MacRumors

Apple in iPadOS 14 introduced an Apple Pencil feature called "Scribble," which lets users write in any text field on the iPad, with the handwritten text then converted automatically into typed text.

At launch, Scribble was limited to the English and Chinese languages, but with iPadOS 14.5 beta that's available to developers and public beta testers, Apple is expanding Scribble support to German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.

With the beta installed on an ‌iPad‌, users in these countries can now write in their native languages, and iPadOS is able to accurately translate the text. Enabling a language is done through the "Keyboard" section of the Settings app.

Any supported language that is enabled as a Keyboard option will be listed under "Scribble" in the ‌Apple Pencil‌ settings on an ‌iPad‌, and that language will be available for use when writing, with special characters supported.

Scribble can be used across iPadOS 14 for writing out iMessages, conducting Safari searches, looking for directions in Maps, creating Notes, scheduling Calendar events, and more. It comes with other features such as Smart Selection for copy/pasting handwritten notes, and there's built-in data detection that converts numbers and email addresses to make them tappable.

Apple's Feature Availability page continues to list just English and Chinese as available Scribble options, but that should change when iPadOS 14.5 sees an official release in early spring.

There are many other changes and feature additions that Apple is introducing in iPadOS 14.5, including support for the most recent gaming controllers, an Apple loading logo that's properly displayed horizontally when the ‌iPad‌ is in landscape mode, new emoji characters, and more, with everything new listed in our iOS 14.5 guide.

Shares of Energous, a company developing long-range RF-based charging technology under the name "WattUp," nearly doubled today, apparently driven by a Bloomberg report this morning indicating that Apple has been working on a MagSafe battery pack for its iPhone 12 lineup. The story was kicked off earlier this week when MacRumors contributor Steve Moser discovered a non-specific reference to an ‌iPhone‌ "battery pack" in the latest beta of iOS 14.5.

According to a report this morning from CNA Finance, investors are betting on new rumors that Energous and Apple are working together on wireless charging, based on a "previously overlooked SEC filing." The report has been picked up by several financial news outlets, including The Street and Seeking Alpha.

Setting aside the fact that Apple's inductive MagSafe wireless charging relies on different technology than the RF system being developed by Energous, there's another issue with today's rumor, and that's that the apparent filings in question which mention "Apple compliance testing" for WattUp technology were filed back in 2013 and 2014 and were widely covered in the media in 2016. The last time an Energous filing with the SEC mentioned Apple was in December 2014.

There was a flurry of interest in Energous back in 2016 and 2017 amid rumors of an Apple partnership, but that speculation quickly died down and things have been essentially silent for several years now. Energous has continued to develop its long-range charging technology, working with Dialog Semiconductor on transmitter and receiver hardware but so far deploying it only in a few niche applications such as equine health monitoring.

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with WaterField Designs to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an Apple accessory bundle that includes a Pro Executive Laptop Backpack and an AirPods Max Shield Case.

This giveaway is unique because both of these products were created through WaterField Designs' Community Design process, where the company gets feedback from customers throughout the design and prototyping process so that the resulting product addresses the most important customer needs.

The Pro Executive Backpack, priced at $389, merges the functionality of a backpack with the style of a professional leather briefcase. It is made from black ballistic nylon with a full-grain leather accent that's available in chocolate, gray, black, or crimson.

There are two main compartments. The front chamber is designed to hold all of the items needed for a day at the office, while the back chamber zips down and can hold a MacBook, iPad, or documents. The backpack can be paired with an optional Executive Folio that serves a as a sleeve for a MacBook. The Pro Backpack is compatible with all of Apple's MacBook models, including the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

When set down, the backpack is designed to stay upright to make the items inside easier to access, and there are padded shoulder straps and a back slot for using with a suitcase. Along with the main compartments, where are two large side pockets, a deep front pocket, and two front panel zip pockets accessible when the backpack is swung down from a shoulder.

Available starting at $89, the AirPods Max Shield Case is the case that Apple should have offered with the AirPods Max instead of the Smart Case, which has turned out to be unpopular with ‌AirPods Max‌ owners. Unlike the default Smart Case, the ‌AirPods Max‌ Shield Case from WaterField Designs offers complete protection for the ‌AirPods Max‌.

