Tidal has added Siri support in the latest update to its iOS app, meaning iPhone and iPad users can now ask Apple's virtual assistant to play content from the music streaming service.
As noted by XDA Developers, the added support doesn't appear to extend to the HomePod or HomePod mini, which means Tidal users still can't take advantage of the HomePod's Siri voice controls to navigate their tunes and playlists.
As things stand, Siri on HomePod works with Apple Music, Deezer, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and Pandora. Apart from Tidal, the only other major streaming service that doesn't yet work with Siri on HomePod is Spotify, a fact which has left users critical of the company. The reasoning behind Spotify's refusal to adopt HomePod support remains unknown.
Apple has expanded its updated Apple Maps to Germany and Singapore, with the app now offering more detailed road coverage, improved navigation, three-dimensional landmarks, improved views of parks, buildings, airports, shopping centers, and availability of the Look Around feature.
The expansion comes after 48 days of public testing, according to Apple Maps enthusiast Justin O'Beirne, marking the fourteenth time that Apple has expanded its new map data since its public launch in September 2018. Germany and Singapore are the twelfth and thirteenth countries to receive Apple's new map data, and Singapore is the first country in Asia to receive it.
O'Beirne reports that Apple's new map data now covers 18.4% of Earth's land area and 8.5% of the global population (or 673 million people worldwide). That's after almost four years of expansions and nearly eight years of data collecting. Based on the pattern of Apple's expansion, the next update is likely to consist of France and Monaco.
Apple's redesigned maps were first introduced in iOS 12, and since then, the Cupertino company has been working on expanding them. The updated Maps app offers up faster and more accurate navigation along with more detailed views of roads, buildings, malls, sports fields, foliage, pools, pedestrian pathways, bodies of water, and more.
Apple yesterday released a firmware update designed for the MagSafe Battery Pack, and it turns out the new firmware enables 7.5W charging while on the go, up from the previous 5W limit.
In an support document, Apple says that MagSafe Battery Pack owners can update their firmware to the new 2.7.b.0 release to get the faster 7.5W charging capabilities.
Updating the MagSafe Battery Pack can be done by attaching it to an iPhone and waiting (a process that can take up to a week), or using a Mac or an iPad to update within five minutes. Apple suggests users attach a Lightning cable to a MagSafe Battery Pack and then plug in the USB side to an iPad or Mac to initiate the update process.
You can check to see which firmware version your MagSafe Battery Pack is running by attaching it to an iPhone and then going to Settings > General > About > MagSafe Battery Pack. You will need version 2.7.b.0 to get the 7.5W charging.
When the MagSafe Battery Pack was released in July 2021, many users were disappointed to find that it would charge at a maximum of 5W while on the go as other MagSafe accessories can charge at 15W. When plugged in to a Lightning cable, the MagSafe Battery Pack can charge at the full 15W, but that is not possible when it is used without a power source.
As of now, those who install the firmware update can charge their compatible iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models at a faster 7.5W rate. It's still not as quick as the 15W MagSafe charging, but it is equivalent to the fastest available Qi charging speeds on the iPhone.
Apple is planning to expand its Communication Safety in Messages feature to the UK, according to The Guardian. Communication Safety in Messages was introduced in the iOS 15.2 update released in December, but the feature has been limited to the United States until now.
Communication Safety in Messages is designed to scan incoming and outgoing iMessage images on children's devices for nudity and warn them that such photos might be harmful. If nudity is detected in a photo that's received by a child, the photo will be blurred and the child will be provided with resources from child safety groups. Nudity in a photo sent by a child will trigger a warning encouraging the child not to send the image.
Communication Safety is opt-in, privacy-focused, and must be enabled by parents. It is limited to the accounts of children, with detection done on-device, and it is not related to the anti-CSAM functionality that Apple has in development and may release in the future.
Update: Communication Safety in Messages is also coming to Canada.
Update 2: The feature is also coming to Australia and New Zealand, according to The Verge.
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 today provided the second beta of an upcoming macOS Monterey 12.4 update to its public beta testing group, with the update coming two weeks after Apple released the first beta and a day after Apple provided the second 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 beta at this time.
Apple today seeded the second public betas of iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5 to its public beta testing group, with the software updates coming two weeks after Apple seeded the first public betas and a day after Apple provided the second 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 15.5 guide.
Pad & Quill recently kicked off its "Spring Moving Sale," offering drastic discounts on a wide range of accessories. This includes iPhone cases, travel bags, MacBook Pro cases, iPad cases, wallets, Apple Watch bands, and more.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Pad & Quill. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Many of these products are seeing discounts at up to 50 percent off, and you can add a little extra off by entering PQ10 into the checkout screen. This is Pad & Quill's ongoing 10 percent off code, and it should continue to work as long as the Spring Moving Sale remains live.
