MacRumors

Microsoft has announced that following beta testing for a small group of users, it plans to launch its xCloud game streaming service on Apple devices via Safari "in the next few weeks."

Microsoft has been attempting to launch its game streaming service, which allows users to stream games from the cloud rather than store them locally on the device, on Apple's platforms for some time. Microsoft and Apple got into a heated public argument last year over App Store guidelines that rejected apps such as xCloud from being available on the ‌App Store‌. Apple eventually changed the policy, allowing such apps onto the platform, but requiring that every game offered via the service be submitted independently for review.

Microsoft has decided not to follow through with the new policy and will instead offer users access to xCloud via Safari on iPhone and iPad. Alongside xCloud on Safari, the streaming service will also launch on Edge and Chrome.

One small but useful new feature introduced in iOS 15 is the ability for customers to request refunds for in-app purchases directly within an app, rather than having to use the Report a Problem page on Apple's website.

Apple has introduced a new StoreKit API that allows developers to implement a "Request a Refund" option within their apps. Users can tap on this option, select a specific in-app purchase, identify the issue that prompted the refund request, and tap the Request Refund button. Once the request is submitted, customers will receive an email from Apple with an update on the status of their refund within 48 hours.

When requesting a refund within an app, customers still have the option to visit the Report a Problem page on Apple's website to check the status of claims.

iOS 15 is available now in beta for developers, and will be publicly released in the fall.

On iOS and iPadOS 15, Apple is adding new functionality to WidgetKit, introduced last year, that will allow developers to classify information deemed as sensitive in their widgets, meaning that specific information will only become viewable on the lock screen when the user unlocks their device.

iOS 14 introduced completely redesigned widgets for the lock screen and Home Screen. While there are no major changes to WidgetKit this year, the new password-protected feature may be welcomed by apps that feature widgets with sensitive information, such as health and banking information. Widgets are accessible on the lock screen by swiping left to Today View.

Related to widgets on iOS 15 is new functionality for Smart Stacks. Smart Stacks allows users to stack different widgets on top of each other and allowing iOS to determine which widget is most relevant to be shown depending on factors such as time of day, location, and more.

On iOS 15, the system can now automatically add widgets to Smart Stacks that it believes are relevant. The feature called Widget Suggestions is a new way for users to discover widgets they may not have known existed. Developers interested in learning more about the changes in iOS 15 can check out this WWDC session.

Last year, Apple acquired the weather app Dark Sky, and shortly after its purchase, Apple shut down the app for Android. Despite the revamped iOS 15 Weather app taking heavy inspiration from Dark Sky, the weather's app standalone iOS app, web app, and API will remain available until the end of next year, compared to the end of this year, as previously planned.

Dark Sky announced in an update to its blog that "support for the Dark Sky API service for existing customers will continue until the end of 2022," and that the iOS and web app will also remain available until the end of next year. Dark Sky had originally planned to shut down its web app alongside the closure of its Android application; however, that was delayed indefinitely.

A number of popular third-party iOS weather apps have relied on the Dark Sky API over the years, and those apps will be able to continue functioning through next year without needing to migrate to a new provider.

The revamped Weather app on iOS 15 includes several features in which Apple is taking clear inspiration and value from its Dark Sky purchase. Alongside a fresh new design, iOS 15 includes live weather notifications, graphical displays of weather data, full-screen maps, and more.

As part of WWDC this week, Apple introduced a new MailKit framework for macOS Monterey that enables developers to create Mail app extensions that block content, perform message and composing actions, and help with security.

