MacRumors

Apple today released updated firmware for the MagSafe Charger that's compatible with iPhone 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 13 models that have magnets inside. The new firmware is version 10M229, up from 9M5069. Note that in the Settings app, you'll see a version number rather than the firmware number. The new version is 247.0.0.0, and the old one was 174.0.0.0.

The ‌MagSafe‌ Charger initially came out in fall 2020 alongside the ‌iPhone‌ 12 models, and it has previously seen at least one firmware update.

Because firmware updates are done quietly over the air, Apple does not provide release notes, so we do not know what new features or bug fixes might be included in the software.

There is also no clear method for updating a ‌MagSafe‌ charger's firmware, but it needs to be plugged in and connected to an Apple device for a firmware update to initiate.

You can check your ‌MagSafe‌ Charger's firmware by following the instructions in our MagSafe Charger how to.

Update: Apple has also updated the MagSafe Battery Pack firmware. The build number is 2.5.b.0, up from 2.0.2c.0 previously. Use our guide to find your ‌MagSafe Battery Pack‌'s firmware version.

Apple today released a new 4C165 firmware update for the AirPods 2, AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max. The second-generation AirPods and ‌AirPods Max‌ were previously running firmware version 4A400. The ‌AirPods Pro‌ previously had 4A402 firmware available, and AirPods 3 were running firmware version 4B66.

Apple does not offer information on what's included in refreshed firmware updates for the AirPods‌, so we don't know what improvements or bug fixes the new firmware brings.

There is no standard way to upgrade the ‌AirPods‌‌ software, but firmware is generally installed over-the-air while the ‌‌AirPods‌‌ are connected to an iOS device. Putting the ‌‌‌‌‌AirPods‌‌‌‌‌ in the case, connecting the ‌‌‌‌‌AirPods‌‌‌‌‌ to a power source, and then pairing the ‌‌‌‌‌AirPods‌‌‌‌‌ to an iPhone or an iPad should force the update after a short period of time.

You can check your ‌‌‌AirPods‌‌ or ‌‌‌‌‌AirPods Pro‌‌‌‌‌‌ firmware by following these steps:

• Connect your ‌‌AirPods‌‌ or ‌‌‌‌‌AirPods Pro‌‌‌‌‌ to your iOS device.
• Open the Settings app.
• Tap General.
• Tap About.
• Tap ‌‌‌‌‌AirPods‌‌‌‌‌.
• Look at the number next to "Firmware Version."

If we find notable changes after the firmware updates are installed, we'll share details, but the software likely includes performance improvements and bug fixes.

Every generation of the Apple Watch has a battery swelling defect that can cause operational failures and injuries from broken screens, states a new class action lawsuit that has been filed against Apple.

According to the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Apple has manufactured the watch in a way that allows the lithium cobalt oxide battery to contact the watch screen, and in situations where the battery swells, it can cause the display to pop up.

In situations where the display is damaged by the battery, "razor-sharp edges" are exposed, which can lead to injury.

Despite knowing the battery can suddenly swell, the Complaint alleges that Apple allocated insufficient room inside the Apple Watch for it to freely expand without affecting the screen face and/or failed to incorporate a protective guard to keep it from contacting the screen face.

The swelling creates considerable upward pressure on the Apple Watch face, allegedly causing detachment, shattering, and/or cracking of the screen through no fault of the wearer. When this happens, it exposes razor-sharp edges and leads to operational failure and/or injuries resulting from unintended bodily contact with the detached, shattered, or cracked screen.

The lawsuit describes a situation where a man named Chris Smith had an Apple Watch Series 3 that saw the screen detach due to the battery swelling three years after the device was originally purchased. He was in a golf cart and reached down from the steering wheel to place it in motion, when the detached screen "severely sliced" the underside of his forearm, cutting a vein. The lawsuit includes images of a deep cut on Smith's arm along with descriptions of other incidents where an Apple Watch display detached from the body but did not result in injury.

