MacRumors

A new all-time low price on the M1 iMac (8-core GPU, 256GB) has hit Amazon today, available for $1,349.99, down from $1,499.00. This sale price won't be seen until you add the iMac to your cart and receive an automatic $100 off coupon.

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.

Colors available at this sale price include Green, Pink, Orange, and Yellow. This sale beats the previous record low price for this version of the M1 iMac by about $50, and it's only available on Amazon as of writing.

In another sale, Expercom via Amazon has the 7-Core GPU, 256GB version of the M1 iMac for another record low price of $1,229.91, down from $1,299.00. This model is sold by Expercom on Amazon and it's available in Silver.

We've been tracking discounts on this 24-inch iMac model throughout January, and it's continued to drop throughout the month.

You can keep track of ongoing sales on Apple's iMac line by visiting our Best iMac Deals guide. There, we keep track of the best iMac offers from Amazon, Adorama, B&H Photo, and other retailers, so be sure to check back often if you're shopping for an iMac for the first time, or thinking of upgrading.

Apple's rumored iMac Pro will launch in the summer rather than in the early months of the year, according to display analyst Ross Young.

Young, who often provides accurate insight into Apple's display plans, said that he no longer expects the ‌iMac‌ Pro to launch in the spring, and that a "summer" launch seems more likely at this point. Panel shipments are expected to begin in June, and a release could follow in August or September.

Back in December, Young said that the ‌iMac‌ Pro with mini-LED display was going to launch in the spring, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman had also floated the machine as a possibility for a spring debut at an event that's expected to take place in March or April.

According to Gurman, Apple's spring event will focus on the iPhone SE with 5G connectivity, a refreshed version of the iPad Air with an updated A-series chip, and at least one new Mac powered by Apple silicon chips. Gurman suggested that this Mac might be either the new mini-LED ‌iMac‌ or the Mac mini, and with Young's new data, it's looking like we might see the new ‌Mac mini‌ ahead of the refreshed ‌iMac‌ if Gurman's information pans out.

Rumors suggest that Apple is working on a 27-inch ‌iMac‌ that will be sold alongside the smaller 24-inch ‌iMac‌. The new ‌iMac‌ will feature a mini-LED backlight, but Young said today that he believes it will have fewer mini-LED zones than are available in the mini-LED iPad Pro and MacBook Pro models.

The 27-inch ‌iMac‌ is expected to see Apple revive the "‌iMac‌ Pro" name to distinguish the device from the 24-inch ‌iMac‌ and to bring it in line with the naming of the ‌MacBook Pro‌ models. The ‌iMac‌ Pro will include the same M1 Pro and M1 Max chips that are in the ‌MacBook Pro‌ models, along with a refreshed design that features slimmer black bezels and perhaps new color options.

We have a full rundown on what to expect from the 27-inch ‌iMac‌ Pro coming in 2022 in our iMac Pro guide.

Some Meta employees are being aggressively pushed to apply for other jobs at the company and embrace the recent drive toward augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), while others are choosing to defect to competitors such as Apple, The New York Times reports.

Since Facebook rebranded as Meta and lauded the future of the "metaverse," the company is said to have undergone a sweeping transformation, creating thousands of new jobs to develop hardware and software for AR and VR. More than 24 percent of Meta's open job listings are for roles in AR or VR, but the company has ramped up its internal recruitment in recent months.

Meta is reportedly pushing its employees in products, engineering, and research to apply for new positions in the company's expanding AR and VR teams, suggesting that employees should move in order to succeed. Other workers have been elevated from their jobs in the company's social networking divisions to lead the same functions with an emphasis on AR and VR. Moreover, employees have purportedly been expected to adopt a positive attitude toward the metaverse and innovation in the AR and VR space, or leave the company.

Meta has also sought to poach talent from Apple and Microsoft amid the rush to bring a compelling, mainstream AR and VR experience to market. In an effort to dissuade staff from leaving, Apple has offered some of its engineers up to $180K in stock bonuses.

The result of this transformation has been severe internal disruption at Meta, according to current and former employees speaking to The New York Times. While some workers were excited about Meta's new direction, others have taken issue with the company's approach toward employees and questioned whether the company was sidelining existing problems.

One former Instagram employee resigned from his role after feeling that his work would no longer be of value to the company, while another said that they thought Meta was not best placed to create the metaverse and was looking for a job at a competitor as a result.

