collaborate on a file via Messages and get activity updates in the thread when someone makes an edit to a shared project

Mail
- Improved search delivers more accurate, complete results and provides suggestions as soon as you begin to type
- Undo send allows you to cancel delivery of a message within 10 seconds of hitting send
- Scheduled send for sending an email at a specific day and time
- Follow‑up surfaces sent emails that have not been replied to, to the top of your inbox so you can quickly follow‑up
- Remind me lets you schedule a date and time to be reminded about an email

Safari and Passkeys
- Shared Tab Groups let you share a set of tabs with others and see the Tab Group update instantly as you work together
- Tab Group start pages can be customized with different background images and favorites for each Tab Group
- Pinned tabs in Tab Groups enable you to pin frequently visited websites for each Tab Group
- Safari web page translation adds translation for web pages in Turkish, Thai, Vietnamese, Polish, Indonesian, and Dutch
- Passkeys offer support for an easier and safer sign‑in method to replace passwords
- Passkey syncing through iCloud Keychain makes your passkeys available across all your Apple devices while keeping them end-to-end encrypted

Stage Manager
- A new way to multitask on iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later) and iPad Air (5th generation)
- Overlapping and resizable windows allow you to adjust the size of your apps and arrange your ideal workspace
- Recent Apps arranged on the left of the screen allow you to quickly switch between apps
- App groups allow you to create sets of apps that you can quickly get back to

New Display Modes
- Reference Mode delivers reference color for popular color standards and video formats on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Liquid Retina XDR display and with Sidecar, use it as a reference display for your Apple silicon Mac
- New display scaling setting that increases the pixel density so you can view more in your apps on iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation and later) and iPad Air (5th generation)

Weather
- Weather app on iPad is optimized for the larger display, including immersive animations, detailed maps, and tappable forecast modules
- Weather maps show precipitation, air quality, and temperature alongside the location view or in full screen
- Tappable modules reveal more detail such as hourly temperature or precipitation forecasts for the next 10 days
- Air quality displays a color coded scale for air quality, level and category, and you can view air quality on a map to see related health recommendations, pollutant breakdown, and more
- Animated backgrounds represent the sun position, clouds, and precipitation with thousands of variations
- Severe weather notifications let you know when a severe weather alert has been issued near you

Game Center
- In-Game Dashboard Activity shows you what your friends are accomplishing in this game, and what they are playing and achieving across all games in one place
- Game Center Profiles highlight your achievement and leaderboard activity across all of the games you play
- Contacts integration shows your friends' Game Center profiles and lets you see what they are playing and accomplishing in games

Live Text
- Live Text video support allows you to interact with text in a paused video frame so you can copy, translate, lookup, share, and more available on iPad (8th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) and iPad Pro 11-inch all models
- Quick actions let you take action on data detected in photos and videos with a single tap, so you can track flights or shipments, translate foreign languages, convert currencies, and more, available on iPad (8th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) and iPad Pro 11-inch all models

Visual Look Up
- Lift subject from background isolates the subject of an image so you can copy and paste it into apps like Mail and Messages, available on iPad (8th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) and iPad Pro 11-inch all models
- Visual Look Up adds recognition of birds, insects, spiders, and statues in your photos available on iPad (8th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) and iPad Pro 11-inch all models

Siri
- Easy Shortcuts setup makes it possible to run shortcuts with Siri as soon as you download an app with no upfront setup
- A new setting allows you to send messages without Siri asking you to confirm before sending
- "Hey Siri, what can I do here?" helps you discover Siri capabilities in iPadOS and apps just by asking, available on iPad (8th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) and iPad Pro 11-inch all models
- Call hang up option for ending Phone and FaceTime calls with Siri by saying "Hey Siri, hang up", available on iPad (8th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) and iPad Pro 11-inch all models
- Emoji support lets you insert emoji using your voice when sending messages on iPad (8th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) and iPad Pro 11-inch all models

Dictation
- All-new Dictation experience supports using your voice along with keyboard or Apple Pencil to enter and edit text, available on iPad (8th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) and iPad Pro 11-inch all models
- Automatic punctuation inserts commas, periods, and question marks as you dictate
- Emoji support lets you insert emoji using your voice available on iPad (8th generation and later), iPad mini (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later) and iPad Pro 11-inch all models