All Apple Watch models minus the Apple Watch Series 7 are included in the lawsuit, and it covers Apple Watches of every size and model. The suit claims that the defect poses a "material and unreasonable safety hazard to consumers, and has caused "many purchasers" to suffer from "lacerations, cuts, abrasions, and/or other injuries."

The lawsuit also suggests that Apple is aware that its Apple Watches were defective before it began selling them, and that the company failed to disclose this defect that could lead to harm to the wearer.

Apple uniformly failed to disclose that the Watches contained the Defect that would cause them to fail and render them an unreasonable safety hazard resulting in injury to the wearer. This makes the Watches unmerchantable and unfit for the uses Apple advertised, e.g., activity oriented, fitness, athletic use, health, and safety.

Plaintiffs in the case are seeking general, special, incidental, statutory, punitive, and consequential damages, as well as the costs for replacing their Apple Watches. The suit also asks that Apple "adequately disclose the defective nature of the Watch" and that attorneys fees and costs be paid.

It's worth noting that this is not the first time that Apple has faced a lawsuit over swollen Apple Watch batteries. Back in 2019, a class action lawsuit targeted the company and accused Apple of fraudulent business practices and breach of warranty, with the case using many of the same arguments in the lawsuit that was filed today.

A judge in the case dismissed several claims in that particular lawsuit, ruling that the Apple Watch defect was not caused by faulty batteries or defective internal components. The judge did allow the lawsuit to proceed based on breach of express warranty, but the plaintiff ultimately dismissed the lawsuit.

iOS 15.2 is expected to be released to all users as early as next week, and one of the software update's key new features is the Apple Music Voice Plan, which is designed to let users access Apple Music exclusively through Siri.

Ahead of iOS 15.2 being released, we're able to provide a first look at the Voice Plan, courtesy of MacRumors contributor Steve Moser.

Users will be able to subscribe to the Voice Plan by saying something along the lines of "Hey Siri, start my Apple Music Voice Plan trial," or by signing up through the Apple Music app. Pricing is set at $4.99 per month in the United States, with first-time subscribers who request music through Siri able to receive a free seven-day preview without auto-renewal, and a three-month trial with auto-renewal available in the Apple Music app.

Once subscribed to the Voice Plan, users can ask Siri to play music on any Siri-enabled device, including the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePod mini, and AirPods, as well as through CarPlay. The plan also works with the "Type to Siri" accessibility feature, according to fine print on Apple's website.

With the Voice Plan, users will have access to Apple Music's entire catalog of over 90 million songs and playlists, as well as Apple Music Radio. In the Apple Music app, a dedicated "Just Ask Siri…" section provides subscribers with listening suggestions, and there is also a queue of recently played music through Siri.

Voice Plan subscribers will have full playback controls, including unlimited song skipping through Siri. If a Voice Plan subscriber attempts to control the Apple Music app without Siri, a screen pops up advising them to use Siri or upgrade to a standard Apple Music plan, which costs $9.99 per month for individuals and $14.99 per month for families.

Voice Plan subscribers cannot listen to songs in Spatial Audio or Lossless Audio, download songs for offline playback, watch music videos, view lyrics, see what friends are listening to, or listen on other supported platforms like Android.

Apple Music's Voice Plan will be available on iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2, macOS 12.1, watchOS 8.3, and tvOS 15.2 in 17 countries and regions, including the United States, Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.

iOS 15 is now approaching 60% adoption across all iOS devices, precisely 80 days after it launched to the public following its official reveal in June of 2021, according to third-party website Mixpanel.

As of Thursday, third-party data analytics company Mixpanel said that around 58% of all iOS devices are running iOS 15, compared to approximately 36% of devices running iOS 14. Mixpanel had previously indicated that iOS 15's adoption was slower than iOS 14's release in the fall of last year.

Apple does release iOS adoption numbers but has yet done so for iOS 15. Apple's last publicly reported data shows 85% of all devices running iOS 14 as of June 3, 2021. All devices that were compatible with iOS 14 remain compatible with updating to iOS 15. However, customers on iOS 14 still can continue to receive critical security updates without updating to the latest major iOS version.

