MacRumors

WarnerMedia today announced that it will be rolling out a revamped HBO Max app for Apple TV over the next few weeks.

According to Variety and The Streamable, the new tvOS app provides much-needed performance and stability improvements. The updated app is said to look similar to the original version, but it will feature a new main screen view with a scrollable "hero" banner, a new "binge mode" with the ability to skip credits and automatically jump to the next episode in a series, and a simplified account sign-up and sign-in experience.

The new app will also provide users with a new "My Stuff" experience that lets users edit and sort their "My List" and "Continue Watching" lists.

WarnerMedia executive Sarah Lyons said the original HBO Max app for Apple TV was built on the same code base as the existing HBO GO and HBO Now apps in order to get the app to market faster, but the experience was subpar and led to widespread usability complaints from users. The new HBO Max app for tvOS is based on cross-platform technology from You.i, which WarnerMedia acquired in December 2020.

Tom's Guide's Henry T. Casey tested the new app and said it is improved:

The best thing I can say about the new HBO Max app is that I haven't seen the "Oops, something went wrong!" error — which often happened when opening the app after it being in the background — once since I've been testing it. That's been one of my biggest beefs with the app since it arrived, and to not encounter it in the weeks that I've had the app? That's a huge upgrade.

Overall, the new HBO Max app for Apple TV feels more on par with Netflix when it comes to loading times and navigation.

The updated HBO Max app will be rolling out into next week, so the revamped experience might not be available to all users immediately.

Amazon continues to offer record low discounts on Apple's iPad mini 6 lineup, and today these markdowns have reached every Wi-Fi model of the 2021 tablet. Sales start with the entry-level 64GB Wi-Fi iPad mini at $459.00, down from $499.00. This sale can be found at Amazon in every color, and B&H Photo is matching in Purple.

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.

We started tracking this all-time low price on the 64GB Wi-Fi iPad mini a few weeks ago, but this is one of the first times we've seen every color on sale. The iPad mini 6 launched last September with a larger 8.3-inch display, the A15 Bionic chip, support for the Apple Pencil 2, and a USB-C port.

You can also get an all-time low price on the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad mini 6, priced at $599.00, down from $649.00. Amazon is again offering this iPad mini in all four colors: Starlight, Space Gray, Purple, and Pink. B&H Photo is matching the sale in Purple and Starlight.

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.

Samsung and Oppo are planning to transition to custom silicon chips to rival Apple's A-series chips in the iPhone, according to recent reports.

Earlier this year, Chinese smartphone brand Oppo launched its first custom silicon chip, the MariSilicon X image processor, in the Find X5. Now, the company's chip design team is developing an application processor (AP) and an entire custom System on Chip (SoC) for future Oppo devices, IT Home reports. Like Apple's custom silicon chips, Oppo is looking to TSMC to manufacture its chips.

IT Home suggests that Oppo will launch its custom AP, manufactured with TSMC's 6nm process, in 2023. This will reportedly be followed by a full SoC, integrating the AP and modem, manufactured with TSMC's 4nm process, in 2024. The chips may not be comparable to offerings from Qualcomm and Mediatek in terms of efficiency and fabrication processes, but they could be adopted in entry-level mobile products first before increasing market penetration over time.

Meanwhile, iNews 24 reports that Samsung smartphone chief Roh Tae-moon told a company town hall meeting that "we will make an AP unique to the Galaxy." The push toward custom silicon chips is reportedly being driven by GPS issues and poor thermal performance caused by the Exynos 2200 chip in Samsung's latest Galaxy S22 series of smartphones. Samsung hopes that it will be able to mirror Apple in taking multiple considerations into account with its custom chips instead simply of putting performance at the forefront.

The movement is seemingly part of a trend of increasing ambition from Android smartphone brands to rival Apple more directly and become the world's biggest smartphone brand, with Oppo laying out plans to aggressively compete in the high-end smartphone market and Xiaomi pledging a "war of life and death" against Apple.

Incase today announced the launch of new Woolenex case options for the AirTag and the AirPods 3. The Incase Key Clip with Woolenex is designed for the ‌AirTag‌, and it is a lightweight, form-fitting case that covers the ‌AirTag‌ in Woolenex and adds a TPU snap enclosure with key ring.

The Incase Key Clip comes in graphite gray and blush pink, and it has an open front and back window to allow for signal and sound output.