Maps
- Multi-stop routing supports adding up to fifteen stops along your driving route in Maps
- Transit fares show you how much your journey will cost in the San Francisco Bay Area, London, New York, and more

Home
- Redesigned Home app makes it easier to navigate, organize, view, and control your smart home accessories
- Home tab now integrates all your accessories, rooms, and scenes into a single tab for a whole-house view, allowing you to see your entire home at a glance
- Categories for lights, climate, security, speakers and TVs, and water let you quickly access all the relevant accessories organized by room, and displays more detailed status information
- New camera view displays up to four cameras front and center in the Home tab, scroll to see any additional camera views in your home
- Redesigned accessory tiles feature more visually recognizable icons that are color-matched to their category, and new behaviors for more precise accessory controls
- Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard, is supported enabling a wide variety of smart home accessories to work together across ecosystems

News
- My Sports enables you to easily follow your favorite teams and leagues and watch highlights right in the News app
- Favorites give you easy access to the channels and topics you read the most, in a consistent place near the top of your Today feed
- New homepages deliver visually updated and easier to navigate topic feeds for local news locales, sports teams and leagues, and more

Family Sharing
- Improved child account setup makes it easier to create an account for a child with the right parental controls, including age‑appropriate media restrictions
- Device setup for a child lets you use Quick Start to easily set up a new iOS or iPadOS device for your child with your selected parental controls in place
- Screen Time requests in Messages make it even easier to approve or decline requests from your child
- Family Checklist gives you tips and suggestions like updating a child's parental control settings, turning on location sharing, or just reminding you to share your iCloud+ subscription with everyone

Desktop-Class Apps
- Customizable toolbars allow you to add the features you use most often in your apps
- Menus provide additional context for actions such as close, save, and duplicate, making it easier to edit documents and files in apps like Pages and Numbers
- Find and Replace is available in apps across the system, including Mail, Messages, Reminders, and Swift Playgrounds
- Availability view in Calendar shows availability of invited participants when you create meetings in Calendar

Safety Check
- Safety Check is a new section in Settings to help people in domestic or intimate partner violence situations quickly reset the access they've granted to others
- Emergency reset lets you quickly take action to reset access across all people and apps, including disabling location sharing via Find My, resetting privacy permissions for apps, and more
- Manage sharing and access helps you review and customize which apps and people can access your information

Accessibility
- Door detection in Magnifier locates a door, reads signs and symbols around it, and gives you instructions for how to open the door
- Live Captions (beta) automatically converts audio into text for users who are Deaf or hard of hearing to follow along more easily with calls and media content
- Buddy controller helps users with cognitive disabilities get support from a caregiver or friend while playing a game, by combining inputs from multiple game controllers into one
- VoiceOver is now available in over 20 new languages and locales, including Bangla (India), Bulgarian, Catalan, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese
- Voice Control spelling mode gives you the option to dictate names, addresses, or other custom spellings letter by letter

This release also includes other features and improvements:
- New Watercolor, Monoline, and Fountain pens in Notes
- AirPods Pro (2nd generation) support, including Find My and Precision Finding for the MagSafe Charging Case as well as Personalized Spatial Audio for a more precise and immersive listening experience, also available on AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro (1st generation), and AirPods Max
- Handoff in FaceTime allows you to move FaceTime calls seamlessly from your iPad to your iPhone or Mac, and vice versa
- Memoji updates include more sticker poses, hairstyles, headwear, noses, and lip colors
- Translate camera lets you translate text around you using the camera in the Translate app
- Duplicate detection in Photos identifies duplicate photos so you can quickly clean up your library
- Pinned lists in Reminders helps you quickly navigate to your favorite lists
- Search on the Home Screen enables Spotlight to be accessed directly from the bottom of the Home Screen, making it easy to open apps, find contacts, or get information from the web
- Rapid Security Response gets important security improvements to your devices even faster, as they can be applied automatically between standard software updates

This release includes even more features and improvements. For more information, please visit this website: https://www.apple.com/ipados/ipados-16/features/

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all iPad models. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

iPadOS 16.1 addresses a long list of vulnerabilities, including a kernel issue that Apple says may have been actively exploited. More information is available in Apple's security support document.

Additional information on all of the new features that are available in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 can be found in our dedicated roundups.

Apple today released iOS 16.1, the first major update to the iOS 16 operating system. iOS 16.1 comes more than a month after the launch of iOS 16, which was released in September.