Compared to iOS 14, iOS 15 remains a relatively modest update, focusing on providing users more controls over their notifications and updates to stock iOS apps, such as Safari. iOS 15's rollout has not been perfect, and users have reported several bugs that have mostly been patched in subsequent iOS updates. As a refresher, check out our comprehensive iOS guide to relearn everything that was new in iOS 15.

Multiple component suppliers in Apple's supply chain are gearing up for shipments of a third-generation iPhone SE, slated for launch in the first half of 2022, according to industry sources cited by Taiwanese publication DigiTimes.

The full report has yet to be released, but a paywalled preview reads as follows:

VCM suppliers see no cutback in orders for new iPhones: VCM (voice coil motor) and other component suppliers have still seen no cutback in orders for the new iPhones, and are gearing up for shipments for the next generation of Apple's iPhone SE series slated for launch in the first half of 2022, according to industry sources.

Earlier this week, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the new iPhone SE will be equipped with the same 4.7-inch display size and 3GB of RAM as the current model, and the new model is also expected to retain a Touch ID home button and thicker bezels. Kuo previously said key features of the new iPhone SE will include 5G support and a faster processor — likely the A15 chip that debuted in iPhone 13 models and the latest iPad mini.

The new iPhone SE will be released in the first quarter of 2022 specifically, according to Taiwanese research firm TrendForce. If this timeframe proves to be accurate, we can expect the device to be released by the end of March.

Looking farther ahead, rumors suggest that a fourth-generation iPhone SE is slated for launch in 2023 with more significant changes, including a larger display and 4GB of RAM. It's possible this larger iPhone SE will feature a design based on the iPhone XR.

The current iPhone SE launched in April 2020, with pricing starting at $399 for 64GB of storage.

Amazon has every model of Apple's M1 MacBook Air in stock this week, with all offering delivery before the Christmas holiday. You can save up to $150 on these 2020 notebooks, and you'll find the 512GB model matching its Black Friday price tag.

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.

Prices start at $899.00 for the 256GB model, down from $999.00, and available for Christmas delivery in Space Gray, Silver, and Gold. This isn't the lowest we've ever seen the 256GB model go, but it's now likely the last best deal you'll see in 2021.

You can get the 512GB model for $1,099.00, down from $1,249.00. This is the same price we saw on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and all three colors are again available for Christmas delivery.

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.

Following its acquisition of the classical music service Primephonic earlier this year, Apple's work on a new music app dedicated to classical music is ongoing, a recent job listing indicates.

Earlier this year, Apple announced that it had purchased the classical music streaming service Primephonic and would be folding it into Apple Music. Primephonic offered an "outstanding listening experience" with search and browse functionality that is specifically optimized for classical music, as well as handpicked recommendations and "contextual details on repertoire and recordings."

Apple said that with the acquisition of Primephonic, ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers would be provided with an improved classical music experience. This was said to start with Primephonic playlists and audio content, followed by a dedicated Primephonic experience with improved browsing and search capabilities by composer and repertoire, better classical music metadata, and more, at a later date.

Most strikingly, Apple said that it would launch a new Apple Music app dedicated to classical music in 2022. 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 is now looking to hire a UX Designer to work on the new app in the classical music team, according to a listing on Apple's jobs site. The role, located in London or Amsterdam, will be expected to "provide UX expertise and new perspectives specifically for Primephonic." The job listing goes on to explain that Apple is exploring and creating a distinct experience for classical music, including "visual, audial, and haptic" aspects.

While the job listing suggests that the Primephonic brand will persist for the new app, Primephonic was taken offline on September 7, 2021 and is no longer available for new subscribers. Current Primephonic subscribers received six months of ‌Apple Music‌ access for free with access to thousands of classical albums that support Lossless and Spatial Audio.

Primephonic's website now tells visitors: "We are working on an amazing new classical music experience from Apple for early next year." It is not clear to what extent the Primephonic brand will persist in the new app, if at all, and how heavily it will amalgamate with ‌Apple Music‌.

(Thanks, Chris!)

