MacRumors

In what could be seen as an attempt to catch up to Apple's legacy software support for older iOS devices, Samsung is now promising Galaxy users that they'll receive security software updates for "at least four years" after a device's initial release.

Samsung and Android have long had a reputation of being a fragmented ecosystem when it comes to OS updates. Samsung, unlike Apple, has multiple lines of smartphone devices, making it significantly harder to maintain all of them with frequent software updates.

Apple software releases typically support a range of older devices that have been superseded by newer models and are no longer sold by the company. For example, iOS 14 supports iPhone 6S models, which were released in 2015. On average, Apple tends to support devices with major iOS updates for at least five years after their launch.

It's important to note that Samsung's new commitment only targets security updates, not Android OS updates. Apple usually bundles security improvements and new features in a single update, however, it does occasionally release updates solely focused on security patches. In November of 2020, Apple released an update focused on patching major security issues for devices as old as the ‌iPhone‌ 5S, released in 2013.

Samsung's new four-year promise for security updates will only apply to devices launched after 2019. Any devices launched before then are still under Samsung's old policy. Samsung previously provided updates for its devices for at least two years after it initially launched, so the new announcement effectively doubles the timeframe.

As The Verge rightfully points out, Samsung says devices will receive "regular updates," which is the lowest tier of update frequency. The tier is typically only reserved for devices that Samsung no longer supports, but still receives updates, without a fixed time schedule. In contrast, Google only promises "at least three years" of security updates for its Pixel phones.

Last year, Samsung did promise to provide some of its devices with "three generations" of Android updates after their initial launch, but only for its S, N, and Z series. The A series, its low-end family of Galaxy devices, will receive software updates "until hardware allows," according to a statement provided to The Verge.

Facebook has announced that it will restore the ability for users in Australia to share news content on the social platform, following changes to the country's media code.

The company banned all news sharing last week in response to a proposed Media Bargaining Law, which aims to level the playing field between Australian news media businesses and digital platforms in terms of bargaining power.

The law would allow Australian news publications to negotiate for fair payment for their journalist's work, effectively forcing companies like Facebook and Google to pay for news content.

However, Facebook said on Tuesday that it had been reassured by discussions over the weekend with the Australian government about negotiated amendments to the bargaining code, adding that it was "satisfied" with the agreement they had reached.

"After further discussions, we are satisfied that the Australian government has agreed to a number of changes and guarantees that address our core concerns about allowing commercial deals that recognize the value our platform provides to publishers relative to the value we receive from them," Facebook's VP of global news partnerships, Campbell Brown, said in a statement.

"Going forward, the government has clarified we will retain the ability to decide if news appears on Facebook so that we won't automatically be subject to a forced negotiation. We have come to an agreement that will allow us to support the publishers we choose to, including small and local publishers," Brown said.

Australian authorities plan to introduce further amendments to the proposed law so that the government may not apply the code to Facebook if it can demonstrate a "significant contribution" to local journalism, and a two-month mediation period before enforced arbitration comes into effect, allowing parties additional time to reach a private deal.

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg had told him the ban would end "in the coming days", following the talks. "Facebook has re-friended Australia," he told reporters on Tuesday.

Despite Facebook's reversal, its original decision to ban news shared on its platform attracted negative headlines about the company around the world, and prompted other governments to consider moves to curtail its power. Canada has said that it is considering similar changes in its media law, while British politicians also called voiced concerns about Facebook's actions in Australia.

However, Facebook did receive support from some quarters when it complained that Australia's proposed law had been badly drafted. For instance, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the web, said he was concerned that forcing companies to pay for certain content could make the internet "unworkable."

"Specifically, I am concerned that that code risks breaching a fundamental principle of the web by requiring payment for linking between certain content online," Berners-Lee said.

Taiwanese company Ennostar will begin production of Mini-LED backlight units for an upcoming 12.9-inch iPad Pro in the late first quarter or second quarter of this year, according to industry sources cited by DigiTimes.

Ennostar is a holding company that was jointly established in January 2021 by LED-related manufacturers Epistar and Lextar Electronics.

Apple is expected to unveil the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Mini-LED backlighting in the first half of this year, with Epistar serving as the exclusive supplier of Mini-LED chips that will be packaged into backlight units by Lextar, the report claims. This timeframe has been rumored several times, with some reports narrowing down a release to the first quarter, so it is possible the new iPad Pro will be introduced in March.

The new 12.9-inch iPad Pro is also expected to feature a faster A14X chip and support for 5G networks on models with cellular connectivity.

It's unclear if Apple plans to introduce a new 11-inch iPad Pro at the same time, as many rumors have only mentioned the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. One possibility is that Mini-LED backlighting will be limited to the 12.9-inch model, with the 11-inch model's key new features limited to the A14X chip and 5G support, but it is unclear.