The iOS 16 update Apple's can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes for the updates to propagate to all users due to high demand.

With this update, Apple is adding several features that did not make it into the launch version of iOS 16. There is support for iCloud Shared Photo Library for managing a photo library with friends and family, plus it adds Live Activities to the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models.

Apple Fitness+ can now be used on ‌iPhone‌ without an Apple Watch, and the update adds support for Matter, among other features. Apple's full release notes are below.

This update introduces iCloud Shared Photo Library making it easy to keep your family photos up to date. This release also adds support for third party apps in Live Activities, support for Apple Fitness+ on iPhone even if you don't have an Apple Watch, and includes other features and bug fixes for your iPhone.

iCloud Shared Photo Library
- Separate library for seamlessly sharing photos and videos with up to five other people
- Setup rules allow you to easily contribute past photos based on start date or people in the photos when you set up or join a library
- Library filters for quickly switching between viewing the Shared Library, your Personal Library, or both libraries together
- Shared edits and permissions let everyone add, edit, favorite, caption, and delete photos
- Sharing toggle in Camera lets you choose to send photos you take straight to the Shared Library, or enable a setting to share automatically when other participants are detected nearby using Bluetooth

Live Activities
- Live Activities from third party apps are available in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen for iPhone 14 Pro models

Fitness+
- Apple Fitness+ is supported on iPhone even if you don't have an Apple Watch

Wallet
- Key sharing enables you to securely share car, hotel room, and other keys in Wallet using messaging apps such as Messages and WhatsApp

Home
- Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard, is supported enabling a wide variety of smart home accessories to work together across ecosystems

Clean Energy Charging
- New setting that can try to reduce your carbon footprint by selectively charging when lower carbon emission electricity is available

Books
- Reader controls are automatically hidden as you start reading

This update also includes bug fixes for your iPhone:
- Deleted conversations may appear in the conversations list in Messages
- Dynamic Island content is not available when using Reachability
- CarPlay may fail to connect when using a VPN app

iOS 16 addresses a long list of vulnerabilities, including a kernel issue that Apple says may have been actively exploited. More information is available in Apple's security support document.

iOS 16.1 is accompanied by iPadOS 16.1, the first launch of the iPadOS 16 software. Apple delayed iPadOS 16.1 because it wanted to do additional work on Stage Manager, a new multitasking feature. More information on all of the features introduced with the iOS 16 update can be found in our roundup.

Apple today released watchOS 9.1, the first major update to the watchOS 9 operating system that came out in September. watchOS 9.1 has gone through several rounds of beta testing, and it accompanies the macOS Ventura launch, and the debut of iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16.1.

watchOS 9.1 can be downloaded for free through the Apple Watch app on the iPhone by opening it up and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌‌.

Today's update introduces an extended battery life option when using Outdoor Walking, Running, and Hiking Workouts. You can opt to reduce the frequency of heart rate and GPS readings if you have an Apple Watch Ultra, a second-generation Apple Watch SE, or an Apple Watch Series 8.

Music can now download on the Apple Watch using WiFi or Cellular when it is off the charger, and the update adds support for the Matter smart home connectivity standard. Apple's full release notes for the update are below:

This update includes improvements for your Apple Watch.

- Battery life extended during Outdoor Walking, Running, and Hiking Workouts with the ability to reduce the frequency of heart rate and GPS readings on Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) and Apple Watch Ultra
- Music can download while Apple Watch is off charger using Wi-Fi or cellular
- Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard, is supported enabling a wide variety of smart home accessories to work together across ecosystems

This update also includes bug fixes for your Apple Watch.

More information on the new features that Apple added with the watchOS 9 update can be found in our watchOS 9 roundup.

Alongside iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16.1, macOS Ventura, tvOS 16.1, and watchOS 9.1, Apple today released new software that's designed for the HomePod and the HomePod mini.

According to Apple's release notes, ‌HomePod‌ software version 16.1 includes support for the Matter smart home standard.

Software version 16.1 adds support for Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard that enables a wide variety of smart home accessories to work together across ecosystems. This update also includes performance and stability improvements.

‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ software is installed automatically on the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌ unless the feature is disabled‌‌‌‌, but the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ can also be manually updated in the Home app by following the instructions in our HomePod‌‌ update how to.