There will be four main categories of Mail app extensions, according to Apple:

• Compose: Extensions that provide new workflows when composing emails
• Actions: Extensions that apply custom rules to incoming emails, such as an email being color coded, moved to a separate inbox, marked as read, or flagged
• Content Blocking: Extensions that serve as WebKit content blockers for emails based on specific criteria in an email's HTML code
• Message Security: Extensions that sign, encrypt, and decrypt emails when sending and receiving mail, with signed and encrypted icons below emails

Xcode 13, available in beta, includes a template for developers looking to create Mail app extensions on the Mac. The extensions can be built into existing Mac apps and can also be distributed through the Mac App Store, according to a WWDC session about MailKit, which is available on macOS only and not iOS or iPadOS.

In the WWDC session, Apple indicated that older Mail app plug-ins will stop functioning in an unspecified future macOS release.

macOS Monterey is available now in beta for developers, with a public beta to follow in July.

The next time you try talking on a FaceTime call on iOS 15 with your microphone muted, iOS will provide you a subtle reminder to unmute your microphone so others can hear you.

The new reminder, first spotted by The Verge, is part of a wider assortment of changes and new features coming to ‌FaceTime‌ with the release of iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey later this fall. Heightened by the global health crisis, millions have switched to working remotely via ‌FaceTime‌, Zoom, and other platforms. Often, coming with it is the embarrassment of trying to talk, only to discover later that no one heard you due to your muted microphone.

Apple is aiming to solve this social dilemma with iOS 15. Unfortunately, on macOS Monterey beta 1, a similar prompt is not present, but it may be added in a future beta release. Another ‌FaceTime‌ feature coming this fall is the ability to share ‌FaceTime‌ call links with others, including those on Android and Windows, brand-new SharePlay functionality, and more.

Apple says that starting at a future date, it will offer members of the Apple Developer Program access to beta versions of AirPods Pro firmware updates before they're released and shipped to the public.

Apple made the announcement for developers on the downloads page where beta versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS are available. According to Apple, ‌AirPods Pro‌ firmware betas will allow for the development of certain features on iOS and macOS and will enable features such as Conversation Boost and Ambient Noise Reduction.

Pre-release AirPods Pro firmware for Apple Developer Program members will be available at a future date. This will allow development of features on iOS and macOS for AirPods as well as enable new features, including Conversation Boost (beam forming) and Ambient Noise Reduction (noise suppressor).

Currently, Apple occasionally releases firmware updates for AirPods, ‌AirPods Pro‌, and AirPods Max, although there's no reliable way to manually update the devices. Instead, they're updated automatically when connected to power and nearby a paired iPhone or iPad with an internet connection.

It remains unclear how Apple will provide beta versions for ‌AirPods Pro‌ firmware. Presumably, Apple will provide a profile for developers to download that automatically installs and updates the ‌AirPods Pro‌ when there's a new update.

Apple is looking to add Fitness+ Audio Meditations to the Mindfulness Apple Watch app, according to a now-removed image from WWDC.

Apple's Platforms State of the Union video featured a brief image of a collection of devices running the company's various new operating systems, and the Apple Watch in that image showed the Mindfulness app with a Fitness+ Audio Meditations feature.

Apple has now attempted to hide its plans for Fitness+ Audio Meditations by uploading a wholly new Platforms State of the Union video that removes the implicating image, replacing it with a generic image of the Mindfulness app. MacRumors was able to verify that Apple revealed the feature in the original video.

At the time of writing, Apple has kept the original video with the image showing Fitness+ Audio Meditations live for the American sign language version of the Platforms State of the Union.

Apple already offers an Apple Watch-exclusive Fitness+ experience in "Time to Walk." Time to Walk is an Apple Watch feature for Apple Fitness+ subscribers that plays audio stories from influential people while completing a walk workout. Fitness+ Audio Meditations appears to be the next Apple Watch Fitness+ audio experience.

Fitness+ Audio Meditations may allow Apple to begin to compete with popular existing guided meditation apps such as Headspace, and could help users learn to meditate through spoken instructions and sound.

In watchOS 8, Apple has renamed the Breathe app "Mindfulness," refocusing it around short meditation practices, tips, and thought-provoking themes. The app has been overhauled with new animations and visualizations, a new summary screen, and other general improvements.

