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In iOS 14, Apple overhauled widgets and introduced an option for adding widgets to the Home Screen, but in the process, a well-loved Favorites widget that existed in iOS 13 was removed.

The Favorites widget allowed users to set certain contacts and contact methods as favorites that were easily accessible, so you could, for example, add a favorite option for messaging Eric or calling Dan, with those actions executed with a tap on the widget.

Why the Favorites widget was removed is a mystery and it could be a simple oversight with Apple planning to reintroduce it later, but for now, those who relied on the widget can recreate its functionality with Shortcuts. It takes some effort, but it may be worth the time investment if you often relied on your Favorites.

Creating a Favorites Shortcut

Making a shortcut that replicates the behavior of the Favorites widget isn't too tough, but if you want multiple favorite options, you'll need to create a separate shortcut for each one in the Shortcuts app.

1. Open the Shortcuts app.
2. Tap on the "← Shortcuts" label in the upper left hand corner.
3. Tap on the folder icon in the top right to create a new folder. Your favorites shortcuts need to be in a folder if you want to use them with the Shortcuts widget.
4. Name the folder ("Favorites" in our case) and choose an icon.
5. Tap on the new folder ("Favorites") and then tap the "+" icon to start creating shortcuts.

After this step, there are slightly different Shortcut creation methods that can be used to create quick contact options for calling, FaceTiming, and messaging someone.

Making a Shortcut to Call Someone

1. Tap Add Action and then search for "Phone" or "Call."
2. Tap the Phone app.
3. Tap on one of the suggested contacts that Shortcuts offers or tap on the "+" button to select a different contact.
4. Make sure the Shortcut you've created says Call [Contact Name].
5. Tap Next.
6. Give the Shortcut a name. ("Call John" in our case)
7. Tap the icon to the left to the name to select both a color and an icon for your Shortcut.
8. Tap "Done."

After you tap Done, your shortcut to make a phone call to one of your contacts will be listed in the appropriate folder in the Shortcuts app. To activate it, just tap it and it will automatically call the intended person. Repeat these steps for anyone you want to create a call shortcut for.

Making a Shortcut to FaceTime Someone

1. Tap Add Action and then search for "FaceTime" or "Call."
2. Tap the ‌FaceTime‌ app to get to the Shortcut editing options.
3. Tap on "‌FaceTime‌" to select either standard ‌FaceTime‌ or ‌FaceTime‌ Audio.
4. Tap on the [Contact] blank to select a contact from the list.
5. Make sure the Shortcut you've created says ‌FaceTime‌ [Contact Name].
6. Tap Next.
7. Give the Shortcut a name.
8. Tap the icon next to the name to select both a color and an icon for your Shortcut.
9. Tap "Done."

When you tap this Shortcut, it will initiate a ‌FaceTime‌ call to the person that was added as the contact.

Making a Shortcut to Message Someone

1. Tap Add Action and then search for "Messages."
2. Tap on "Send Message."
3. Tap on the [Recipients] blank to select a contact.
4. Type in the name of the person you want to be able to message.
5. Make sure the Shortcut you've created says Send "Message" to [Contact].
6. Tap Next.
7. Give the Shortcut a name.
8. Tap the icon next to the name to select both a color and an icon for your Shortcut.
9. Tap "Done."

Tapping the finished Shortcut will open up the Messages app with a compose window for the person who you added as your target contact. Note that if you want to send a message to more than one person, just type in multiple names at the part where you're entering the name of your contact.

Adding the Shortcuts Favorites Widget to Your Home Screen

Once you've created all your shortcuts for quickly sending a message, calling, or FaceTiming your contacts, you're ready to add a widget that can be accessed from the widget interface or right from the ‌Home Screen‌.

1. Go to the iPhone's ‌Home Screen‌.
2. Swipe over to where you want to place your new Favorite Widget.
3. Press and hold on the ‌Home Screen‌ to enter "Jiggle" Mode, and then tap the "+" button in the upper left hand corner.
4. Search for Shortcuts and tap the icon.
5. Choose the widget you want. If you made a single favorites Shortcut, tap the single option. If you have two to four, tap the size with four, and choose eight if you have more.
6. Tap Add Widget.
7. Tap on the widget to customize it.
8. Tap on the folder where you put all your favorites shortcuts.
9. Tap out of the interface and tap "Done."

That's all there is to it. Once the Shortcuts widget is set up with the appropriate folder that contains all of your contact shortcuts, a tap on any one of the widget options will initiate the action right from the widget interface, just like the prior favorites widget.

Note that the Shortcuts widget has limited space when it comes to names, so you may need to shorten some of the Shortcut names you've created to make it clear who's going to be contacted if you have multiples.

If you need more detailed instructions on adding widgets, see our dedicated Widgets how to.

Favorites Still in the Contacts App

Just to be clear, it's the Favorites widget that's been removed, not the Favorites functionality in its entirety. You can still create and access your previously made favorite options in the Phone app under the "Favorites" tab if that's easier than making a whole bunch of Shortcuts.