Apple today released tvOS 16.1, the first major update to the tvOS 16 operating system that initially came out in September. tvOS 16.1 is available for the Apple TV 4K and the ‌Apple TV‌ HD.

The tvOS 16.1 update can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the ‌‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌‌ by going to System -> Software Update. ‌‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌‌ owners who have automatic software updates turned on will be upgraded to ‌tvOS 16.1 automatically.

While tvOS updates are often minor in scale compared to other operating system updates, there are a few new features available in tvOS 16.1. Apple Fitness+ can be used with an iPhone, no Apple Watch required, and there is support for iCloud Shared Photo Library.

The update adds a more compact Siri interface that lets users see their request results in the bottom right corner of the TV's screen rather than in the bottom middle of the display. The new look takes up less space. There is also a new option to enable "Hey ‌Siri‌" commands when using the ‌Apple TV‌ with AirPods. The toggle can be found in the Settings app under General.

As with the iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16,1, macOS Ventura, and watchOS 9.1 updates, tvOS 16.1 introduces support for the Matter smart home standard that will allow smart home products from different companies to interact with one another. Apple's full release notes are below:

tvOS 16.1 introduces a completely redesigned Siri experience, brings Shared Photo Library to the biggest screen in the home, and lets you work out and meditate with Apple Fitness+ with iPhone.

Siri
All-new design for Siri makes it even easier to find movies and shows to watch, play the latest music, discover new apps, get sports scores, and more.
Say "Hey Siri" to enjoy hands-free control when wearing AirPods that are connected to your Apple TV.

Photos
Shared Photo Library support lets you see your favorite moments from the entire family.
Create a Shared Photo Library on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, then select Shared Library in the Photos app.

Apple Fitness+
Work out and meditate with Apple Fitness+ on Apple TV — now all you need is iPhone to receive onscreen coaching, timers, and trainer callouts while also tracking your estimated Move ring progress.

Home hub
Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard, is now supported, enabling a wide variety of smart home accessories to work together across ecosystems.

Apple provides additional details on tvOS releases in its dedicated tvOS support document, which is updated after each new iteration of tvOS.

YouTube today announced a number of updates that are designed to improve the look and performance of the popular video player on desktop and on mobile devices.

An "ambient mode" changes the background color of the app in a subtle way to match the video that is playing, an effect that YouTube says is meant to draw viewers into the content. Ambient mode will be available on the web and on mobile when the dark theme is enabled.

The dark theme has also been updated to be even darker than before, a change made due to user feedback.

As for the video player, YouTube links in video descriptions will turn into buttons, and actions like share and download have been updated to minimize distractions. The subscribe button has an updated shape and color, with YouTube doing away with the red shade.

On iOS and Android devices, a pinch to zoom feature that's been in testing is rolling out as of today. Users can zoom in and out of a video, and when the zoom in function is used, the rest of the video stays zoomed until the user zooms back out.

Precise seeking has also been implemented to make it easier to rewind to a specific spot in a video. Users can drag or swipe when looking through a video to see a row of thumbnails that will help them find the exact part of the video they're looking for.

YouTube says that all of these changes will begin rolling out gradually over the course of the next few weeks.

Popular payments service PayPal today announced that it is introducing support for passkeys, providing an easier and more secure login method for PayPal accounts. Apple integrated passkeys into iOS with the launch of iOS 16, and it is also available in iPadOS 16.1 and macOS Ventura, coming today.

Passkeys are an industry standard developed by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium, so PayPal's passkey integration will work on Apple devices as well as on other devices that support the feature.

PayPal says that passkey logins will be available to iPhone, iPad, and Mac users on the PayPal website, and it will expand to other platforms in the future. Passkeys replace passwords, and will allow users to log in without remembering a password.

To create a passkey, PayPal users can log in to the website and then choose the "Create a passkey" option. Passkeys on iOS and Mac devices sync with iCloud Keychain for security purposes, and logins are authenticated with Face ID or Touch ID.

While PayPal is one of the first companies to implement passkeys support, there are other apps and websites that it works with, including Best Buy, eBay, Dashlane, and Kayak.

Apple today announced pricing increases for several of its services, including Apple Music, Apple TV+, and the Apple One bundles that include those services.

