MacRumors

Spotify is extending its free trial period for Spotify Premium to three months, up from the previous one month that new users usually have to try out the paid service.

In a blog post announcing the offer, Spotify said the free three-month trial of its Individual Premium plan is available to eligible Free and first-time users.

In addition, Spotify said those who canceled their Premium plan before July 15 for whatever reason can get it back with the first three months charged at just $9.99, which is less than $4 a month.

Both offers are now live and will run through September 11. After the three-month trial ends, subscriptions renew automatically at the regular monthly cost of $9.99. Both offers are open to eligible users in 135 Spotify markets around the world.

Apple Music is still currently running its typical one-month free trial for new users, but if the service responds with a like-for-like extension of its trial to counter Spotify's offer, you can be sure we'll cover it here.

Apple is laying off as many as 100 of its recruiters responsible for finding and reviewing potential new applicants and full-time employees for the company as part of a broader crackdown on hiring and spending, Bloomberg has reported.

The 100 recruiters, spread out across Apple's offices in California, Texas, and Singapore, were told they were being let go due to a shift in Apple's approach to spending and a slowdown in hiring. Those workers were told they would receive pay and their benefits for an additional two weeks and would have a chance to have their personal belongings returned from their offices, Bloomberg reports.

The 100 recruiters laid off are not full-time Apple employees but only contractors that typically receive less pay and less attractive benefits compared to full-time staff. Last month, Bloomberg reported that Apple would be slowing down its hiring pace, which was confirmed by the company's CEO, Tim Cook, when he said Apple would be "deliberate" in its hiring and investment due to the current economic climate.

Apple's rumored 10th-generation iPad is currently in production and will feature "major" design changes, according to a report from Taiwanese website DigiTimes.

The report did not provide any specific details about the 10th-generation iPad's new design, but rumors suggest the device will feature a larger 10.5-inch display with slightly thinner bezels, a USB-C port, and a flat-edged enclosure with a protruding rear camera. The lower-cost iPad is still expected to have a Touch ID home button, but recently leaked renders showed the device without a headphone jack like other iPad models.

In addition to the redesign, the lower-cost iPad is rumored to gain a faster A14 Bionic chip and 5G support for cellular models. Other devices with the A14 chip include the fourth-generation iPad Air and all four iPhone 12 models.

Apple plans to launch the 10th-generation iPad in September, according to DigiTimes, but sources cited in the report said they are concerned about temporary power restrictions imposed by the Chinese government on factories in China's southwestern Sichuan province. Amid an intense heat wave, power has been cut to industrial users in 19 cities throughout the province until August 20 in order to prioritize residential power supply, and all industrial power users have been ordered to suspend all production during this period, the report claims.

iPads are mainly produced in Sichuan by manufacturers Foxconn and Compal, according to the report, which adds that a six-day shutdown due to the power cuts would likely not impact overall production efficiency in August. If the power restrictions are extended, however, the report says mass production of products could be affected.

Apple unveiled the ninth-generation iPad at its September 2021 event alongside the iPhone 13, Apple Watch Series 7, and sixth-generation iPad mini. It was rumored earlier today that the 10th-generation iPad is set to be announced at an October event, so we'll have to see if the device ends up being unveiled in September or October this year.

The ninth-generation iPad features a 10.2-inch display, an A13 Bionic chip, a 12-megapixel front camera with support for the Center Stage feature, and support for the first-generation Apple Pencil. The device starts at $329 in the United States and is available in Space Gray or Silver color options with 64GB or 256GB of storage.

Apple will pay $30.5 million to settle a long-running lawsuit over employee bag checks, reports Bloomberg Law. Apple initially agreed to the sum in November 2021, and now a judge has given final approval to the settlement amount.

