MacRumors

Apple in the iOS 15.2 beta introduced a new Messages Communication Safety option that's designed to keep children safer online by protecting them from potentially harmful images. We've seen a lot of confusion over the feature, and thought it might be helpful to provide an outline of how Communication Safety works and clear up misconceptions.

Communication Safety Overview

Communication Safety is meant to prevent minors from being exposed to unsolicited photos that contain inappropriate content.

As explained by Apple, Communication Safety is designed to detect nudity in photos sent or received by children. The iPhone or iPad does on-device scanning of images in the Messages app, and if nudity is detected, the photo is blurred.

If a child taps on the blurred image, the child is told that the image is sensitive, showing "body parts that are usually covered by underwear or bathing suits." The feature explains that photos with nudity can be "used to hurt you" and that the person in the photo might not want it seen if it's been shared without permission.

Apple also presents children with ways to get help by messaging a trusted grown-up in their life. There are two tap-through screens that explain why a child might not want to view a nude photo, but a child can opt to view the photo anyway, so Apple is not restricting access to content, but providing guidance.

Communication Safety is Entirely Opt-In

When iOS 15.2 is released, Communication Safety will be an opt-in feature. It will not be enabled by default, and those who use it will need to expressly turn it on.

Communication Safety is for Children

Communication Safety is a parental control feature enabled through the Family Sharing feature. With Family Sharing, adults in the family are able to manage the devices of children who are under 18.

Parents can opt in to Communication Safety using Family Sharing after updating to iOS 15.2. Communication Safety is only available on devices set up for children who are under 18 and who are part of a Family Sharing group.

Children under 13 are not able to create an Apple ID, so account creation for younger children must be done by a parent using Family Sharing. Children over 13 can create their own ‌Apple ID‌, but can still be invited to a Family Sharing group with parental oversight available.

Apple determines the age of the person who owns the ‌Apple ID‌ by the birthday used at the account creation process.

Communication Safety Can't Be Enabled on Adult Devices

As a Family Sharing feature designed exclusively for ‌Apple ID‌ accounts owned by a person under the age of 18, there is no option to activate Communication Safety on a device owned by an adult.

Adults do not need to be concerned about Messages Communication Safety unless they are parents managing it for their children. In a Family Sharing group consisting of adults, there will be no Communication Safety option, and no scanning of the photos in Messages is being done on an adult's device.

Messages Remain Encrypted

Communication Safety does not compromise the end-to-end encryption available in the Messages app on an iOS device. Messages remain encrypted in full, and no Messages content is sent to another person or to Apple.

Apple has no access to the Messages app on children's devices, nor is Apple notified if and when Communication Safety is enabled or used.

Everything is Done On-Device and Nothing Leaves the iPhone

For Communication Safety, images sent and received in the Messages app are scanned for nudity using Apple's machine learning and AI technology. Scanning is done entirely on device, and no content from Messages is sent to Apple's servers or anywhere else.

The technology used here is similar to the technology that the Photos app uses to identify pets, people, food, plants, and other items in images. All of that identification is also done on device in the same way.

When Apple first described Communication Safety in August, there was a feature designed to notify parents if children opted to view a nude photo after being warned against it. This has been removed.

If a child is warned about a nude photo and views it anyway, parents will not be notified, and full autonomy is in the hands of the child. Apple removed the feature after criticism from advocacy groups that worried it could be a problem in situations of parental abuse.

Communication Safety is Not Apple's Anti-CSAM Measure

Apple initially announced Communication Safety in August 2021, and it was introduced as part of a suite of Child Safety features that also included an anti-CSAM initiative.

Apple's anti-CSAM plan, which Apple has described as being able to identify Child Sexual Abuse Material in iCloud, has not been implemented and is entirely separate from Communication Safety. It was a mistake for Apple to introduce these two features together because one has nothing to do with the other except for both being under the Child Safety umbrella.

There has been a lot of blowback over Apple's anti-CSAM measure because it will see photos uploaded to ‌iCloud‌ scanned against a database of known Child Sexual Abuse Material, and Apple users aren't happy with the prospect of photo scanning. There are concerns that the technology that Apple is using to scan photos and match them against known CSAM could be expanded in the future to cover other types of material.

In response to widespread criticism, Apple has delayed its anti-CSAM plans and is making changes to how it will be implemented before releasing it. No anti-CSAM functionality has been added to iOS at this time.

