MacRumors

So-called mobile phone "roaming" will remain free within the European Union for another decade, the European Commission has confirmed.

The governing body said that a political agreement had been reached between the member states and the European Parliament to extend the practice until 2032.

In a press release announcing the agreement to extend the free roaming policy, the European Commission said:

Citizens will be able to call, text and use mobile data while travelling within the EU at no extra costs and with the same quality they experience at home; they will have improved access to emergency communications regardless of where they are in Europe; and, they will have the right to clear information when a service they use while roaming might cause inadvertent extra charges. The regulation will enter into force on July 1st 2022.

Prior to 2017, when roaming charges were abolished in the EU, holidaymakers and business travelers across Europe would often be stung by excessive phone bills when they got home, with network operators charging exorbitant fees for calls, text, and data used abroad.

Years of campaigning saw the practice scrapped in the EU, meaning mobile customers generally no longer have to worry about roaming charges when using their phone in the EU, with most phone tariffs counting calls, texts, and data used in EU countries as equivalent to domestic use.

Commenting on the latest agreement to extend the practice, commissioner for the internal market Thierry Breton said: "Spending holidays in Greece, Austria or Bulgaria, visiting customers or suppliers in Italy or Estonia… traveling abroad without having to worry about phone bills is a tangible part of the EU Single Market experience for all Europeans."

Given that the United Kingdom has formally exited the European Union, UK residents won't be able to enjoy the benefits of free roaming when they use their phones abroad.

Indeed, when the EU trade deal was signed in December 2020, mobile operators were once again able to charge customers when traveling in Europe with "transparent and reasonable rates."

Originally, EE, O2, Three, and Vodafone, representing the largest mobile operators in the UK, stated they had no plans to reintroduce roaming charges after Brexit, but all have since announced changes, some under a "fair use" clause.

Mozilla has released Firefox 95, featuring a new version of its security sandboxing subsystem called RLBox, and additional performance and efficiency improvements for the macOS version of the web browser.

According to the release notes, RLBox is a new technology that hardens Firefox against potential security vulnerabilities in third-party libraries.

The sandbox subsystem works by compiling a process in WebAssembly before re-converting it into native code, which restricts its access to system memory and stops it from jumping to unexpected parts of the program, thus limiting its potential for exploiting vulnerabilities.

As Mozilla's Bobby Holley explains:

This technique, which uses WebAssembly to isolate potentially-buggy code, builds on the prototype we shipped last year to Mac and Linux users. Now, we're bringing that technology to all supported Firefox platforms (desktop and mobile), and isolating five different modules: Graphite, Hunspell, Ogg, Expat and Woff2.

Going forward, we can treat these modules as untrusted code, and — assuming we did it right — even a zero-day vulnerability in any of them should pose no threat to Firefox. Accordingly, we’ve updated our bug bounty program to pay researchers for bypassing the sandbox even without a vulnerability in the isolated library.

In other improvements, Firefox 95 reduces CPU usage on macOS during event processing, and reduces the power usage of software decoded video on macOS, especially in fullscreen. This includes streaming sites such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

This version also provides faster content process startup and improves page load performance by speculatively compiling JavaScript ahead of time.

Meanwhile, it's now possible to move the Picture-in-Picture toggle button to the opposite side of the video. Users can find the new context menu option Move Picture-in-Picture Toggle to Left (Right) Side.

Lastly, Mozilla says that Site Isolation is now enabled for all Firefox 95 users to better protect them against side-channel attacks such as Spectre.

Firefox 95 for macOS is available now from the Mozilla website.

Apple today announced that it has expanded its updated Apple Maps app to Australia, with Maps now offering more detailed road coverage, improved navigation, three-dimensional landmarks, and improved views of parks, buildings, airports, shopping centers, and more.

"Apple Maps is the best way to explore and navigate the world, all while protecting your privacy. We are excited to bring this experience to even more users with today's rollout in Australia," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Services. "The map has been rebuilt from the ground up, with better navigation, richer detail, more accurate information for places, and remarkable features that only Apple can deliver, like Look Around, Share ETA, and more. Now it is easier than ever for users to find the places they love and get to where they're going."

Apple Maps users in Australia can access features like lane guidance, speed camera alerts, information about accidents and road hazards, accident reporting, and the Share ETA feature.

Apple has been working to expand its updated Maps experience worldwide after first introducing the new look in iOS 13. Apple's redesigned Maps app became available across the United States in January 2020, and since then, Apple has brought it to Canada, Ireland and the UK, Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

Apple confirmed that it was working to bring the revamped Maps app to Australia back in June, so the expansion has been in the works for some time.

Along with the updated Maps look, ‌Apple Maps‌ in Australia is gaining support for Look Around, which provides interactive street-level imagery with high-resolution 3D photography. The Maps app also features immersive walking directions available in augmented reality and Guides, a feature provides a curated list of places to eat, shop, and explore.

When Microsoft was in discussions with Apple about bringing its xCloud platform to the iPhone, Microsoft attempted to sweet talk Apple into allowing the cloud gaming service.

According to emails between Microsoft and Apple executives that were unearthed by The Verge, Microsoft was willing to agree to many of Apple's demands about how the system would work, even agreeing to bring Xbox titles to Apple's platform.