Apple will likely also adopt Mini-LED backlighting for new MacBook models to be unveiled in the second half of this year, according to the report. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models to launch in the second half of 2021 with a new design, the return of an HDMI port and SD card reader, the removal of the Touch Bar, classic MagSafe charging with a breakaway power cable, and more.

Apple plans to release two new MacBook Pro models equipped with an HDMI port and SD card reader in the second half of 2021, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who outlined his expectations in a research note obtained by MacRumors. The return of an SD card reader was first reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last month.

"We predict that Apple's two new MacBook Pro models in 2H21 will have several significant design and specification changes," wrote Kuo. "Some of the practical changes for users are equipping with the SD card reader and HDMI port."

Last month, Kuo said Apple is planning all-new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with several changes, including the return of the classic MagSafe charging connector with a breakaway power cable, the removal of the Touch Bar, a new flat-edged design, and the return of more ports built into the notebooks for expanded connectivity. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman echoed many of these details in his reporting.

Kuo said Taiwan's Genesys Logic will be the exclusive supplier of the SD card reader in the 2021 MacBook Pro models.

Google today quietly added App Privacy labels to its Gmail app, marking the first of its major apps to receive the privacy details aside from YouTube.

Though App Privacy information has been added to Gmail, Google has done so server side and has yet to issue an update to the Gmail app. It has been two months since the Gmail app last saw an update.

Earlier in February, the Gmail app was displaying warnings about the app being out of date as it has been so long since new security features were added, but Google eliminated that messaging without pushing an update to the app.

Apple has been enforcing App Privacy labels since December, and Google has been slow to support the feature. Google said in early January that it would add privacy data to its app catalog "this week or next week," but by January 20, most apps still had not been updated with the App Privacy.

Google has since been adding App Privacy labels to apps like YouTube and some of its smaller apps, but of major apps like Google Search, Google Photos, and Google Maps, Gmail is the first to get the new labeling.

There is nothing hugely unexpected in the Gmail App Privacy data, with Google listing location, user ID, and usage data as information that's shared with third-party advertisers.Purchases, location, contact info, user content, search history, identifiers, and usage data are used for analytics purposes, product personalization, and app functionality.

Though most Google apps went months without an update and still have yet to be updated, apps like Google Translate, Google Tasks, YouTube Music, and YouTube TV have been updated with new content and bug fixes. These apps were quietly updated with App Privacy labels prior to when their content was updated, however.

Now that Gmail has App Privacy labels in place, we may soon see the information made available for other Google apps, and Google may resume the regular updates that were offered for iOS apps prior to when Apple implemented the new rules.

Apple today began selling certified refurbished models of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 chip in the United States and Canada for the first time since the notebook was released in November 2020. As usual, the refurbished models are discounted by approximately 15 percent compared to the equivalent brand new models.

Apple's online refurbished store has the base model 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 chip available for $1,099 in the United States, for example, compared to Apple's regular price of $1,299 for this model. This configuration includes the 8-core M1 chip with 8GB of unified memory and 256GB of SSD storage in Silver or Space Gray.

Apple says refurbished MacBook Pro models are thoroughly inspected, tested, cleaned, and repackaged with a USB-C power adapter and USB-C cable in the box. In our view, a refurbished MacBook Pro is virtually indistinguishable from a brand new model, so this represents a good opportunity for savings. However, keep in mind that third-party resellers may offer better deals over time, so be sure to monitor our deals roundup.

Apple's refurbished Macs are covered by a one-year limited warranty and have a 14-day return policy. AppleCare+ coverage can be purchased as well.

(Thanks, Ryan Gregg!)

Netflix today announced the launch of a new "Downloads For You" feature that's designed to automatically download recommended TV shows or movies based on your Netflix watch history and personal tastes.

"Downloads For You" is meant to ensure that there's always something available to watch when there's no internet connection available, with users able to discover new content while offline.

Netflix users can choose how much device space downloaded content can take up, selecting from 1GB, 3GB, or 5GB under the "Downloads" tab once the Downloads For You feature is enabled.

Downloads For You is available on Android devices as of today, and it will soon be available in a testing capacity on iOS devices.

Netflix says it's not currently testing spatial audio support for the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, putting to rest an earlier report that claimed support would roll out in the spring.

Image via iPhoneSoft

In a statement to MacRumors, a Netflix spokesperson says that it's not currently testing spatial audio support, and has no plans to make public at this point in time. Netflix instead says it was testing multi-channel support for built-in speakers, as part of its mission to "improve" its service, and evaluate "new experiences" for users.

Netflix and AirPods users have been on edge, waiting for the streaming giant to adopt the feature. The pressure on Netflix isn't made any lighter given the fact that a number of its biggest competitors such as Disney Plus, HBO Max, and of course, Apple TV+, all already include Spatial audio support.