Incase's Woolenex Case for AirPods 3 is a made from the same material, and is meant to protect the AirPods case from scuffs and scratches. Underneath the Woolenex, there is a lightweight injection-molded polycarbonate shell to add durability and protection from impact. The case comes in asphalt gray, cobalt blue, and deep red, and it has a matching strap.

Woolenex is Incase's lightweight fabric blend that is used for a wide variety of accessory case options. Incase says that the material is woven from two thicknesses of polyester fiber to create a slim, strong material that offers abrasion and weather resistance.

Along with these two Woolenex accessories, Incase is also introducing the Reform Sport Case for the third-generation AirPods. Available in black and rose coral, the case features a two-layer design with a hard exterior shell and a soft interior to protect the AirPods case from drops.

The Incase Key Clip with Woolenex for ‌AirTag‌ is priced at $19.95, the Woolenex Case for AirPods is priced at $34.95, and the Reform Sport Case for AirPods is priced at $39.95. All three accessories can be purchased from the Incase website and directly from Apple's online store.

China's BOE Technology is preparing to supply Apple with OLED displays for future iPad and MacBook models, The Elec reports.

In preparation for Apple's supply requirements, BOE will build a Gen 8.6 OLED display panel production line at its B16 factory in Sichuan Province, China, according to The Elec. The new production line will reportedly open toward the end of 2024. The company plans to rival South Korea's Samsung Display and LG Display in supplying Apple with OLED panels for future ‌iPad‌ and MacBook models.

Both Samsung and LG are said to use Gen 6 production lines for their first OLED panels for iPads, before using Gen 8.5 production lines for various Apple devices set to debut after the launch of the first ‌iPad‌ model with an OLED display. Gen 8.5 production lines yield more OLED panels per substrate than Gen 6 lines and is therefore more cost effective.

BOE is also testing two-stack tandem OLED technology, which can offer increased brightness and longevity. This makes two-stack tandem OLED displays more suitable for devices like iPads and MacBooks, since they are often used for a longer period of time than smartphones.

The Elec reaffirmed that Apple is planning to introduce its first ‌iPad‌ models with OLED displays in 2024. A previous report situated the launch of the first MacBook with an OLED display in 2025, depending on the success of new 11- and 12.9-inch OLED iPad Pro models from the previous year.

Apple has recently implemented several changes to the App Store that allow for outside payment options and linking to external websites for purchase purposes. As part of these changes, Apple in iOS 15.5 is adding support for and warnings about external purchases.

Code for external purchase support was discovered by 9to5Mac in the iOS 15.5 beta, which came out yesterday. The site says that iOS 15.5 "has full support" for the "External Link Account Entitlement" that Apple recently made available to reader apps.

As of last week, Apple began allowing developers of reader apps to sign up for access to an external link entitlement that will allow the app to offer a link to a website so users can create or manage an account outside of the ‌App Store‌. Reader apps include those that provide digital content like magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, or video as the primary functionality of the app, with Spotify, Netflix, Hulu, and other apps serving as an example.

Apps that receive an External Link Account Entitlement will be able to provide an in-app link that goes to an outside website. So, for example, the Netflix iOS app will be able to provide a link to the Netflix website, where users will be able to sign up for or manage a Netflix subscription.

Apple decided to allow reader apps to offer a link to an external website to settle an investigation launched by the Japanese Fair Trade Commission in early 2021. Apple said that it plans to "make sure users of reader apps continue to have a safe experience on the ‌‌‌App Store‌‌‌," and that it would help developers "protect users when they link to an external website to make purchases," which explains some of the new wording in iOS 15.5.

As an example, 9to5Mac located text that warns a user who deletes an app with external purchases that subscriptions and purchases cannot be managed through the ‌App Store‌, unlike apps that offer subscriptions and content through ‌App Store‌ tools. If, for example, a user subscribes to Netflix through an external link in the Netflix iOS app and then deletes Netflix, the subscription cannot be canceled through the ‌App Store‌ subscription interface and will need to be handled directly by the developer, aka Netflix in the example instance.

"External purchases from 'ExternalPurchase' may still exist," reads the pop up in the beta. "You cannot manage or cancel any external purchases through the ‌App Store‌. For more information, contact the developer."

For some apps with external purchases, Apple will also apparently alert users about the external purchase options and support limitations when the app is first launched, making it clear to users that purchases outside of the ‌App Store‌ will need to be managed outside of the ‌App Store‌.