Given the fact that Apple has hastily attempted to remove the first look at Fitness+ Audio Meditations, it is likely that the feature is being kept back for a formal announcement at a later date, perhaps prior to the public release of watchOS 8.

(Thanks, Jake!)

Apple today launched a promotion in Canada that offers a $75 Apple Store gift card with the purchase of a new iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 mini through June 28. The offer does not apply to the iPhone 12 Pro or iPhone 12 Pro Max.

The offer is valid in Canada at physical Apple Store locations, through Apple's online store, in the Apple Store app, or by calling 1-800-MY-APPLE for iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini purchases made between June 10 and June 28. Purchases made with carrier financing are eligible, with full terms and conditions outlined on Apple's website.

Apple's online store went down earlier today in Canada, likely in relation to this promotion launching. The offer does not appear to be available in the United States or other countries at this time, nor does it apply to any other products.

Apple released the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini in October 2020, and introduced a purple color option for the devices in late April.

With iOS 15, AirPods Pro and AirPods Max will be able to tap into the Find My network, allowing users to locate their lost AirPods in the unfortunate event they get lost outside of nearby Bluetooth range.

Users have always been able to locate their AirPods through the ‌Find My‌ app within Bluetooth range. Now, with iOS 15, ‌AirPods Pro‌ and ‌AirPods Max‌ can tap into the ‌Find My‌ network to relay their approximate location, even if they're out of Bluetooth range from the owner. ‌AirPods Pro‌ and ‌AirPods Max‌ will still need to be within close proximity to a ‌Find My‌ device, such as an iPhone, however.

‌Find My‌ allows devices to crowdsource the location of other ‌Find My‌ devices, meaning even if they're relatively far away, ‌Find My‌ should be able to provide an approximate location.

Use the Find My network to get an approximate location of your missing AirPods Pro or AirPods Max. This will help you get within Bluetooth range so you can play a sound and locate them.

Beats headphones, also owned by Apple, added support for ‌Find My‌ earlier this year. ‌Find My‌ also gained other new features in iOS 15, including brand new separation alerts that notify users if a ‌Find My‌ compatible device is left behind, a brand new Find My widget for the Home Screen, and the ability for ‌Find My‌ to locate an ‌iPhone‌ even if its low on battery, or completely turned off.

U.S. President Joe Biden has withdrawn a series of executive orders from his predecessor Donald Trump banning Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat in the United States.

Trump signed several executive orders banning apps tied to China during his time in office. In the most high profile order, Trump sought a ban of the short-form video app TikTok, which is owned by Chinese firm Bytedance, in 2020.

However, Trump's bans were never enforced after several court orders blocked the restrictions, despite claims by the Trump administration that the apps posed a risk to national security.

Biden's new executive order revokes the WeChat and TikTok orders that Trump issued in August, which attempted to force ByteDance to divest TikTok to a U.S. company, along with another one that Trump signed in January which targeted several other messaging and financial transaction apps including Alipay and WeChat Pay.

Going forward, the Biden administration says it will instead take an "evidence-based approach" when reviewing the security concerns posed by apps. The U.S. Department of Commerce will be tasked with the job of reviewing apps developed by those "in the jurisdiction of a foreign adversary."

A separate US national security review of TikTok launched in late 2019 remains active, and an administration official has said that the White House remains "very concerned" about the data risks of TikTok users.

Biden's order says collecting of data from Americans "threatens to provide foreign adversaries with access to that information," and directs the Commerce Department to continually evaluate any transactions that "pose an undue risk of catastrophic effects on the security or resiliency of the critical infrastructure or digital economy of the United States."

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Occasional leaker Mr White has today shared interesting images on Twitter of what appears to be an old-school fifth-generation iPod touch prototype with chamfered edges and a brushed aluminum finish.

