MacRumors

Pre-orders for the Apple Watch Series 7 will kick off on Friday, October 8 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time, allowing customers to purchase any model in Apple's new 2021 Apple Watch lineup.

apple watch 7 preorder time
Apple is planning to make the new devices available in more than 60 countries around the world simultaneously, so we've created a list of when pre-orders will kick off all around the world.

  • Australia West - 8:00 p.m. AWST
  • Australia East - 11:00 p.m. AEDT
  • Austria - 2:00 p.m. CEST
  • Belgium - 2:00 p.m. CEST
  • Canada West - 5:00 a.m. PDT
  • Canada East - 8:00 a.m. EDT
  • China - 8:00 p.m. CST
  • Denmark - 2:00 p.m. CEST
  • Finland - 3:00 p.m. EEST
  • France - 2:00 p.m. CEST
  • Germany - 2:00 p.m. CES
  • Guernsey - 1:00 p.m. BST
  • Hong Kong - 8:00 p.m. HKT
  • Ireland - 1:00 p.m. IST
  • Isle of Man - 1:00 p.m. BST
  • Italy - 2:00 p.m. CEST
  • Japan - 9:00 p.m. JST
  • Jersey - 1:00 p.m. BST
  • Luxembourg - 2:00 p.m. CEST
  • Netherlands - 2:00 p.m. CEST
  • New Zealand - 1:00 a.m. NZDT next day
  • Norway - 2:00 p.m. CEST
  • Portugal - 1:00 p.m. WEST
  • Puerto Rico - 8:00 a.m. AST
  • Saudi Arabia - 3:00 p.m. AST
  • Singapore - 8:00 p.m. SGT
  • Spain - 2:00 p.m. CEST
  • Sweden - 2:00 p.m. CEST
  • Switzerland - 2:00 p.m. CEST
  • Taiwan - 8:00 p.m. CST
  • UAE - 4:00 p.m GST
  • United Kingdom - 1:00 p.m. BST
  • United States West - 5:00 a.m. PDT
  • United States Mountain - 6:00 a.m. MDT
  • United States Central - 7:00 a.m. CDT
  • United States East - 8:00 a.m. EDT
  • US Virgin Islands - 8:00 a.m. AST

We haven't listed every time zone for every country, such as in Canada, Russia, and the United States, nor have we listed every available pre-order country, so make sure to double check your specific time zone so you're certain you know the exact time that pre-orders will kick off. A time zone converting website is a useful tool for confirming accurate pre-order times.

Reports detailing Apple Watch Series 7 manufacturing preparations suggest that supplies are likely to be tight at launch. Apple reportedly experienced manufacturing issues as it began ramping up production, and the company opted not to announce a specific launch date during the watch's introduction last month. As a result, it's best to pre-order the Apple Watch Series 7 model you want as soon as possible if you're aiming to get a new device on release day.

Apple Watch Series 7 pre-orders will be available on Friday, October 8 in all variants, and they will launch one week later on Friday, October 15. These dates apply to customers in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, the UK, and more than 50 other countries and regions.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Amazon and B&H Photo today are offering a trio of deals on Apple products and accessories, including the Apple Pencil 2, MagSafe Charger and other charging accessories, and the M1 MacBook Air.

october 7 dealsNote: 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.

Apple Pencil 2

Firstly, Amazon has the Apple Pencil 2 for $109.99, down from $129.00. This is a match of last month's best price on the Apple Pencil 2, and overall it's the second-best deal we've ever tracked on the accessory.

ipad mini apple pencil green

The Apple Pencil 2 is compatible with the following iPads: iPad mini (6th generation), iPad Air (4th generation), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd, 4th, and 5th generations), and 11-inch iPad Pro (1st, 2nd, and 3rd generations). The accessory is in stock and ready to ship today, with the usual free two-day shipping for all Prime members.

MagSafe Charger

Amazon has Apple's MagSafe Charger for $34.00, down from $39.00. This is another second-best price, and you can also find the same price on B&H Photo.

iphone 13 magsafe

The MagSafe Charger supports Qi charging, so it is technically compatible with all iPhone models since the iPhone 8. However, only the recent iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 13, and iPhone 13 Pro devices will support the magnetic features of the MagSafe Charger.