Release Date and Implementation

Communication Safety is included in iOS 15.2 in the United States, and it is also expanding to the UK in the future.

Disney+ now has more than 118 million global paid subscribers, Disney announced today in its earnings report for the fourth quarter of 2021 [PDF]. The streaming service has gained 2.1 million subscribers in the last quarter, and 44.4 million subscribers over the course of the last 12 months.

In November 2020, Disney+ had 73.7 million subscribers, so its growth over the last year has been astronomical. Disney+ has exceeded all expectations since it launched in November 2019. When the service first came out, Disney said that it wanted to reach 60 to 90 million subscribers by 2024, a milestone that it hit before the end of 2020.

Disney now expects to have 230 to 260 million subscribers worldwide by 2024, and if Disney reaches that goal, Disney+ will have more subscribers than Netflix does today. As of October 2021, Netflix has 213.5 million subscribers worldwide.

Netflix and Disney+ are two of the most popular streaming services, with subscriber counts that outpace other services like Hulu and Apple TV+. Hulu has 43.8 million subscribers, but Apple has never shared subscriber numbers for ‌Apple TV‌+.

‌Apple TV‌+ and Disney+ launched at the same time, but Disney+ has seen much more rapid growth because of its back catalog of Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars content, along with popular new shows like "The Mandalorian," "WandaVision," "Loki," and "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier."

Apple is working hard to bolster its selection of original movies and TV shows, but it will take years for ‌Apple TV‌+ to have a catalog that can compete with the offerings of other streaming services.

Back in April, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Apple TV+ is going "very well" and that Apple feels "really good" about where ‌Apple TV‌+ is at.

Black Friday is now just a few weeks away, and some stores have begun revealing the deals that you can expect to shop during the event. Of course, Black Friday is also getting earlier each year, and at Walmart you can start saving today.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Walmart. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

In an effort to prepare our readers for Black Friday, we're highlighting sales store-by-store in the lead up to the shopping holiday. When Walmart finally unveils its official Black Friday ad, we'll be sure to have all the best deals added into our dedicated Black Friday Roundup.

Walmart's Early Black Friday Schedule

Ahead of Black Friday, Walmart is giving its customers a chance to save on select products beginning November 10 at 7 p.m. ET online during its "Deals For Days" sale event. Walmart Plus subscribers will get early access to this sale, starting at 3 p.m. ET, and in-store shopping will begin on November 12 at 5 a.m.

• Wednesday, November 10 - 7 p.m. ET online (3 p.m ET for Walmart+ members)
• Friday, November 12 - 5 a.m. local time in stores

Walmart has yet to reveal specifics about its sales or store hours for the week of Black Friday, but we'll be sure to update this article and our Black Friday Roundup when they do share more details.

Early Black Friday - Deals For Days Event

This event has numerous deals, including savings on TVs, computers, AirPods, Keurig machines, portable storage, smart home products, and more. We've highlighted some of the best upcoming deals below, but be sure to visit Walmart.com to browse the full ad.

AirPods 2

One of the standouts in this sale is a new all-time low price on the AirPods 2 with Charging Case, priced at $89. This model originally cost $159, and in the past the lowest price we've ever tracked was around $99. If you're okay with investing in an older model, this is a great sale price for the AirPods, which always make a solid holiday gift.

Shoppers should remember that the AirPods 2 deal is only available to Walmart+ subscribers this afternoon. The $89 price tag will open up to everyone else later tonight at 7 p.m. ET.

This also beats the current going rate of the AirPods 2 at retailers like Amazon by about $30. AirPods 2 support "Hey Siri" functionality, have more than 24 hours of total listening time thanks to the Charging Case, and in-ear detection. This sale price is being matched at Costco.

Computers and Tablets

• Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 - $139.00 ($80 off)
• HP Intel Core i3 Laptop - $279.00

Smart Home

• LG 420W Soundbar Surround System with Wireless Speakers - $129.00 ($50 off)
• Arlo Camera 3 Pack - $199.00 ($150 off)
• Shark EZ Robot Vacuum - $288.00 ($211 off)
• Netgear Nighthawk Mesh System - $149.00 ($100 off)

TVs

• Samsung 55-Inch 4K LED Smart TV - $478.00 ($20 off)
• Samsung 60-Inch LED Smart TV - $548.00 ($301 off)
• Blu-Rays and DVDs - On sale from $5.96

To keep track of these Black Friday sales and more, head to our full Black Friday Roundup as well as our separate Deals Roundup.

