MacRumors

Apple today previewed a range of new accessibility features, including Door Detection, Apple Watch Mirroring, Live Captions, and more.

Door Detection will allow individuals who are blind or have low vision to use their iPhone or iPad to locate a door upon arriving at a new destination, understand how far they are from it, and describe the door's attributes, including how it can be opened and any nearby signs or symbols. The feature will be part of a new "Detection Mode" in Magnifier, alongside People Detection and Image Descriptions. Door Detection will only be available on iPhones and iPads with a LiDAR scanner.

Users with physical disabilities who may rely on Voice Control and Switch Control will be able to fully control their Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch Series 7 from their iPhone with Apple Watch Mirroring via AirPlay, using assistive features like Voice Control and Switch Control, and inputs such as voice commands, sound actions, head tracking, and more.

New Quick Actions on the Apple Watch will allow users to use a double-pinch gesture to answer or end a phone call, dismiss a notification, take a photo, play or pause media in the Now Playing app, and start, pause, or resume a workout.

Deaf users and those who are hard of hearing will be able to follow Live Captions across the iPhone, ‌iPad‌, and Mac, providing a way for users to follow any audio content more easily, such as during a phone call or when watching video content. Users can adjust the font size, see Live Captions for all participants in a group FaceTime call, and type responses that are spoken aloud. English Live Captions will be available in beta on the iPhone 11 and later, ‌iPad‌ models with the A12 Bionic and later, and Macs with Apple silicon later this year.

Apple will expand support for VoiceOver, its screen reader for blind and low vision users, with 20 new languages and locales, including Bengali, Bulgarian, Catalan, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. In addition, users will be able to select from dozens of new optimized voices across languages and a new Text Checker tool to find formatting issues in text.

There will also be Sound Recognition for unique home doorbells and appliances, adjustable response times for Siri, new themes and customization options in Apple Books, and sound and haptic feedback for VoiceOver users in Apple Maps to find the starting point for walking directions.

The new accessibility features will be released later this year via software updates. For more information, see Apple's full press release.

To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Apple also announced plans to launch SignTime in Canada on May 19 to support customers with American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters, launch live sessions in Apple Stores and social media posts to help users discover accessibility features, expand the Accessibility Assistant shortcut to the Mac and Apple Watch, highlight accessibility features in Apple Fitness+ such as Audio Hints, release a Park Access for All guide in ‌Apple Maps‌, and flag accessibility-focused content in the App Store, Apple Books, the TV app, and Apple Music.

An image showing a series of third-party cases for the forthcoming iPhone 14 lineup has turned up on Weibo, providing a stark reminder of just how large the camera housing on Apple's flagship smartphones is about to become.

After seeing lackluster sales of the iPhone 13 mini, Apple this year is set to focus on larger iPhone sizes, and we're expecting to see a 6.1-inch iPhone 14, a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro, a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max, and a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max.

While significant design changes aren't expected, all of these models are likely to see camera upgrades, and consequently the camera bumps are set to get about 5% larger, with the difference being most notable on the Pro models (corresponding in the image with the first and third cases from the left.)

All iPhone 14 models are expected to see upgrades to the Ultra Wide camera on the rear of the device, while the iPhone Pro models could see significant improvements to the main wide-angle camera and updates to the telephoto lens.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that the iPhone 14 Pro models will feature a 48-megapixel Wide camera, which would be a major improvement over the current 12-megapixel camera, as well as 8K video recording capabilities.

The 48-megapixel camera in the iPhone 14 Pro models is also likely to be capable of taking 12-megapixel shots through a process known as pixel-binning. Pixel binning merges data from multiple smaller pixels on the camera's image sensor into one "super-pixel" for improved low-light sensitivity.

Whether the enormity of the camera housing is a worthwhile trade-off for enhanced photo capabilities will be something users will have to decide for themselves, but suffice to say that cases designed for the iPhone 13 models are unlikely to fit the iPhone 14 models because of the size increase.

Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 14 models at an event likely to be held in September 2022, if Apple follows previous launch timelines. For everything we know about the new lineup, be sure to check out our dedicated iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro rumor roundups.

(Via DuanRui.)

Sonos is set to release a smaller, more affordable subwoofer that will be able to wirelessly pair with the Sonos Ray and the rest of its existing soundbar lineup, a new report has confirmed.

According to The Verge, Sonos is working on a smaller version of its $749 Sub, called the Sub Mini, which will be capable of pairing with the company's second-generation Beam, the Arc, and the Ray, which was unveiled earlier this month.

In an earlier leak, Sonos described the Sub Mini as a "smaller, cylindrical subwoofer," and that is pretty much reflected in a rendered version of the actual product seen by The Verge.