We've collected some of the highlights of the Spring Moving Sale in the lists below (prices reflect 10 percent off with code PQ10), but be sure to check out the full sale to see every item being discounted. If you're shopping for a bag, Pad & Quill is offering 20 percent off its collection of high-end leather travel bags. You can get an additional 10 percent off these bags with the code PQ10 as well.
Apple's Wallet app and Apple Pay service are experiencing an outage at this time, and the issue is preventing Mastercard card holders from being able to add their cards to Apple Pay.
The outage is reflected on Apple's System Status page, and it has apparently been ongoing for several hours. There do not appear to be many complaints about the issue on social media, so it is unclear how many Mastercard card holders are affected.
Mastercards that have already been added to Apple Pay and are available in the Wallet app should function as normal. We'll update this article when the issue has been addressed.
Update: Apple's status page indicates that the issue has been resolved as of 1:23 p.m. Pacific Time.
Update 2: The issue has resurfaced as of 2:10 p.m.
Update 3: Apple's status page once again says the issue has been resolved.
Apple today announced DJ mixes in spatial audio with Dolby Atmos on Apple Music (via TechCrunch).
Apple said that the launch of DJ mixes in spatial audio brings listeners into an immersive audio experience with "multidimensional sound and clarity." The company added that spatial audio is the "natural next step" in Apple Music's commitment to sound and DJ mixes following the launch of a program based on technology from Shazam that identifies and compensates all of the individual creators involved in making a DJ mix.
"The response to spatial audio from both subscribers and creators has been incredible, and we're thrilled to expand this innovation in sound," Apple Music's global head of dance and electronic music, Stephen Campbell, said in a statement.
Detroit-based DJ and producer Jeff Mills headlines the launch of DJ mixes in spatial audio with an exclusive hour-long mix titled "Outer to Inner Atmosphere: The Escape Velocity Mix," which also officially relaunches Apple Music's One Mix series, a showcase of the world's top DJs and producers.
New DJ mixes will be added monthly, and as part of the announcement, Apple Music also debuted 15 "Boiler Room" mixes that were captured at nightclubs, festivals, and raves in spatial audio for the first time, with more spatial audio sessions set to be released throughout the year.
Apple must compensate a Brazilian customer who recently purchased an iPhone for selling the device without a charger included in the box, which violates consumer law, a judge has ruled.
Apple's decision to remove the charger in the box sparked controversy in 2020. Apple claims the move is for environmental reasons, claiming the decision is equivalent to removing nearly 450,000 cars from the road per year.
Nonetheless, the move has sparked some public and legal outcry. In the latest development, a judge in Brazil, a country that has long-questioned Apple's reasoning to remove the accessory, is forcing Apple to compensate a customer nearly $1,075 for the lack of a charger. As reported by Tecmundo:
According to article 39 of the Consumer Code (CDC), "tie sale" is an abusive and prohibited practice in Brazil, so it is not allowed to sell cell phone and charger separately. Therefore, Apple is being sentenced after selling an iPhone model and charger separately to a consumer in the city of Goiânia.
According to the result issued by Judge Vanderlei Caires Pinheiro, of the 6th Civil Court of Goiânia, Apple must compensate the consumer R$ 5 thousand for carrying out the "tie sale" of the company's devices.
Last year, Brazil fined Apple $2 million as a punishment for violating consumer law and disrespecting Brazilian customers, according to the head of the consumer group Procon-SP, Fernando Capez.
At one point, it seemed plausible that Brazil would have forced Apple to include a charger in the box for every iPhone sold in the country. Procon-SP said that the charger is an "essential part" of the smartphone experience.
By not providing one alongside the device, Apple was therefore breaching the Brazilian Consumer Defense Code, according to the consumer protection agency. Apple responded by arguing that many customers already have chargers in their homes, adding the environmental benefits of removing the charger and significantly reducing the overall iPhone box footprint.
Since then, research data from eBay indicates that the value of the HomePod has been gradually appreciating over time. 6,610 HomePods have been sold on eBay in the past year, with an average selling price of $347.61, over 15 percent more than Apple's retail price. 2,082 new or sealed HomePods were sold in this period of time with an average selling price of $432.27.
Over the past week, used or refurbished HomePods sold for an average price of $336.03, while new HomePods sold for an average price of $638.76, indicating a steady climb in value. The Verge places the HomePod's average appreciation at around 25 percent over Apple's $299 retail price. HomePods in used condition with no box tend to sell for prices starting at around $220, but new, factory-sealed HomePods can sell for over $500.