Apple today introduced a major update to iCloud for Windows, bringing the version number for the software to 13. Apple has added support for Apple ProRes videos and Apple ProRAW photos, so files in these formats can now be accessed from Windows PCs via iCloud.

All participants of an iCloud Drive shared file or folder are now also able to add or remove people, and Apple has introduced support for generating strong passwords using the iCloud Passwords app.

Apple debuted the new iCloud Keychain password manager app back in August, allowing Windows users to access their iCloud Keychain passwords for cross-device functionality. With strong password support, Windows users can access the same password generating technology available for Safari on iOS devices and Macs.

According to Apple's support document for the update, iCloud for Windows 13 also addresses several security vulnerabilities.

iCloud for Windows can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store.

Apple today seeded the second public betas of upcoming iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2 updates, two weeks after seeding the first betas and a day after providing the update to developers.

Public beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program can download the iOS and ‌iPadOS 15.1‌ updates over the air after installing the proper certificate from the Public Beta website.

iOS and iPadOS 15.2 introduce App Privacy Report, which is designed to allow users to see how often apps have accessed their sensitive info like location, photos, camera, microphone, and contacts across the last seven days. It's also set up to show which apps have contacted other domains and how recently they've contacted them so you can keep an eye on what apps are doing behind the scenes.

App Privacy Report is available by opening up the Settings app, selecting the Privacy section, and choosing App Privacy Report. From there, you can toggle it on. After you use apps for some time, data will begin showing up in this spot.

The beta adds updates to the Emergency SOS Auto Call feature. You can now press the side button rapidly multiple times to initiate, or hold down the side button and the volume button together. There's a longer eight-second countdown before a call is placed, which is up from the prior three-second countdown.

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

Apple also 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.

For a full list of features that have been added with each beta, we have dedicated guides for the initial beta and the second beta.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming macOS Monterey 12.1 update to public beta testers, two weeks after seeding the first beta and a day after providing the second beta to developers.

Public beta testers can download the macOS 12 Monterey update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after installing the proper profile from Apple's beta software website.

macOS Monterey 12.1 introduces support for SharePlay, the feature that allows FaceTime users to do more with their friends and family members. With SharePlay, ‌‌FaceTime‌‌ users can listen to music, watch TV, watch movies, and even share their screen with the people they're chatting with.

SharePlay is already active in iOS 15.1, iPadOS 15.1, and tvOS 15.1, and the macOS Monterey 12.1 update brings Macs in line with the Apple TV and iOS devices.

Apple today began selling an updated version of the Rotor Riot game controller with newly added "Home" and "Options" buttons. The controller, designed for use with the iPhone and iPad, is priced at $49.99 on Apple's online store and delivers in one to two days.

Rotor Riot is advertised as the only Lightning-connected, full-sized game controller available today. The direct Lightning connection ensures low latency and eliminates the need to wirelessly pair the controller to an iPhone or iPad, and the controller also lacks a battery since it is powered directly by the device it is connected to. The controller's built-in Lightning connector allows for pass-through charging of the iPhone or iPad during usage.

The controller continues to come with an optional "Zero Gravity device holder" in the box for use with the iPhone 6 and newer. A full list of devices compatible with the controller is available on Apple's online store.

The controller otherwise looks similar to the previous version, with analog left and right joysticks, digital A/B/X/Y buttons, digital L1 and R1 bumpers, analog L2 and R2 triggers, digital L3 and R3 clickable thumb-sticks, and a digital d-pad.

Other items added to Apple's online store this week include Mophie's portable MagSafe stand for iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models, new AirTag key rings from OtterBox and Incase, a 128GB flash storage stick from SanDisk with both USB-C and Lightning connectors, an Incase sleeve for the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, and more.

Apple today announced the debut of Apple Business Essentials, a new subscription-based service that will offer device management like setup and onboarding, iCloud storage, and optional 24/7 access to Apple Support for small businesses with up to 500 employees.

Apple Business Essentials will enable small businesses to easily configure, deploy, and manage Apple products from anywhere, and there will be an Apple Business Essentials app that employees can access to download corporate apps like Webex or Microsoft Word.

