Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming watchOS 8.6 beta to developers for testing purposes, with the new software coming a week after the release of the second beta.
To install watchOS 8.6, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once installed, watchOS 8.6 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update.
To update to new software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it needs to be in range of the iPhone.
We don't yet know what's included in the watchOS 8.6 update, and no new features have been discovered in the beta so far.
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming tvOS 15.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming one week after the release of the second beta.
Developers can download the new tvOS 15.5 beta by downloading a profile onto the Apple TV using Xcode.
tvOS updates are typically minor in scale, focusing primarily on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements rather than major outward-facing changes.
Though we don't often know what's new in tvOS during the beta testing process, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download it upon release.
As of now, we have not found new features in tvOS 15.5 and there's no word on what might be in the update beyond bug fixes and under-the-hood performance improvements.
Apple is unlikely to have seen a significant financial benefit from App Tracking Transparency since the privacy feature launched last year, according to Kinshuk Jerath, Professor of Business in the Marketing Division at Columbia Business School.
In an Apple-commissioned report, Jerath said claims that billions of advertising dollars moved from companies like Meta to Apple due to the introduction of App Tracking Transparency are "speculative" and "lack supporting evidence."
Jerath provided three reasons for his opinion:
Apple's Search Ads business is a small part of the overall mobile advertising market
Growth in Apple's Search Ads business predated the introduction of App Tracking Transparency and is likely driven in part by other factors, such as continued overall growth of mobile ads and app install ads and the expansion of the Search Ads business to China in July 2021
Apple provides a prompt during the iOS setup process that enables users to turn off Personalized Ads on their device
In October 2021, the Financial Times reported that App Tracking Transparency had resulted in a "windfall" for Apple's advertising business. The report claimed that Apple's share of the mobile app advertising market tripled in the six months after the feature was introduced. Apple said the feature was designed to protect users and not to advantage the company.
Apple did not provide any internal figures to support the report's findings.
Google today followed in Apple's footsteps and launched a version of privacy labels for its own apps, with the aim of providing Google Play users with more information about the data that the apps they download are collecting.
First announced back in May 2021, Google's "Data safety" section will require developers to provide information about how their apps collect, share, and secure user data. Developers will need to offer up the following data:
Whether the developer is collecting data and for what purpose.
Whether the developer is sharing data with third parties.
The app's security practices, like encryption of data in transit and whether users can ask for data to be deleted.
Whether a qualifying app has committed to following Google Play's Families Policy to better protect children in the Play store.
Whether the developer has validated their security practices against a global security standard (more specifically, the MASVS).
Users will be able to determine whether the app needs the data to function or if the data collection is an optional feature that can be turned off.
Google says that Data safety information will be available starting today, and all developers will be required to complete this section for their apps by July 20.
Apple is expanding its presence in Ireland with a new product testing center, the Irish Examiner reports, alongside opening a new office in North Carolina.
Apple will open a new product testing center in Cork, Ireland, in what will be the first facility of its kind to test Apple devices in Europe. At the site, Apple engineers and technicians will use a range of equipment, including electron microscopes and CT scanners, to test products with the aim of improving durability and performance.
The testing center is located nearby to Apple's campus at Hollyhill, and was previously used to store hard disks, manuals, and documentation. Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Apple's vice president of European Operations Cathy Kearney said the new test facility was "a natural evolution from all the investments in recent years" in Cork:
The focus of this facility is to ensure the best product, durability and performance, and the lab team here will be testing and analysing Apple's entire range of products. This facility is the first of its kind in Europe and we are delighted to have it here in Cork.
The new testing facility in Cork follows the establishment of an Apple team in Ireland dedicated to researching artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Meanwhile, WRAL reports that Apple is planning to spend $19.3 million to renovate the seven-floor MetLife Building 3 in Cary, North Carolina. The location is a temporary space ahead of the opening of a new, $1 billion Apple campus in the state. Apple is in the process of recruiting a range of technical staff, developers, and engineers for the new office, according to Cary Chamber of Commerce President Mark Lawson.
Apple today hit back at a report from the Japanese government indicating that the company could be hit with new regulation to ensure fair competition in the smartphone operating system market, The Japan Times reports.