The class action lawsuit involves 14,683 California employees who were subjected to off-the-clock bag searches between July 25, 2009 and August 10, 2015. Apple was subjecting employees to mandatory bag checks that were described as "embarrassing and demeaning" in the class-action lawsuit, and because those checks were conducted after a shift, employees were at work for an extra 10 to 15 minutes without being paid.

Apple claimed that its bag searches ensured employees were not hiding stolen electronics in their personal belongings, and that employees who did not want to be subject to searches could leave their bags at home, but that argument did not work for Apple.

After several appeals, the court ruled that Apple had to pay California employees for the time they had spent in bag searches, and Apple in January created a website where both current and former employees could learn about the settlement and submit claims.

Apple today informed corporate employees that they must return to the office for three days starting the week of Monday, September 5, reports Bloomberg. Apple will require employees work in-person on Tuesday, Thursday, and a third day that will vary by team as part of a hybrid return-to-work plan.

Apple initially planned to require employees to return to the office three days a week in May, but that timeline was delayed due to a spike in COVID-19 cases. For the last several months, Apple employees have been working in the office for two days per week, but the company is now implementing its full return schedule.

Employees were initially going to be required to work on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, but Bloomberg says Apple has changed the plan. All employees will need to be in-office on Tuesday and Thursday, but the third day will be set by team leaders and will vary from team to team. On other days, most employees will be able to work from home. It's worth noting that Monday, September 5 is a holiday, so employees will need to work Tuesday, Thursday, and one other day that week.

Many tech companies implemented permanent work from home policies for employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Apple did not. Throughout the global crisis, Apple has made it clear that employees would need to return to in-person work and collaboration.

"For all that we've been able to achieve while many of us have been separated, the truth is that there has been something essential missing from this past year: each other," Apple CEO Tim Cook told employees in June 2021. "Video conference calling has narrowed the distance between us, to be sure, but there are things it simply cannot replicate."

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.

The sixth beta of iOS 16 that was provided to developers and public beta testers today focuses mainly on bug fixes and other under-the-hood improvements, but it does make one small change to the battery percentage status bar feature that was introduced in the prior beta.

When using Low Power mode, it is now possible to turn off the percentage indicator that is shown in the status bar, something that was not able to be done in the prior beta. The change was first noted by 9to5Mac, and it is useful for those who do not like the battery icon in the status bar to show the percent.

iOS 16 beta 5:

iOS 16 beta 6:

In iOS 16 beta 5, activating Low Power mode automatically turned on the battery percent feature even if it was not toggled on, with no option to have Low Power mode on without showing battery percent information. That's no longer the case with iOS 16 beta 6, and the two toggles are no longer linked.

It is now possible to turn on Low Power mode while also turning off the battery percent reading for the battery icon.

Battery percent was a standard iPhone status bar feature until the launch of the ‌iPhone‌ X in 2017, which saw it removed due to space constraints caused by the notch needed for the TrueDepth camera system hardware. Until the fifth iOS 16 beta, the status bar showed a visual representation of battery level, and viewing the specific battery percentage required swiping into the Control Center or checking the battery widget.

With the fifth beta, Apple added the option to turn on battery percent, with the number overlaying the battery icon. The number replaces the typical battery icon that shifts over time as the battery drains, and because of that, it has not been popular with some users.

Battery percent is available on the ‌iPhone‌ X, ‌iPhone‌ XS, ‌iPhone‌ XS Max, ‌iPhone‌ 12, ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, ‌iPhone‌ 13, ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro, and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro Max. It is not available on the ‌iPhone‌ 11, ‌iPhone‌ XR, iPhone 12 mini, or ‌iPhone‌ 13 mini.

The new battery percentage icon that Apple introduced in the fifth developer beta of iOS 16 is still not available on the standard iPhone 11, iPhone XR, iPhone 12 mini, and iPhone 13 mini in the sixth beta of iOS 16 seeded to developers today.