‌Apple Music‌ is increasing in price by $1 for individual users and $2 for the family plan, while ‌Apple TV‌ is increasing in price by $2. All ‌Apple One‌ prices will also rise accordingly, according to information obtained by 9to5Mac. Full pricing is as follows:

Apple Music

• Individual plan - $10.99/month, a $1 increase
• Family plan - $16.99/month, a $2 increase
• Annual plan for individuals - $109/year, a $10 increase

Apple TV+

• Monthly plan - $6.99/month, a $2 increase
• Annual plan - $69/year, a $20 increase

Apple One

• Individual plan - $16.95/month, a $2 increase
• Family plan - $22.95/month, a $3 increase
• Premium plan - $32.95/month, a $3 increase

Apple says that prices are going up as of today due to increased licensing costs. For ‌Apple Music‌, the increase will provide artists and songwriters with additional money for their music. The price of ‌Apple TV‌+ is rising now that it has more content, according to Apple.

The pricing increases listed pertain to the United States, but prices will be going up in most countries. Current ‌Apple Music‌, ‌Apple TV‌+, and ‌Apple One‌ subscribers will receive notifications about the price increase 30 days ahead of when it is enacted, giving them time to cancel if they do not wish to pay the higher price.

The completely redesigned 10th-generation iPad will start arriving to customers and launch in stores on Wednesday, October 26. Ahead of time, the first reviews of the new iPad have now been shared by select media publications and YouTube channels.

Key new features for the 10th-generation iPad include a larger 10.9-inch display with slimmer bezels, flat edges, the A14 Bionic chip, a USB-C port, a Touch ID power button, a 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, with the ninth-generation iPad remaining available for $329.

The new iPad is available in Blue, Pink, Silver, and Yellow finishes, bringing some vibrant new colors to the lower-cost iPad range. iJustine shared a video unboxing of all of the new colors, providing a first hands-on look at the options in the real world.

Here's a look at all of the new color options side by side:

We have rounded up written and video reviews of the new iPad below.

Written Reviews

The Verge's Dan Seifert said the 10th-generation iPad sits in an awkward position between the iPad Air and the ninth-generation iPad:

In a vacuum, there's very little to complain about with the 10th-gen iPad. It's an excellent tablet that does all of the things you expect from a tablet very well. Even though its screen isn't as good as other iPads, it's still good enough, and its performance is unimpeachable. If this was the only iPad Apple sold, many people would buy it and be perfectly happy with it.

But in context with the many other iPads that Apple sells, I'm not sure why you'd pick this one. If cost is a factor, you're buying an iPad for a kid, or need a headphone jack, the still-available and much less expensive ninth-gen model is the one to go with. For a lot of people, the ninth-gen model is the better iPad for their needs. If you want the bigger screen and more modern design, the iPad Air is right there with its better display, even faster processor, and better accessory landscape, and you can frequently get it for less than $100 more than the new iPad.

WIRED's Brenda Stolyar also felt the new iPad sits in an odd spot in the lineup:

When you crunch the numbers, reality sets in. The affordable and plenty-capable iPad that used to start at $329 has now been hiked up to $449. That's without the added cost of accessories (Apple charges $249 for the Keyboard Folio). It's tough to justify a $120 price hike over its predecessor—especially when one of the "upgrades" is the removal of the headphone jack. It doesn't help that Apple is continuing to sell the ninth-gen iPad for $329, and you can typically find the iPad Air for roughly $519 at retailers like Amazon. The 10th-gen tablet sits in an odd spot.

CNET's Scott Stein praised the new landscape FaceTime camera:

The one big thing I wanted from the iPad arrived, like a magic wish granted: The weirdly placed front camera on the iPad is now on the landscape edge. This is great. Why is this great? Because I work on iPads in landscape mode, in cases and stands and keyboard docks. When I Zoom or FaceTime on other iPads, my face looks weirdly off-angle with my eyes looking elsewhere. That's fixed now. Combined with the auto-zooming Center Stage tech, this iPad's video chat camera is absolutely perfect.

Tom's Guide's Mark Spoonauer shared benchmark results showing that the A14 Bionic chip in the new iPad is up to 30% faster than the A13 chip in the previous model:

On Geekbench 5, which measures overall performance, the iPad 2022 scored 1,580 on single-core and 4,400 on multi-core, which is a marked improvement over the 1,384 and 3,387 turned in by the 9th gen iPad. However, the iPad Air with its M1 chip scored a much higher 1,707/7,151.