The main thing that distinguishes the Sub Mini hardware is an elongated, pill-shaped vertical cutout right in the middle of the device. It just so happens that the regular Sub has a rectangular cutout, so Sonos seems to have settled on this both for functionality and as a design trait of sorts. In the case of the Sub, there are acoustic ports on both sides, so it would follow that the Sub Mini will have a similar internal layout — albeit with smaller, less powerful components.

The full features list, dimensions, price, and release date have not been disclosed, but the subwoofer is likely to follow the same design signature as other recent and upcoming products in its home theater lineup.

Apart from the Ray soundbar, Sonos also announced this month that it will be launching its own voice control system for its speakers, allowing users to say "Hey Sonos" to control compatible music services, including Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, Pandora, and Sonos Radio.

WhatsApp is working on a new feature that will allow users to "silently" leave group chats hosted by the messaging platform instead of all members of the group being notified when they do.

As it stands, when someone leaves a group chat, WhatsApp announces their exit to the entire group, making the act of leaving very public. It's not possible right now to leave a group quietly, but WhatsApp seems to realize that making one's exit less conspicuous may be the safer default.

WhatsApp officially allows up to 256 people to join a single chat group, which can also lead to a lot of coming and going during a conversation, and that could become a distraction to other members.

To ameliorate the situation, a beta feature uncovered by WABetainfo allows users to leave a group chat in such a way that only the administrators of the group are notified. When a group member opts out, a dialog appears that says "Only you and group admins will be notified that you left the group."

In another beta development, WhatsApp is testing rich link previews in Status updates. Sharing a link in a Status update currently only displays the URL, whereas rich link previews would display a preview of the website being linked to, offering users an idea of the content they can be expected to see if they visit the webpage.

As usual, WhatsApp hasn't offered any details on when these new features will roll out to the public while it develops them under the aegis of its beta testers. The last major rollout of new features on the platform earlier this month included emoji reactions, bigger file transfers, and larger groups.

Apple is testing electronic paper display (EPD) technology for possible implementation in future foldable devices and tablet applications, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today.

On Twitter, Kuo said that color EPD displays made by Chinese company E Ink could be used for the outer-most display in a foldable device, while the larger, folded-out display would use a more advanced display technology. EPD would be significantly more energy-efficient than other forms of display technology, said Kuo, and as a form of e-ink technology, a color EPD display could also potentially be used by Apple for a new class of tablet devices.

Apple is reportedly planning to first launch a 9-inch foldable that sits somewhere between an iPhone and iPad in display specifications around 2025. Kuo believes that Apple's foldable roadmap will initially focus on medium-sized devices, followed by devices with larger displays, before finally expanding to small devices like the ‌iPhone‌.

Apple today informed developers that it is implementing a new subscription feature that will allow customers to be charged automatically when an app's subscription price goes up, which is not the way that subscriptions work at the current time.

Right now, customers must explicitly agree to a pricing change when the cost of a subscription increases through an "Agree to New Price" interface. If a customer does not tap on agree when the warning comes up, their subscription is automatically canceled, but that's changing.

Going forward, developers will be able to increase the price of a subscription and have it auto renew, with customers simply being informed rather than needing to outright agree. Apple says that "under specific conditions and with advance user notice" developers can offer an auto-renewable subscription price increase without the user needing to take action and without their subscription being impacted.

There are specific limits that Apple is placing on developers to make sure this functionality is not abused. A pricing increase cannot occur more than once per year, and it cannot exceed $5 and 50 percent of the subscription price, or $50 and 50 percent for an annual subscription price.

Apple says that it will always notify users of the pricing increase in advance, via email, push notification, and a message within the app. Apple will also provide instructions on how to view, manage, and cancel subscriptions.

With this update, under certain specific conditions and with advance user notice, developers may also offer an auto-renewable subscription price increase, without the user needing to take action and without interrupting the service. The specific conditions for this feature are that the price increase doesn't occur more than once per year, doesn't exceed US$5 and 50% of the subscription price, or US$50 and 50% for an annual subscription price, and is permissible by local law. In these situations, Apple always notifies users of an increase in advance, including via email, push notification, and a message within the app. Apple will also notify users of how to view, manage, and cancel subscriptions if preferred.

In situations where prices increase more often than once a year or exceed Apple's thresholds, subscribers will need to opt in as usual before the pricing increase is applied. Apple says that this will also happen in territories where the law requires it.

Apple has already been testing these subscription changes, which essentially turn subscription price increases from an opt-in system to an opt-out system. Back in April, some developers noticed that when Disney+ increased its price to $7.99 per month, the app sent out a notification that was an alert rather than an opt-in choice.

