MacRumors

Apple today released new iOS and iPadOS 12.5.4 updates, with the new software aimed at older devices that are unable to run the iOS 14 update that's available on modern devices.

The iOS and iPadOS 12.5.4 updates can be downloaded for free and the software is available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the new software, go to Settings > General > Software Update.

According to Apple's release notes, iOS 12.5.4 introduces important security updates and is recommended for all users. Apple often releases security updates for older devices that are no longer able to get the current version of iOS in order to keep users protected from malware and other security vulnerabilities.

Apple's security support document says that the update addresses three vulnerabilities that could lead to arbitrary code execution. Two of them that affected WebKit may have been actively exploited. One of these vulnerabilities was fixed in iOS 14.6, and the other two are likely to be addressed in iOS 14.7.

Apple today seeded the third betas of new iOS and iPadOS 14.7 updates to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the second iOS and iPadOS 14.7 updates.

iOS and iPadOS 14.7 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper profile has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.

The new iOS and iPadOS 14.7 updates may be focused on under-the-hood bug performance improvements and bug fixes for issues that weren't able to be addressed in iOS 14.6, but a few minor features have been found.

Apple in iOS 14.7 will expand the Air Quality Index feature to additional countries that include the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, and Canada.

When paired with the accompanying HomePod 14.7 software, iOS 14.7 will allow the Home app to set multiple timers on a ‌HomePod‌ or a HomePod mini.

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Big Sur 11.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming two weeks after the release of the second macOS Big Sur 11.5 beta.

Developers can download the ‌‌‌‌macOS Big Sur‌‌‌‌ 11.5 beta using the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after installing the proper profile from the Apple Developer Center.

macOS Big Sur 11.5 may be a more minor update focusing on under-the-hood performance improvements and bug fixes for issues that weren't able to be addressed in the macOS Big Sur 11.4 update. No new features were found in the first two betas.

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming watchOS 7.6 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming two weeks after the release of the second beta.

To install the ‌watchOS 7.6 beta, developers need to download the proper configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the watchOS 7.5 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated ‌Apple Watch‌ app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.

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

We don't know what's included in the watchOS 7.6 update, and no new features were discovered in the first two betas.

We've seen a lot of teasers about the Beats Studio Buds over the past month since they first showed up in Apple's beta software updates, and today they're finally official. The Beats Studio Buds are available to order today in red, white, and black ahead of a June 24 ship date, and they're priced at $149.99.

The Studio Buds are the first Beats-branded earbuds to truly compete with AirPods thanks to their wire-free design that fits comfortably in the ear without the over-ear hook seen on Powerbeats Pro.

In many respects, the Studio Buds are competitive with AirPods Pro at a lower price point, with a diminutive design that's slightly lighter than the ‌AirPods Pro‌ while still offering features like Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Transparency modes.

I've been using a pair of Studio Buds in "Beats Red" for the past week and a half, and I've come away impressed with their performance, especially given their price point. I'm a heavy ‌AirPods Pro‌ user on a day-to-day basis, and the Studio Buds stack up well against them in most respects.

If you've used ‌AirPods Pro‌ before, Studio Buds will be immediately familiar, with the same one-touch pairing and simple button presses to cycle between standard mode, ANC mode where the noise around you is actively canceled out to provide a more isolated listening environment, and Transparency mode where the sounds around are actively piped through the earphones and mixed in with your audio so you can hear what's going on around you even with the earphones sitting firmly in your ears.

While ‌AirPods Pro‌ use a force sensor in the stem of each earbud for controls, Studio Buds each feature a button on the exterior of the earbud. You'll see the typical set of functions, with a single press allowing you to play/pause audio or answer/hang up a phone call, a double press skipping ahead to the next track, and a triple press skipping back to the beginning of the current track or to the previous track.

That same button also handles the noise control modes via a long press, which cycles through the three modes. By default, both earbuds have the same set of controls, but you can use the Settings app on your device to configure the press and hold function separately for each ear, such as noise control on one side and activating Siri on the other side. ‌Siri‌ activation via button press isn't a necessity, however, as hands-free "Hey ‌Siri‌" activation is supported.

Beats Studio Buds offer up to eight hours of listening time, with two additional charges from the included battery case bringing total battery life to 24 hours. That's with ANC and Transparency mode turned off, however. With either of those modes turned on, battery life will be closer to five hours per charge for a total of 15 hours with the case.

In my time with the Studio Buds, I've found the sound quality to be solid compared to other earbuds, and ANC is helpful for blocking out that noise around you. The ANC and Transparency aren't quite as good on the Studio Buds as they are on ‌AirPods Pro‌, but it's not a huge difference in my opinion.