TheStreet's Jake Krol pointed out that beyond the 10th-generation iPad requiring an adapter to charge and pair the first-generation Apple Pencil, the device is a good buy, but he still recommends considering the ninth-generation iPad for its value:

The oddities come with the first-generation Apple Pencil support. I'm all for the move to USB-C, but it's not the most Apple-like experience for charging it. There's also the fact that the adapter is pretty hard to come by right now.

But if you can look past that, it's an excellent iPad and if you're someone who’s looking to swim between iPad tasks and more advanced ones, this is an excellent choice. The $449 price tag also includes 64GB of storage which is clutch. It can also be paired with the $249 Magic Keyboard Folio for a laptop-like experience that really lets you get work done here. And when it's time to play just detach the keyboard.

Of course though, you have to consider the 9th Gen iPad which still offers stellar performance and frequently falls below the $329 price tag. If you're not after the modern build of the 10th Gen or the new folio covers, that might be the best option for you.

Video Reviews and Unboxings

Best Buy today announced a new financing and upgrade program called "Upgrade+." The program involves a combination of interest-free financing through Citizens Pay and an option to upgrade to a new Mac laptop after three years.

As an example, Best Buy cites a base M1 MacBook Air priced at $999.99. Through the Upgrade+ program, a customer can pay $19.99 per month for 36 months toward the machine. At the end of 36 months, the user has the option to make the remaining $280.35 payment and keep the machine, return the machine and leave the program, or upgrade to a new Mac laptop. If they return the machine, either to leave the program or upgrade to a new Mac, no final payment is required.

Examples of base Mac laptop configurations with Upgrade+ pricing terms:

• ‌M1‌ ‌MacBook Air‌ ($999.99): $19.99/month with final payment of $280.35
• M2 ‌MacBook Air‌ ($1,199.00): $25.98/month with final payment of $263.78
• ‌M2‌ 13-inch MacBook Pro ($1,299.00): $28.15/month with final payment of $285.78
• M1 Pro 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ ($1,999.00): $43.32/month with final payment of $439.78
• ‌M1 Pro‌ 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ ($2,499.00): $54.15/month with final payment of $549.78

AppleCare+ and select Apple accessories can also be folded into the program and financed over the 36-month term. Members of the Best Buy Totaltech program (priced at $199.99 per year) will also receive their normal membership benefit of ‌AppleCare‌+ at no cost for up to 24 months while participating in the Upgrade+ program.

Best Buy notes that Best Buy Totaltech member pricing and other promotional discounts may not be used with the Upgrade+ program, but it may still be a reasonable option for customers who prefer a small monthly payment to spread out the cost of the machine over three years rather than having to pay for it entirely up front.

Customers may also be able to obtain more money for their used Mac after the three-year period by selling it through other channels rather than accepting the forgiven final payment from Best Buy, but customers who wish to do that could simply make that final payment and then sell the machine on their own.

Best Buy says the Upgrade+ program will also help to reduce e-waste, as Mac laptops returned at the end of the program will find their way to Best Buy's other programs for giving used machines second lives.

The Apple Pencil 2 has hit a new all-time low price on Amazon today, available for $89.00, down from $129.00. The accessory is in stock and available to deliver as soon as October 26 for Prime delivery, or October 29 for free delivery.

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The Apple Pencil 2 is compatible with the following iPads: iPad mini (6th generation), iPad Air (4th generation and later), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd generation and later), and 11-inch iPad Pro (1st generation and later). The second generation Apple Pencil can also magnetically attach and pair to the iPad Pro, iPad mini, and iPad Air.

If you have the newest iPad Pro models, the second-generation Apple Pencil can now be detected while hovering up to 12mm above the display. This allows users to see a preview of their drawing before they make it, and with Scribble text fields automatically expand when the pencil gets near the screen.

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

The new iPad Pro with the M2 chip will start arriving to customers and launch in stores on Wednesday, October 26. Ahead of time, the first reviews of the new iPad Pro have now been shared by select media publications and YouTube channels.

Key new features for the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro include the M2 chip, Wi-Fi 6E support, new hover functionality for the Apple Pencil, and support for ProRes video recording. The device also has Smart HDR 4 and supports Bluetooth 5.3.

We have rounded up both written and video reviews of the new iPad Pro below.