For optimal charging, the MagSafe Charger will need to be paired with Apple's 20W USB-C Power Adapter, which is available for $19.00. Anker also sells its own 20W USB-C Power Adapter, the PowerPort III Charger, for $15.99.

MacBook Air

Lastly, B&H Photo has an all-time low price on the 512GB M1 MacBook Air, priced at $1,099.00, down from $1,249.00. This price is only available in the Gold color option, and it's also matched at Amazon, although low stock is delaying shipment by up to three weeks.

macbook air m1 unboxing feature

You can find the best monthly deals on all new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air notebooks in our Best Deals guide. Be sure to visit the guide and bookmark it if you're on the hunt for a new Apple notebook; we'll be updating it weekly as we discover new MacBook offers across the web.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

Adobe today released new versions of Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements, which is the company's affordable photo and video editing software aimed at more casual users who want to improve their photos and videos with simple editing tools.

adobe elements artistic effects
For Photoshop Elements 2022, Adobe is introducing an Adobe Sensei-powered feature that transforms a photo into a work of art. With a one-click filter, users can apply effects inspired by afamous works of art or popular art styles to their photos, and then adjust the result.

Adobe is adding moving overlays like snowflakes or sparkles that can be added to photos, along with animated frames. These can be saved as MP4s and shared as videos on social media networks.

adobe elements overlays
With a warp tool, photos can be automatically warped to fit inside or around an object. A photo could, for example, be wrapped around a coffee cup in an image or placed in the frames of sunglasses for fun dual-photo opportunities.

adobe elements warp
Guided Edits, a feature that walks users through different edits that can be made to their photos, gets updates on a yearly basis. For the 2022 update, Adobe is adding Guided Edits for improving pet photos and extending photo backgrounds.

adobe elements pet portraits
Other features in Photoshop Elements 2022 include animated slideshow templates, automatic software updates, a refreshed design that makes navigation easier, and support for GIF playback in the organizer.

adobe slideshow templates
For Premiere Elements 2022, Adobe added a new feature that resizes videos for social media while keeping the most important elements of the video front and center. Adobe says that it's ideal for clips with movement, such as a child's birthday party or a sporting event. There are also motion titles, mattes, and backgrounds available for non-horizontal videos.

adobe premiere elements aspect ratio
Premiere Elements 2022 includes new Guided Edits for adding animated overlays like fluttering butterflies and adjusting shadows and highlights in videos.

adobe elements premiere shadows
Like Photoshop Elements 2022, Premiere Elements 2022 has gained a refreshed look, automatic software updates, new animated slideshow templates and GIF playback in the Organizer, plus it's easier to reduce file size with a slider that adds compression.

For more on what's new in Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements, make sure to check out Adobe's website. The updates are available for purchase from Adobe for $99 each starting today, with bundle and upgrade pricing available.

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

Tag: Adobe

Apple is looking to expand CarPlay's functionality to include controls for core car functions such as the air conditioning system, radio, speedometer, seats, and more, according to a new report from Bloomberg.

carplay dashboard ios 14
The project, internally codenamed "IronHeart," is still in its early stages but would include Apple working with carmakers to expand ‌CarPlay‌'s functionality to control core car functions. Beyond apps for music and navigation, ‌CarPlay‌ doesn't let users control any aspect of the car itself. This new iPhone-based project would be looking to change that.

The company is working on technology that would access functions like the climate-control system, speedometer, radio and seats, according to people with knowledge of the effort. The initiative, known as "IronHeart" internally, is still in its early stages and would require the cooperation of automakers.

IronHeart would take CarPlay a step further. The iPhone-based system could access a range of controls, sensors and settings, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the project is secret.

The report lists several different car functions that ‌CarPlay‌ could display in the future, including inside and outside temperature and humidity readings, seats and armrests, instrument cluster, and controls for the cars built-in speakers.

Bloomberg says Apple's ‌CarPlay‌ strategy is similar to that of its Home and Health offerings, where the company has consolidated users' information into single apps on their iPhone. With "IronHeart," ‌CarPlay‌ would be a more comprehensive system for users to control their vehicle without having to switch between ‌CarPlay‌ and the car's control system.