Spatial audio brings three-dimensional sound to your ‌AirPods Pro‌ and ‌AirPods Max‌. Your iOS device will compare its own data from the gyroscope and accelerometer against the data from your AirPods, to ensure that your sound field stays anchored to the device even if you move your head.

Spotify today announced plans to introduce a new "HiFi" premium tier later this year, which will provide higher-quality lossless audio. According to Spotify, the feature will offer CD-quality music that will let fans experience more depth and clarity in their favorite tracks.

Streaming music services like Tidal, Deezer, and Amazon Music have offered lossless audio options but to date, Spotify and Apple Music have not provided higher quality streaming options.

Spotify is ‌Apple Music‌'s main competitor, so with Spotify planning a HiFi music option, Apple could be planning to also offer higher quality streaming in an effort to remain competitive. A lossless audio tier would also pair well with Apple's high-end AirPods Max headphones that were released in late 2020.

There's no pricing information available at this time, but Amazon Music's lossless tier is priced at $14.99 per month ($12.99 for Prime subscribers), while Tidal charges $19.99 per month and Deezer charges $14.99 for its high fidelity plan. Spotify plans to launch HiFi in select markets later in the year, and it will be a premium tier add-on.

HiFi was introduced at Spotify's Stream On event, which can be watched in full on YouTube.

Other announcements included Spotify's new Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen "Renegade" podcast, new interactive podcast features for creators like polls and Q&A tools, and new music promotion resources for artists.

Display manufacturer BOE will be one of the main suppliers of OLED panels for iPhone 13 models, according to a new report today from Taiwan's Economic Daily News.

BOE is said to be working with touch panel manufacturer General Interface Solution (GIS), part of the Hon Hai Group to develop OLED panels.

Multiple ‌iPhone‌ 12 rumors suggested that BOE would supply some panels for the devices, but BOE ran into major production problems. In June, BOE failed to deliver its first shipment of OLED panels to Apple as displays created by BOE failed validation tests.

Samsung Display ended up shipping the panels for the higher-end ‌iPhone‌ 12 models and the iPhone 12 mini, while LG Display made panels for the standard 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌ 12.

At the time of the failures, BOE's yield rate was around 20 percent, which was not sufficient to meet Apple's needs. BOE was rumored to be working to improve its yield rate, but as of November, was unable to secure a supply order from Apple.

A report from The Elec in November suggested that Apple would revisit BOE's manufacturing facility in Chengdu, China in May or June, and if it passed validation tests at that time, BOE display panels could be used for refurbished ‌iPhone‌ 12 models and perhaps some ‌iPhone‌ 13 inventory.

Economic Daily News suggests that BOE's position in Apple's supply chain has improved, and its OLED technology is now "closer to that of major South Korean manufacturers." The site also says that BOE has now completed certification tests and is manufacturing a small number of displays for the ‌iPhone‌ 12, but it's not clear if that's accurate given the mixed rumors.

‌iPhone‌ 13 displays are expected to be more technically difficult to manufacture due to Apple's switch to LTPO technology to adopt 120Hz refresh rates on some models, but prior rumors have also suggested that BOE could win some orders.

The ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineup is expected to be identical to the ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup with four iPhones in 6.1, 5.4, and 6.7-inch sizes, with Apple offering both standard and Pro models. Pro models are expected to feature 120Hz refresh rates, with Apple bringing the iPad Pro's "ProMotion" technology to the ‌iPhone‌ for the first time.

T-Mobile today introduced a new Magenta MAX smartphone plan that offers truly unlimited LTE and 5G data in the United States, meaning that speeds are not throttled after using a certain amount of data per month.

Magenta MAX will be available starting February 24 for both consumers and small businesses, with pricing starting at $57 per month ($47 per month for a limited time) with three lines of service and AutoPay automated billing enabled, including taxes and fees. T-Mobile informed MacRumors that pricing for one individual line is $85 per month with AutoPay enabled, including taxes and fees, equal to its existing Magenta Plus plan.

The plan's only limitation appears to be Mobile Hotspot tethering to other devices, with high-speed data capped at 40GB per month for this. After this limit is reached, T-Mobile says speeds will be capped to the equivalent of 3G.

Magenta MAX also includes unlimited talk and text in the United States, a free Netflix Basic subscription for individuals and a free Netflix Standard subscription for families, 5GB of high-speed data when roaming in Canada and Mexico, unlimited Wi-Fi on flights with Gogo Inflight Internet, access to T-Mobile Tuesdays freebies, and more.

T-Mobile is also introducing a new standard Magenta smartphone plan priced at $47 per month ($40 per month for a limited time) with more limitations, including high-speed data capped at 100GB per month, high-speed Mobile Hotspot capped at 5GB per month, streaming video limited to 480p, and no free Netflix Basic for individuals.