Within Apple Business Essentials, Collections enable IT personnel to configure settings and apps for individual users, groups, or devices. When employees sign in to their corporate or personally owned device with their work credentials, Collections automatically push settings such as VPN configurations and Wi-Fi passwords. In addition, Collections will install the new Apple Business Essentials app on each employee’s home screen, where they can download corporate apps assigned to them, such as Cisco Webex or Microsoft Word.

Apple Business Essentials is available today as a free beta for small businesses in the U.S. with up to 500 employees, and the service will be fully available in spring 2022. Pricing will range from $2.99 per user per month to $12.99 per user per month depending on the number of devices and the amount of iCloud storage each user needs.

There will be an option to add AppleCare+ to an Apple Business Essentials plan starting in spring 2022, and this will provide 24/7 access to Apple Support by phone, training for both IT administrators and employees, and up to two device repairs per plan each year. Employees will be able to initiate repairs directly from the Apple Business Essentials app, and an Apple-trained technician can arrive on site in as little as four hours.

Small businesses can sign up for Apple Business Essentials on Apple's website.

Apple is today celebrating 40 years in France and announced the launch of a new Apple Music studio in Paris.

In a post on its French newsroom site, Apple highlighted its achievements in France over the past 40 years, aiding artists, designers, and developers in particular. Apple CEO Tim Cook said:

France occupies a special place in my heart. Every time I go there, I am inspired by this welcoming, dynamic and deeply creative community of artists and developers. I am delighted to celebrate Apple's 40th anniversary in France with our local teams and the customers and communities they serve.

Apple began its business in France with a small sales team in 1981, and now has 2,700 employees, 20 Apple Stores, and almost 500 suppliers in the country. The company added that iOS now supports almost 250,000 jobs across France.

Starting from 2019, Apple has partnered with Simplon to offer the Apple Foundation Program in France. The program is designed to help job seekers learn technology skills and app development to boost their employability. Initially launched in Montreuil, the Apple Foundation Program has since expanded to Lille, Lyon, and Marseille. Earlier this year, Apple announced that the program will be extended until 2023 and the launch of a new site in Toulouse.

The new ‌Apple Music‌ studio in Paris is the first of its kind in continental Europe and located on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, and will create original local content like ‌Apple Music‌'s other studios in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, and London. The ‌Apple Music‌ studio in Paris will be overseen by Mehdi Maïzi and T-Miss, and is set to host French artists and champion French-language music with new long-format shows and interviews.

Apple is also currently producing French original content for Apple TV+, starting with "Liaison," a six-episode thriller.

Verizon today has brought back its "Buy more, save more" sale, which offers up to 40 percent off five or more regularly priced accessories. This includes iPhone cases, Qi wireless chargers, screen protectors, AirPods cases, Apple Watch bands, and more.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Verizon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

To see the savings, you'll need to add accessories to your bundle on this page worth $19.99 or more. Three or more eligible items will get you 30 percent off the order; four or more will get you 35 percent off; and five or more will get you 40 percent off. There's a max of ten items per customer in a single transaction.

For iPhone cases, you'll find accessories from Incipio, Nomad, Speck, Kate Spade, OtterBox, and Case-Mate. Charging products include wireless mats from Belkin, Samsung, Mophie, and Nimble. There are also portable batteries, Lightning cables, Apple Watch chargers, and more.

All of the eligible items in this sale can be found on this landing page on Verizon, so anything not seen there will count as exclusions. This includes Apple AirPods and AirPods Pro, HomePod mini, fitness trackers, drones, gaming controllers, and a few other items.

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

While it may feel rather hard to believe, today marks one year since the first Macs with Apple silicon were unveiled to the world.

At a virtual event on November 10, 2020, Apple introduced its custom-designed M1 chip, followed by three new Macs powered by the chip, including the MacBook Air, the lower-end 13-inch MacBook Pro, and the lower-end Mac mini.

With the M1 chip, Apple delivered on its promise of industry-leading performance per watt and faster integrated graphics than Intel processors.

"When it comes to low-power silicon, M1 has the world's fastest CPU core, the world's fastest integrated graphics in a personal computer, and the amazing machine learning performance of the Apple Neural Engine," said Johny Srouji, head of Apple's chip design team, in a press release. "With its unique combination of remarkable performance, powerful features, and incredible efficiency, M1 is by far the best chip we've ever created."

Benchmark results quickly revealed that even the MacBook Air with the M1 chip outperformed a maxed-out Intel-based 16-inch MacBook Pro, and the first Apple silicon Macs received overwhelmingly positive reviews for their performance.