Apple's guidelines for external links in reader apps are also designed to make a clear designation between the ‌App Store‌ and an external purchase. A link must open in a new browser window on the default browser for the device, for example, rather than in a web view in the app itself. As for protections, links cannot have tracking information or redirects in them, and an app can only link out to a website that it is affiliated with.

We don't yet know when iOS 15.5 will be released, but Apple is accepting requests from reader apps that are interested in using the external link entitlement. Apple's website for link entitlement says that the External Link Account API will be available for reader apps to build and test "in an upcoming beta release of iOS and iPadOS," which appears to be iOS 15.5.

With the release of macOS Monterey 12.3.1 on Thursday, March 31, Apple addressed two critical vulnerabilities that may have been actively exploited in the wild, but as Intego pointed out this week, Apple left macOS Big Sur and macOS Catalina users vulnerable.

The macOS Monterey 12.3.1 update fixed a pair of security flaws, including an AppleAVD issue that could allow an application to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges and an Intel Graphics Driver issue that could allow an application to read kernel memory. Apple said that it was aware of reports that these vulnerabilities "may have been actively exploited," aka there are attacks that use these specific security holes.

Apple often provides security updates for macOS Catalina and macOS Big Sur users alongside macOS Monterey updates to make sure that Mac users who continue to run older operating systems remain protected. Apple has not done so in this case, and there are no security fixes for macOS 11 Big Sur or macOS 10.15 Catalina.

macOS Big Sur and macOS Catalina are still being supported with updates for notable vulnerabilities, so it is not clear why security fixes have not been released. According to Intego, this is the first time that Apple has not released simultaneous security patches for Big Sur and Catalina alongside fixes provided for macOS Monterey.

Big Sur remains vulnerable to CVE-2022-22675 (the AppleAVD bug), while CVE-2022-22674 (an Intel Graphics Driver bug) likely impacts both Big Sur and Catalina, based on research conducted by Intego.

There are some Mac users who choose to remain on Big Sur or Catalina who could install Monterey to get security fixes, but other Mac users have older hardware that is not able to be updated to Monterey, and these users have no way to address the security flaws that are now publicized.

Intego estimates that around 35 percent of Macs in use today could be affected by one or both vulnerabilities, and Apple has not responded to the site's request for an update on when security fixes might come out for Big Sur and Catalina.

Apple today provided the first beta of an upcoming macOS Monterey 12.4 update to its public beta testing group, with the update coming one day after Apple provided the beta to developers.

Public beta testers can download the macOS Monterey 12.4 Monterey update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after installing the proper profile from Apple's beta software website.

According to Apple's release notes, ‌Universal Control‌ in the new iPadOS 15.5 and ‌macOS Monterey‌ 12.4 updates is not compatible with machines running macOS 12.3 or iPadOS 15.4, so Apple suggests that as a workaround, users should update their ‌‌Universal Control‌‌ devices to the new betas.

No new features have been found in the macOS Monterey 12.4 beta at this time.

Apple today seeded the first public betas of iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5 to its public beta testing group, with the software updates coming one day after Apple provided the betas to developers.

The iOS and iPadOS 15.5 betas can be downloaded over the air after the proper profile from Apple's public beta testing website has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.

iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5 are minor updates compared to prior iOS 15 point releases, and there are a limited number of changes. Apple may be releasing an Apple Classical app at some point in the near future and there are references to it in the beta, but it is not yet available.

There are also minor changes to Apple Pay Cash, with Apple adding Request and Send options, and Apple is making some changes to the iTunes Pass that used to be available in the Wallet app. We have a complete list of changes in our iOS 15.4 guide.

Apple has expanded its program that allows customers to get their Face ID system repaired without replacing the entire device to the iPhone X, according to a memo seen by MacRumors. The ‌iPhone‌ X was initially excluded from the list for this program.

Apple launched the program last month, giving Apple Stores and authorized repair centers access to parts for the TrueDepth camera system and allowing technicians to repair ‌Face ID‌ without replacing the entire phone. The program was initially only available for the ‌iPhone‌ XS and later but has now been expanded to include the ‌iPhone‌ X and, therefore, all iPhones with ‌Face ID‌.

Today we're tracking a trio of iPad-related discounts on Amazon, focusing on markdowns on the 2022 iPad Air, 2021 iPad, and 2021 iPad Pro. Many of these sales are offering all-time low prices on Apple's tablets.

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.

iPad Air (2022)

Starting with the all-new 10.9-inch iPad Air, Amazon has discounts on both Wi-Fi versions of this tablet. You can get the 64GB Wi-Fi iPad Air for $569.99, down from $599.00. This sale price is available in all five colors, and it's in stock and ready to ship directly from Amazon today.