WhatsApp has launched a cryptocurrency payment feature for a small number of users in the United States, thanks to Novi integration, a digital wallet owned by Facebook (now Meta).

The pilot program lets users of the encrypted messaging app send and receive money "instantly, securely, and with no fees" using the Paxos Dollar (USPD) stablecoin, whose value is linked to the US dollar.

The way the payments work in WhatsApp is similar to sending regular attachments in a conversation. Users tap the plus (+) icon and then select Payment from the menu that appears. Users who are paid this way receive USDP, which can be withdrawn to a bank account in its equivalent value in US dollars.

There's no cap on the number of times the Novi system can be used to send and receive money through WhatsApp. Regardless of frequency of use, there are no fees associated with keeping a balance in a Novi account or withdrawing it to a bank account. In addition, the inclusion of Novi in the chat platform has no effect on the end-to-end encryption of personal messages.

The small pilot program is available to some users in the US from today. For more information about the WhatsApp integration, check out the Novi website.

The pilot is one outcome of Meta's cryptocurrency plans, which have changed since they were officially announced in 2019. Back then, the plan was to develop a cryptocurrency called Libra that would be linked to a Facebook digital wallet called Calibra.

However, Libra has since become Diem, and Calibra has become Novi, and instead of using Diem, Novi has adopted the Paxos stablecoin in partnership with Coinbase, which is the custody partner that holds the funds for the pilot.

WhatsApp already offers payment systems in India and Brazil, but these used traditional fiat currencies rather than crypto.

(Via WaBetaInfo.)

Chinese consumer electronics maker Oppo says that innovation in the smartphone industry has "hit a wall" and that people are asking, "What's next for smartphones?" In an answer to that question, the maker teased its first-ever foldable smartphone named "Find N."

In a press release, Oppo's chief product officer, Pete Lau, said that following "four years of intense R&D and six generations of prototypes," Oppo is ready to reveal its first foldable smartphone.

Foldable smartphones have grown in popularity over the years, with Samsung being one of the earliest adopters of the new smartphone trend. According to Lau, foldable smartphones have yet to become a mainstream hit due to many factors, including concerns over durability, software utilization, and more, and that Oppo wanted to change that.

Although a handful of other brands have already introduced foldable devices to the market, barriers such as utility, durability and user experience continue to prevent foldable devices from becoming a more feasible daily driver for most people. So when I returned to OPPO last year, I was excited to take over this major project and guide the team to overcome the final hurdles to turn this dream into reality.

With the Find N, we have solved the main pain points in previous foldable smartphones, such as the crease in the display and overall durability of the device, by inventing perhaps the best hinge and display designs available today. We look forward to truly pushing the folding screen experience forward.

Lau added that beyond 5G, faster charging, higher refresh rates, improved cameras, and more, "smartphone development has reached a limit" and that "new ways of thinking and new approaches to continue innovating" are needed.

The name "Find N," according to Lau, represents "new possibilities" and ushers in "the next chapter of smartphones." The press release, which serves as a mere teaser of the device, includes one image, while a tweet by Oppo offers a clearer look at the device. Find N will launch on December 15.

Apple is poised to join the foldable smartphone market in the future. Still, a device of that nature remains several years away as Apple tends to wait until technologies are more mature for mainstream use before unveiling a product.

The watchOS 8.3 release candidate has expanded AssistiveTouch, allowing users to control their Apple Watch using only hand gestures, to older Apple Watch models after the feature was previously exclusive to only newer Apple Watches.

Apple first previewed the feature in May as part of its continued commitment to making its products accessible to as many people as possible. AssistiveTouch uses a combination of data from onboard Apple Watch sensors to notice subtle changes in muscle movements and tendon activity. Using gestures like a clinch or pinch, users can control their Apple Watch without touching the screen.

AssistiveTouch for watchOS enables people with upper-body limb differences to use Apple Watch without ever having to touch the display or controls. Using built-in motion sensors and on-device learning, Apple Watch detects subtle differences in muscle movements and tendon activity, letting you control the display through hand gestures like a pinch or a clench. This feature also works with VoiceOver so you can navigate Apple Watch with one hand while using a cane or leading a service animal. Answer incoming calls, control an onscreen motion pointer, and access Notification Center, Control Center, and more.