Apple expanded the M1 chip to a new 24-inch iMac in April, and last month it unveiled even faster M1 Pro and M1 Max chips for the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro.

"No one has ever applied a system-on-a-chip design to a pro system until today with M1 Pro and M1 Max," said Srouji. "With massive gains in CPU and GPU performance, up to six times the memory bandwidth [compared to the M1 chip], a new media engine with ProRes accelerators, and other advanced technologies, M1 Pro and M1 Max take Apple silicon even further, and are unlike anything else in a pro notebook."

At this moment, the 27-inch iMac, the high-end Mac mini, and the Mac Pro tower are the only remaining Intel-based Macs that Apple still sells, but even those models are expected to transition to Apple silicon within the next year or so.

The Information's Wayne Ma recently claimed that the next Mac Pro will use a variant of the M1 Max chip with at least two dies for even faster performance, adding that a future high-end Apple silicon chip could offer up to a 40-core CPU.

Last month, when asked if Intel has given up on the idea of the Mac running on Intel processors in the future, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said that he hopes to win back this segment of Apple's business over time by making better chips than Apple. In the meantime, Intel has run ads promoting Intel-based PCs over Macs, and it even recruited actor Justin Long from Apple's iconic "I'm a Mac" ads for the campaign.

A replay of Apple's November 2020 event is available on Apple's website and on YouTube.

Satechi today announced the launch of the Pro Hub Mini, a new USB-C hub that's designed for Apple's 2021 MacBook Pro models. The hub is meant to add ports that are unavailable on the new ‌MacBook Pro‌ models, including USB-A ports and an Ethernet port.

Available in either silver or space gray to match the finish of the MacBook Pros, the Pro Hub Mini has one USB-4 port that supports up to 96W charging, data transfer speeds up to 40Gb/s, or a 6K 60Hz display, one USB-C data port that supports transfer speeds up to 5Gb/s, two USB-A 3.0 data ports that support transfer speeds up to 5Gb/s, one Gigabit Ethernet port, and one audio jack port.

The hub is designed to attach to the left side of a 14 or 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ model, and it takes up two USB-C ports and covers the headphone jack, hence the addition of a secondary headphone jack.

Pre-orders for the Pro Hub Mini are available from the Satechi website starting today, and it is set to ship in January. The Pro Hub Mini is priced at $70, but customers who use the promo code PROHUB to pre-order can get a 25 percent discount.

The United Kingdom's Supreme Court today sided with Google in restoring its appeal against a lawsuit that accused it of wrongly tracking users within the iPhone's Safari browser without their consent.

According to the ruling, the judge believed that the lawsuit, which sought to ask for compensation from Google for millions of users allegedly affected by its tracking practices, is "officious" and is acting on behalf of individuals who have not authorized such legal action.

The judge took the view that, even if the legal foundation for the claim made in this action were sound, he should exercise the discretion conferred by CPR rule 19.6(2) by refusing to allow the claim to be continued as a representative action. He characterised the claim as "officious litigation, embarked upon on behalf of individuals who have not authorised it" and in which the main beneficiaries of any award of damages would be the funders and the lawyers.

The case, Lloyd vs. Google, has been a landmark case in the world of privacy cases against larger tech companies. Richard Lloyd claims that between 2011 and 2012, Google tracked users using embedded cookies within its ads network on the iOS Safari browser, despite telling users that no such tracking was taking place.

Lloyd's case against Google was settled in the United States in August 2012, where Google was ruled to pay a $22.5 million penalty. As the FTC wrote at the time, explaining Google's wrongdoing:

In its complaint, the FTC charged that for several months in 2011 and 2012, Google placed a certain advertising tracking cookie on the computers of Safari users who visited sites within Google's DoubleClick advertising network, although Google had previously told these users they would automatically be opted out of such tracking, as a result of the default settings of the Safari browser used in Macs, iPhones and iPads.

According to the FTC's complaint, Google specifically told Safari users that because the Safari browser is set by default to block third-party cookies, as long as users do not change their browser settings, this setting "effectively accomplishes the same thing as [opting out of this particular Google advertising tracking cookie]."

London's High Court initially blocked attempts to bring the case against Google, but the Court of Appeal upheld it. Google subsequently appealed that decision, escalating the case to the UK's Supreme Court. The high court today has decided to keep in place the appeal.