What Meta's pivot toward AR and VR means for Facebook and Instagram seemingly remains in flux, but the teams working on these two social media platforms are said to have shrunk over the past four months and are facing budget cuts. A spokesperson for Meta said that there have been no "significant" job cuts to existing teams because of the company's new direction.

Meta's vision for AR and VR is set to face fierce competition. Apple, Google, and Microsoft are all looking to launch mainstream AR and VR devices in the near future, while Samsung is said to have neglected the space due to an "obsession" with foldable smartphones. Apple's first mixed-reality headset is rumored to be facing development problems, which could postpone the device's launch until next year.

Leaker Ben Geskin today resurfaced the rumored iPhone X design featuring Touch ID on the back of the device from 2017 that never emerged.

Around five years ago, when it was rumored that Apple was moving from the long-standing iPhone design with a round Home Button and thick top and bottom bezels to an all-screen design, there were significant questions around how Apple would implement user biometric authentication. Apple ultimately unveiled Face ID, but initial rumors suggested that the company would stick with Touch ID and implement it under the display or place it on the rear of the device.

Lining up with this, a fairly consistent series of leaks at the time depicted an ‌iPhone‌ X design with larger top and bottom bezels, a display with unrounded corners, an aluminum rear, and a round ‌Touch ID‌ fingerprint scanner on the back.

Retrospectively, the widespread and detailed nature of the alleged ‌iPhone‌ chassis has aroused suspicion that Apple itself was behind the rumor, seeking to lower customer expectations and flood the rumor mill with false information. It is also possible that the chassis were used internally at Apple for an early ‌iPhone‌ X prototype.

Whether Apple was behind the wave of false leaks that briefly captivated the rumor community five years ago remains unknown, but the mysterious ‌iPhone‌ design continues to arouse discussion.

Flagship iPhones will have been lacking ‌Touch ID‌ for five years as of this fall, but rumors persist about Apple reviving the technology for the iPhone. Apple reportedly tested an under-screen fingerprint scanner for at least some ‌iPhone‌ 13 models, according to The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, but Apple apparently decided not to move forward with the idea.

In a September 2021 research note, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo forecasted that Apple will launch at least one new ‌iPhone‌ model with an under-display fingerprint scanner in the second half of 2023. There have also been rumors of a larger iPhone SE model with Touch ID built into the Power Button, much like the latest iPad Air and iPad mini.

Amazon is offering the 2021 32GB Apple TV 4K for $159.99, down from $179.00. This discount will be seen after a $10 coupon is automatically applied at the checkout screen.

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.

Today's sale is about $10 off from the all-time low price for the 32GB Apple TV 4K, and it's a match for the best deal seen so far in 2022. The Apple TV 4K is available for the usual free Prime shipping options, and it's in stock and ready to ship today.

You can also get the 64GB Apple TV 4K for $189.98, down from $199.00. We've seen this Apple TV 4K discounted by an additional $10, so this sale is a second-best price. This model is also sold by Amazon, and it's in stock and ready to ship today.

Although the sales on these Apple TV models aren't particularly steep, they are the best offers around and worth checking out if you're still on the market for the newest Apple TV 4K. You can keep an eye out on Apple TV deals in our Best Apple TV 4K Deals guide.

Apple today announced that it will be offering a new Heart Month Activity Challenge next month. Apple Watch users can complete the Activity Challenge by completing 30 minutes in their Exercise ring on February 14 to earn a special award and custom iMessage stickers.

Also starting February 14, Apple Fitness+ will feature a special section of 30-minute energizing workouts, along with a new Time to Walk episode featuring former mixed martial arts champion Georges St-Pierre, according to Apple.

In celebration of Heart Month this February, Apple will also be offering themed content across the App Store, the Apple TV app, Apple Podcasts, and Apple Books.

"We're strong believers at Apple that if you can empower people with information about their health, you can change the trajectory of their well-being," said Apple COO Jeff Williams, who oversees the Apple Watch team. "Keeping your heart healthy requires a holistic approach — something we've focused on since the first generation of Apple Watch with the inclusion of activity and workout apps, in addition to heart rate."

Apple also shared preliminary analysis of activity data from its Apple Heart and Movement Study. Researchers found that after analyzing more than 18 million workouts logged using Apple Watch during the pandemic, study participants relied on getting their activity minutes in by walking, cycling, and running the most, according to Apple.