The feature was previously exclusive to newer Apple Watch models, such as the Series 6 and the Apple Watch SE. Now, with the last several watchOS 8.3 betas and the release candidate released this week, Apple has expanded the feature to include older Apple Watch models such as the Apple Watch Series 4 and Series 5. The expansion was first noted on Twitter and later picked up on Reddit.

Apple's long rumored AR headset is predicted to include multiple highly sensitive 3D sensing modules in order to offer an innovative hand gesture and object detecting user interface, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a new research note obtained by MacRumors.

We predict that the structured light of the AR/MR headset can detect not only the position change of the user or other people’s hand and object in front of the user's eyes but also the dynamic detail change of the hand (just like the iPhone's Face ID/structured light/Animoji can detect user's dynamic expression change). Capturing the details of hand movement can provide a more intuitive and vivid human-machine UI (for example, detecting the user's hand from a clenched fist to open and the balloon [image] in hand flying away).

Kuo describes the ability for the headset to detect both hand gestures and movements to provide the user with an immersive experience where the user could open their hand to let go of a virtual balloon.

In order to accomplish this impressive feat, Apple is expected to incorporate four sets of 3D sensors which are of higher quality and specifications than the current iPhones. Kuo sees the quality of this human-machine user interface as the key to the success of Apple's upcoming AR headset. According to Kuo, these interface abilities include gesture control, object detection, as well as eye tracking, iris recognition, voice control, skin detection, expression detection, and spatial detection.

Earlier this year, Patently Apple pointed out a patent application from Apple titled "Devices, Methods, and Graphical User Interfaces for Interacting with Three-Dimensional Environments," which details this same concept.

Different movements and locations of the micro-gestures and various movement parameters are used to determine the operations that are performed in the three-dimensional environment. Using the cameras to capture the micro-gestures to interact with the three-dimensional environment allow the user to freely move about the physical environment without be encumbered by physical input equipment, which allows the user to explore the three-dimensional environment more naturally and efficiently.

Apple is widely expected to launch its first-generation AR-focused device in 2022.

The high-end iPhone 14 Pro models launching in 2022 are expected to have a hole-punch display, according to Korean website The Elec. The 6.1-inch ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro and a 6.7-inch ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro Max are expected to feature the upgraded display, which will do away with the notch used in the current iPhone models.

The hole-punch cutout will allow Apple to provide a larger display area while still leaving room for the front-facing camera, and it is a design that Android devices have used for a few years now. If Apple does transition to this design, the Face ID hardware will need to be moved under the display.

Two additional non-Pro iPhones, which will measure in at 6.1 and 6.7 inches, will continue to have a notch, with Apple limiting the hole-punch design to the more expensive iPhones. Apple is doing away with the 5.4-inch "‌iPhone‌ mini" in 2022, and is instead going to offer a four ‌iPhone‌ lineup in 6.1 and 6.7-inch sizes.

The Elec says that Apple will also be sourcing LTPO OLED displays for the ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro models to allow for 120Hz ProMotion refresh rates, technology already used in the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro models this year. Samsung supplied the OLED panels that Apple used for the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro models, but Apple could source some displays from LG Display in 2022.

A hole-punch display has been rumored several times before, and notable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said repeatedly that some ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro models are likely to feature the technology.

As Apple gears up to release a fully autonomous vehicle, it is continuing to lose key people who are working on the project, reports Bloomberg. Over the last several weeks, three engineers have departed the company.

Apple's chief engineer for radar systems, Eric Rogers, left for Joby Aviation, a company working on electric aerial ridesharing. Alex Clarabut, an engineering manager for the battery team, and Stephen Spiteri, a hardware engineering manager, both joined Archer Aviation, a company that is developing an air taxi.

Earlier this month, Apple Car engineering director Michael Schwekutsch left Apple for Archer Aviation as well, and back in September, Apple Car project lead Doug Field left Apple for Ford after three years of heading up Apple Car development.