A rare fully functional Apple-1 computer has sold for $500,000 at auction this week, according to John Moran Auctioneers in California (via BBC News).

The rare Hawaiian koa wood-cased Apple-1 has had only two owners, a college professor and his student to whom he sold the machine for $650. The sale included user manuals and Apple software on two cassette tapes.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is believed to have built 200 of the Apple-1 computers and sold 175 of them, making it a rare collector's item.

The computer was originally offered as a bare circuit board to be sold as a kit and completed by electronics hobbyists. However, Steve Jobs later sold 50 fully assembled units of the computer to California-based The Byte Shop, and the koa wood case was added by the pioneering early computer retailer, but only six cases were finished.

"This is kind of the holy grail for vintage electronics and computer tech collectors," Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen told the Los Angeles Times ahead of Tuesday's auction. "That really makes it exciting for a lot of people."

Another fully functional Apple-1 computer sold for $458,711 last year.

Update: The article was updated to reflect the auctioneers' official recorded auction price of $500,000, rather than the earlier reported price of $400,000. The $500,000 total price includes the buyer's premium.

Following a virtual hearing earlier today, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has denied Apple's request to delay the implementation of a permanent injunction that will require Apple to make significant App Store changes.

As part of the judgement in the Apple v. Epic lawsuit, Judge Gonzalez Rogers is requiring Apple to allow developers to add in-app links to outside websites, paving the way for alternate payment options that do not require developers to use the in-app purchase system.

In the original ruling, Apple was given 90 days to implement the changes. Apple in October filed a request asking for more time, and the Cupertino company ultimately wanted to wait to implement any new ‌App Store‌ features until all appeals in the Epic v. Apple lawsuit have concluded.

Apple's request was denied and judge is not providing Apple with any additional time to add the requested ‌App Store‌ functionality, so the changes will need to be made by December 9. Based on the wording of the initial ruling, Apple will 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."

Judge Gonzalez Rogers' said that Apple wanted "an open-ended stay with no requirement that it make an effort to comply," and that there are "multiple avenues" for Apple to comply with the injunction while protecting users.

The Court can envision numerous avenues for Apple to comply with the injunction and yet take steps to protect users, to the extent that Apple genuinely believes that external links would create issues. The Court is not convinced, but nor is it here to micromanage. Consumers are quite used to linking from an app to a web browser. Other than, perhaps, needing time to establish Guidelines, Apple has provided no credible reason for the Court to believe that the injunction would cause the professed devastation. Links can be tested by App Review. Users can open browsers and retype links to the same effect; it is merely inconvenient, which then, only works to the advantage of Apple.

Gonzalez Rogers also said that app developers should be able to choose to use the in-app purchase system or another system. "Consumer information, transparency, and consumer choice is in the interest of the public," she wrote.

Apple attempted to argue that making changes to the ‌App Store‌ rules could "upset the careful balance between developers and customers provided by the ‌‌App Store‌‌," resulting in irreparable harm to Apple and consumers, but that argument was not successful. Apple was also not successful in its argument that it needed more time to work through "the complex and rapidly evolving legal, technological, and economic issues" that the required change would cause.

Apple told The Verge that it will appeal to the Ninth Circuit for a stay after being denied by Judge Gonzalez Rogers. "Apple believes no additional business changes should be required to take effect until all appeals in this case are resolved. We intend to ask the Ninth Circuit for a stay based on these circumstances," the spokesperson said.

Along with the request to stay the injunction, Apple in October filed an appeal against the ruling that is requiring it to change the ‌App Store‌ rules, but that appeal may not be able to play out before the December 9 deadline.

Apple today released the second beta of an upcoming iOS 15.2 update to developers for testing purposes, and the software update adds quite a few new features. This guide highlights everything new that we've found in the second iOS 15.2 beta.

Legacy Contacts

With Legacy Contacts, you can set a trusted person to be able to access your Apple ID and your data (or "Digital Legacy") after you die. The person that you designate as your contact can access your photos, messages, notes, files, contacts, calendar events, apps, device backups, and more. iCloud Keychain passwords remain inaccessible, as does licensed media.

The Legacy Contact option can be accessed by opening up the Settings app, selecting "Password & Security," and choosing "‌Legacy Contact‌" from the list. From there, you can select a trusted person to access your account after you pass away.

