MacRumors

If you've ever wanted to have a web browser on your wrist, there's now an app for that. µBrowser is an app designed to let you enter a web address or execute a search with DuckDuckGo so you can view websites on Apple Watch.

Available for $0.99 from the App Store, µBrowser offers a lightweight browsing experience that's useful if you have no other device on you but want to look something up quickly. In addition to visiting a specific URL or searching the web, you can also see your last visited pages or save pages to your favorites. You can use the companion app on iPhone to manage your bookmarks.

The app is only able to offer a limited browsing experience on the wrist. The developer warns that there are limitations with Javascript and large webpages, and logins most likely will not work. There is also no back button.

Note that the Apple Watch does have a built-in browsing experience, but only in apps like Messages where someone has sent you a link. You can tap on that link and browse a webpage, but you can't enter a URL or search for a page like you can in µBrowser.

µBrowser is not the most practical app because most people probably aren't going to want to browse the web on the tiny Apple Watch display, but it's an interesting utility to have in a pinch.

Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of an upcoming macOS Monterey 12.1 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new software coming a few days the first release candidate and more than a month after the official release of macOS Monterey.

Registered developers can download macOS Monterey 12.1 beta profile through the Apple Developer Center and after the appropriate profile is installed, the beta will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.

macOS Monterey 12.1 brings SharePlay to Macs for the first time. SharePlay is a new feature that's designed to let you watch TV, listen to music, and play games with friends and family members over FaceTime.

SharePlay allows all kinds of apps to work with ‌FaceTime‌, with content synced for all people who are part of the ‌FaceTime‌ call. You can listen to music with Apple Music and access shared playlists, watch synced TV shows and movies together, work out together, and even share your screen for things like group trip planning or device troubleshooting.

Apple designed SharePlay to work with first-party app options like Apple TV, Apple Fitness+, and ‌Apple Music‌, but there's also an API for developers so third-party apps can also use SharePlay ‌FaceTime‌ features for games and other experiences.

SharePlay is already available in the release versions of iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, and tvOS 15.1, so the Monterey 12.1 update brings Macs in line with other Apple devices.

The full release notes for macOS 12.1:

macOS Monterey 12.1 adds SharePlay, an entirely new way to have shared experiences with family and friends in FaceTime. This update also includes the Apple Music Voice Plan, new safety features for children and parents in Messages, redesigned Memories in Photos, and other features and bug fixes for your Mac.

SharePlay

• SharePlay is a new way to share synchronized experiences in FaceTime with content from the Apple TV app, Apple Music, and other supported apps
• Shared controls give everyone the ability to pause, play, rewind or fast forward
• Smart volume automatically lowers the audio of a movie, TV show or song when you or your friends speak
• Screen sharing lets everyone on a FaceTime call look at photos, browse the web, or help each other out

Apple Music Voice Plan

• Apple Music Voice Plan is a new subscription tier that gives you access to all songs, playlists, and stations in Apple Music using Siri
• Just Ask Siri suggests music based on your listening history and likes or dislikes
• Play it Again lets you access a list of your recently played music

Photos

• Memories has been redesigned with a new interactive interface, new animation and transition styles, and multiple image collages
• New Memory types include additional international holidays, child-focused memories, trends over time, and improved pet memories

Messages

• Communication safety setting gives parents the ability to enable warnings for children when they receive or send photos that contain nudity
  

• Safety warnings contain helpful resources for children when they receive photos that contain nudity

Siri and Search

• Expanded guidance in Siri, Spotlight and Safari Search to help children and parents stay safe online and get help with unsafe situations

Apple ID

• Digital Legacy allows you to designate people as Legacy Contacts so they can access your iCloud account and personal information in the event of your death

TV App

• Store tab lets you browse, buy, and rent movies and TV Shows all in one place

This release also includes the following enhancements for your Mac:

• Hide My Email is available in the Mail app for iCloud+ subscribers to create unique, random email addresses
• Stocks allows you to view the currency for a ticker and see year-to-date performance when viewing charts
• Reminders and Notes now allow you to delete or rename tags

This release also includes bug fixes for your Mac:

• Desktop and Screen Saver may appear blank after selecting photos from the Photos library
• Trackpad could become unresponsive to taps or clicks
• External displays may not charge some MacBook Pro and MacBook Air computers when connected using Thunderbolt or USB-C
• HDR video playback on YouTube.com could cause 2021 MacBook Pro computers to panic
• Menu bar extras may be obscured by the camera housing on 2021 MacBook Pro computers
• MagSafe may stop charging on 2021 16-inch MacBook Pro computers when lid is closed and system is shut down

We expect macOS Monterey 12.1 to see an official public launch next week.

Apple today seeded the second RC version of an upcoming iOS 15.2 update to developers and public beta testers, less than a week after seeding the first RC and six weeks after the launch of iOS 15.1.

iOS 15.2 beta can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper profile has been installed on an iPhone or an iPad. Public beta testers can also download the software over the air after installing the profile from Apple's beta testing website. The new beta is only available for ‌iPhone‌ 13 models.

iOS and iPadOS 15.2 add support for App Privacy Report, a feature that Apple first highlighted back at WWDC. With App Privacy Report, you can see how often apps are accessing sensitive info granted to them through privacy permissions, such as location, camera, microphone, and contacts.