According to Bloomberg, Apple has lost six members of the project's management team in 2021 alone, but it has also brought on important new hires like Ulrich Kranz, former CEO of self-driving startup Canoo, and CJ Moore, who worked at Tesla and has expertise in self-driving software.

Apple's work on an autonomous vehicle has been plagued by managerial shifts, changes in focus, and hiring issues almost since it began. With Field's departure, Apple brought on Apple Watch chief Kevin Lynch to work on the Apple Car, and he is working alongside AI chief John Giannandrea.

Under Lynch's leadership, the Apple Car project is moving forward with the ambitious aim of producing an autonomous electric vehicle that does not require human intervention, which no other car manufacturer has been able to achieve.

Apple is hoping to release a self-driving car by 2025, but the timeline may ultimately prove to be too aggressive.

Instagram is planning to reintroduce a version a chronological feed option in 2022, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said today in a Senate panel on teen safety (via Engadget).

"We're currently working on a version of a chronological feed that we hope to launch next year," Mosseri said, explaining that Instagram believes in giving people more control over how they view content.

Such a feature has apparently been in the works "for months" with Instagram targeting a launch in the first quarter of 2022.

When Instagram first launched, it provided a chronological feed that displayed the newest Instagram posts when you opened up the app, but in June 2016, Instagram swapped over to an algorithmic feed that displays posts based on relevancy.

Instagram has not had an option for a chronological feed for the past five years, so introducing an alternative to the algorithmic feed will be a major change. There have been multiple complaints about the Instagram feed over the years, and in 2018, the company did tweak the algorithm to make newer content show up more often.

Instagram has claimed that its algorithm is designed to surface the moments that people care about the most, highlighting posts based on interaction frequency and timeliness, but many Instagram users will likely be happy to have a chronological option.

Apple today informed developers that it is raising the prices of apps and in-app purchases in Turkey due to changes in foreign exchange rates. The pricing changes will go into effect in the next few days.

When taxes or foreign exchange rates change, we sometimes need to update prices on the App Store in certain regions and/or adjust your proceeds.

In the next few days, prices of apps and in-app purchases (excluding auto-renewable subscriptions) on the App Store will increase in Turkey. Your proceeds will be adjusted accordingly and will be calculated based on the tax-exclusive price.

Once these changes go into effect, the Pricing and Availability section of My Apps will be updated. You can change the price of your apps and in-app purchases (including auto-renewable subscriptions) at any time in App Store Connect. If you offer subscriptions, you can choose to preserve prices for existing subscribers.

Tier 1 apps in the country will now be priced starting at 16.99 lira, up from the 10.99 price that was set in October when Apple first raised its App Store pricing in Turkey. 16.99 is equivalent to approximately $1.24 at the current time.

Apple in late November temporarily halted sales of devices in Turkey with the deepening of the country's economic crisis. Apple's online store in the country stopped allowing customers to make purchases, as did some retail locations.

Apple resumed sales in Turkey a few days after the pause, introducing significant price increases. An iPhone 13, for example, is priced at 14.999 TL, up from the original 11.999 TL price before the hike.

The value of the Turkish lira has seen a significant drop over the course of the last few weeks, continuing a trend that began last year. A Turkish lira is now equivalent to approximately 0.073 U.S. dollars.

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 introduced a redesigned website for its Open Source projects, which houses Apple's open source work like Swift, WebKit, ResearchKit, FoundationDB, and more. The updated site can be found at opensource.apple.com.

The site includes two main sections, including Featured Projects to showcase a selection of Apple's open source work, and a second section for Releases.

The Featured Projects section includes Apple Projects that are led by Apple and developed alongside the open source community, and Community Projects that are headed up by organizations outside of Apple but contributed to by Apple engineers.

The Releases section will see Apple making its open source releases available as git repositories on GitHub, which will make them more accessible to software developers. Apple has added improved capabilities for search, seeing differences between different versions, and browsing through the code in macOS, iOS, and developer tools.