Since the release of the iPhone X in 2017, and on every iPhone with a notch since, battery percentage has only been visible in Control Center by swiping down on the top-right corner of the display. Apple made headlines last week when it finally made battery percentage visible in the status bar again on iPhones with a notch, eliminating the need to swipe down, but the feature is not supported on all iPhones in the latest iOS 16 betas.

The new icon includes the battery percentage within the icon rather than to the left of it. The white battery icon remains completely filled in until the battery reaches 20% or lower, at which point a fifth of the icon turns red and the rest of the icon becomes translucent. The icon's current implementation has proven to be controversial, but it's important to remember that iOS 16 is still in beta and subject to additional changes.

It's unclear why the new battery percentage icon is not available on some iPhone models with a notch, but the excluded models are either "mini" iPhones or have an LCD display instead of an OLED display. As mentioned, iOS 16 is still in beta testing, so it's possible that Apple could expand the feature in a future beta release.

Apple is expected to release iOS 16 to all users with an iPhone 8 or newer in September.

Apple today seeded the sixth betas of upcoming iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the updates coming a week after Apple released the fifth developer betas.

Registered developers can download the iOS and iPadOS 16 profiles from the Apple Developer Center, and once installed, the betas will be available over the air.

iOS 16 introduces a revamped Lock Screen that offers a new level of personalization and customization through widgets, a notification redesign, and adjustable fonts and colors for the time. Multiple Lock Screens are supported, similar to watch faces, and can be associated with Focus modes.

Focus is easier to set up than before and more customizable, with Focus filters available to cut out distracting content within apps. The Messages app now features tools for editing iMessages, unsending iMessages, and marking messages as unread, plus it supports SharePlay, much like FaceTime.

The Mail app has improved search and tools that include undo send, schedule send, and follow up so you can get a reminder to check up on an email if you haven't gotten a response. Safari supports Shared Tab Groups and Apple is working to replace passwords with Passkeys, a more biometrically secure way to log in to accounts.

iCloud Photo Library allows users to more easily share photos with family members, and Live Text is supported in video. There's a neat new feature for lifting the subject from a background with a tap, which is part of Visual Lookup.

Dictation has improved, Maps now supports multi-stop routing, Apple Pay Later lets you split up purchase payments, and the Home app has been entirely overhauled with a new look. On the iPad, the update adds a new Stage Manager feature for more Mac-like multitasking, but it's limited to M1 iPads.

The fifth beta of iOS 16 added the battery percentage back to the status bar on iPhones that have a notch, plus it introduced new sounds for locating an iPhone via Find My or the Apple Watch.

There are tons of other new features in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, with a full rundown on everything available in our dedicated roundup.

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming watchOS 9 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming one week after Apple released the fifth beta to developers.

To install ‌watchOS 9, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once installed, ‌watchOS 9‌ 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.

watchOS 9 introduces four new watch faces, including Lunar, Playtime, Metropolitan, and Astronomy, plus it includes updates to some existing watch faces and complications. The ECG app now supports AFib History for tracking how long a person has been in atrial fibrillation.

The sleep tracking feature now includes sleep stages, letting the Apple Watch track when users are in REM, Core, or Deep sleep, and Apple has added a Medications app. The Medications app lets users manage and track their medications, vitamins, and supplements, with reminders when it's time to take them.

Updates to the Workout app add custom workouts and improvements for runners, triathletes, and swimmers. Fitness+ workouts now support streaming to certain third-party TVs for those who don't have an Apple TV, and notifications have been redesigned to be less obtrusive when the watch's screen is active.

Other new features include a CallKit API that allows VOIP calls to be answered on Apple Watch, Apple Watch Mirroring for controlling the Apple Watch with an ‌iPhone‌, Quick Actions for doing more with a double pinch gesture, and updates to the Reminders and Calendar apps.

Hyper today announced the launch of two new high-powered accessories designed for Apple devices, including the HyperJuice 245W GaN Desktop Charger and the HyperJuice 245W USB-C Battery Pack. The accessories are available for purchase as of today following a successful Kickstarter campaign.