At the time, Apple said that it was "piloting a new commerce feature," describing it as an "enhancement that we believe will be great for both developers and users." With this change, App Store users should make sure to pay attention to the warnings received in apps, through push notifications, and through email to ensure they don't miss subscription pricing increases.

Apple today released iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5 to the public after a few weeks of testing. The new updates aren't as feature rich as the prior updates and focus primarily on under-the-hood changes, but there are still a few minor tweaks, which we've outlined below.

Podcasts Update

The Apple Podcasts app includes a setting that allows users to limit the number of episodes stored on the iPhone or iPad. It will also automatically delete older episodes, preventing the app from taking up too much storage space on iOS devices.

Apple Cash

In the Apple Cash section of the Wallet app, there are now "Request" and "Send" buttons to make it easier to manage cash directly from Wallet.

Apple Pay in the Messages app has also been renamed "Apple Cash."

Home App

There now are WiFi signal bars that let you ensure the HomePod has a connection in the Home app.

Universal Control

In iPadOS 15.5, Universal Control is no longer in beta. That means the feature is fully, officially launched, and that the bugs have been worked out.

First introduced in iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3, ‌Universal Control‌ is designed to allow you to use one mouse/trackpad and keyboard across multiple iPads and Macs.

Apple Card

Apple now refers to the physical Apple Card as the "Titanium Card" in the Wallet app.

External Links in Reader Apps

iOS 15.5 adds support for the "External Link Account Entitlement" that is designed to allow reader apps to add a link to an external website for account creation and management purposes. An external link will allow an app like Netflix to offer a way to sign up for an account outside of the App Store in-app purchase system.

Reader apps include those that provide digital content like magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, or video as the primary functionality of the app, with Spotify, Netflix, Hulu, and other apps serving as an example.

Photo Memories

Apple in iOS 15.5 added a list of "Sensitive Locations" to the Photos app, which means those locations are blocked from showing up in memories. Included on this list are various concentration camps and holocaust memorials.

Apple Music Playback API

iOS 15.5 reintroduces an Apple Music API that allows third-party Apple Music players to change the playback speeds of songs. The API was removed in iOS 15.4, but it is being put back in iOS 15.5.

Apple Classical References

In the beta, there were references to the upcoming "Apple Classical" app that Apple has in development to complement ‌Apple Music‌, but the app did not launch as part of the iOS 15.5 update.

There are "Open in Apple Classical" and "Open this in the new app designed for classical music" in the Music app code, however, which suggests that a launch could be coming in the not too distant future.

Apple acquired classical music streaming service Primephonic back in August 2021 and said that it would be building a new classical music experience for ‌Apple Music‌. Apple is planning to launch a new standalone app dedicated to classical music, and the app will combine Primephonic's user interface and specializations for classical music with ‌‌Apple Music‌‌ and features such as Lossless and Spatial Audio. Apple has not provided details on when the app might come out, but preparations are clearly being made.

SportsKit Updates

Apple is continuing to build out its "SportsKit" support as it following the launch of Friday Night Baseball, and there are TV app mentions for reporting scores for different baseball innings.

Automation Fix

iOS 15.5 addresses a bug that could cause home automations triggered by people leaving or arriving to fail.

Communication Safety in Messages

iOS 15.5 expands the Communication Safety in Messages feature to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK. Communication Safety in Messages, which was previously available in the United States, is designed to scan incoming and outgoing iMessage images on children's devices for nudity and warn them that such photos might be harmful. If nudity is detected in a photo that's received by a child, the photo will be blurred and the child will be provided with resources from child safety groups. Nudity in a photo sent by a child will trigger a warning encouraging the child not to send the image.

Communication Safety is opt-in, privacy-focused, and must be enabled by parents. It is limited to the accounts of children, with detection done on-device, and it is not related to the anti-CSAM functionality that Apple has in development and may release in the future.

Security Fixes

iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5 also include more than 25 security fixes, as outlined on Apple's security support site. None of the fixes were actively exploited, but it is still worth updating right away.

There are fixes for WebKit, the kernel, Wi-Fi, AppleAVD, and more.

Other Features

Find another iOS 15.5 feature that we left out? Let us know in the comments.

Apple today began selling refurbished versions of the fourth-generation iPad Air for the first time since the tablet was initially released in October 2020.

The fourth-generation iPad Air introduced an all-display design, an array of different colors for the body, and a Touch ID Home button. It featured an A14 chip, the same chip that was used in the iPhone 12 lineup.