The feature also gives you details on the various domains that apps and websites are contacting, so you can keep an eye on what your apps are doing behind the scenes and where your data might be going.

App Privacy Report can be enabled by opening up the Settings app, selecting the Privacy section, and choosing App Privacy Report. From there, you can toggle it on. After you start using apps, data will begin showing up in this spot. Apple shows seven days worth of data.

iOS 15.2 introduces an updated version of Apple's Messages Communication Safety feature for kids, and it adds a Legacy Contacts feature that lets you set a person who can access your Apple content like photos in the event of your death.

Apple added a new "Items That Can Track Me" option in the Find My app for scanning for nearby items, and the TV app on ‌iPad‌ has a new sidebar to make navigation simpler. In the Mail app, there's also a new option to use the Hide My Email feature when composing or replying to an email.

There's a tweaked Notification Summary that gives summaries more of a card-style look, a toggle in the Camera app for Macro mode on ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro models, and an update to Emergency SOS. The Auto Call feature can now be enabled by pressing on the side button rapidly or holding down the side button and the volume button together. Apple has added a longer eight-second countdown (up from three seconds) to give you more time to cancel an accidental dial.

Apple's release notes for iOS 15.2 are as follows:

OS 15.2 adds Apple Music Voice Plan, a new subscription tier that provides access to music using Siri. This update also includes the App Privacy Report, new safety features for children and parents in Messages, and other features and bug fixes for your iPhone.

Apple Music Voice Plan

• Apple Music Voice Plan is a new subscription tier that gives you access to all songs, playlists, and stations in Apple Music using Siri
• Just Ask Siri suggests music based on your listening history and likes or dislikes
• Play it Again lets you access a list of your recently played music

Privacy

• App Privacy Report in Settings lets you see how often apps have accessed your location, photos, camera, microphone, contacts and more during the last seven days, as well as their network activity

Messages

• Communication safety setting gives parents the ability to enable warnings for children when they receive or send photos that contain nudity
• Safety warnings contain helpful resources for children when they receive photos that contain nudity

Siri and Search

• Expanded guidance in Siri, Spotlight and Safari Search to help children and parents stay safe online and get help with unsafe situations

Apple ID

• Digital Legacy allows you to designate people as Legacy Contacts so they can access your iCloud account and personal information in the event of your death

Camera

• Macro photo control for switching to the Ultra Wide lens to capture macro photos and videos can be enabled in Settings on iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max

TV app

• Store tab lets you browse, buy, and rent movies and TV Shows all in one place

CarPlay

• Enhanced city map in Apple Maps with road details like turn lanes, medians, bike lanes, and pedestrian crosswalks for supported cities

This release also includes the following enhancements for your iPhone:

• Hide My Email is available in the Mail app for iCloud+ subscribers to create unique, random email addresses
• Find My can locate iPhone for up to five hours when in Power Reserve
• Stocks allows you to view the currency for a ticker and see year-to-date performance when viewing charts
• Reminders and Notes now allow you to delete or rename tags

This release also includes bug fixes for your iPhone:

• Siri may not respond while VoiceOver is running and iPhone is locked
• ProRAW photos may appear overexposed when viewing in third-party photo editing apps
• HomeKit scenes that include a garage door may not run from CarPlay when your iPhone is locked
• CarPlay may not update Now Playing information for certain apps
• Video streaming apps may not load content on iPhone 13 models
• Calendar events may appear on the wrong day for Microsoft Exchange users

We expect iOS 15.2 to see an official public launch next week.

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Jackery to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Jackery Explorer 500 Portable Power Station and a SolarSaga 100W Solar Panel, a combo that's perfect for keeping Apple devices charged in emergencies, when camping, on road trips, and in power outages and other emergency situations.

Available for $800 with solar panel included, the Explorer 500 is Jackery's mid-range power station with a 518 watt-hour lithium-ion battery. Jackery also makes a range of larger and smaller batteries to suit various needs.

The Explorer 500 features a pure sine wave AC outlet, a 12V/10A carport, and three 5V 2.4A USB-A ports. It can provide power to Apple products ranging from Macs to iPhones, and it can also run TVs, fans, humidifiers, projectors, and other appliances that draw under 500 watts of power.

The built-in carport and USB-A ports can be used to power car appliances like coolers, air pumps, and vacuums, along with smartphones, tablets, and other small electronic devices.

A charge can last for weeks on standby, so the Jackery Explorer 500 is ideal to have on hand for emergencies. It can run a router or a cable modem to keep you connected while working from home, or run lights and other accessories when you're camping.

A handle at the top makes the Explorer 500 easy to carry, and a set of built-in fans keep it cool even when it's running at full power. There's an LCD screen on the front that displays the current charge level and the watts being drawn, which lets you track power usage.