The Japanese government's interim report expressed concern over Apple and Google's control of the smartphone operating system market, particularly with regards to pre-installed browser apps, and warned that their policies can damage app providers and businesses. It proposed the introduction of new rules to ban companies from limiting the ability of users to make decisions about how they want to use their devices, with the added benefit of enhancing competition in the market.
The report also took issue with the 15 to 30 percent commission that developers have to pay to Apple for apps and in-app purchases, and the fact that they can only distribute through Apple's own App Store. As a result, it called for OS providers to allow users to be able to utilize third-party app stores and for companies to disclose thorough information about their systems.
The proposed changes aim to "realize fair and equal competition," according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno. Apple said in a statement "We respectfully disagree with a number of conclusions" in the Japanese government's report, and that it is facing "intense competition in every segment." Apple added that it will continue to "engage constructively with the Japanese government."
Rick VanMeter, Executive Director of the Coalition for App Fairness, commented:
With this interim report, Japan joins the growing chorus of regulators and policymakers that are putting Big Tech gatekeepers on notice for their anticompetitive practices. The report makes it clear that developers and consumers thrive when there is competition in the app ecosystem. We strongly agree with these findings and look forward to engaging with Japanese regulators and policymakers as they work to bolster innovation and allow for a free and fair mobile app marketplace.
The Japanese government will reportedly gather opinions from the public and hold further discussions before compiling a final report on the matter. Even more invasive challenges to Apple's platforms and services are underway in the European Union, where the proposed Digital Markets Act looks to force major changes to the App Store, Messages, FaceTime, third-party browsers, and Siri.
Amazon this week has introduced a slate of deals on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, with markdowns hitting every configuration of the 2021 tablet. You'll find the full list of sales below, with prices reaching as much as $399 off these devices.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Highlights in this sale include the tablets with higher storage that are seeing new all-time low prices, like the 1TB Wi-Fi 12.9-inch iPad Pro for $1,599.99 ($199 off) and the 2TB Cellular 12.9-inch iPad Pro for $1,999.99 ($399 off). At this much of a discount, the 2TB Cellular 12.9-inch iPad Pro is now the same price as the 2TB Wi-Fi model, so this is a great time to buy the cellular device.
For a few of these tablets, shoppers should note that there are delayed shipping estimates and dwindling stock in a few cases, so be sure to check out the deals soon if you're interested.
128GB Wi-Fi - $999.00, down from $1,099.00 ($100 off)
256GB Wi-Fi - $1,099.00, down from $1,199.00 ($100 off)
512GB Wi-Fi - $1,299.99, down from $1,399.00 ($99 off)
1TB Wi-Fi - $1,599.99, down from $1,799.00 ($199 off, lowest ever)
2TB Wi-Fi - $1,999.99, down from $2,199.00 ($199 off, lowest ever)
128GB Cellular - $1,149.99, down from $1,299.00 ($149 off, lowest ever)
256GB Cellular - $1,249.99, down from $1,399.00 ($149 off, lowest ever)
512GB Cellular - $1,499.99, down from $1,599.00 ($99 off, lowest ever)
1TB Cellular - $1,799.99, down from $1,999.00 ($199 off, lowest ever)
2TB Cellular - $1,999.99, down from $2,399.00 ($399 off, lowest ever)
Apple introduced these tablets in April 2021, and they feature a faster M1 chip, a Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display, 5G connectivity, and an all-screen design with an edge-to-edge display that does not include a Home button.
For even more iPad deals, head to our full Best Deals guide for iPad. In that guide we track the best discounts online for iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro.
Blizzard's newest Diablo game, Diablo Immortal, is set to launch on the iPhone and iPad on June 2, the company announced today.
First announced in 2018, Diablo Immortal is a full-fledged action RPG that's set in the Diablo Universe and that's been developed from the ground up for mobile devices, though it will also be available on PCs.
The game supports cross-play and cross-progression, and when it launches on June 2, it will be available in a beta capacity on PCs as well as being available on the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.
Diablo Immortal players will be able to choose from six Diablo classes including Barbarian, Crusader, Demon Hunter, Monk, Necromancer, and Wizard, and will then be able to journey through right zones and the city of Westmarch.