Ultimately, while Apple is rumored to be building its own car, ‌CarPlay‌ and any of its plans would require the cooperation of carmakers. As today's report notes, Apple has struggled to convince some carmakers to adopt certain features of ‌CarPlay‌ into their vehicles.

IronHeart would represent Apple's strongest push into cars since CarPlay was released in 2014, but it may not be a hit with automakers. They could be reluctant to hand over control of key features to Apple. While CarPlay is now in more than 600 car models, other Apple initiatives launched in recent years have been slower to catch on with automakers.

But automakers have mostly balked at adding these enhancements. The climate control and radio apps are only supported by a few cars. And the EV routing feature isn't available on any vehicles that are currently shipping. The CarPlay display expansion is only supported by a few brands, such as BMW and Volkswagen, and CarKey is just on some BMWs.

Apple recently tapped Kevin Lynch, who was previously an important part of developing watchOS, to lead the Apple Car team, but following several departures, doubts are starting to arise about whether Apple will ever release its own vehicle.

Related Roundup: CarPlay

The iPhone 14 won't rely entirely on a hole-punch cutout to house the TrueDepth camera system, possibly meaning Apple may retain the notch alongside a hole-punch design, according to a new rumor from Weibo.

iPhone 14 Mock Roundup 2
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has reported that for at least the high-end 2022 ‌iPhone‌ models, Apple will use a hole-punch design, similar to those of some flagship Android smartphones. Following Kuo's report, Apple leaker Jon Prosser shared renders of what he claims to be the design of the ‌iPhone‌ 14.

Even if the ‌iPhone‌ 14 introduces a hole-punch design, it will be hard for Apple to abandon the notch altogether, according to a now-deleted post on Weibo from @PandaIsBald. The account, which accurately predicted that the ninth-generation iPad would be announced at the September Apple event, claimed that it is "unlikely" that Apple will replace the notch entirely with a hole-punch cutout, and instead, the ‌iPhone‌ 14 may continue to feature a notch but with a smaller footprint.

With the ‌iPhone‌ 13 and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro, Apple did make the notch smaller in width but slightly taller. Apple did this by shrinking the component sizes of the TrueDepth camera system and reengineering the internals. Apple this year also moved the earpiece to the top of the bezel, freeing up space in the notch.

Reporting on a hole-punch design for next year, Apple analyst ‌Ming-Chi Kuo‌ did not provide details on how Apple will house Face ID on the high-end ‌iPhone‌ 14 models if it uses a hole-punch design.

Today's rumor from Weibo claims that Touch ID will not be making an appearance under the display next year, meaning ‌Face ID‌ may continue to be the only biometric authentication option available to ‌iPhone‌ 14 users.

Related Forum: iPhone

Apple has started making a scaled down "Apple TV+" app available on select 2016 and 2017 LG smart TVs. The app is appearing on LG's content store in several regions including Germany, Poland, and the Nordic countries, and its existence is confirmed in an LG support document.

apple tv plus app lg tvs 2016 2017


First spotted by FlatpanelsHD, the app interface looks very similar to the standard ‌Apple TV‌ app, but it only allows owners of the older webOS-based TVs to watch TV+ content. The iTunes Store and Watch Now tabs have been removed from the top navigation menu, leaving just three options there: ‌Apple TV‌+, Search, and Settings.

The fully fledged ‌Apple TV‌ app, which is available on select Samsung, LG, and Vizio TVs, allows users to stream TV shows and movies from ‌Apple TV‌+, access à-la-carte ‌Apple TV‌ Channels and their iTunes libraries, as well as buy or rent more than 100,000 shows and movies from the iTunes Store. The same services can also be accessed on select Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices.

Anker's earphone brand Soundcore today is introducing its latest high-end wireless earbuds, the Liberty 3 Pro. Priced at $169.99, the Liberty 3 Pro offer a stemless design, personalized active noise cancellation (ANC), and a smaller, ergonomic design with silicone ear wings that incorporate pressure relief structures for a comfortable fit.

soundcore liberty 3 pro 1
Soundcore's Liberty 3 Pro earbuds are 30% smaller than the previous generation and feature IPX4 water resistance, six microphones for noise reduction while on calls, and three transparency modes for letting outside sound through.