As with other AirPods and recent Beats headphones and earphones, the Studio Buds are automatically recognized as supporting Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos in Apple Music, so you won't need to manually configure them in Settings as you do with third-party earphones. Spatial Audio tracks sound good on the Studio Buds, with good separation for the immersive experience you expect on well-mixed tracks.

Each Studio Bud features three microphones to assist with picking up your voice and managing the ANC and Transparency functions. My voice came through clear and crisp on some test phone calls using the buds, which leverage a total of five microphones during phone calls to help isolate your voice from background noise.

I really like the form factor of the Studio Buds, and they fit well in my ears. The inclusion of three sizes of ear tips should allow most people to find a good fit, and the default medium tips worked best for me. I never felt like they were going to fall out of my ears, and their 5.1-gram weight meant that they didn't feel heavy or put much pressure on my ears. I was able to wear them for two or three hours straight on multiple occasions without feeling any discomfort.

The "b" button on the exterior of each earbud is easy to find by feel as it's essentially the entirety of the accessible exterior surface of the bud, and I was glad to find that it didn't hurt my ears at all when pressing it. It only requires a light press to activate, so I don't feel like I'm shoving the bud into my ear canal when I'm pressing it.

One area where Studio Buds fall short in comparison to AirPods and ‌AirPods Pro‌ is the lack of wireless charging for the case. I definitely find it convenient to charge my ‌AirPods Pro‌ wirelessly on a Belkin multi-device charger next to my bed, so it's a little bit of extra friction to have to charge the Studio Buds over USB-C.

The choice between USB-C and Lightning for wired charging is always a controversial one, and while I have several convenient USB-C charging spots set up around my house for my iPad Pro that I can easily use for the Studio Buds, users operating primarily with Lightning-based devices might be a bit more annoyed by also having to deal with USB-C for their earphones.

The use of USB-C for charging on the Studio Buds is no doubt the result of Beats' desire to appeal to both Apple and Android users. That cross-platform appeal shows up in a few other areas including setup where the Studio Buds are the first Beats product to support one-touch pairing on both platforms.

Beats Studio Buds are also the first Beats product to support both Find My in the Apple ecosystem and ‌Find My‌ Device on Android, allowing you to find the last known location of your earphones or get them to make a sound to help you find them if you're within Bluetooth range.

I have just a few other minor gripes with the Studio Buds, but they're certainly not dealbreakers. I'm not a huge fan of the matte finish on the charging case. It's probably just that I'm used to the glossy plastic on AirPods and ‌AirPods Pro‌, but the matte design of the Studio Buds case just looks and feels a little cheap to me.

While the Studio Buds support one-touch pairing, they don't include an H1 or W1 chip, so they're also missing out a few other features like seamless cross-device pairing you get with ‌AirPods Pro‌ and some other Apple and Beats earphones. They also don't support the head-tracking Spatial Audio that works with video content.

I also still haven't really gotten used to how the buds fit into the case to charge. With AirPods and ‌AirPods Pro‌, the stems make it natural to just drop the earbuds into the case to charge, but the Studio Buds fit into their case in kind of an upside-down orientation. Again, it's not a big deal and I'm sure I'll pick it up eventually, but I'm a little surprised that I'm still frequently putting them into the case incorrectly and having to twist them around a bit to fit. I think I just need to get untrained a bit from all of my AirPods experience over the last few years.

Overall, the Beats Studio Buds are a great option that both gets you most of the way into the AirPods ecosystem while also offering solid support for Android users, all at a reasonable price point. The stemless design is something current AirPods models don't offer, and while they do protrude a bit from the ear, they still offer a comfortable fit.

With ANC and Transparency modes, they work well in noisy environments, and even with ANC turned off they provide a good seal in the ears.

Rumors suggest the second-generation ‌AirPods Pro‌ will be arriving next year with a stemless design, so perhaps we can expect something quite similar to the Beats Studio Buds but with some additional features like wireless charging for the case.

Beats Studio Buds are available to order today on Apple's website in the U.S. and Canada, and through select third-party retailers such as Amazon, with shipments beginning on June 24.

There will be a staggered rollout in other countries, starting with China, where orders will begin on July 2 ahead of a July 6 ship date. The rollout will continue this summer with launch dates to be announced for the UK, France, Germany, Russia, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea. They will also be launching in Brazil in the equivalent winter season.

Just days after the launch of Spatial Audio on Apple Music, Apple has promoted the feature with a new "Beyond Stereo" ad set to "Mystery Lady" by Masego and Don Toliver.