Microsoft told Apple that it would bring triple-A Xbox exclusive games to the ‌iPhone‌, with the games running on the Xbox Cloud Gaming platform. Had this deal been reached, ‌iPhone‌ users might have been able to play high-end Xbox titles on their mobile devices.

Apple wanted Microsoft to submit every game to the App Store individually to be overseen by ‌App Store‌ reviewers rather than offering games in an overarching Cloud Gaming app. Microsoft initially expressed reservations about doing so because of the workload it would create and the negative customer experience, but in March 2020, Microsoft agreed that it could actually submit each app on an individual basis while offering a catalog app linking out to them.

Microsoft head of business development Lori Wright told Apple's ‌App Store‌ team that Xbox games on ‌iPhone‌ would be an "incredibly exciting opportunity for iOS users."

Despite the near agreement, negotiations between Microsoft and Apple ultimately fell through and Xbox Cloud Gaming did not launch as separate apps in the ‌App Store‌, but as a web-based platform that does not need to follow the ‌App Store‌ rules.

Microsoft told The Verge that Microsoft wanted a single streaming tech app to support its individual game apps, but Apple wanted each game to include a full streaming stack.

"Our proposal for bringing games through individual apps was designed to comply with App Store policies. It was denied by Apple based on our request that there be a single streaming tech app to support the individual game apps, as the initial email states. Forcing each game to include our streaming tech stack proved to be unrealistic from a support and engineering perspective and would create an incredibly negative experience for customers," reads a statement from Xbox Cloud Gaming CVP Kareem Choudhry to The Verge.

Emails also suggest that the deal fell through because Apple was concerned about how in-app purchases in Microsoft's games would work. "Their proposal for IAPs is still that they process all IAPs on their existing system and settle up with us (either in real-time or monthly)," wrote ‌App Store‌ games manager Mark Grimm in an email describing the negotiations with Microsoft.

Apple told The Verge that the deal did indeed fall apart over in-app purchase requirements.

"Unfortunately, Microsoft proposed a version of xCloud that was not compliant with our App Store Review Guidelines, specifically the requirement to use in-app purchase to unlock additional features or functionality within an app," reads a statement via Apple spokesperson Adam Dema.

Xbox Cloud Gaming CVP Kareem Choudhry told The Verge that in-app purchases weren't the issue, but Apple rejected many of Microsoft's suggestions on how to implement Xbox Cloud Gaming. "Apple rejected our proposals and we were left without the ability to release a cohesive Xbox Game Pass offering through the ‌App Store‌," he said.

Apple has successfully prevented cloud-based gaming services from Microsoft and Google from launching on the ‌App Store‌ because of its requirements that each app be submitted individually. For Google Stadia, Google too has opted for a web-based system that does not require it to comply with the ‌App Store‌ rules.

Payments platform Paddle will be delaying the launch of its alternative in-app payment system for iOS, the company announced today. The delay comes after Apple won a stay allowing it to maintain the current App Store payment setup until after an appeals court examines the original ruling in the Epic v. Apple case.

Back in October, Paddle announced plans to launch a web-based payment system that would serve as an alternative to in-app purchases. Paddle described the system as a "true like-for-like, drop-in replacement" for Apple's in-app purchase mechanism that would let developers collect payments from customers without having to pay Apple's 15 to 30 percent fee.

Paddle planned to charge a 10 percent fee for all transactions under $10, and a 5% plus $0.50 fee on transactions over $10, while also providing app developers with customer data that included email addresses for communicating product news and offers, flexible pricing and subscription options, direct customer service, and more.

When announcing its planned in-app purchase alternative, Paddle said that it would launch on December 7, 2021, two days before Apple would have been required to implement major ‌App Store‌ changes had Apple not received a stay on the original injunction.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers, who oversaw the Epic v. Apple trial, ruled that Apple would be prohibited from restricting developers from including "in their apps and their metadata buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms," paving the way for alternative payment systems.

Rogers gave Apple 90 days to implement the ‌App Store‌ changes, and denied a stay on the ruling when Apple asked. Apple then appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court, which granted a stay until it is able to fully hear the case. It could take several months for the appeals process to play out, and while it does, Apple is not required to make any updates to the ‌App Store‌.

Paddle will not be able to launch any kind of alternative to in-app purchases until the appeals court provides a ruling, and it's possible that the appeals court could rule in Apple's favor, vacating the original decision entirely.

Because Apple was counting on an appeal, the company never announced details on how the ‌App Store‌ changes might be implemented, and it's unknown if Paddle's alternative would have even been allowed.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has made it clear that Apple will continue to collect commission on content sold through the ‌App Store‌ even if developers aren't using the in-app purchase system. "We would have to come up with an alternate way of collecting our commission," Cook said during the Apple v. Epic trial. Cook said that Apple would need to come up with a way to track sales, invoice it, and then chase developers for the money. "It seems like a process that doesn't need to exist," he said.

Apple has also maintained that an alternative purchase system would be inconvenient to customers, requiring them to fill in their credit card information for different apps, which could also lead to fraud issues.

Paddle says the testing process for its IAP solution has been completed and the platform is "fully ready to launch," but because of the court delay, it does not have the "clarity on the necessary technical changes and new rules regarding third-party IAP payments" and thus will not be able to debut the product. Paddle plans to "follow the case closely" with plans to be one of the first to launch "when alternative payment methods are allowed."

(Thanks, Eli!)

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.