The HearID ANC automatically assesses outside conditions and in-ear pressure for a personalized ANC experience, while the second-generation Astria Coaxial Acoustic Architecture (ACAA) with dual drivers offers improved sound over the previous Liberty 2 Pro model.

soundcore liberty 3 pro 2
The earbuds offer up to eight hours of battery life with ANC off or up to six hours with it on, and the charging case provides approximately four additional charges. Anker's fast-charging technology delivers up to three hours of battery life to the earbuds in just 15 minutes, and the case supports both USB-C and wireless charging.

soundcore liberty 3 pro colors
Touch controls on the exterior of the earbuds can be user-configured for functions like play/pause, volume, and track control.

While you won't get some of the Apple-specific features you get with AirPods Pro like automatic pairing and switching, the Liberty 3 Pro buds offer a broad array of features at a solid price and should deliver strong audio quality that can be further optimized using the Soundcore app to match your hearing response.

soundcore liberty 3 pro 3
The Liberty 3 Pro are launching today at Soundcore and Amazon priced a $169.99, and they're available in four colors: Midnight Black, Frost White, Fog Gray, and Dusk Purple.

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

Apple's newsroom and leadership pages are both currently experiencing some errors, leading to the appearance of some changes to Apple's leadership.

Phil Schiller
From our knowledge, Apple's leadership and newsroom pages have been throwing up errors for the past two hours or so, and it seems to be that Apple is making server-side changes. In an oddity of those changes, Apple mistakenly listed Phil Schiller as Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, a role he stepped down from in August of last year to become an Apple Fellow. Apple moments later took down Schiller's biography and the entirety of the leadership page.

phill schiller error

Apple's website accidentally reinstated Phil Schiler as SVP of marketing

Apple's newsroom is where the company issues press releases, updates, and more, while the leadership page lists all of Apple's executives. No other pages on Apple's website currently seem to be impacted, and it remains unclear whether this is simply an error or telling of something more coming soon. We'll update this post when there are any changes.

Update: Moments after we published this article, Apple's newsroom and leadership pages were reverted back to their normal states, correctly listing Greg Joswiak as the SVP of marketing and ‌Phil Schiller‌ as an Apple Fellow.

In response to the Epic Games vs. Apple ruling last month, payments platform Paddle today announced that it plans to launch an alternative in-app payment system for iOS that replaces Apple's in-app purchase mechanism.

paddle in app purchase
In an emailed press release, Paddle described its payment system as a "true like-for-like, drop-in replacement" for Apple's in-app purchase mechanism, allowing developers to collect payments from customers without having to pay Apple a 15-30% commission on sales. Paddle said it will have a "highly competitive fee structure" with a 10% fee for transactions under $10 and a 5% plus $0.50 fee on transactions over $10.

In addition to lower fees, Paddle said benefits of its payment system will include access to customer data such as email addresses for communicating product news and offers, flexible pricing and subscription options, direct customer service, and more.

On its website, Paddle shared a video demonstration of an app with an "Upgrade Now" button that leads to Paddle's payment system on the web. Users are then presented with the option to pay via Apple Pay, PayPal, or a credit card directly.

paddle in app purchase demo
Paddle said developers can register their interest in its in-app payment system starting today, and it said the service will go live December 7, 2021, a date that it says is in line with the terms of the Epic Games vs. Apple ruling.

The exact wording of U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers' ruling said that Apple can no longer prohibit developers from "including in their apps and their metadata buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms, in addition to In-App Purchasing." The judge required Apple to adhere to the permanent injunction within 90 days of her ruling, which was issued September 10.

Paddle certainly has bold intentions here based on its interpretation of Rogers' ruling, but it seems unlikely that Apple will allow apps to offer alternative payment systems that circumvent Apple's in-app purchase mechanism and/or fees. We've reached out to Apple for comment, and we'll update this story if we hear back.

Apple has previously stated that alternative payment systems in apps could expose users to privacy and security risks, including fraud.