Apple's 64GB Wi-Fi iPad Air has returned to its all-time low price of $499.99 on Amazon today, down from $599.00. This sale is currently available in Sky Blue and Space Gray, with an estimated delivery of early February.

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.

This is a match of the best price we've ever tracked on this version of the iPad Air, and one we haven't seen in a few months. You can find the same sale happening at Best Buy this week as well.

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.

Update: This sale has expired.

If you have been experiencing issues with paying off your Apple Card today, you are not alone, as complaints are starting to mount online.

As noted by Aaron Zollo, host of the YouTube channel ZolloTech, some users attempting to make a payment towards their Apple Card are receiving an "Account Services Unavailable" error that says "Apple Pay services are currently unavailable."

Apple has since updated its system status page to confirm there are Apple Card issues, noting that some users may not be able to apply for an Apple Card, add an Apple Card to the Wallet app, or pay their bill.

Update: Apple's system status page now says the issues are resolved.

Apple finally enabled Universal Control in the macOS 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4 betas seeded a few days ago, but there are still at least three other features expected to be added to iOS later this year, including support for driver's licenses in the Wallet app.

Below, we have listed new features that are planned for future iOS versions, along with a few features that are set to be expanded.

Driver's Licenses in Wallet App

Starting in "early 2022," residents of select U.S. states will be able to add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age.

Last year, Apple announced that Arizona and Georgia will be among the first states to support the feature and said that Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah will follow. Other states like Colorado, Delaware, Florida, and Louisiana already offer their own digital ID apps and could work with Apple on Wallet app integration.

Apple said select TSA security checkpoints will be the first locations where ID cards in the Wallet app can be presented, followed by retailers and venues in the future.

Apple has yet to enable the feature in the first beta of iOS 15.4.

Square-Like Payments

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple has been working on a new feature that will turn the iPhone into a payments terminal without any additional hardware like the popular Square Reader. The feature would allow an iPhone to accept payments when another iPhone or credit card is tapped on the back of the device.

Gurman said Apple may begin rolling out the payments feature with a software update "in the coming months," suggesting that it could be an iOS 15 feature, but it is possible that the feature could be announced as part of iOS 16 at WWDC in June.

Apple Music Classical

Last year, Apple announced that it had acquired classical music streaming service Primephonic. As part of the announcement, Apple said it plans to launch a dedicated classical music app in 2022 that combines Primephonic's best features with additional features and benefits. The app will be available to Apple Music subscribers "later this year."

It's unclear if the Apple Music Classical app will be made available to Apple Music subscribers at no additional charge or if it will cost extra.

Feature Expansions

Apple recently announced that 3D Apple Maps will be available in the Canadian cities of Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver later this year.

MacRumors also uncovered evidence that Hyundai's luxury brand Genesis is planning to support Apple's digital car key feature, which lets users lock, unlock, and start their vehicles using a pass stored in the Wallet app on the iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature has been limited to select BMW models since launching in 2020. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Genesis will likely roll out support for the feature by the summer.

Apple released macOS Monterey 12.2 earlier this week, and some Mac users who have installed the software update are experiencing excessive battery drain during sleep mode, seemingly due to Bluetooth accessories frequently waking the computers.

The issue has been reported by users across the MacRumors Forums, Reddit, and Twitter over the last several days, but it is unclear how widespread it is.

Affected users say their Mac's battery life drops from 100% to 0% while in sleep mode overnight since updating to macOS 12.2. A few users tried to identify a cause in Terminal and found that Bluetooth accessories are frequently causing a "DarkWake from Deep Idle" that results in the Mac repeatedly waking from sleep, which drains the battery. The issue appears to be affecting both Intel-based Macs and M1-based Macs.

Users report that the issue ceases when Bluetooth is disabled or when all Bluetooth accessories are disconnected from the Mac, but this is not an ideal solution.

Apple seeded the first beta of macOS 12.3 earlier this week, but it is not immediately clear if that version fixes the issue. We have reached out to Apple for comment on the matter and will provide an update if we hear back.

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman outlined his expectations for new Apple products this year.

Gurman reiterated that Apple is planning to launch a third-generation iPhone SE with 5G and a faster chip, a new iPad Air, and at least one new Mac powered by Apple silicon this spring, with an Apple Event likely to take place in March or April.