Written Reviews

The new iPad Pro is able to detect the second-generation Apple Pencil while it hovers up to 12mm above the display, allowing users to see a preview of their drawing before they make it. Federico Viticci at MacStories called the feature a "very nice surprise," as he found it useful for interacting with iPadOS as a whole:

I'm here to tell you, however, that Apple Pencil Hover goes beyond enhancing the typical iPad drawing experience: it's also a neat way to control the iPadOS UI, adding a new dimension to touch interactions. I was not expecting to use Apple Pencil Hover at all because I'm no artist; its native integration with interface elements across the system turned out to be one of my favorite additions to iPadOS this year – definitely more so than Stage Manager.

For example, Viticci said Apple Pencil hover can be used to preview and scrub through videos on the YouTube website in Safari.

Jason Snell of Six Colors expressed disappointment that the iPad Pro still has a 2018 design and said the device would benefit from some features that the new 10th-generation iPad received, such as a landscape FaceTime camera and a Magic Keyboard with function keys:

That makes the fourth revision for this design without any substantial exterior changes. It's a good design, yes, but it's a little frustrating that it's been in stasis for four full years. The 10th-generation iPad's repositioned FaceTime camera would be welcome on a new iPad Pro. A revised version of the Magic Keyboard introduced in April 2020 with that extra row of function keys like the Magic Keyboard Folio would also be nice.

But while the low-end iPad points the direction to the future, the M2 iPad Pro remains in stasis. The display is unchanged from the M1 generation, meaning only the 12.9-inch model gets the excellent Liquid Retina XDR display, and the 11-inch model remains left out. There are several iPads available at the 11-inch size, so it would be nice if the iPad Pro were a bit better differentiated from (for example) the iPad Air. It's not.

Apple says the new iPad Pro has up to 15% faster CPU performance and up to 35% faster GPU performance compared to the previous model with the M1 chip. Engadget's Nathan Ingraham said the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with the M2 chip was "far more responsive" in his initial testing than his 11-inch iPad Pro with the A12Z chip from 2020:

In the short time that I've been testing the latest 12.9-inch iPad Pro, I can say that it's far more responsive than my personal 11-inch iPad Pro from 2020 as well as the new iPad I've also been testing. Those other devices aren't slow by any stretch of the imagination, but the M2-powered iPad Pro responds to everything almost instantaneously. Of course, the same can be said about the M1 iPad Pro, especially given my modest workflow.

Mac Otakara shared Geekbench 5 results for the new iPad Pro that confirm about a 15-16% increase in multi-core performance over the previous model (8,516 score for 12.9-inch model with M2 chip vs. 7,326 for the 12.9-inch model with M1 chip):

Mashable's Stan Schroeder said iPadOS 16's new Stage Manager feature remains "buggy" on the new iPad Pro and is "far from perfect":

Stage Manager was also buggy. For example, invoking it with the Keyboard's trackpad, which you do by moving the cursor to the left of the display, occasionally wouldn't work. Some apps, including Facebook and Apple's own Weather (which is new to the iPad) would sometimes look messy when resized inside Stage Manager. Having the app windows stubbornly cling to a certain size when you need them to be just a little bit bigger or smaller is annoying. I do think it's better than both Slide Over and Split View as a multitasking tool, but it's still far from perfect.

Video Reviews and Unboxings

The European Union today gave final approval to legislation that will force technology companies like Apple to switch to USB-C across a wide range of devices.

Outlined in an official press release, the European Council today gave the European Parliament's common charger directive approval, finalizing the legislative procedure that will make a USB-C port mandatory across a wide range of consumer electronic devices, including the iPhone and AirPods, by the end of 2024. The directive has now been officially adopted and is set to be published in the official journal of the European Union. It will come into force 20 days after publication, and the rules will apply exactly 24 months after that date. Products that go on sale before the date of application will be exempt and can continue to be sold after that point.

USB-C as a legally mandated "common port" is a world-first statute and will likely impact Apple in particular since it widely uses the Lightning connector instead of USB-C on many of its devices. MEPs claim that the move will reduce electronic waste, address product sustainability, and make use of different devices more convenient.

Regardless of their manufacturer, all new mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, earbuds and laptops that are rechargeable via a wired cable, with a power delivery of up to 100 Watts, will have to feature a USB-C port. Exemptions will apply for devices that are too small to offer a USB-C port, such as smart watches, health trackers, and some sports equipment, but the legislation is expected to expand to other devices over time. Companies will also have to ensure that dedicated labels clearly inform consumers about the charging characteristics of devices they buy.