For more on how to make use of widgets and the new ‌Home Screen‌ changes in iOS 14, make sure to check out our widget how to and our Home Screen guide.

Ahead of Apple's rumored October event that will see the unveiling of the new iPhone 12 lineup, Google today held a virtual event to unveil its latest flagship smartphones, the 5G-enabled Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a with 5G.

Priced starting at $699, the Pixel 5 features a 6-inch OLED display, 8GB RAM, 128GB of storage, a 4080mAh battery, an aluminum body, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chip with 5G connectivity. Google is not using the latest Qualcomm chip technology, likely in order to keep the price down.

The Pixel 5 also includes a two-lens camera setup with a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 16-megapixel ultra wide-angle lens, and it supports bilateral wireless charging for charging Qi-based accessories like headphones.

The more affordable Pixel 4a with 5G is priced starting at $499. It features a 6.2-inch OLED display, the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chip, a dual-lens camera, 6GB RAM, 128GB storage, and a 3.5mm audio jack, which is missing from the Pixel 5.

Compared to the 5G Pixel 4a, the higher-priced Pixel 5 offers IPX8 water resistance, a Gorilla Glass 6 display, the aforementioned reverse wireless charging feature, larger battery, and a bump in RAM.

Pre-orders for the Pixel 5 are available now from Google's website, while the Pixel 4a 5G will be available for purchase in November.

Google today also unveiled a new Nest Audio speaker and an updated Chromecast with Google TV service. The Nest Audio is 75 percent louder than the Google Home, with 50 percent stronger bass. It features a 19mm tweeter and a 75mm mid-woofer for what Google says is "full, clear and natural" sound.

A Media EQ feature lets Nest Audio tune itself to the music that's being played, and Ambient IQ lets it adjust the volume of Assistant, news, podcasts, and more based on the background noise in the home. Google designed the fabric-covered Nest Audio with a slim profile and multiple color options.

Google's redesigned Chromecast with Google TV combines Chromecast features with the new Google TV experience. The TV service features a "For You" tab for finding content suggestions across subscriptions, and it is designed to work with the YouTube TV membership with live TV recommendations and curated content from other services.

The updated Chromecast has a thin design with 4K HDR support and a new remote to control it. It supports Dolby Vision and HDMI pass-through of Dolby Audio content. The remote has a dedicated Google Assistant button for answering queries and finding content, plus there are dedicated buttons for launching YouTube and Netflix.

The Chromecast with Google TV is available as of today for $50, as is the Nest Audio, which can pre-ordered for $100.

Apple today seeded a new beta of the upcoming macOS 11 Big Sur update to its public beta testing group, allowing non-developers to give the software a try ahead of its public release this fall. The new beta release for public testers comes a few weeks after the last beta, and a day after the ninth beta was seeded to developers.

Beta testers who signed up for Apple's beta testing program can download the macOS Big Sur beta through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after installing the proper profile.

Mac users who want to be a part of Apple's beta testing program can sign up to participate on the beta website, which gives users access to iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS betas. Potential beta testers should make a full backup before installing ‌macOS Big Sur‌, and it may not be wise to install the update on a primary machine because betas can be unstable.

macOS Big Sur introduces a refined design for the macOS operating system, which is more similar to iOS but immediately familiar to Mac users with tweaks to window design, color palette, app icons, system sounds, menu bars, and sidebars.

The update brings Control Center to the Mac for the first time, providing quicker access to system controls for things like volume, keyboard brightness, screen brightness, Wi-Fi connection, and more.

An updated Notification Center includes more interactive notifications and redesigned widgets that mirror the new widgets in iOS 14. Notifications are now grouped by app, and you can customize which widgets show up.

Safari has a new customizable start page, built-in translation, and a Privacy Report feature that lets you know which trackers each website is using to follow you across the web. There's a new Mac App Store category for extensions, and you can now control the specific sites that extensions are able to work with for more privacy.

The Messages app for Mac has been overhauled to bring it more in line with the Messages app for iOS and it supports features like pinned conversations, mentions, inline replies, Messages effects, and Memoji creation and Memoji stickers. Search is also better to make it easier to find old conversations, photos, links, and more.

A redesigned Maps app in macOS Big Sur adds support for Look Around, indoor maps, Guides, and Shared ETA updates, plus it can be used to generate cycling routes and routes with charging stops for electric vehicles, which can be sent to iPhone.

There are also smaller updates for apps like Photos, Music, and Home, with a full list of everything new in macOS Big Sur available in our roundup.

Apple today seeded the second public betas of upcoming iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 updates to its public beta testing group, two weeks after releasing the first betas and a few day after providing the second betas to developers.

Public beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program can download the iOS and iPadOS‌ 14.2 updates over the air after installing the proper certificate from the Public Beta website on an iOS device.