Apple has several different ‌iPad Air‌ 4 models available for purchase in 64 and 256GB capacities. 64GB models are priced at $469, which Apple says is an $80 savings over the $549 standard price, and the 256GB models are priced at $599, a $100 savings. It's worth noting that the ‌iPad Air‌ 4 was priced at $599 for the 64GB model and $729 for the 256GB version, so Apple is listing pricing that was not technically available. There are multiple color options for each capacity, including silver, sky blue, green, rose gold, and space gray, but stock is limited and will fluctuate.

Refurbished iPads are sold with the same one-year warranty that's provided with a brand new device, along with all manuals and accessories. Refurbished devices go through a rigorous testing, repair, repackaging, and cleaning process that makes them nearly identical to new devices.

(Thanks, Michael!)

Public beta testers will be able to try out the upcoming iOS 16 update starting in July, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The update is reportedly scheduled for release alongside the third developer beta, which is expected to come out after developers have tested the beta software for a few weeks.

In past years, Apple has typically released public betas of next-generation iOS updates alongside the second developer beta, so if Apple is planning on a third developer beta release, the public testing is slated to begin later than usual this year.

Gurman speculates that the public beta could be running behind, and that internal seeds are a "bit buggy" at the current time.

Apple is expected to preview iOS 16 at the Worldwide Developers Conference, with the update seeing an introduction during the keynote event on Monday, June 6. Developers will have the opportunity to download the software directly after the keynote event.

First betas are often riddled with bugs that need to be worked out, which is why Apple goes through a months-long beta testing period before the updates see a public launch in September. Because of the bugs, Apple often recommends that betas be installed on a secondary device rather than a main device.

We know very little about iOS 16 at this time as Apple has kept the update under wraps and there have been few leaks. We are expecting notification updates, Health app improvements, and possibly features like car crash detection.

Gurman also this weekend said that Apple will introduce new ways of system interaction and "fresh Apple apps," but what exactly that means is unclear.

Apple today released macOS Monterey 12.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Monterey operating system that launched in October 2021. macOS Monterey 12.4 comes over two months after the launch of macOS Monterey 12.3, an update that added Universal Control.

The ‌‌‌‌‌macOS Monterey‌‌ 12.4 update can be downloaded on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Preferences. Apple has also released a macOS Big Sur 11.6.6 update for those who are still running Big Sur, as well as a macOS Catalina 2022-004 security update.

Following the macOS Monterey 12.4 and iPadOS 15.5 updates, ‌Universal Control‌ is no longer in beta. It is now an official feature that Apple has deemed issue-free, and the beta labeling has been removed. ‌Universal Control‌ was introduced in March and it allows you to use a single mouse/trackpad and keyboard across multiple Macs and iPads.

For the Studio Display, macOS Monterey 12.4 adds support for the 15.5 firmware, which is designed to improve the webcam quality.

There's also an update for the Podcasts app, with Apple adding a setting that limits the number of episodes stored on a Mac and automatically deletes older ones.

Apple today released a new 15.5 firmware for the Studio Display, with the update coming after a few weeks of beta testing. The ‌Studio Display‌ Firmware improves the performance of the webcam.

The ‌Studio Display‌ firmware can be updated by connecting it to a Mac running macOS Monterey 12.4, which was also released today. After installing the new Mac software, ‌Studio Display‌ owners can go to System Preferences > Software Update to install the firmware.

Apple has been working on a firmware update for the ‌Studio Display‌ since March, to address complaints about the quality of the webcam.

The ‌Studio Display‌ is equipped with a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera that supports Center Stage, but ‌Studio Display‌ reviewers and owners discovered that the camera consistently produces grainy, washed-out images, which Apple has said is the result of the system not behaving as expected.

According to Apple's release notes, the firmware refines camera tuning, offering improved noise reduction, contrast, and framing. We tested out the firmware update when it was in beta, and there is a clear difference in camera quality, mostly as it pertains to the way the framing works.

In addition to better framing, colors are not quite as pale, the contrast has been improved, and the overall look is more vibrant. Skin tones are also better than before, and there is less de-noising for more clarity, but ultimately ‌Studio Display‌ owners should not expect dramatic changes.

Apple today released iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5, the fifth major updates to the iOS and iPadOS 15 operating systems that were initially released in September 2021. iOS and iPadOS 15.5 come a little over two months after the launch of iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4.

The iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5 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.