The ‌AirPods Max‌ Shield Case is ideal if you need to tuck your ‌AirPods Max‌ away in a backpack or bag for travel. It has three layers of protection along with a soft, plush interior that protects the ‌AirPods Max‌ from scratches. Waterproof zippers are included to protect against accidental water damage, and the zippers can be just partially closed to allow for charging in the case.

There's an interior pocket to hold a power adapter or other accessories, a stretchy mesh back pocket, and an easy-access panel at the front. A nylon loop at the top can be added to a carabiner or used as a handle. A built-in Magnetic Butterfly feature is designed to put the ‌AirPods Max‌ in low-power mode when they're placed in the case in order to save battery life, plus it serves as a separator between the ear cups.

There are several leather variants priced at $99, along with four vegan options in water-resistant Forza fabric that are available for $89. Both versions are identical with the exception of the outer material. There's a chocolate/waxed leather model and three with leather and ballistic nylon in blue black and crimson. Vegan models come in black, green, red, and blue.

We have a Pro Executive Backpack and ‌AirPods Max‌ Shield Case to give away to one MacRumors reader. To enter to win our giveaway, 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 (February 19) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on February 26. The winner will be chosen randomly on February 26 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.

Apple is in discussions with multiple suppliers of LiDAR sensors appropriate for a self-driving vehicle, according to Bloomberg. The report claims Apple is looking for sensors that would still be considered "cutting edge" four to five years from now.

As widely rumored, the report claims Apple has been working on a driverless vehicle project for several years. Apple is said to have independently developed most of the necessary software and artificial intelligence algorithms needed for the vehicle, but the so-called "Apple Car" is still believed to be years away from a potential release.

From the report:

The Cupertino, California-based technology giant is in active talks with a number of potential suppliers for these laser-based sensors that allow a car's computer to "see" its surroundings, said the people, who asked not to be identified due to the private nature of the discussions. The company has been working on a driverless vehicle project for several years and has developed on its own most of the necessary software, underlying processors and artificial intelligence algorithms needed for such a sophisticated system.

In regulatory filings earlier this month, Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia said they are not in discussions with Apple over development of a self-driving vehicle. Hyundai had previously stated that it was in talks with Apple.

Apple has subpoenaed Valve in its ongoing lawsuit with Epic Games, demanding it provides huge amounts of commercial data about Steam sales and operations dating back several years, court filings have revealed (via PC Gamer).

The subpoena was initiated by Apple in November 2020 under the argument that information about Valve's digital distribution service, Steam, would be crucial to building its case against Epic Games.

Apple requested that Valve provided documents to show its total yearly sales of apps and in-app products, annual advertising revenues, annual sales of external products, and annual revenues and earnings from Steam. There are also more granular requests for the name of every app on Steam, the date range when every app has been available, and the price of all apps and in-app purchases.

This apparently involved the demand for information on over 30,000 games initially, but Apple has since narrowed its focus to around 600 games. Nevertheless, Apple is still insisting on receiving documents about every version of a given product and a large amount of financial information about Valve's business.

Apple believes that Steam "is the dominant digital game distributor on the PC platform and is a direct competitor to the Epic Game Store," so information about the digital marketplace's sales and operations can show the extent of the market that the ‌Epic Games‌ Store is competing in. Apple argues that Valve should provide this information since it is not available elsewhere, and "does not raise risk of any competitive harm."

While Apple and Valve apparently met several times to confer, Valve has refused to produce much of the information that Apple is requesting in the subpoena. Valve says that it has cooperated to a reasonable extent, providing documents on revenue share, competition with Epic, Steam distribution contracts, and more, but asserts that the request for six years' worth of PC game and item sales for hundreds of third-party games and confidential information about these games and Valve's revenues is unreasonable.

The company also bristled at Apple's request for Valve's involvement in the case since Steam is not a competitor in the mobile space, saying "Valve is not Epic, and Fortnite is not available on Steam." Valve goes as far as to allege that Apple is using the request as a shortcut to a vast amount of commercially-sensitive third-party data.

Somehow, in a dispute over mobile apps, a maker of PC games that does not compete in the mobile market or sell "apps" is being portrayed as a key figure. It's not. The extensive and highly confidential information Apple demands about a subset of the PC games available on Steam does not show the size or parameters of the relevant market and would be massively burdensome to pull together. Apple's demands for further production should be rejected.