There has also been a noticeable decline in the number of HomePods listed for sale on eBay over time, which may contribute to the product's increase in value. Nevertheless, demand for Apple's large smart speaker appears to persist on online marketplaces, despite the device being almost five years old and containing the A8 chip from the iPhone 6.
Amazon today has a collection of discounts across Apple's Mac family of computers, including record low prices on the 24-inch iMac and Mac mini. Many of these deals won't be reflected until you reach the checkout screen on Amazon, so be sure to pay attention to those models that have automatic coupons.
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.
24-Inch iMac
Amazon has all three 24-inch iMac models at all-time low prices, starting at $1,199.00 for the 7-core GPU/256GB iMac, down from $1,299.00. This sale is only available in the Blue color option.
Secondly, the 8-core GPU/256GB iMac is down to $1,349.00 in every color on Amazon, down from $1,499.00. At $150 off, this is a match of the previous record low price and one of the unique instances that we're seeing all seven color options discounted at once.
Note: You won't see the deal price until checkout.
Lastly, in a rare discount we're tracking the 8-core GPU/512GB iMac down to a new best-ever price of $1,499.99, from $1,699.00. This one is only available in Blue and Green, and it is the steepest discount we've ever tracked on this higher-end model of the 24-inch iMac.
Note: You won't see the deal price until checkout.
Shoppers should note that for the 8-core GPU/256GB and 8-core GPU/512GB iMac models, you won't see the deal price until you head to the checkout screen. At that point Amazon will automatically apply a coupon code to the order and bring these iMacs down to their all-time low prices.
Mac mini
Last week we tracked a record low deal on the 256GB Mac mini from 2020, and now Amazon is offering an all-time low price on the 512GB model. You can get this version for $749.99, down from $899.00, and only Amazon is offering this sale.
Note: You won't see the deal price until checkout.
This deal won't be reflected until you add the Mac mini to your cart and head to the checkout screen. After this, Amazon will automatically apply a coupon worth $119.01 and you'll see the full discount on the computer applied to your order.
Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.
Samsung is planning to use a battery production technique normally used for electric vehicles to create more energy-dense smartphone batteries, in a move that could improve the battery life of future iPhone models, The Elec reports.
Image via iFixit
Samsung SDI, Samsung's battery and energy division, intends to use a production technique it currently uses to make fifth-generation batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) to manufacture batteries for tablets and smartphones, according to sources speaking to The Elec. Rather than the wound jellyroll method that is often used to make rechargeable batteries, the EV method stacks battery materials in layers to increase energy density by over 10 percent without taking up any more internal space.
The company is said to be modifying production lines in South Korea to be able to manufacture the new batteries, and it has already built a pilot line for the stacking method in China. The Elec proposes that Samsung could be seeking to win orders from Apple for the new type of battery. Samsung SDI has supplied batteries for MacBook and iPad models in the past, but has never manufactured batteries for iPhones. Currently, Apple's main battery supplier is China's Amperex Technology.
Apple currently uses an L-shaped multi-cell battery in the iPhone, where multiple batteries are connected to make the best use of internal space and increase battery life. Batteries with higher energy density could allow Apple to move away from the multi-cell design, free up internal space, and make the iPhone lighter without sacrificing battery life, or retain the same design and moderately increase battery life.
Apple could launch its first full-screen smartphone in 2024, with the "iPhone 16 Pro" potentially the first Apple device to feature under-display Face ID and an under-screen front camera, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a tweet today.
I think the real full-screen iPhone will come in 2024. High-end iPhones in 2024 would adopt an under-display front camera alongside the under-display Face ID. A low-light condition is detrimental to front camera quality, and ISP & algorithm are critical for quality improvements.
Kuo's comments build on his previous prediction that an iPhone with under-screen Touch ID no longer features in Apple's short-term plans. Indeed, Kuo's latest tweet links to a previous one in which he agreed with display analyst Ross Young's claim that under-screen Face ID is coming to the iPhone 16, while Touch ID isn't.
In his earlier tweet, Kuo suggested that Apple's roadmap for adopting under-display Face ID in 2024 was "less of a technical issue" and more likely a marketing decision, but his latest thoughts on the matter appear to suggest that current hardware and software limitations could also be a factor as Apple works to perfect under-screen technology.
This year's high-end iPhone 14 models are expected to ditch the notch, replacing it with a pill-shaped cutout and hole-punch camera. Where Apple goes from there is unclear, but a rumor in 2019 claimed Apple has prototyped at least one iPhone with an edge-to-edge screen, with the TrueDepth camera sensors for Face ID instead housed in the thin bezel above the display.
Privacy-focused browser Brave has announced a new feature that bypasses pages rendered with Google's AMP framework and automatically redirects users to the original website.