There's also the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad Air for $679.00, down from $749.00, and this one is only available in Space Gray. Both of these discounts represent all-time low prices on the new iPad Air, and only Amazon is offering the sales.

iPad Pro (2021)

You can also get the 128GB Wi-Fi 12.9-inch iPad Pro at an all-time low price of $999.00 on Amazon, down from $1,099.00. This has been one of the most consistent deals for all of the 2021 iPad Pro line, and it remains the cheapest entry point into the larger 12.9-inch versions of the tablet.

If you're looking for the 11-inch iPad Pro, there are also a few models of that device on sale. The 128GB Wi-Fi 11-inch iPad Pro is priced at $749.00 on Amazon ($50 off), the 256GB Wi-Fi model is priced at $849.00 ($50 off), and the 512GB Wi-Fi model is priced at $999.99 ($100 off).

iPad (2021)

Lastly, Amazon has Apple's 256GB Wi-Fi 10.2-inch iPad for $429.00, down from $479.00. This sale is only available in Space Gray, and Amazon is currently estimating a delivery between April 8-15 as of writing.

This is the best price we've ever tracked on this version of the 10.2-inch iPad, and only Amazon is offering this steep of a discount at this time. We aren't currently tracking any markdowns on the 64GB Wi-Fi model.

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.

Apple devices and services continue to dominate teen purchasing preferences in the United States, but more teens choose to not use iCloud Private Relay compared to those that use or plan to use the feature, according to new data gathered by investment firm Piper Sandler for its most recent biannual teen survey.

According to the report, 87 percent of surveyed teens in the United States now own an iPhone, and 87 percent expect their next smartphone to be an ‌iPhone‌. In addition, 72 percent of teens already own AirPods.

Apple Watch ownership continues to climb among teens, reaching 37 percent, up from 34 percent last fall. 14 percent of teens now intend to buy an Apple Watch within the next six months.

Apple Watch is now overwhelmingly the most popular watch brand among upper-income teens, with 42 percent of upper-income teens saying that Apple is their favorite watch brand. Apple has gradually climbed up the list of the most popular watch brands among upper-income teens, reaching the milestone of taking the top spot from Rolex in the fall of last year. As of spring 2022, the Apple Watch now stands well ahead of the next three most popular watch brands, with Rolex at 33 percent, Garmin at two percent, and Fossil at two percent.

Apple Pay is still the most popular payment service among teens, capturing 23 percent of the mobile payments market, well ahead of Venmo, Cash App, and PayPal. The popularity of ‌Apple Pay‌ may be partly attributed to 87 percent of teens owning an ‌iPhone‌.

41 percent of teens are currently using iCloud Private Relay or are interested in using it in the next six months, but 45 percent of teens have Apple devices and choose to not use ‌iCloud‌ Private Relay, and do not plan to do so in the future.

The findings are part of Piper Sandler's "Taking Stock With Teens" survey, seen by Apple 3.0, which asked 7,100 teenagers with an average age of 16.2 and a median household income of $69,298 about their purchasing habits and brand preferences. This survey has been an ongoing project since 2001, providing long-term insights into teens' thinking.

Twitter today announced that it has been working on an edit feature "since last year," with testing on the edit button set to begin "in the coming months" with Twitter Blue subscribers.

In a demo of the feature on the Twitter app, users are able to click on the details button of a tweet to see an "Edit Tweet" entry that joins the already available Delete Tweet, Pin to Profile, Change who can reply, and Add/remove from Lists options.

There is no detail as of now on just how the edit button works, how long tweets can be edited, or whether there are version histories, with Twitter planning to provide that information at a later date.

Twitter first made a joke about work on an edit button on April Fools' Day last week. "We are working on an edit button," the social network tweeted. Most people didn't take the announcement seriously given the day and the fact that people have been clamoring for an edit button for years now, but Twitter today confirmed that the work on the edit button is real.

Twitter plans to test the edit feature with Twitter Blue subscribers. Twitter Blue is priced at $3 per month and provides users with early access to new features and other perks. Testing is set to begin soon, with Twitter aiming to learn "what works, what doesn't, and what's possible."

Apple today seeded the first betas of iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5 to developers after a three week long wait following the launch of iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4. The new updates aren't as feature rich as the prior updates and focus primarily on under-the-hood changes, but there are still a few minor tweaks, which we've outlined below.