Founded in 2012, Paddle says more than 2,000 software businesses rely on its platform for sales in over 200 markets globally. Paddle advertises its customers as including Setapp/MacPaw, Scrivener, AdGuard, Readdle, and others.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Steve Jobs passing away on Tuesday, Apple shared a short film called "Celebrating Steve" on its website, and Apple has now made the video available on YouTube for those who may have missed it.


Apple describes the short film as a tribute to Steve Jobs and a celebration of his life and his extraordinary vision. The video includes many photos and short clips of Steve Jobs from throughout his life, ranging from his early days at Apple with fellow co-founder Steve Wozniak in the 1970s to introducing the original iPhone in 2007.

"Steve believed that 'people with passion can change the world for the better,'" said Apple in the video's description. "He challenged us to see the world not for what it was, but for what it could be. And he helped so many of us see the same potential in ourselves."

Steve Jobs passed away October 5, 2011 at the age of 56. Apple's CEO Tim Cook and former design chief Jony Ive are among those who have reflected on his life.

A bug in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 is preventing Safari from loading AMP links for Google search results, but the issue is not intentional and Google is preparing a fix that's set to be released in the near future.

iOs 15 Safari Feature
Developer Jeff Johnson today published a blog post speculating on whether Google had intentionally disabled AMP links for Google search results in Safari on devices running iOS 15 (via MacStories) after he noticed their disappearance.

As he noted, Safari's Google search results do not include AMP links on devices running iOS 15, but AMP content still loads in iOS 14 and in other browsers like Chrome for iOS. Johnson wondered whether Google had decided to disable AMP in iOS 15 due to the prevalence of Safari extensions that feature AMP-blocking features.


That Google search results do not include AMP links in the Safari browser on iOS 15 is a bug, according to Google's public search liaison Danny Sullivan. In a tweet, Sullivan said that Google is working on a fix and that the issue should be resolved soon.

For those unfamiliar with AMP, it stands for "Accelerated Mobile Pages" and it is a feature that's designed to make webpages load faster on mobile devices. AMP pages are cached, allowing them to be presented to users more quickly, but it's something that is not always popular with users because some website features are disabled when AMP is used.

When Google does re-implement AMP links, iOS 15 Safari extensions like Amplosion are available to redirect AMP links to standard webpages.

Tags: Google, Safari
Related Forum: iOS 15

Apple today released the third beta of iOS 15.1 to developers for testing purposes, and the update introduces some new camera features for iPhone 13 Pro users.

General iOS 15

ProRes Video

Today's beta adds support for ProRes video capture with the standard ‌iPhone‌ camera app. It can be toggled on by opening up the Settings app and selecting the "Camera" section. From there, tap on "Formats" and toggle on "Apple ProRes."

apple prores ios 15 1 beta 3
ProRes capture is limited to 30fps at 1080p on devices with only 128GB of storage, but higher capacity devices can record in 4K. Apple says that a one-minute 10-bit HDR ProRes video takes up 1.7GB in HD mode.

Macro Toggle

To take macro shots, the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro models swap over to the Ultra Wide lens when the ‌iPhone‌'s camera gets close to an object, which some people do not like because it can be difficult to get a shot with the camera constantly swapping back and forth.

ios 15 1 beta 3 macro
iOS 15.1 beta 3 adds a toggle to turn off Auto Macro, which will prevent the Camera app from automatically switching to the Ultra Wide camera for macro photos and videos.

The feature can be enabled in the Camera section of the Settings app by scrolling down and toggling off the "Auto Macro" option.

Other Features

Know of other new features not included in this article? Let us know in the comments below.

Related Forum: iOS 15

With the release of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 on September 20, Apple introduced millions of users to several of its new tentpole features for iPhone and iPad, such as Focus Mode, Notification Summary, a redesigned Safari, and more.


But beyond the headline features, Apple has also made numerous tweaks and changes to its mobile operating systems that aim to make the time you spend using your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌ more efficient, more functional, and more enjoyable.

To that end, we've pulled out 50 additions and improvements to iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, some of which may have gone under your radar. Keep reading to refresh your memory or perhaps learn something new.

If you have several websites in a Safari Tabs Group that you want to share with someone, over email or Messages, for example, you can copy all the URL links to the clipboard in the following way.

safari
Open the Tabs Group, tap group's name at the bottom of the screen, then tap Edit in the top-left of the Tab Groups card menu. Tap the circled ellipsis next to the Tabs Group in question, then select Copy Links.