AMP, or Accelerated Mobile Pages, is Google's non-standard subset of HTML that renders page content to make it look like its coming from the original publisher's website, when in fact it's being served from Google's servers.
Google claims that AMP improves website performance and simplifies the browsing experience, but critics say the framework furthers the monopolization of the web and is harmful to privacy, since it gives Google even more information on which pages users visit and how they interact with them.
In a blog post announcing the AMP-bypassing feature, called De-AMP, Brave explained how it would "protect" users from AMP in several ways.
Where possible, De-AMP will rewrite links and URLs to prevent users from visiting AMP pages altogether. And in cases where that is not possible, Brave will watch as pages are being fetched and redirect users away from AMP pages before the page is even rendered, preventing AMP/Google code from being loaded and executed.
Google is currently developing a successor to AMP, based on its Signed Exchange and WebBundle proposals, both of which Brave has previously criticized on the grounds of user control, performance, and privacy.
Last year, Brave dropped Google as its default search engine and replaced it with the more privacy-oriented Brave Search, which uses an independent index and doesn't track users or their searches.
Netflix lost subscribers for the first time in more than a decade in Q1 2022, according to subscriber numbers the company said during today's earnings results. Netflix is down more than 200,000 subscribers, and the losses are set to continue.
Netflix was expecting to add 2.5 million subscribers in the first quarter of 2022, but did not hit that target. The suspension of its business in Russia cost it 700,000 subscribers, and without that loss, Netflix would have added 500,000 paid global users, which is still well below its projections.
In the United States and Canada, Netflix lost 600,000 customers, due to recent pricing changes. Netflix said this subscriber loss was anticipated and in line with expectations.
In a letter to shareholders [PDF], Netflix said that revenue growth has "slowed considerably," with the company faulting "a large number of households sharing accounts" and "competition" as reasons for the drop off. Netflix estimates that its 222 million paying households are sharing with an additional 100 million households that are not being monetized.
Going forward, Netflix said that it plans to implement "more effective monetization of multi-household sharing," which suggests that Netflix will soon enact measures to prevent account sharing. Netflix in March began testing an extra payment for those who share their Netflix accounts with people outside their households.
In Netflix's current test markets of Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru, customers can pay an extra fee to share their accounts with two people outside of their household. When the test was launched, Netflix said that it was working to "understand the utility of these two features" before making changes in other countries.
Netflix has always included wording in its terms and services that prevents account usage across multiple households, but until now, the service has ignored password sharing. Netflix also recently enacted new price hikes, and a 4K streaming plan is priced at $20 per month.
It's worth noting that Netflix is the only streaming service that charges by streaming quality. In the U.S., Netflix charges $9.99 for the Basic no-HD plan that allows for streaming on a single device, $15.49 for a Standard HD plan that allows for two people to watch at the same time, and $19.99 for a Premium plan with Ultra HD streaming and support for four simultaneous viewers.
In the second quarter of 2022, Netflix is anticipating losing two million paid subscribers. To mitigate the continued losses, Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings said that in addition to addressing password sharing, the company is considering a more affordable, ad-supported plan within a year or two.
Apple appears to have released updated firmware for the MagSafe Battery Pack that is compatible with the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models that support MagSafe accessories.
The updated firmware should be going out over the air starting today, and MagSafe Battery Pack owners should see a 2.7.b.0 version number in the Settings app after the firmware is installed.
Firmware updates are done quietly over the air and Apple does not provide release notes, so we do not know what features or bug fixes might be included in the software. There is no clear method for updating the firmware of the MagSafe Battery Pack firmware, but it should be connected to an iPhone for the update to initiate.
Apple last updated the MagSafe Battery Pack firmware in December, and the prior firmware is 2.5.b.0.
To be eligible for 3% Daily Cash, the purchase must be completed via Apple Pay using the digital version of the Apple Card in the Wallet app on the iPhone or Apple Watch. Purchases made with a physical Apple Card will still receive 1% Daily Cash.
Ace Hardware is the first home improvement retailer to offer 3% Daily Cash for purchases made with an Apple Card via Apple Pay, up from the standard 2% rate. Other businesses that offer 3% Daily Cash in the U.S. include Apple, Duane Reade, Exxon, Mobil, Nike, Panera Bread, T-Mobile, Uber, Uber Eats, and Walgreens.
Apple Card is Apple's credit card, launched in 2019 in partnership with Goldman Sachs. The credit card remains exclusive to U.S. residents and can be managed completely through the Wallet app on an iPhone or Apple Watch, with features including color-coded spending summaries, daily cashback, and no fees of any kind beyond interest.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Pad & Quill. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
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.
Image via iFixit