Hyper says that its HyperJuice 245W GaN Desktop Charger is the world's smallest 245W GaN charging option. It includes four 100W (max) USB-C power delivery ports for charging multiple devices at one time. Up to four 60W laptops can be charged at once, or two 100W laptops can be charged alongside accessories like the iPad Pro and iPhone.

The 245W of power is split between the four charging ports depending on what's plugged in, and for those who prefer to charge on the go, there's also a new HyperJuice 245W USB-C Battery Pack.

The HyperJuice 245W USB-C Battery Pack is airline safe, offering a 100Whr/27000mAh capacity and two 100W max USB-C ports and two 65W max USB-C ports for charging up to four devices at one time. There's a built-in OLED screen that provides details on remaining capacity and the charging power of each port, plus there's a 100W input for recharging the battery pack in approximately an hour.

Hyper's 245W GaN USB-C charger is available from the Hyper website for $200. The 245W USB-C Battery Pack is also available from the website for $250.

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

Samsung today announced the launch of the Odyssey Ark, which the company says is the world's first 55-inch 4K curved display with a 165Hz refresh rate for improved gaming performance. Samsung first previewed the monitor at CES, but it is now available to order.

Priced at $3,500, the Samsung Odyssey Ark features mini-LED technology with 1000R curvature and is rotatable, which Samsung says offers a "new level of immersion." A Cockpit Mode option allows users to rotate the Ark display to a vertical orientation for multitasking or new gaming experiences.

There is a 165Hz maximum refresh rate and a 1ms response time for gaming purposes, and a built-in processor upscales content to 4K resolution and "enhances every visual detail." It supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and there are features that include a Game Bar for display adjustments and a Gaming Hub for finding new content to play. A Multi View feature also allows up to four screens to be displayed at one time.

The display is matte to cut down on glare and reflection, and there are quad speakers (one in each corner) with Dolby Atmos support. The display's position can be adjusted with HAS, tilt, and pivot for a customized gaming setup, and the monitor can be wall mounted if desired with an included VESA mount.

Samsung's Odyssey Ark can be pre-ordered from the Samsung website starting today.

Apple's slowest iPhone charger with an outdated 5W USB port is no longer available to purchase in some countries around the world.

As noted by Japanese blog Mac Otakara, the 5W charger is currently sold out on Apple's online store in Japan. With a quick spot check, we found the charger is also sold out or completely removed on Apple's online store in Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, China, and several other countries.

Apple continues to sell the 5W charger for $19 in the United States, as well as in Canada, the UK, Ireland, Singapore, and some other countries.

Apple included a compact 5W charger with the iPhone 3G through iPhone 11, although the charger received a few minor revisions over the years, in part due to two voluntary safety recalls issued by Apple in select countries. Unlike Apple's newer USB-C chargers, the 5W charger is equipped with a USB-A port and is not capable of fast charging.

iPhone 11 Pro models came with a faster 18W USB-C charger in the box, and Apple stopped including a charger at all with the iPhone 12 and newer.

iPad assembly plants in China may be impacted by power outages ahead of the launch of new models in the fall, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a tweet earlier today, Kuo commented on the effects of power outages in China's southwestern Sichuan province caused by industrial electricity rationing amid a severe heatwave.

Kuo said that the temporary power outage may affect ‌iPad‌ assembly facilities in Chengdu and Chongqing, operated by Foxconn and Compal. He added that it is "difficult to assess impacts on production currently," but its impact should be limited if the power outage can end on August 20. Flexible production scheduling could mitigate the effects of power outages, but it is not clear how ‌iPad‌ supplies may be hit if power does not return by August 20.