The new iPhone SE is expected to have the same outward design as the current model, including a 4.7-inch display with a Touch ID home button.

Japanese blog Mac Otakara recently reported that Apple is planning to release a fifth-generation iPad Air as early as this spring with similar features as the sixth-generation iPad mini, including an A15 Bionic chip, 12-megapixel Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage support, 5G for cellular models, and Quad-LED True Tone flash.

Gurman expects Apple to launch a larger iMac powered by the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips this year, and he believes this computer will have iMac Pro branding and a similar design as the 24-inch iMac released last year. A high-end Mac mini configuration powered by the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips is also expected to be released this year.

Gurman said that Apple is planning a "big update" to the AirPods Pro later this year, with oft-accurate analyst Ming-Chi Kuo having previously claimed that a launch is planned for the fourth quarter of 2022.

Gurman and Bloomberg's Debby Wu have previously reported that Apple has tested a more compact design for the second-generation AirPods Pro that would eliminate the stems that drop below the earbuds. If this ends up being the final design, the new AirPods Pro could look similar to Apple's Beats Studio Buds released last year.

Gurman and Wu also claimed the new AirPods Pro will feature motion sensors for fitness tracking capabilities alongside the Apple Watch.

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Pro will have a "significantly upgraded" wireless chip compared to the H1 chip in the current AirPods Pro. The chip powers audio-related functions like active noise cancellation, and improvements to this technology could result in improved battery life for longer listening time per charge. Kuo also expects the new AirPods Pro to support lossless audio available through Apple Music.

The new AirPods Pro charging case will be able to emit a sound to help users find it when misplaced, according to Kuo. It is likely that the next AirPods Pro will also have a water-resistant charging case, like the third-generation AirPods charging case.

If you ask Siri how old you are, there is a decent chance that the voice assistant will get your age wrong if your birthday has yet to pass this year.

For example, while my birthday is in April and I am still 27 years old for a few more months, Siri tells me that I am already 28 when asked. As noted by the Dutch blog iCulture, the discrepancy likely relates to Siri miscalculating birthdays by only taking into account a person's year of birth and not the month or day. As evidence of this, Siri displays the correct age for anyone with a birthday that has already passed this year.

Note that if Siri doesn't know your age, then you probably haven't added your birthday to your iPhone's contact card.

While you probably know your own age, the issue extends to the ages of anyone in your iPhone's contacts list that you have entered a birthday for. Siri tells me that my wife is 29 years old, for example, when she is actually 28.

We asked a handful of iPhone users on both iOS 15.3 and the iOS 15.4 beta to ask Siri how old they are, and all but one said the wrong age appeared. It's possible that the issue doesn't affect all users for reasons unclear.

All in all, this is a minor issue, but it certainly doesn't help with Siri's reputation. Fortunately, it should be something that Apple can fix quite easily.

Update - February 1: Apple appears to have resolved this issue with a server-side fix.

Apple today updated its macOS 12.3 beta release notes to warn macOS Catalina users about a potential boot loop issue when installing the macOS 12.3 or macOS 11.6.4 betas on a separate APFS volume with FileVault enabled.

"If your Mac currently has macOS Catalina installed, installing macOS Monterey 12.3 beta or macOS Big Sur 11.6.4 beta on a volume with FileVault enabled might cause a boot loop when attempting to log back into the previous volume," says Apple.

On a Mac running macOS High Sierra or later, it is possible to install macOS on a separate APFS volume and then switch between versions of macOS, including betas, as if each were on a separate disk. Apple has a support document with more details.

Apple seeded the first beta of macOS 12.3 earlier this week, with a key new feature being Universal Control. macOS 12.3 also features new emoji, deprecates kernel extensions used by Dropbox and OneDrive, removes Python 2.7, and more.

It was certainly an exciting week in the Apple software department, with new iOS 15.4, macOS 12.3, and associated betas delivering a host of new features including the much-anticipated Universal Control functionality.

The new round of betas follows the public release of iOS 15.3 and associated releases, which were mainly focused on bug fixes and security improvements. This week also saw some rumors about Apple's product release roadmap, early benchmarks of Intel's latest high-end mobile processors compared to Apple's chips, and more, so read on for all of the details!