2. Password Lock a PDF Document

Apple now lets you lock PDF documents with a password in iOS 15. The only caveat is that the PDF has to be on your ‌iPhone‌ – for whatever reason, you can't lock documents in iCloud.

Files
Open the Files app, navigate to On My iPhone, and select the PDF document to open it. Next, tap the Actions button in the bottom-left corner of the screen, scroll down below the sharing options, then tap Lock PDF. You'll be asked to enter and verify the password of your choosing.

3. Customize Your Safari Start Page

Safari's redesigned Start Page in iOS 15 is a one-stop shop for all of your Bookmarks, Favorites, Frequently Visited sites, Siri Suggestions, ‌iCloud‌ Tabs, Reading List, and Privacy Report. also features several customizable options, such as the ability to choose your own Start Page wallpaper. You can even optionally sync your Start Page appearance on all your devices via ‌iCloud‌.

safari
In the Tabs view, tap the + icon in the bottom left corner to open a new tab, then scroll to the bottom of the Start Page and tap the Edit button. Use the switches to control what you want to appear on your Start Page. Options include: Favorites, Frequently Visited, Shared with You, Privacy Report, Siri Suggestions, Reading List, and iCloud Tabs.

To sync your Start Page settings with other devices linked to the same Apple ID, turn on the switch next to Use Start Page on All Devices. You can also turn on the Background image option and choose one of the existing iOS wallpapers, or select your own from your photos by tapping the big + button.

➜ Click here to read more...

Related Forum: iOS 15

We've teamed up with AKKO to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an iPhone 13 Pro Max and a year of AKKO's insurance, which offers coverage from manufacturing issues, theft and loss, accidental damage, and more.

akko 2
For those unfamiliar with AKKO, it's a company that offers an AppleCare-like set of protection plans for your devices. There's smartphone-only coverage that's priced between $5 and $12 per month with full insurance that's on par with Apple's, but what really sets AKKO apart is its "Everything Protected" Plan.

With the "Everything Protected" Plan, users get coverage for one smartphone and all of their other electronic devices, up to 25 items in total. So for one $15 per month fee, AKKO offers protection for a whole wide range of devices, both new and used.

AKKO's "Everything Protected" plan covers laptops, tablets, TVs, speakers, gaming consoles, photography gear, music equipment, clothing, countertop appliances, and sports equipment, in addition to your smartphone. AppleCare+ alone for the iPhone is $9.99 per month for the standard plan or $13.49 per month for the Theft and Loss plan, so for just a couple of dollars more, AKKO provides coverage for all of your hardware.

akko 3
There are discounts available for students, and pricing is $15 per month if paid monthly or $14 per month if paid annually. Devices have damage and theft deductibles ranging from $29 to $99. For families that sign up together, there's a 5 percent discount on multiple plans.

To get coverage from AKKO, signup can be done on the web, and then users just need to snap photos of the items that they plan to protect under the plan. Items that are covered can be updated at any time when new purchases are made, and AKKO says that repairs can be done quickly. Phone repairs can usually be completed the same day, with AKKO paying the store or sending out a PayPal payment when a claim is approved.

AKKO's plans cover cracked screens, liquid spills, accidental damage including drops, damage and malfunctions from accidental drops, electrical or mechanical failures of components, and theft. Plan holders can be reimbursed up to $2,000 per protection incident, and there are no annual reimbursement limits.

akko 4
It's worth noting that there are some exceptions to coverage and a burden of proof for items that go missing like your smartphone (AKKO suggests iPhone users download Google Maps and leave location tracking on at all times to create a timeline should a device go missing, for example), but repairs are a matter of presenting a receipt and scheduling a fix through AKKO. As with any protection plan, it's a good idea to read the fine print to make sure that it works for you. AKKO often tweets deals and giveaways, so those interested in signing up might want to check out their Twitter page.

We have an iPhone 13 Pro Max and a free year of AKKO coverage 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 and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. 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 (October 6) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on October 13. The winner will be chosen randomly on October 13 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.