Find My Lost Item Scanning

In the Find My app, Apple has added a new option for "Items That Can Track Me." Tapping on this allows users to search for nearby items that might be used to track their location.

When activated, the Unknown Items feature scans for anything that's nearby, and will let users know either way if there's a device that belongs to someone else nearby. If an item is detected, Apple offers instructions on how to disable the device so that it can no longer be used for tracking purposes.

There's also a "Help Return Lost Items" option that also scans for nearby devices that might be lost, and it works similarly to the tracking scan. If a lost device is found, Apple provides instructions on how to find who it belongs to.

iPadOS TV app

In iPadOS 15, Apple has introduced a new design for the TV app. The TV app features a sidebar, which makes navigation between the various sections of the TV app simpler.

In iOS 15.2, there's a dedicated "Store" tab in the TV app for accessing movies and TV shows that can be purchased. The new design and the addition of a Store tab may help separate Apple TV+ content from paid content, as the existing design has been confusing for some users.

Always-On Dark Mode for CarPlay Maps App

Code in iOS 15.2 suggests that there's a new option to turn Dark Mode on permanently for the CarPlay Maps app.

Hide My Email in the Mail App

You can use Hide My Email directly from the Mail app after installing the iOS 15.2 beta. When composing an email, just tap on the "From" field and select the "Hide My Email" option to generate a random email address.

Hide My Email is available to everyone who has an ‌iCloud‌+ plan, and it's a useful feature for protecting your email address.

All the emails sent to the random Apple-created email address are forwarded to you so you can respond if needed, but the person on the receiving end does not see your real email address. And if you start getting spam emails from someone, you can just delete the email address and put a stop to it.

Display Repair Restriction Changes

Apple today told The Verge that it is introducing a software update that will change an iPhone 13 policy that caused Face ID to be non-functional when repairs were made to a broken display. Apple has a microcontroller that pairs the ‌iPhone‌ 13 to its display, and when performing a display repair, the microcontroller must be paired to the display using Apple's tools.

Independent repair shops do not have access to those tools, and they were upset about being unable to easily perform display repairs. Apple is removing the microcontroller pairing requirement that disabled ‌Face ID‌ for ‌iPhone‌ 13 models with swapped displays, and code suggests that the change is in the iOS 15.2 beta.

Communication Safety

With the second beta of iOS 15.2, Apple is enabling Communication Safety in Messages for children. The feature is designed to scan incoming messages on children's devices for nudity, and it is opt-in and must be enabled by parents. It is limited to the accounts of children and is not the same as the CSAM functionality that Apple still has in development.

Bugs

Apple says there are a few remaining bugs in the beta. Streaming in the Music app can cause higher CPU usage and faster battery drain, and users who import a verifiable vaccination record are not able to add it to the Wallet app at this time.

Macro Mode Toggle

iOS 15.2 adds a manual toggle for Macro mode, in the form of a flower icon that can be tapped to toggle Macro mode off when the camera is close to an object.

To get the option of the new toggle, users need to go to Settings, navigate to Camera, and turn off Auto Macro. Then, when close enough to an object, the toggle will appear automatically. Apple has also added new Preserve Settings for Auto Macro.

Guide Feedback

See a new feature in iOS 15.2 that's not listed here? Let us know in the comments.

Apple today announced that Alex Gorsky, the chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson, has joined its board of directors.

In a statement, Apple CEO Tim Cook called Gorsky a "visionary in healthcare," and said that Apple will benefit from his expertise.

"Alex has long been a visionary in healthcare, applying his tremendous insight, experience, and passion for technology to the cause of improving lives and building healthier communities," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "We're excited to welcome him to Apple's board of directors, and I know that all of us will benefit from his leadership and expertise."

Gorksy said that it is an honor to join the board of directors and that he believes in technology's potential to improve lives.

"I've long shared Apple's belief that technology has the potential to improve lives and create healthier communities," said Alex Gorsky. "It's an honor to join Apple's board of directors, and to be part of a values-led company that's constantly innovating to both enable and enhance the way we live."

Gorsky has been at Johnson & Johnson since 1988, working in sales, management, and marketing before he was named CEO in 2012. He is set to step down as CEO of the company on January 3, 2022, but will continue to serve as executive chairman.

Gorsky joins other Apple board members that include Arthur D. Levinson, James A. Bell, Albert Gore, Andrea Jung, Monica Lozano, Ronald D. Sugar, and Susan L. Wagner.