Universal Control Enabled in iPadOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3 Betas

Apple this week seeded the first betas of iOS 15.4, iPadOS 15.4, and macOS Monterey 12.3 to developers for testing, and after several months of waiting, Universal Control has finally been enabled. The feature lets you control multiple Macs and iPads side by side with a single mouse or trackpad.

iOS 15.4 also introduces the ability to use Face ID while wearing a mask without needing an Apple Watch, adds dozens of new emoji, makes a new Apple Card home screen widget available, and more. Check out our list of everything new in iOS 15.4!

Apple also released iOS 15.3, iPadOS 15.3, macOS 12.2, watchOS 8.4, and tvOS 15.3 with important security and bug fixes.

Apple Preparing 'Widest Array of New Hardware Products in Its History' for Later This Year

We're now several weeks into 2022, and while the start of the year has been quiet, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently said Apple is "readying the widest array of new hardware products in its history" for this fall.

Announcements expected later this year include the usual iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8 refreshes, in addition to several other new products that we have outlined in our dedicated Upcoming Products Guide.

Benchmarks Confirm Intel's Latest Core i9 Chip Outperforms Apple's M1 Max With Several Caveats

Benchmark results have surfaced for MSI's new GE76 Raider, one of the first laptops to be powered by Intel's new 12th-generation Core i9 processor.

Intel previously said that its new high-end Core i9 processor is faster than Apple's M1 Max chip in the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, and early Geekbench 5 results do appear to confirm this claim, but there are several caveats to keep in mind as usual.

Apple's Most Questionable Design Decisions in Recent Memory

Apple is known for having well-designed products, but every once in a while the company makes some questionable design decisions.

We've put together a list of six of the most controversial Apple product designs introduced in recent years, including the much-maligned butterfly keyboard on recent MacBook models, the original Siri Remote for the Apple TV, the Magic Mouse 2, and more.

Apple Reports Record 1Q 2022 Results: $34.6B Profit on $123.9B Revenue

Apple this week reported its financial results for the December quarter, with the company registering a host of all-time records including revenue and profit. All of Apple's product segments with the exception of iPad also recorded record revenue.

The record-breaking performance came despite continued supply issues due to chip shortages. Apple says that those constraints should start to ease by the end of the current quarter.

Apple Launches Black Unity Braided Solo Loop Alongside New Watch Face

February is Black History Month and, ahead of time, Apple has released a new Black Unity Braided Solo Loop for the Apple Watch, along with a new Black Unity watch face designed using 2D ray tracing.

Apple also announced that it is spotlighting Black voices and businesses in February with a variety of content across its services, such as the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Books, Apple News, and more.

Apple Still Struggling to Meet Demand for Redesigned 14-Inch and 16-Inch MacBook Pro

Three months have passed since Apple released redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models powered by its latest M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, and demand remains strong.

The new MacBook Pro models are estimated to ship in several weeks, with some configurations not available for delivery until early March. Pandemic-related supply chain disruptions are certainly not helping the situation.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Apple yesterday released the iOS 15.4 beta and introduced a useful new feature that lets you unlock your iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask. ‌Face ID‌ with a Mask does not require hardware like an Apple Watch for authentication, and though it makes ‌Face ID‌ a bit less secure, it is much more convenient in a world where many of us are still wearing masks on a regular basis.

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After updating to iOS 15.4 on a compatible ‌iPhone‌, ‌Face ID‌ with a Mask comes up as a setup option. You can enable it right away with a new ‌Face ID‌ scan, and from there, unlocking your ‌iPhone‌ with ‌Face ID‌ while wearing a mask is as easy as it is without a mask.

Just swipe up on the Lock Screen of your ‌iPhone‌ with your mask on and it will unlock as expected with ‌Face ID‌. ‌Face ID‌ with a mask is almost identical to ‌Face ID‌ without a mask, but it's not going to unlock from unusual angles because direct eye contact is required. You need to be looking right at your ‌iPhone‌ for ‌Face ID‌ with a Mask to work, which isn't always the case with standard ‌Face ID‌.

If you didn't enable the new ‌Face ID‌ feature at setup after installing iOS 15.4, you can do so later under Settings > ‌Face ID‌ & Passcode. You'll also want to visit this section if you plan to wear glasses while also wearing a mask.