Familiar Diablo characters, such as Deckard Cain, will be present in the storyline, and players will complete an expansive quest to collect the shattered pieces of the Worldstone before the forces of the Burning Hells can gather. The questline takes place between the events of Diablo II and Diablo III.
Players will share a world with others and can team up with up to eight people to take on group challenges and fight raid bosses. Up to 150 people can form a clan to earn clan achievements.
There's also a faction-based PvP system where players can work together to fight in an ongoing war. The top player on the server will earn the Eternal Crown and will become the leader of the Immortals, forced to defend their reign across a series of modes.
Diablo Immortal is a free to play title with Blizzard monetizing the game through in-app purchases, though the company says the "core game experience" will always be free. More information about the game can be found on Blizzard's website.
Priced at $655 on sale, Dell's 27-inch UltraSharp display is the same size as the Studio Display, but it's 4K rather than 5K and it maxes out at 400 nits brightness rather than 600, so the HDR isn't as good, nor is the color accuracy.
It has a simple design that's not up to par with the design of the Studio Display, but it does come with several USB-C and USB-A ports, as well as an HDMI port and a DisplayPort. It also supports 90W power delivery, so it's going to work with any of Apple's notebooks, though it won't charge the 16-inch machines at full speed.
We go into much more depth on the Dell 27-inch UltraSharp Display and the Studio Display in our video up above, so make sure to check that out for a definitive answer on whether the Studio Display is worth the premium over the more affordable Dell monitor.
Nanoleaf today launched Lines Skins, which are designed to attach to the Nanoleaf Lines lights to change the color of the plastic bars to allow them to better blend in with a room's design.
Priced at $20, the Skins are available in either matte black or matte pink, and are able to fit over the Nanoleaf Lines bars and connectors, which are white by default. Each package includes nine skins and nine mounting caps, which is enough to fit over the default Lines package.
Skins change the look of the Nanoleaf Line lights both when they are activated and when they're turned off as the Lines offer up light that radiates out from the light bars. If you're unfamiliar with Lines, it is Nanoleaf's newest lighting product. Lines are modular light bars that feature backlit illumination and that can be arranged into different patterns and shapes.
Twitter has agreed to Tesla CEO Elon Musk's offer to buy the company for $44 billion, Twitter announced today. Bloomberg was first to report early Monday morning that a deal between the two parties was imminent.
Two weeks ago, Elon Musk offered to buy Twitter for $54.20 per share. Twitter and Musk, following weeks of speculation and public drama, agreed today to the $44 billion deal. Earlier reports indicated that Twitter's board was concerned that Musk's offer would be undervaluing the company by the time the social-media giant announces its Q2 earnings later this week.
Before his offer to outright purchase the platform, Musk purchased 9.2% of the company following heavy criticism of Twitter, on Twitter. Following his share purchase, Musk was poised to join the company's board to try and enact changes he said would promote "freedom of speech," but Twitter's CEO, Parag Agrawal, unexpectedly announced that Musk would no longer be joining the board.
In a statement, Musk said that he wants to make Twitter "better than ever" with new product features that will defeat spam bots and authenticate all humans.
"Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated," said Mr. Musk. "I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spam bots, and authenticating all humans. Twitter has tremendous potential – I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it."
When Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter is complete, Twitter will become a privately held company. The deal is expected to close in 2022, subject to approval of Twitter stockholders, the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals, and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.
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 has been accepting submissions since January, and is today reminding developers have until May 20 to make a claim through the Small Developer Assistance website, which has tools for estimating payments. Developers can claim between $250 and $30,000 based on their historic App Store participation.
Developers must meet the following criteria to be eligible to submit a claim to the website, as outlined by Apple.
Was sold for a non-zero price;
Was sold via Apple's iOS App Store between 2015 and 2021;
Earned, together with any other iOS applications or in-app products (including subscriptions) sold through all of your associated developer accounts, proceeds equal to or less than $1,000,000.00 through the App Store U.S. storefront in every calendar year from 2015 to 2021 in which you had a developer account.
There are approximately 67,000 eligible developers. Developers who earned less than $100 will get the minimum payment of $250, while those who earned more than $1 million will be entitled to a higher-end payment. Minimum payments are subject to change based on the number of total claims.