Valve added that it does not even keep all of the information that Apple is seeking since it does not need it in the ordinary course of business, and is now calling for the court to dismiss Apple's subpoena. Meanwhile, Apple's lawsuit with Epic Games is ongoing.

Plex this week began testing TV app integration on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, as spotted by MacRumors readers Casey Bailey and Will Sigmon. The feature is available in the latest beta version of the Plex app through TestFlight.

This integration will enable users to keep track of Plex's on-demand content in Apple's TV app across the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Plex's on-demand content will be recommended in the TV app and also sync with a user's Up Next queue. Plex joins dozens of other providers offering TV app integration in the United States, such as HBO Max, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock, HGTV, NBC, A&E, The CW, MTV, Showtime, Starz, and others.

Plex is a popular media player that in recent years has introduced a growing library of free, ad-supported TV shows, movies, and other content from providers such as Warner Bros., Crackle, Lionsgate, MGM, and Legendary Entertainment. It is only this on-demand content that will be integrated in the TV app, and not a user's personal library of locally stored content, according to a Reddit user identifying as a Plex employee.

"This feature will only work with our free on demand movies and TV shows," the employee said. "We'd love to integrate personal media as well but that's not technically possible for a couple reasons. To make this work we provide Apple with a list of content we have available for streaming. As detailed in our privacy policy, we don't know what content our users have in their personal media libraries."

TV app integration will require version 7.14 of the Plex app or later, currently in beta testing. There is no timeframe for a public release yet.

Update: This article has been updated with clarification from a Plex employee that TV app integration will be limited to Plex's free, ad-supported video content from partners like Warner Bros., Crackle, and Lionsgate.

Clubhouse, the online audio app that has become a social sensation, has reportedly surpassed eight million iOS App Store downloads, according to data from App Annie (via TechCrunch).

The app, best described as a place to hold public group FaceTime-like audio calls, is currently iOS exclusive, although an Android counterpart is in the works. The app requires users to be invited to the app to use it, making it somewhat exclusive for users who are lucky enough to have an account. The data from App Annie shows that as of February 1, the app had obtained 3.5 million downloads. A little more than two weeks later, that number more than doubled to 8.1 million.

Estimates beyond App Annie indicate that downloads for the app could be as high as 10 million. The significant uptick in downloads could be attributed to appearances on the app by Tesla founder Elon Musk, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Clubhouse, when contacted for comment on the statistics by TechCrunch, says that it doesn't disclose user numbers.

BBC Select, a new streamer for factual programming in the U.S. and Canada, is the latest video subscription service to arrive through Apple TV Channels.

BBC Select offers curated non-fiction and factual programming, spotlighting culture, politics, and ideas through a candid, unbiased, and sometimes playful lens.

Shows available on the new channel include the acclaimed documentary series "The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty," Aung San Suu Kyi documentary "The Fall of an Icon," and the films of Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry and documentary presenter Louis Theroux.

BBC Select joins the BBC's portfolio of existing streaming services that includes BBC Earth, BBC Brit, BBC First, and BritBox. The new service is effectively analogous to an international wing of the terrestrial TV channel BBC Four in the UK, which focuses on the arts, documentaries, and current affairs.

Apple introduced the Channels feature in early 2019, providing a way for ‌‌Apple TV‌‌ users to subscribe to standalone services directly in the TV app. There is a growing selection of Channels available, including CBS All Access, Showtime, Epix, Starz, Cinemax, AMC+, and more.

BBC Select is available now in the U.S. and Canada via the ‌Apple TV‌ app and Amazon Prime Video for $4.99 per month.

Apple has expanded its turn-by-turn navigation in Apple Maps for the United Arab Emirates. The app now offers more detailed directions for driving and walking, with options to book a ride through Uber also showing within the app.

Still missing for users in the UAE is public transit information, lane guidance and speed limits, although given that the addition of turn-by-turn directions is part of an ongoing improvement to ‌Apple Maps‌, these are likely to follow.

Rival Google Maps has been the de facto navigation app in the UAE for some time, thanks to its driving, walking, and public transport modes.

(Thanks, Alexey!)