• How to Set Up Face ID With a Mask

Glasses wearers will need to put on glasses, put on a mask, and use the "Add Glasses" feature to create a new ‌Face ID‌ scan that will let ‌Face ID‌ work with both facial accessories. ‌Face ID‌ with a Mask cannot be used with sunglasses because the feature needs to see your eyes.

Apple says that ‌Face ID‌ with a mask can "recognize the unique features around the eye" for authentication purposes. It is not as secure or as accurate as full-face recognition, but it is much more convenient, especially for ‌iPhone‌ users who do not own an Apple Watch for unlocking.

Unlike the Apple Watch ‌Face ID‌ feature, ‌Face ID‌ with a Mask is fully identical to standard ‌Face ID‌ in terms of what can be authenticated. You can use ‌Face ID‌ with a Mask for Apple Pay purchases and in lieu of a passcode in third-party apps.

‌Face ID‌ with a Mask is available on the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 13 models. If you have an ‌iPhone‌ 11 or older, the feature will not be available to you. It's not clear if this is a temporary restriction, and it's possible Apple could be planning to expand the feature to other devices in future betas.

Have you tried ‌Face ID‌ with a Mask? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

There could be a WhatsApp app for iPad coming in the near future, according to WhatsApp chief Will Cathcart. In an interview with The Verge, Cathcart said that people have long been asking for an ‌iPad‌ app, and that the company would "love to do it."

Though Cathcart did not commit to a release date for a WhatsApp ‌iPad‌ app, the Meta-owned company already has the underlying structure in place for creating one. "We did a lot of work on the technology for supporting multiple devices," he said. "Our web and our desktop apps now have that. If I have multi-device on, I can turn my phone off or lose my network connection and still get messages on my desktop. That would be really important for a tablet app, to be able to use the app even if your phone isn't on. So the underlying technology is there."

Right now, WhatsApp is available on the iPhone, the desktop, and the web, but an iPad-specific app has been left out. WhatsApp is testing multi-device support that allows the desktop and web versions of the app to be used without an ‌iPhone‌, functionality that paves the way for the ‌iPad‌ app.

WhatsApp parent company Meta has made Facebook available on ‌iPad‌, but WhatsApp and Meta's Instagram app have never had native ‌iPad‌ availability, despite many users asking for the feature.

Apple recently announced that the App Store now supports unlisted apps discoverable only with a direct link, as outlined on its developer website.

Developers with apps that aren't suited for public distribution can submit a request on Apple's website to distribute unlisted apps, which don't appear in any App Store categories, recommendations, charts, search results, or other listings. Unlisted apps can also be accessed through Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager.

Apple says apps for specific organizations, special events, research studies, or employee sales tools and resources are good candidates for unlisted distribution. Unlisted apps are supported in all countries where the App Store is available.

Developers can submit Apple's request form for both new and existing apps. If approved, the app's distribution method will change to "Unlisted App" and will apply to any future versions of the app. Unlisted apps are available to anyone who has access to the link, and if the app is already available on the App Store, its current link will remain the same.

Unlisted apps must be ready for final distribution, and requests for apps in a beta or pre-release state will be declined, according to Apple. In other words, unlisted distribution cannot be used for TestFlight-like purposes.

The news was brought to our attention by developer Steve Troughton-Smith.

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming macOS Monterey 12.3 update to its public beta testing group, with the new software coming one day after it was provided to developers.

Public beta testers can download the macOS 12.3 Monterey update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after installing the proper profile from Apple's beta software website.

Universal Control is the major new feature in macOS Monterey 12.3, and it is designed to allow multiple Macs and iPads to be controlled using a single mouse/trackpad and keyboard. If you have a MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro, for example, both devices can be controlled with the ‌MacBook Pro‌'s trackpad and keyboard or a keyboard attached to the iPad.

iPadOS 15.4 is required for ‌Universal Control‌ on the ‌iPad‌, and once the updates are installed on your devices, the feature just works as it is automatically enabled.

macOS Monterey also includes new Emoji 14 characters like melting face, biting lip, heart hands, and more, and plus it adds support for updating AirPods with a Mac. There's no official update interface, but your AirPods can receive firmware updates over-the-air when connected to a Mac, similar to how the update process works with an iPhone.

There are some under-the-hood changes too. Apple is removing Python 2 from macOS with macOS 12.3 after support was suspended in January 2020, and Apple is eliminating some kernel extensions used by Dropbox and OneDrive, necessitating software updates for those apps.