Spatial Audio, based on Dolby Atmos, is an immersive surround sound audio format that enables musicians to mix music so it sounds like the instruments are all around you in space. Thousands of Apple Music songs are available in Spatial Audio as of last week, such as Lady Gaga's "Rain on Me" and Kanye West's "Black Skinhead."

Spatial Audio is available to all Apple Music subscribers at no additional cost. The streaming music service costs $9.99 per month for individuals, $4.99 per month for students, and $14.99 per month for families of up to six people.

This year's Apple Watch Series 7 is likely to have thinner display bezels and use a new lamination technique that brings the display closer to the front cover, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

From the report:

The Cupertino, California-based tech giant is planning to refresh the line this year -- with a model likely dubbed the Apple Watch Series 7 -- by adding a faster processor, improved wireless connectivity and an updated screen, according to people with knowledge of the plans.

For this year's model, Apple has tested thinner display borders and a new lamination technique that brings the display closer to the front cover. The new Watch is likely to be slightly thicker overall, but not in a way that's noticeable to the user.

The model will also include updated ultra-wideband functionality, the same underlying technology in Apple's AirTag item finder, according to Gurman, although additional biometric health sensors are likely to be pushed back to a successor model.

Apple had previously aimed to put a body temperature sensor in this year's model, but that is now more likely to be included in the 2022 update. The blood-sugar sensor, which would help diabetics monitor their glucose levels, is unlikely to be ready for commercial launch for several more years.

Apple previewed its upcoming watchOS 8 software update at WWDC last week, demonstrating previously unseen features such as the ability for Apple Watch to unlock door and hotel rooms. It was not clear at the time which Apple Watch models these new features would be made for, but Gurman's report suggests they could be exclusive to the forthcoming Series 7.

Gurman previously reported that Apple is working on a more rugged "extreme sports" model of the Apple Watch and that it could launch as soon as this year. However, Gurman has now revised that expectation and says that it won't arrive until 2022 at the earliest. Apple is also said to be planning a revised model of the Apple Watch SE for launch next year, according to the report. Apple launched the latter model in 2020 as a more affordable alternative to the Series 6.

In iOS 15, Apple has made some welcome improvements to the Photos app, such as the ability to see the EXIF data for a photo. The latter feature is accessed via a new "Info" button, which also brings up a caption field for the selected photo, the location where the photo was taken, and any Look Up information available.

In addition to the above, the Info button will also tell you which app on your device that an image was saved from if you didn't take it using your camera. For instance, in the example above, you can see that the HomePod image was saved from the web via Safari.

This metadata information also acts like an organizing tag, so if you tap the "Saved from" location in bold, the ‌Photos‌ app will filter your photo library to show you any other images that were saved from the same app, meaning you don't have to scroll endlessly for any others that might be in your camera roll.

The new feature adds another organizational layer to your photos, allowing you to, say, find all the images you've saved from Messages or WhatsApp conversation threads without having to go into the apps themselves.

iOS 15 is available as an early developer beta, with a public beta due to be released next month and an official release set to drop this fall.

Apple's warehouse stock of the original discontinued HomePod appears to have been exhausted in the United States. As of Monday morning, the delivery option for the full-sized ‌HomePod‌ on Apple's online store is listed as "sold out" in both black and white.

Up until recently, the black model was sold out in the U.S. but the white color was available for delivery "while stocks last." That's currently no longer the case, and though Apple's white ‌HomePod‌ listing still allows customers to check availability for in-store purchase and pickup, the speaker has been unavailable in nearly all retail locations since the beginning of June.

Meanwhile in Canada, Apple's discontinued smart speaker is now listed as sold out in both colors with in-store pickup "currently unavailable." Early last week, Apple briefly listed both colors as currently unavailable in the country before re-stocking the white ‌HomePod‌, but those supplies now appear to have run out, too.

Apple announced in March that it was discontinuing the original ‌HomePod‌. "‌HomePod mini‌ has been a hit since its debut last fall, offering customers amazing sound, an intelligent assistant, and smart home control all for just $99," said the company at the time. "We are focusing our efforts on ‌‌HomePod mini‌‌. We are discontinuing the original ‌‌HomePod‌‌, it will continue to be available while supplies last through the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores, and Apple Authorized Resellers."

Since that announcement, the ‌HomePod‌ has been sold "while stocks last" and already removed from sale on Apple's online store in several countries, including France, Germany, China, Hong Kong, and India. The full-sized speaker remains available on Apple's online store in Australia and the U.K. as of writing, but only in black in the U.K. and white in Australia. As it stands, Apple's ‌HomePod‌ online store listing appears to be on borrowed time.