T-Mobile says existing Magenta and Magenta Plus customers can easily upgrade and keep their current device or line promotions.

Epic Games will not be able to expand its ongoing Fortnite fight with Apple in the UK after a judge said the case could not continue in London, reports Bloomberg.

In January, ‌Epic Games‌ submitted a complaint to the United Kingdom's Competition Appeal Tribunal in an effort to get the Fortnite app back on the App Store in the UK. ‌Epic Games‌ argued that Apple's decision to remove Fortnite was unlawful, and tried to convince the Appeal Tribunal that it was acting on behalf of consumers and developers in the UK impacted by "Apple and Google's misuse of market power."

The judge ruled that ‌Epic Games‌' case against Apple Inc. was better decided in the United States, but ‌Epic Games‌ is allowed to sue Apple (UK) Limited, a European arm of the company, and Google.

‌Epic Games‌ in a statement said that it will reconsider pursuing a case against Apple in the UK after the U.S. case is finished.

"We are pleased that the Court has granted Epic permission to pursue our case against Google in the U.K. Epic will reconsider pursuing its case against Apple in the U.K. after the resolution of the U.S. case. We note the Competition Appeal Tribunal's assessment that Apple and Google's anticompetitive app store policies are 'serious issues to be tried' under UK Competition law, and that it is 'well arguable' that their conduct has 'an immediate and substantial effect in the UK'. We are unwavering in our commitment to stopping Apple and Google's anti-competitive practices and will continue to fight for fairer app distribution globally."

Apple and ‌Epic Games‌ will continue their legal fight in the United States, with the two companies set to face off in court in July 2021.

Apple today shared new Apple Watch ads on its YouTube channel, highlighting the water resistance, ECG, and sleep tracking capabilities of the Apple Watch Series 6.

All of the ads feature the tagline "The future of health is on your wrist" and link to the Apple Watch Series 6 website.

Apple has not heavily advertised the Apple Watch Series 6 since its September release, and this is the first ad campaign focused on the Apple Watch that we've seen in recent months.

Apple's impending iOS and iPadOS 14.5 update will make zero-click attacks considerably more difficult by extending PAC security provisions, according to Motherboard.

Apple has made a change to the way in which it secures its code in the latest betas of iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 to make zero-click attacks much harder. The change, spotted by security researchers, has now been confirmed by Apple and is slated to be included in the final update.

Zero-click attacks allow hackers to break into a target without the need for victim interaction, such as clicking a malicious phishing link. Zero-click attacks are therefore considerably harder for targeted users to detect and are considered to be much more sophisticated.

Since 2018, Apple has used Pointer Authentication Codes (PAC) to prevent attackers from leveraging corrupted memory to inject malicious code. Cryptography is applied to authenticate pointers and validate them before they are used. ISA pointers instruct a program about what code it should use when it runs on iOS. By using cryptography to sign these pointers, Apple is now extending PAC protection to ISA pointers.

"Nowadays, since the pointer is signed, it is harder to corrupt these pointers to manipulate objects in the system. These objects were used mostly in sandbox escapes and zero-clicks," security firm Zimperium's Adam Donenfeld told Motherboard. The change will "definitely make zero-clicks harder. Sandbox escapes too. Significantly harder." Sandboxes aim to isolate applications from each other to stop code from a program interacting with the wider operating system.

While zero-clicks will not be eradicated through this change, many of the exploits used by hackers and governmental organizations will now be "irretrievably lost." Hackers will now need to find new techniques to implement zero-click attacks on iPhone and iPad, but the security improvements to ISA pointers are likely to make a significant impact on the overall number of attacks on these devices.

Over the weekend, we reported on the second known piece of malware compiled to run natively on M1 Macs. Given the name "Silver Sparrow," the malicious package is said to leverage the macOS Installer JavaScript API to execute suspicious commands. After observing the malware for over a week, however, security firm Red Canary did not observe any final payload, so the exact threat to users remains a mystery.

Nonetheless, Apple has since informed MacRumors that it has revoked the certificates of the developer accounts used to sign the packages, preventing additional Macs from being infected. Apple also reiterated that Red Canary found no evidence to suggest the malware has delivered a malicious payload to Macs that have already been infected.

For software downloaded outside of the Mac App Store, Apple said it has "industry-leading" mechanisms in place to protect users by detecting malware and blocking it so it cannot run. Since February 2020, for example, Apple has required all Mac software distributed with a Developer ID outside of the Mac App Store to be submitted to Apple's notary service, an automated system that scans for malicious content and code-signing issues.

Malware targeting M1 Macs has simply been compiled to run natively on the Arm-based architecture of the M1 chip, now that Intel-based Macs are slowly being phased out. For more details about the "Silver Sparrow" malware, read our earlier coverage.