For those new to AKKO, using the promo code SAVE1 when checking out allows for one month of free coverage on either the monthly or annual plans.

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

Apple today seeded the ninth developer beta of macOS Monterey, the newest version of the macOS operating system. The ninth beta comes one week after Apple released the eighth macOS Monterey beta.

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

macOS Monterey will bring Universal Control, a feature that lets a single mouse, trackpad, and keyboard be used across multiple Mac or iPad devices, plus there's a new AirPlay to Mac feature. Safari has been redesigned with a new tab bar with a toggle for two different designs and support for Tab Groups, and FaceTime has gained spatial audio, a Portrait Mode on M1 Macs, and Voice Isolation for cutting out background noise. There's also a new SharePlay ‌FaceTime‌ feature that lets Apple users watch TV, listen to music, and share their screens with one another.

Shared With You, a separate feature, keeps track of the music, links, podcasts, news, and photos that people are sent in Messages, highlighting it in the relevant apps. Notes has a new Quick Note feature for jotting down thoughts, and collaboration is easier with mentions and an Activity View.

The Shortcuts app from iOS is now available on the Mac, and Focus helps people stay on task by cutting out background distractions. There's an updated Maps app with a whole slew of new features, and with Live Text, Macs can now detect text in photos or provide details on animals, art, landmarks, plants, and more in images.

Mail Privacy Protection hides IP and prevents tracking through invisible pixels, and iCloud Private Relay keeps Safari browsing protected. There are many other new features in macOS Monterey, with a full rundown available in our macOS Monterey roundup.

Related Forum: macOS Big Sur

Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS 15.1 and iPadOS 15.1 betas to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the second betas and two weeks after releasing iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 to the public.

General iOS 15
iOS and iPadOS 15.1 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper profile has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.

SharePlay makes a return in iOS 15.1, with Apple once again testing the feature that was removed before the launch of iOS 15. SharePlay is designed to let users call their friends and family and interact by watching movies, watching TV, or listening to music together.

Apple has added features like shared playlists and TV show syncing so everyone sees the same thing at the same time. SharePlay also has a built-in screen sharing feature, and Apple is still working out the bugs.

Paired with the HomePod 15.1 beta (which is invite only), iOS 15.1 adds Lossless Audio and Dolby Atmos with Spatial Audio support to the ‌HomePod‌ and the HomePod mini, bringing Apple's speakers in line with iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

‌iPhone‌ users who have a health care provider or state record that uses SMART Health Cards can import their COVID-19 vaccination records into the Health app and can then add a vaccine card to the Wallet app. This is an opt-in feature that uses a global specification, but healthcare providers need to implement it.

Right now, Smart Health Cards are or will be available to those in California, Louisiana, New York, Virginia, Hawaii, and some Maryland counties, as well those who were vaccinated at Walmart, Sam's Club, and CVS Health. Healthcare providers like electronic health record vendors like Epic and Cerner also support Smart Health Cards.

The update fixes an Unlock with Apple Watch bug that prevented an authenticated Apple Watch from unlocking an ‌iPhone‌ when the user is wearing a mask. The feature was unable to be toggled on the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro, but after the iOS 15.1 update, it is once again functional.

Related Forum: iOS 15

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming watchOS 8.1 beta to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming one week after the release of the second beta and two weeks after the release of the watchOS 8 update.

watchOS 8 on Apple Watch feature
To install ‌‌‌watchOS 8.1‌‌‌, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once installed, ‌‌‌watchOS 8‌‌‌ can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update.

To update to new software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌.

We don't yet know what's new in watchOS 8 and there were no new features found in the first two betas, but we'll update this article should anything new pop up in the third beta.

Related Roundup: watchOS 11
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming tvOS 15.1 update, one week after seeding the second beta and two weeks after the release of tvOS 15.

Apple TV tvOS 15
Developers can download the new tvOS 15 beta by downloading a profile onto the ‌Apple TV‌ using Xcode.

Other than new releases, tvOS updates are often minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements rather than major outward-facing changes. We don't yet know what's included in tvOS 15.1, but this beta fixes a bug with VoiceOver, according to Apple's release notes.

Though we don't often know what's new in tvOS during the beta testing process, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download it upon release.

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