Apple will no longer require vaccinated customers to wear masks inside their retail stores in the U.S, a major shift in policy compared to last month, according to Bloomberg.

The new change, expected to go into effect on Tuesday, will no longer require customers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to wear masks inside Apple Stores in the United States. Bloomberg notes that Apple has been informing retail leaders and staff of the change, noting that employees will continue to be required to wear masks.

The technology giant has begun informing retail employees of the impending change in impacted markets, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who declined to be identified discussing policy changes that haven’t been announced. The change will go into effect as early as Tuesday, and employees have been told that they won’t be required to ask customers for verification of vaccination.

Workers will still need to wear masks at stores, Apple told staff. The company could change its plans or delay the loosening of the restriction. The requirement for face coverings will also be dropped at some of the Cupertino, California-based company’s U.S. offices, according to a memo sent to corporate employees.

Apple last month told retail employees that mask requirements would stay in place following updated guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which states that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask outdoors or in the majority of indoor settings.

In an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg, Apple says that thanks to the progress that has been made in the U.S., it can now safely begin "moving to the next phase of resumption and will begin to operate under Phase 3 onsite protocol." Phase 3 protocol, according to the memo, includes Apple protocol being updated to "permit optional masking for vaccinated individuals." Physical distancing requirements are also being "relaxed."

As part of the return to normalcy, Apple also plans to begin a slow transition to moving back to in-person work at Apple Park this fall.

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.

Apple this week previewed iOS 15, which is available now in beta for developers ahead of a public release later this year. One smaller but useful new feature added is the ability to drag and drop images, text, files, and more across apps on iPhone.

MacStories editor-in-chief Federico Viticci demonstrated the new feature in a tweet:

Cross-app drag and drop has been available on the iPad since 2017 and Apple has finally extended the feature to the iPhone with iOS 15. Cross-app drag and drop always results in duplication, not movement, of content.

From the iOS 15 features page on Apple's website:

Drag and drop
With support for drag and drop across apps, you can pick up images, documents, and files from one app and drag them into another.

To drag and drop on iOS 15, long press on an image, text, or file and, without lifting that finger, use a second finger to swipe out of the app and open another app. Then, let go of the image, text, or file to drop it into the other app. Long pressing on content makes it appear to rise and adhere to your finger, and as the content is dragged, animations and visual cues identify possible destinations where the content can be dropped.

In many apps, you can drag a single item with one finger, and while dragging, select additional items by tapping them with another finger. The selected items move together and appear stacked beneath the finger that's dragging the original item. You can then drag the items as a group and drop them into another app.

The first beta of iOS 15 was seeded to developers earlier this week, and the software update should be released for all compatible iPhones in September.

During the Platforms State of the Union at WWDC this week, Apple unveiled a new API for iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 that enables developers to implement an on-screen virtual game controller in their iPhone and iPad games with just a few lines of code.

While many iPhone and iPad games already offer on-screen controls, Apple's new virtual game controller is available to all developers, easy to add, and can be customized on a per-game basis. Apple said the on-screen controller can be adjusted to a variety of layouts, with up to four buttons and a thumbstick, d-pad, or touchpad available per left and right side.

"These new on-screen controls for iPhone and iPad look amazing, and they're carefully tuned for grip locations across hand sizes and for a great responsiveness and feel," said Nat Brown, an Apple engineer working on Game Technologies.

Apple offers a WWDC session and developer documentation with more details.

In a currently unlisted ad on YouTube, Apple is promoting the versatility, portability, and power of the M1 iPad Pro in a fun musical inspired by The Little Mermaid's "Part of Your World" soundtrack.

In the ad, which features the main character using an ‌M1‌ ‌iPad Pro‌, Magic Keyboard, and Apple Pencil, multiple users can be seen struggling with their old PCs indoors while hoping that they can someday use an ‌iPad Pro‌ instead. The lyrics and soundtrack of the ad are completely based around The Little Mermaid's "Part of Your World," but the visuals tell the majority of the story.

In one scene, an office employee using an old Windows PC can be seen looking out at a girl using an ‌iPad Pro‌ with the Magic Keyboard in a park while singing "up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun." The ad ends with all the characters singing "wish I could be, part of that world," referencing the world of using an ‌iPad Pro‌.

The ad, uploaded on June 4, is currently unlisted on YouTube, meaning only those with a link will be able to watch it. It's unclear why Apple has decided not to make it public or if it plans to in the near future.

As is tradition, Apple executives Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak joined Daring Fireball's John Gruber in an episode of The Talk Show to discuss several announcements that Apple made over this weeks WWDC, including iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey, and a large focus around privacy.