You can charge the Explorer 500 with a standard cable, but when paired with the SolarSaga 100W, you have off-grid power so long as you have sun. According to Jackery, the SolarSaga has high conversion efficiency up to 23 percent for powering the Explorer 500. The 9.1 pound SolarSaga folds down to be more portable, plus it has a carry handle to make it easier to transport.

We have a Jackery Explorer 500 Portable Battery Station and 100W SolarSaga panel to give away to one lucky MacRumors reader. To enter to win, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older, UK residents who are 18 years or older, and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. All federal, state, provincial, and/or local taxes, fees, and surcharges are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (December 10) at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time on December 17. The winner will be chosen randomly on December 17 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.

Today we're tracking a new Amazon low price on the 2021 32GB Apple TV 4K, available for $149.99, down from $179.00. This $29 discount is now the lowest price we've ever seen on this model of the Apple TV 4K.

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.

The Apple TV 4K is available for the usual free Prime shipping options, and it's in stock and ready to ship today. There are shipping options that will get the device to you by Christmas, but estimates are getting tight as the holiday is now only two weeks away, so order soon if you're interested.

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. Both of these Apple TVs are sold by Amazon, and they're 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 Music is now available to stream on Google Assistant-enabled devices like the Nest Mini and Nest Audio in five more countries, including Australia, Canada, India, Mexico, and South Korea, according to a recently updated Apple support document.

Apple Music first became available on Nest speakers and displays in the United States, UK, France, Germany, and Japan late last year.

Just like with Siri on the HomePod, Apple Music subscribers can ask Google Assistant to play songs, albums, and playlists, and it's also possible to set Apple Music as the default music service to avoid saying "on Apple Music" for each request.

Apple's support document provides instructions for setting up Apple Music on Nest devices:

Set up Apple Music on your Google Nest device

1. On your iPhone, iPad, or Android device, open the Google Home app.
2. Tap Settings.
3. Tap Music.
4. Under "More music services," tap the Link icon next to Apple Music.
5. Tap Link Account.
6. Sign in with the Apple ID that you use with Apple Music and follow the onscreen steps to complete setup.

Set Apple Music as your default music service

1. On your iPhone, iPad, or Android device, open the Google Home app.
2. Tap Settings.
3. Tap Music.
4. Under "Your music services," select Apple Music.

Google shared more details about this rollout in a blog post first spotted by iPhone in Canada.

Amazon today is beating the Black Friday price we tracked on Apple's AirPods 3 last month, now available for just $139.99, down from $179.00. On Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we tracked the AirPods 3 at $149.99.

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 sale is now an all-time low price on the AirPods 3, and Costco is matching this deal. In regards to Amazon, the AirPods 3 are in stock now and will ship in time for Christmas if you order soon.

Shoppers should note that this is another Amazon deal that will be seen on the checkout screen, where you'll get an automatic coupon worth $29.01 applied to your order. This is a new pair of AirPods 3, and they're shipped and sold directly from Amazon.

We track sales for every model of the AirPods in our Best AirPods Deals guide, so be sure to bookmark that page while you shop around for the wireless headphones.

British vehicle leasing company Vanarama has taken a stab at imagining what the first Apple Car could look like, taking inspiration from iPhones, MacBooks, and other Apple products, and combining them with real Apple patents to come up with a 3D concept render that can be explored inside and out.

Given that Apple remains tight-lipped about its electric self-driving car plans, the concept is of course entirely speculative, but Vanarama says it has based the coupe SUV model on "genuine patents filed by Apple."

Vanarama's renders have several features based on Apple patents, such as the way the seats fully rotate to transform the interior into a living room setup, and the pillar-less design providing ease of access.

Other areas inspired by Apple patents include the coach doors, which "offer greater flexibility for passenger movement and loading, with scooped windows that increase headroom when boarding."

Interior touches also based on Apple patents include Siri built into the steering column (based on a patent for an intelligent automated assistant), and a seamless, fully customizable dashboard and navigation screen.

The stylistic flourishes meanwhile are inspired by Apple products, such as the retractable door handles that resemble iPhone buttons, and the mesh-like grille inspired by the Mac Pro's circular vents, complete with glowing logo from previous generations of MacBook. The frosted white finish is "a popular color scheme since the ‌iPhone‌ 4 launched in 2010."

Patents don't guarantee that Apple will build an Apple Car, but they do provide evidence that the company is researching vehicle development, and plenty of reports suggest Apple is going down the car track wholesale.

Last month, Bloomberg reported that Apple is picking up its work on an Apple-designed car and is aiming to create a fully autonomous vehicle. Apple is said to want to design a car that lacks a steering wheel or pedals, and with an interior that's aimed at hands-off driving. That said, Apple is still discussing the inclusion of a steering wheel, which may be required so people can take over in an emergency situation.

Bloomberg also reported that Apple has considered a design similar to the Lifestyle Vehicle from Canoo, in which passengers sit along the sides of the vehicle, facing one another.

Apple is said to be aiming to launch its self-driving car in four years, which would put a debut right around 2025. Whether Apple will be able to hit that goal will depend on whether Apple can develop a full self-driving system. For more details, check out our dedicated Apple Car roundup.

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.