The settlement comes from a 2019 lawsuit that saw a group of iOS developers accuse Apple of using its App Store monopoly to impose "profit-killing" commissions. The developers were unhappy with Apple's 30 percent cut of App Store sales, an issue that was largely addressed with the App Store Small Business Program that dropped the commission that small developers have to pay to 15 percent.
In addition to providing $100 million to developers, Apple agreed to allow developers to use communications like email to share information about payment methods available outside of the App Store, plus Apple expanded the number of price points available to developers for subscriptions.
Apple also agreed to maintain the App Store Small Business Program and App Store search, making no changes for at least three years, with the company also pledging to create an annual transparency report based on App Store data covering app rejections, apps removed from the App Store, search information, and more.
After the May 20 deadline for submissions passes, there will be a final approval hearing on June 7, 2022. The payout date will vary based on whether there are objections, how long it takes to resolve those objections, and whether the agreement receives final approval from the court.
Apple Music is experiencing an outage at the current time, and according to Apple's System Status page, some users may experience intermittent issues with the service.
A number of Apple device owners are not able to use Apple Music at the current time, and there are many complaints on Twitter and other social networks about the outage. Apple updated the System Status page to reflect an issue at approximately 8:40 a.m. Pacific Time, but people have been having problems for much longer.
The App Store is also listed as experiencing issues, which is perhaps the explanation for why App Store privacy labels seem to have mysteriously disappeared earlier this morning.
There is no word on when Apple will address the outage, but we'll update this article when Apple Music and the App Store are functioning as intended.
Update: Apple now says the issues have been resolved, with the outages lasting from approximately 1:!5 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
Apple appears to be removing a large number of apps from the App Store that have not been updated for "a significant amount of time" (via The Verge).
According to an "App Improvement Notice" email sent to affected developers, Apple is removing apps that have "not been updated in a significant amount of time" unless developers issue an update within 30 days:
This app has not been updated for a significant amount of time and is scheduled to be removed from sale in 30 days. No action is required for the app to remain available to users who have already downloaded the app.
You can keep this app available for new users to discover and download from the App Storey submitting an update for review within 30 days.
If no update is submitted within 30 days, the app will be removed from sale.
The notice has been met with concern from some developers, such as Protopop Games developer Robert Kabwe. Kabwe says on Twitter that Apple is threatening to his game, "Motivoto," since it has not been updated since March 2019. Kosta Eleftheriou, the developer of the FlickType Apple Watch keyboard, highlighted that while Apple took down a version of his app because it has not been updated in two years, the once-popular game "Pocket God" remains available despite it not being updated since 2015.
The sense of concern has been echoed by several other developers on Twitter who have also received App Improvement Notices, with developers highlighting that they simply have not had enough time to update their apps and that some apps exist as "completed objects," and therefore do not require "updates or a live service model."
To make it easier for customers to find great apps that fit their needs, we want to ensure that apps available on the App Store are functional and up-to-date. We are implementing an ongoing process of evaluating apps, removing apps that no longer function as intended, don’t follow current review guidelines, or are outdated.
Apple has been known to remove apps that have not been updated for some time from the App Store before, but it is not clear if this policy has been continuously or consistently enforced. It is also unknown what exactly Apple determines "a significant amount of time" to be, and whether it relates to compatibility with the latest version of iOS or time elapsed since the last update.
Apple recently shared a short documentary film about Singapore's hawker food culture that was shot entirely on the iPhone 13 Pro.
The video revolves around two food stalls competing over chicken rice, a popular dish at open-air food courts known as hawker centres in Singapore. The documentary showcases iPhone 13 Pro camera features such as Cinematic mode and time-lapse video.
"Big ambitions clash in tiny kitchens, all in the name of Singapore's beloved hawker dish — chicken rice," the video description reads. "Apple presents a documentary about hawker pride and conviction, set against the backdrop of the famous Maxwell Food Centre. From the creator of Chef's Table and director of Jiro Dreams of Sushi, David Gelb."
Apple also shared a companion video that provides a behind-the-scenes look at how the documentary was shot on the iPhone 13 Pro.
All four iPhone 13 models feature a new Cinematic mode that lets users record video with a shallow depth of field and automatic focus changes between subjects, while iPhone 13 Pro models also feature a Macro mode for close-up shots.