Apple Classical References

There are references to the upcoming "Apple Classical" app that Apple has in development to complement Apple Music, suggesting the standalone app could soon see a launch. There are "Open in Apple Classical" and "Open this in the new app designed for classical music" in the Music app code, but the Classical app has not yet launched.

Apple acquired classical music streaming service Primephonic back in August 2021 and said that it would be building a new classical music experience for ‌Apple Music‌. Apple is planning to launch a new standalone app dedicated to classical music, and the app will combine Primephonic's user interface and specializations for classical music with ‌‌Apple Music‌‌ and features such as Lossless and Spatial Audio. Apple has not provided details on when the app might come out, but preparations are clearly being made.

Apple Pay Cash

In the Apple Pay Cash section of the Wallet app, there are now "Request" and "Send" buttons to make it easier to manage cash directly from Wallet.

‌Apple Pay‌ in the Messages app has also been renamed "Apple Cash."

Home App

There now are WiFi signal bars that let you ensure the HomePod has a connection in the Home app.

Universal Control

According to Apple's macOS release notes, Universal Control in the new iPadOS 15.5 and macOS Monterey 12.4 updates is not compatible with machines running macOS 12.3 or iPadOS 15.4, so Apple suggests that as a workaround, users should update their ‌Universal Control‌ devices to the new betas.

SportsKit Updates

Apple is continuing to build out its "SportsKit" support as it prepares to launch Friday Night Baseball, and there are TV app mentions for reporting scores for different baseball innings.

Apple Card

Apple now refers to the physical Apple Card as the "Titanium Card" in the Wallet app.

iTunes Pass Rebranding

Apple is apparently working to rebrand the "iTunes Pass" in Wallet, renaming it "Apple Account Card." References to the change were highlighted by 9to5Mac and have been confirmed by MacRumors.

There used to be an option to add an "iTunes Pass" to the Wallet app that features the money associated with your Apple ID. Apple appears to have removed the option to add an iTunes Pass in the United States, but it is still present in other countries. It's possible a whole new Apple Account Card option will be coming to the Wallet app in the future.

"Your account balance can be used to buy products, accessories, apps, games and more online or in store with ‌Apple Pay‌," reads the code.

External Links in Reader Apps

iOS 15.5 adds support for the "External Link Account Entitlement" that is designed to allow reader apps to add a link to an external website for account creation and management purposes. An external link will allow an app like Netflix to offer a way to sign up for an account outside of the App Store in-app purchase system.

Reader apps include those that provide digital content like magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, or video as the primary functionality of the app, with Spotify, Netflix, Hulu, and other apps serving as an example.

Photo Memories

Apple in iOS 15.5 added a list of "Sensitive Locations" to the Photos app, which means those locations are blocked from showing up in memories. Included on this list are various concentration camps and holocaust memorials.

Apple Music Playback API

iOS 15.5 reintroduces an Apple Music API that allows third-party ‌Apple Music‌ players to change the playback speeds of songs. The API was removed in iOS 15.4, but it is being put back in iOS 15.5.

Other Features

Find another iOS 15.5 feature that we left out? Let us know in the comments.

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming macOS Monterey 12.4 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new update coming three weeks after the release of macOS Monterey 12.3, which introduced support for Universal Control.

Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and after the appropriate profile is installed, betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.

According to Apple's release notes, ‌Universal Control‌ in the new iPadOS 15.5 and macOS Monterey 12.4 updates is not compatible with machines running macOS 12.3 or iPadOS 15.4, so Apple suggests that as a workaround, users should update their ‌Universal Control‌ devices to the new betas.

We don't yet know if there are any other features in macOS Monterey 12.4, but if we find anything new after installing the software, we'll update this article.

Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the new software coming three weeks after the launch of iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4.

Developers can download iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5 through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper profile has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.

According to Apple's macOS release notes, Universal Control in the new iPadOS 15.5 and macOS Monterey 12.4 updates is not compatible with machines running macOS 12.3 or iPadOS 15.4, so Apple suggests that as a workaround, users should update their ‌Universal Control‌ devices to the new betas.

We don't know yet what else might be introduced in iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5, as Apple has now implemented all of the features that were announced as coming in the iOS and iPadOS 15 updates. After we install the new software, we'll update this article should anything new be found.

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming watchOS 8.6 beta to developers for testing purposes, with the new software coming three weeks after the release of watchOS 8.5.

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, but if if we find new features after installing the beta, we'll update this article.