Apple is unlikely to allow devices like Apple Watch, AirPods, and iPhone to wirelessly charge each other "in the near future," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

In a report outlining the development of MagSafe battery accessories for the ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup, Bloomberg says that Apple has "internally discussed a goal of letting many of its mobile devices like Apple Watches, AirPods, and iPhones charge each other," however, the report notes that it's unlikely to be launched in "the near future." With the launch of the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series in 2019, Apple was planning, but then later scrapped plans to allow the ‌iPhone‌ to reverse charge AirPods, according to the report.

Earlier this week, evidence discovered by MacRumors in iOS 14.5 hinted at a possible MagSafe battery accessory. Code within the beta software reads, "To improve charging efficiency and maximize available battery life, the battery pack will keep your phone charged at around 90%."

Apple has been researching the ability for devices to charge each other for some time. Patents discovered in January reveal a concept of a future MacBook wirelessly charging an ‌iPhone‌ or Apple Watch on either side of the trackpad. The patent envisions an ecosystem in which devices are reliant on each other for charging, and presumably syncing.

Despite the feature not being officially released, the technology itself is already available within the ‌iPhone‌ 12. According to FCC filings, all models in the ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup have the ability to reverse charge an Apple accessory on the back. The ‌iPhone‌ would serve as a wireless charging pad for devices with wireless charging compatibility such as the AirPods (second generation), AirPods Pro, and the Apple Watch Series 3 and later.

In theory, Apple could enable the feature with an iOS update, although there's no indication the company will. It could be holding off on enabling the feature until it releases the newly reported MagSafe battery accessories.

Apple is working on a magnetic battery pack attachment for iPhone 12, according to a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Apple has been developing the attachment for at least a year and it has been scheduled to launch in the months following the release of the iPhone 12 line, according to people with knowledge of the product. The iPhone 12 models were introduced in October.

The battery pack would attach to the back of an iPhone 12 using the MagSafe system, which all the new phones use for charging and pairing other accessories like cases and wallets. Some prototypes of the battery pack have a white rubber exterior, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the product isn’t yet public. The new accessory would differ from Apple battery add-ons for previous iPhones in that it only provides additional battery life and doesn’t serve as a full protective case.

Some MagSafe users have criticized the strength of the magnets used by Apple in the ‌iPhone‌ 12 for their perceived weakness and inability to keep ‌MagSafe‌ accessories like Apple's leather Wallet firmly attached, but Apple has reportedly tested to make sure the battery pack's magnetic attachment system is strong enough for the charging unit to stay in place.

However, the accessory's development has reportedly been hindered by software issues, such as the attached ‌iPhone‌ indicating in error that the battery pack is overheating. Apple has also been working to fix problems that arise when the user switches between using the device when a case is on the ‌iPhone‌ and when the case is removed.

In light of these developmental hurdles, the battery pack could ultimately be delayed or scrapped, according to Gurman's sources.

Potential evidence of a future ‌MagSafe‌ battery accessory was recently discovered by MacRumors in a non-specific reference to a battery pack in the latest iOS 14.5 beta. "To improve charging efficiency and maximize available battery life, the battery pack will keep your phone charged at around 90%," read the text.

According to Gurman, Apple has also weighed up the possibility of other ‌MagSafe‌ accessories internally, including the potential for an in-car attachment, although that product reportedly hasn't made it to formal development.

Apple remains guarded about announcing charging accessories after the AirPower vaporware debacle. Apple publicly announced the device in 2017, but the product never materialized because of problems in development. Apple ultimately cancelled ‌AirPower‌ in March 2019 and apologized that it was unable to deliver a version of the product that achieved its "high standards."

IKEA is rolling out Apple HomeKit support for the Motion sensor and Shortcut button in its TRÅDFRI range of smart home products, according to release notes for an upcoming Gateway software update.

First spotted by Dutch blog iCulture, the next Gateway firmware version (1.13.21) coming down the line will include ‌HomeKit‌ support for the sensor and button, allowing the accessories to be used to operate other ‌HomeKit‌ products.

The Shortcut button, which comes with stickers that can be used to indicate their function, will allow owners to quickly activate ‌HomeKit‌ scenes and switch off lights, for example.

It's not clear exactly when the firmware update will propagate for the TRÅDFRI gateway bridge, which allows IKEA smart home products to work with platforms like ‌HomeKit‌, but the release notes are dated February 18, so it shouldn't be long now before users start seeing the update as available.

The Shortcut button recently became available in Europe, and is expected to make its way to IKEA stores in the U.S. soon.