As noted on Twitter, privacy labels for apps on the App Store on both iOS and macOS have mysteriously disappeared, and the reason remains unclear. All other functions of the App Store appear to remain online, and Apple's system status page indicates no issues with any services at the time of writing.
Apple's App Store privacy labels aim to give users insight into what information an app collects and shares about them. Privacy labels launched in December 2020 following the launch of iOS 14. We'll update this post when more information becomes available on why they're missing.
Update: The privacy labels have returned to App Store listings on both the iOS and macOS App Stores.
Apple Store customers in Paris, Berlin, and London shopping for a new iPhone were recently presented with a unique and creative surprise when they saw an AirDrop message appear on the devices that aimed to convince them to purchase a refurbished iPhone instead of a completely new model.
The ad campaign by Back Market, a website that specializes in selling refurbished consumer electronics, consisted of sending an AirDrop message to iPhones on display in Apple's retail store that led to a webpage that promotes refurbished devices.
"Quick! Security isn't looking... It's time to go refurbished with a cheaper and greener model," the webpage read. "Did you know this iPhone is available in white, black, blue, and greener?" it added.
Back Market offers a wide range of refurbished devices for sale. Back Market offers a wide range of refurbished devices for sale, with prices varying depending on model and condition. Back Market says that a "refurbished phone represents 176 lbs off of our collective carbon footprint. Manufacturing a new smartphone produces about 191 lbs of CO2e. Refurbishing? Just 15 lbs. Lose the weight: no extra effort, just extra savings."
Apple does have its own refurbished program, but unlike Back Market, it's only currently offering the iPhone 11 Pro from three years ago for $919.
Apple will be forced to allow users to utilize third-party app stores and payment systems, as well as make iMessage interoperable with other messaging services, by the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), according to a newly published document from the European Commission.
In a questions and answers document on the Digital Markets Act titled "ensuring fair and open digital markets," published on Saturday, the European Commission explained and clarified what the Digital Markets Act will mean for companies that are designated as "gatekeepers." Apple is almost certain to be classified as a "gatekeeper," due to the size of its annual turnover in the EU, its ownership and operation of platforms with a large number of active users, and its "entrenched and durable position" due to how long it has met these criteria, and will therefore be subject to the rules set out in the DMA.
Last week, a leaked version of the DMA, seen by MacRumors, indicated that Apple could be forced to make major changes to the App Store, Messages, FaceTime, third-party browsers, and Siri in Europe. The latest document reiterates that gatekeepers will have to allow users to install third-party app stores, while developers will have to be able to interoperate with a gatekeeper's own services, promote their offers outside the gatekeeper's platform and use third-party payment systems, and access data gathered by a gatekeeper.
One of the new additions to the DMA is the requirement to make messaging, voice-calling, and video-calling services interoperable. The document clarifies that a third-party developer will have to request interoperability with a gatekeeper's service, and the gatekeeper will have to comply within a fixed timeframe. Immediately, gatekeepers will be required to support messaging between users on different platforms, but the DMA includes provisions to expand to group chats after two years, and video and audio calls after four years. The interoperability rules theoretically mean that Meta apps like WhatsApp or Messenger could request to interoperate with Apple's iMessage framework, and Apple will be forced to comply.
So far, Apple has heavily resisted attempts by governments to enforce changes to its operating systems and services. For example, Apple simply chose to pay a $5.5 million fine every week for ten weeks in the Netherlands instead of obey orders from the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) to allow third-party payment systems in Dutch dating apps.
The DMA says that gatekeepers who ignore the rules will face fines of up to 10 percent of the company's total worldwide annual turnover, or 20 percent in the event of repeated infringements, as well as periodic penalties of up to 5 percent of the company's total worldwide annual turnover. Where gatekeepers perpetrate "systematic infringements," the European Commission will be able to impose additional sanctions, such as obliging a gatekeeper to sell a business or parts of it, including units, assets, intellectual property rights, or brands, or banning a gatekeeper from acquiring any company that provides services in the digital sector.
EU lawmakers provisionally approved the DMA in March. Once the final document is officially published, the European Parliament and the Council will need to approve it before it can come into effect. Digital competition chief Margrethe Vestager said last month that she expects the DMA to come into force "sometime in October."
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