The original iPod touch 5 that Apple released in October 2012 had a unibody anodized aluminum chassis with rounded edges, and was available in several colors, including slate.

Another interesting detail on the prototype, which lacks an Apple logo on the back, is the presence of a 30-pin dock connector, suggesting it was designed before Apple formally adopted Lightning.

Along with the iPhone 5, iPod nano (7th generation), and iPad (4th generation), the original iPod touch 5 was one of the first Apple devices to feature a Lightning port.

The prototype also has the headphone jack bottom-right, whereas on the iPod touch 5 it was located on the left. Apple discontinued the iPod touch 5 in 2015.

We haven't heard of any rumors suggesting Apple has an upgraded iPod touch in the works. The current seventh-generation iPod touch was the result of a refresh in May 2019, and is currently the only product in Apple's iPod product line, following the discontinuation of the iPod nano and iPod shuffle in 2017.

With tvOS 15, Apple is bringing Spatial Audio to the Apple TV when the set-top box is used with AirPods Pro or AirPods Max. It has been unclear how this feature will work because the ‌Apple TV‌ does not have a U1 chip for head tracking purposes, but Apple recently gave an explanation to Engadget.

When you’re watching a TV show or movie on the ‌Apple TV‌, the head tracking feature (powered by ‌AirPods Pro‌ or Max) detects that you’ve been looking in the same direction, calculates your probable head orientation, and activates the Spatial Audio effect. If you get up, it reactivates.

When you sit down to watch a movie or TV show, the included head tracking feature will lock in after it detects you’ve been looking in the same direction for a while. Once you get up to walk around, it will reactivate.

Spatial Audio will work with stereo, 5.1, 7.1, and Dolby Atmos content, and connecting the AirPods to an ‌Apple TV‌ that’s running tvOS 15 has been streamlined. When you’re wearing AirPods and are near the ‌Apple TV‌, you’ll see an on-screen popup that will let you connect with a click of the remote.

Spatial Audio is designed to provide a theater-like listening experience with sound that seems to come from all around you. tvOS 15 is also gaining new SharePlay features for watching TV with friends over FaceTime calls and support for pairing two HomePod mini speakers to an ‌Apple TV‌.

It's been a few days since Apple announced macOS Monterey, and we continue to dig through new features that weren't mentioned during the WWDC keynote, including a much more convenient way of erasing a Mac.

Following in the footsteps of the iPhone and iPad, the Mac has gained an "Erase All Content and Settings" option on macOS Monterey. The option allows you to erase all user data and user-installed apps from your Mac without needing to reinstall the macOS operating system, making it far easier to restore a Mac to like-new factory settings.

From the macOS Monterey features page on Apple's website:

Erase all contents and settings
System Preferences now offers an option to erase all user data and user-installed apps from the system, while maintaining the operating system currently installed. Because storage is always encrypted on Mac systems with Apple silicon or the T2 chip, the system is instantly and securely "erased" by destroying the encryption keys.

In the macOS Monterey beta, the new option can be found by opening the System Preferences app, clicking on System Preferences in the menu bar at the top of the screen, and clicking on "Erase All Content and Settings" in the drop-down menu. An administrator password is required to proceed with restoring the Mac to factory settings.

Erasing a Mac running an earlier version of macOS requires formatting the startup disk and reinstalling macOS, so this new option will make it far more convenient to restore your Mac to factory settings, whether you simply want to start fresh with your Mac or are planning to sell or gift the Mac to another person. After erasing a Mac, it will display the Setup Assistant and be ready to be set up like new.

macOS Monterey is available now in beta for developers, with a public beta to follow in July.

One of the key new features of macOS Monterey is the ability to AirPlay content to a Mac from other Apple devices, such as an iPhone, iPad, or another Mac. According to the macOS Monterey features page, AirPlay to Mac works works both wirelessly or wired using a USB cable, with Apple noting that a wired connection is useful when you want to ensure that there's no latency or don't have access to a Wi-Fi connection.