In addition, the EU seeks to ensure that wireless charging solutions are interoperable as the technology evolves over time. The directive empowers the European Commission to develop delegated acts by the end of 2024 that force companies to make their custom wireless charging solutions more open and meet interoperability standards, helping consumers to avoid getting locked into proprietary charging solutions while preventing fragmentation and reducing waste. It is not clear if this would include Apple's MagSafe charging system for the ‌iPhone‌ and AirPods since it is based on the Qi wireless charging standard.

In 2018, the European Commission attempted to reach a final resolution on this issue but it failed to come into law. At the time, Apple warned that forcing a common charging port on the industry would stifle innovation and create electronic waste as consumers would be forced to switch to new cables.

The EU's effort resumed last year, with the European Commission spearheading a refreshed version of the directive. In April, the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee voted to support the directive, with 43 votes in favor and just two against. In June, the EU's Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection reached an agreement to introduce the directive to the European Parliament, which then voted overwhelmingly in favor of it.

Both Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believe Apple is testing a version of the ‌iPhone‌ that has a USB-C port instead of Lightning. Kuo believes that Apple could switch the ‌iPhone‌ to USB-C starting with 2023's iPhone 15, before transitioning AirPods and other accessories at a later date. This timing would allow Apple to switch many of its affected devices to USB-C ahead of the EU directive coming into force.

Last week, Apple launched a new Siri Remote for the Apple TV and the 10th-generation iPad, both of which replace the Lightning ports on their predecessors for USB-C, seemingly indicating that Apple's transition toward the common port is already well underway.

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 reportedly scrapped plans to launch a low-cost iPad with a plastic body and a plastic keyboard included in the box for below $500, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Writing in his Power On newsletter, Gurman said Apple had "internally considered launching an ‌iPad‌ with a plastic back and plastic keyboard" that would ship in the same box for below $500. "The idea was seemingly abandoned, but that was probably Apple's only real hope of ever giving Chromebooks a run for their money in most schools," Gurman added.

It's unclear if the scrapped plastic ‌iPad‌ would have come as the 10th-generation ‌iPad‌, announced last week, or another distinct ‌iPad‌ model. The new 10th-generation ‌iPad‌ joins the ‌iPad‌ lineup as the newest entry-level ‌iPad‌ with the A14 Bionic chip, iPadOS, and an all-screen design. The new ‌iPad‌, however, does not support the latest Apple Pencil and does not have a laminated screen.

At $449, the new ‌iPad‌ is more expensive than the ninth-generation entry-level ‌iPad‌ that remains in the lineup for $329 but is cheaper than the iPad Air, which starts at $599. The new ‌iPad‌, alongside the M2 iPad Pro, will begin arriving to customers this week on Wednesday, October 26.

The next two weeks will be fairly busy for Apple, with multiple new product launches, software releases, and more expected over that time. Below, we have recapped five key dates coming up for Apple so that you can mark your calendar accordingly.

Key dates to remember:

• Monday, October 24: Apple confirmed that iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16.1, and macOS Ventura will be released on October 24, and it's very likely that tvOS 16.1 and watchOS 9.1 will also be released on the same day. iOS 16.1 includes at least eight new features, while iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura feature Stage Manager and more. The updates should be available around 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
• Tuesday, October 25: Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi and marketing chief Greg Joswiak are set to speak with tech columnist Joanna Stern at the WSJ Tech Live event on October 25 starting around 7:35 p.m. Pacific Time. It's likely that Federighi and Joswiak will discuss Apple's latest software releases and hopefully address the controversy surrounding Stage Manager.
• Wednesday, October 26: The new iPad Pro models with the M2 chip and the redesigned 10th-generation iPad will begin arriving to customers and become available for purchase at Apple Stores and select resellers on October 26.
• Thursday, October 27: Apple will announce its earnings results for the fourth quarter of its 2022 fiscal year on October 27 at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri will discuss the results on a conference call starting at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time on the same day.
• Friday, November 4: The new Apple TV 4K with the A15 Bionic chip, HDR10+ support, and more will begin arriving to customers and become available for purchase at Apple Stores and select resellers on November 4.

In addition, the first reviews of the new iPads will likely be shared this week.