Kuo warned that similar incidents in the coming months could affect shipments of Apple's new devices going into the company's peak season when new products are released. Currently, next-generation iPad Pro models with MagSafe wireless charging capabilities, upgraded cameras, two new connectors, and the M2 chip, as well as the tenth-generation entry-level ‌iPad‌ with a new design and a USB-C port, are expected to be unveiled at an Apple event in October.

Steep discounts on the Apple TV 4K have been very popular this summer, and the sales are still available on Amazon right now. You can get the 32GB Apple TV 4K for $119.99, down from $179.00, and you don't need any sort of coupon code this time around as the sale has been automatically applied.

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.

Amazon's sale today is a second-best discount for the 32GB Apple TV 4K and just about $10 higher than the all-time low price that we previously tracked during Prime Day. Both the 32GB and 64GB models of the Apple TV 4K are in stock on Amazon today, with Prime delivery options available as soon as August 17.

Other than the 32GB Apple TV 4K, you can also get the 64GB model for $139.99, down from $199.00. The new 2021 models of the Apple TV 4K include the redesigned Siri Remote, an A12 Bionic processor, and 4K high frame rate HDR support.

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

Samsung last week announced its fourth-generation foldable phone, the Galaxy Fold 4, and as a result, some iPhone customers may be wondering about the future of a foldable ‌iPhone‌.

Apple is indeed working on a foldable ‌iPhone‌, but details about it remain scarce and somewhat vague. We've rounded up a few notable rumors below and want to hear from you; what would you like to see in a foldable ‌iPhone‌? Let us know in the comments!

Hardware Features

• Building on an existing relationship, Apple is likely working closely with Corning to develop a special display glass for the foldable ‌iPhone‌ that's both tough and durable and thin and flexible.
• Rumors have fluctuated regarding the size of the foldable ‌iPhone‌, with some reports saying it'll be around 9-inches and have a PPI (pixels-per-inch) between an ‌iPhone‌ and an iPad. Other reports say Apple has internally tested a device that opens up to 6.7-inches, similar to the size of current Pro Max iPhones.
• A research firm has suggested the foldable iPhone could support the Apple Pencil, utilizing its larger display to allow for easier note taking, drawing, sketching, and more on the device.
• Rather than typical foldable phones on the market, a rumor from Apple leaker Jon Prosser suggests that Apple is working on a foldable device with two separate screens connected via a hinge and not one single, continuous display.

Software and OS

• It remains to be seen whether Apple will, at some point, combine the ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ into a single product, offering an ‌iPhone‌ when folded and an iPad-like experience when unfolded. In that case, we may see the foldable device running a hybrid between iOS and iPadOS, but that remains purely speculative.

Price and Launch Date

• Samsung's Galaxy Fold 4 starts at a steep $1,800, and while it's too early to tell what market Apple will want to target with its foldable device, Samsung's pricing does offer a little bit of context.
• According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, we're now unlikely to see a foldable ‌iPhone‌ until at least 2025 or later, so there are still many years to go until we may see anything hit the market.

For more in-depth information about what we know about a foldable ‌iPhone‌, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide. Plus, don't forget to let us know what you want to see in a foldable ‌iPhone‌ below.

Apple's new M2 MacBook Air has begun seeing some of its first notable discounts on B&H Photo today, including markdowns on both 256GB and 512GB models. Amazon did have the 256GB model on sale earlier, but it quickly expired, so B&H Photo is currently the only major retailer with the sale.

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

You can get the 256GB M2 MacBook Air in Starlight for $1,099.00, down from $1,199.00. Only the Starlight color is on sale at this price, and it's an all-time low price on this brand new 2022 model of the MacBook Air.

Secondly, the 512GB M2 MacBook Air is on sale for $1,399.00, down from $1,499.00. This one is only available in Space Gray, and it's also another record low price on the M2 MacBook Air.

You can find even more discounts on other MacBooks by visiting our Best Deals guide for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. In this guide we track the steepest discounts for the newest MacBook models every week, so be sure to bookmark it and check back often if you're shopping for a new Apple notebook.