Compared to prior iOS 15 updates, iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5 are smaller in scale. There are updates to the Apple Cash card in the Wallet app and a new setting that lets Podcasts users limit the number of episodes stored on their devices. Apple's full release notes for the update are below.

iOS 15.5 includes the following improvements and bug fixes:
- Wallet now enables Apple Cash customers to send and request money from their Apple Cash card
- Apple Podcasts includes a new setting to limit episodes stored on your iPhone and automatically delete older ones
- Fixes an issue where home automations, triggered by people arriving or leaving, may fail
Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5 could be some of the final updates to the iOS 15 operating system as Apple is already working on iOS 16, and iOS 16 is expected to be introduced on June 6 at the start of the Worldwide Developers Conference.

Apple today released watchOS 8.6, the fifth major update to the watchOS 8 operating system that launched in September 2021. watchOS 8.6 comes two months after the launch of watchOS 8.5, an update that brought new emojis, Apple TV purchase authorization, and more.

‌‌watchOS ‌8.6 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.

To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌‌‌‌.

According to Apple's release notes, watchOS 8.6 expands ECG functionality and irregular heart rhythm detection to Mexico.

Alongside iOS 15.5, iPadOS 15.5, and tvOS 15.5, Apple today released a new 15.5 update for the HomePod and the HomePod mini. The ‌HomePod‌ 15.5 update is the fifth major ‌HomePod‌ software update since version 15 was released, and it comes two months after the launch of HomePod software 15.4.

Apple has not detailed what improvements might be in the new ‌HomePod‌ software, and Apple's release notes don't mention anything other than general performance and stability improvements, suggesting this is an under-the-hood update to address underlying issues rather than an update that adds new features.

‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ software is installed automatically on the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌‌‌‌ unless the feature is disabled‌‌‌‌, but the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌HomePod‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ can also be manually updated in the Home app by following the instructions in our HomePod‌‌ update how to.

Apple today released tvOS 15.5, the fifth major update to the tvOS operating system that first launched in September 2021. tvOS 15.5 comes more than two months after the release of tvOS 15.4, an update that brought support for captive WiFi networks.

tvOS 15.5 can be downloaded over the air on the Apple TV through the Settings app by going to System > Software Update. ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ owners who have automatic software updates enabled will be upgraded to tvOS 15.5 automatically.

Apple's tvOS updates are typically more minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes, performance updates, and small tweaks rather than major outward-facing changes. There were no new features discovered in tvOS 15.5 during the beta testing process, so it's not yet clear what's included in the update.

Apple does not offer detailed release notes for its tvOS updates, but the company does offer some tvOS information through the tvOS support document.

Amazon Freevee, aka the ad-supported video service that used to be called IMDb TV, now has an app that's available on the App Store for the Apple TV (via Variety).

According to Amazon's website, Freevee is an ad-supported streaming video service that is available in the United States. It is separate from Amazon Prime Video, which requires an Amazon Prime subscription, and it is entirely free to watch. There is no option to skip ads or turn off ads with Freevee.

Freevee offers movies, shows, Freevee Originals, and live 24/7 entertainment channels. Some of the available original shows include "Troppo," "Judy Justice," and "Bosch: Legacy," plus it has popular movies that are shown with ads.

The Freevee app can be downloaded on the ‌Apple TV‌ starting today, and it is also available on the iPhone and iPad as well as other set-top boxes and consoles.

Apple today announced several new features for the Podcasts app, including downloaded episode controls, annual subscription plans, partnerships with hosting platforms, and more (via TechCrunch).

iOS 15.5, iPadOS 15.5, and macOS 12.4 will feature new tools to easily remove accumulated downloads and free up storage space. In the Settings app on iOS and iPadOS under Podcasts, users will be able to choose how many recent episodes of shows are downloaded to a device, either by number of episodes or within a timeframe, such as in the past week.

Users will be able to continue to download all new episodes, but new functionality to turn off downloads will make the Podcasts app function via streaming only. This will be configurable at the show level to provide custom settings for different podcasts.

The updates will also bring features to browse shows by season and filter episodes by status, and give podcast creators the option to present annual subscription plans for premium podcasts alongside monthly subscription options, with annual subscriptions set to become the default. Annual subscriptions will also display cost savings to users where relevant.

The Apple Podcasts Delegated Delivery system will allow creators to distribute both free and premium podcast episodes directly to ‌Apple Podcasts‌ using third-party hosting providers. Creators will not be required to have an ‌Apple Podcasts‌ Program membership to publish their free episodes. Acast, ART19, Blubrry, Buzzsprout, Libsyn, Omny Studio, and RSS.com will be supported at launch in the fall, with more hosting providers to be added over time, and additional details about the new distribution system will be available nearer to launch. Read more on the Apple Podcasts for Creators page.

Downloaded episode controls and annual podcast subscriptions will be available in iOS 15.5, iPadOS 15.5, and macOS 12.4, while Delegated Delivery will debut with supported podcast hosting providers this fall.