AirPlay to Mac also allows users to extend or mirror an Apple device's display to a Mac, and we've confirmed this works on a Mac-to-Mac basis. This makes it possible for supported Macs to use another Mac as an external display, and with AirPlay to Mac working both wirelessly or with a wired connection, Apple has come close to reviving Target Display Mode, which allowed 2009 to 2014 iMac models to serve as another Mac's external display.

It's worth noting that these new AirPlay features do not serve as a complete Target Display Mode replacement, as we've been told that AirPlay compresses video sent from one Mac to another, and at least some latency might still be possible.

Starting with macOS Monterey, a supported Mac can also function as an AirPlay 2 speaker source, allowing users to wirelessly stream music or podcasts from an Apple device to a Mac or use the computer as a secondary speaker for multi-room audio.

AirPlay to Mac works with a 2018 or later MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, a 2019 or later iMac or Mac Pro, an iMac Pro, and the 2020 Mac mini.

macOS Monterey is available now in beta for developers, with a public beta to follow in July. The software update will likely be publicly released for all compatible Macs at some point between late September and early November.

Facebook has been working on a new smart watch for the last several months, and The Verge today unveiled new details about the device, which will compete with the Apple Watch.

The Facebook smart watch will have a detachable display with two built-in cameras for taking pictures and videos to share on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

A camera on the front of the watch's display will be available for video calls, while a 1080p camera at the back can be used for capturing photos when the watch body is detached from the stainless steel watch frame.

Facebook is planning to work with other companies to create accessories that can be attached to the camera hub portion of the watch, like backpacks. Facebook is hoping that people will use the watch in the same ways that smartphones are used now to circumvent Apple and Google's control over mobile Facebook users.

Prior rumors about the smart watch suggested it will feature a cellular connection that does not require a smartphone, and wearers will be able to send messages with Facebook services like Messenger and WhatsApp. It's also expected to have built-in health tracking features like a heart rate monitor, and it will run a custom version of Android.

There have been rumors that Apple might one day add a camera to the Apple Watch, but it so far has yet to happen. Given Facebook's poor track record when it comes to data collection and privacy, people may be hesitant to use a Facebook-designed smart watch, especially one equipped with multiple cameras and a microphone.

Future iterations of the Facebook smart watch will serve as a key input device for augmented reality glasses that Facebook also has in the works. Facebook is aiming to launch its new smart watch next summer, and it could be priced at around $400.

With iOS 15, Apple is introducing more granular control over the people and places that show up in your Photos Memories, letting you fine tune just who makes random appearances in the ‌Photos‌ app and the ‌Photos‌ widget.

You've already been able to select "Suggest Fewer Memories Like This" when viewing a memory in the "For You" section of ‌Photos‌ or remove a photo from photo suggestions entirely, but now you can choose to feature a specific person less often.

When viewing the For You section of the ‌Photos‌ app, you can long press on an image with a person and select the "Feature This Person Less," option to prevent that person from popping up as often. The Remove From Featured ‌Photos‌ option prevents a specific photo from reappearing.

These new controls for better managing what shows up as a featured image will come in handy when an unpleasant memory pops up, perhaps one featuring an ex-partner or a place that has a negative association.

Over the years, people have complained about the Memories feature in the ‌Photos‌ app and some of the people that it opts to feature.

The prior "Suggest Fewer Memories Like This" option that was available in iOS 14 for memory slideshows has been renamed "Feature Less," and you can select specific people, dates, and places to feature less often in Memories.

It's also worth noting that in a memory slideshow that Apple suggests, you can also now tap on the grid button on toolbar to enter into a view that shows you all of the photos at once. Just long press on it to get a "Hide from Memory" option that makes it disappear.

These new features are available in the ‌Photos‌ app in the current iOS 15 beta. iOS 15 will be in beta testing for several months, with a launch to come in the fall.