Federighi kicks off the conversation discussing the common architecture, now thanks to Apple silicon, across all of Apple's devices and platforms ranging from the Mac to the Apple Watch. Federighi notes how this unity allows developers to scale their apps to more devices and ultimately more users.

On Monday, Apple announced several privacy features, including iCloud+, which includes Private Relay and a way to crack down on "hidden pixels" in emails. On the privacy front, Joswiak reiterates that Apple believes privacy is a "fundamental human right" and that Apple has been building it into its products for years, "long before it was popular because it was the right thing to do." Joswiak, also known as Joz, says that privacy isn't an idea that Apple has "scotched taped on the side," but that privacy is "deeply woven" into Apple.

During the discussion, Federighi also takes a chance to explain several features announced for iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey that use "on-device intelligence." Federighi notes how Apple can use the powerful chips inside iPhones, iPads, and Macs to deliver customers personalized features without sacrificing privacy. Such features include personalization in Photos, Siri, and more.

Speaking about iPadOS 15, Federighi highlights the new and improved multitasking system. Unlike before, it provides more visuals for users, including a new three-dot menu that makes it easier to enter Split View with apps.

With iPadOS 15, Apple also enables developers to write, compile, and distribute apps on the iPad with Swift Playgrounds. Federighi says that Swift Playgrounds will be tailored for developers who want to build professional apps but also "hobbyists who want an environment to lightly try out ideas."

The full, almost 90-minute long conversation also goes into depth on the technical aspects of iCloud+ and Private Relay, macOS Monterey, Shortcuts on the Mac, and more.

Apple's big week has wrapped up, and there has been a lot to dig through in all of Apple's new software-related announcements. As usual, WWDC saw the introduction of Apple's next-generation operating system versions for all of its major platforms, along with a number of developer-focused announcements, but there were no hardware announcements on this year's agenda.

In addition to this week's preview of all of the upcoming software changes, we also saw the official launch of Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio on Apple Music, which offer the options of improved audio quality and a more immersive music experience. Read on below for all of the details of WWDC and the Apple Music changes!

Everything Apple Announced at the WWDC 2021 Keynote in 9 Minutes

WWDC 2021 kicked off this week with Apple's keynote, with the company unveiling major updates to its software platforms, including iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey, watchOS 8, and tvOS 15. While the keynote ran for nearly two hours, we've condensed all of Apple's noteworthy announcements into a nine-minute video for easy watching.

While there was a rumor that a new MacBook Pro might be unveiled at WWDC, there were no new hardware announcements during the keynote. Apple did list an "M1X MacBook Pro" as a tag for the keynote video on YouTube, however, which at least acknowledges rumors of a next-generation Apple silicon chip that is still expected later this year.

Hands-On With iOS 15: See Apple's New Operating System Update in Action

iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 are major new software updates for the iPhone and iPad. With the first betas now available for developers, we put together a hands-on video with a closer look at key new features.

There are major updates to FaceTime and Messages with a new SharePlay feature for listening to music and watching videos with friends, a new Focus mode for reducing digital distractions, and much more to check out.

Apple Announces macOS Monterey With Universal Control, Quick Notes, Shortcuts App, and More

macOS Monterey has many of the same FaceTime improvements introduced in iOS 15, along with several other key new features, such as Universal Control, a Shortcuts app, Quick Notes, and more.

We learned other tidbits about macOS Monterey following the initial announcement, including that newer Macs can use another Mac as an external display thanks to a new AirPlay to Mac feature introduced in macOS Monterey.

Several macOS Monterey Features Unavailable on Intel-Based Macs

While there are many great new features in macOS Monterey, several of them are not available on Intel-based Macs, according to Apple.

On the macOS Monterey features page, Apple says some features require a Mac with the M1 chip, including any MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac model released since November 2020. Here is a list of the new features that are unavailable on Intel-based Macs.

Apple Reveals watchOS 8: Here's What's New

watchOS 8 adds many new features to the Apple Watch, including enhancements to health tracking, a new Mindfulness app, and new tools to reduce distractions, such as excessive notifications.

While only briefly mentioned, tvOS 15 was also unveiled, and it lets you sign in to Apple TV apps using Face ID or Touch ID on your iPhone. There are some new HomeKit and HomePod mini features for tvOS worth checking out as well.

Apple Music Now Supports Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio

Apple Music's new Spatial Audio feature went live this week, and Apple executive Eddy Cue believes the feature is a "game-changer" that is equivalent to the first time watching HD television, in terms of the noticeable improvement in quality.

As for other Apple services, a launch date was announced for Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, and iCloud paid storage plans have been rebranded as iCloud+ and now include privacy features like iCloud Private Relay and Hide My Email.

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