Apple in iOS and iPadOS 14.2 is adding new Emoji 13 emoji characters, with options that include smiling face with tear, ninja, pinched fingers, anatomical heart, black cat, mammoth, polar bear, dodo, fly, bell pepper, tamale, bubble tea, potted plant, piñata, plunger, wand, feather, hut, and more, with a full list available here.

iOS 14.2 introduces a new Music Recognition control for the Control Center, deepening the integration of the Apple-owned Shazam app in the iOS operating system. Music Recognition lets you discover music playing around you and it can recognize music playing in apps even when you're wearing AirPods.

The Shazam Music Recognition feature can be added to Control Center through the Control Center options in the Settings app. To use the feature, open up Control Center and then tap on the Shazam icon to initiate a single recognition.

The new update brings a redesigned Now Playing widget for the Control Center that lists recently played albums that you might want to listen to when you have no music playing. There's also a redesigned interface for AirPlay, making it easier to play music across multiple ‌AirPlay‌ 2-enabled devices in the home.

For those who have low vision, Apple added a "People Detection" feature in the Magnifier app that uses the camera to let iPhone users know how far away other people are, which can be useful for social distancing purposes.

As for smaller but interesting tweaks, iOS 14.2 brings a new icon for the Apple Watch app, with the watch now sporting one of Apple's new Solo Loop bands.

The new iOS 14.2 beta will likely be in testing for some time as Apple works on releasing new iPhones, with the new iPhones expected to debut sometime in October.

Apple with the Apple Watch Series 6 introduced a new feature for monitoring blood oxygen level, using the LEDs at the back of the Apple Watch to determine the amount of oxygen in the blood. A low blood oxygen level can be indicative of a serious health issue that needs immediate attention.

Taking a blood oxygen reading is rather straightforward, but there are automatic measurement settings to be aware of as well as necessary tips for getting an accurate measurement, all of which can be found in the guide below.

How Blood Oxygen Readings on Apple Watch Work

The Apple Watch Series 6 is equipped with green, red, and infrared LEDs that shine light onto the blood vessels in the wrist, with photodiodes measuring the amount of light reflected back.

Apple's algorithms use this information to calculate the color of the blood, which is an indication of how much oxygen is in the blood. Bright red blood is well oxygenated, while darker blood has less oxygen.

The Apple Watch Series 6 can measure blood oxygen levels between 70 and 100 percent. Most healthy people have blood oxygen levels that range from 95 to 100 percent, though those with COPD and other lung diseases may have a lower average percentage.

Apple does not expect the Blood Oxygen function in the Series 6 to be intended for medical use, and so the Apple Watch will not send a notification if a lower than normal blood oxygen level is detected.

Hardware Requirements

Using the Blood Oxygen monitoring feature requires an Apple Watch Series 6 running the latest version of watchOS along with an iPhone 6s or later with the latest version of iOS.

The Blood Oxygen app is available in almost all countries around the world, but if you're not seeing it, it might not be in your country. Apple has a list here.

Note that the Blood Oxygen app is not available to users under 18 and it is not enabled when an Apple Watch has been paired to an ‌iPhone‌ using Family Setup.

Enabling Blood Oxygen Measurements

When you set up a Series 6 Apple Watch, you'll be asked during the setup process if you want to enable Blood Oxygen measurements. If you tap "enable" when asked, the feature will be turned on automatically and will be usable through the Blood Oxygen app.

How to Take a Blood Oxygen Measurement on Apple Watch

1. Make sure your Apple Watch Series 6 is snug but comfortable on your wrist.
   
   

2. Open the Blood Oxygen app on your Apple Watch.
   
   

3. Keep still, and make sure your wrist is flat with the Apple Watch facing upwards.
   
   

4. Tap Start, then keep your arm steady for 15 seconds.
   
   

5. Wait for the measurement to be taken - you'll see the result when it's complete. Then tap Done.
   

You can view blood oxygen measurements taken over days, weeks, months, and years in the Health app on your ‌iPhone‌. Simply search for "Blood Oxygen."

Automatic Blood Oxygen Readings

In addition to on-demand readings, the Apple Watch Series 6 takes automatic blood oxygen readings throughout the day. Automatic blood oxygen measurements are enabled as long as Blood Oxygen Measurements are turned on and enabled, which is the default setting on the new Apple Watch.

Automatic blood oxygen readings are taken infrequently during the day, so you may only see these measurements a few times throughout your day, a departure from the frequency of heart rate measurements. Blood oxygen readings aren't taken as often simply because the wrist needs to be held still and in a specific orientation for a measurement.

Enabling Automatic Blood Oxygen Readings in Theater Mode

The Apple Watch has a Theater Mode that keeps the display of the Apple Watch dim to prevent it from being a nuisance in dark places like movie theaters, and there's a blood oxygen setting that can enable or disable readings during Theater Mode.

Apple says that blood oxygen readings require the use of a bright red light, which has the potential to be distracting in a dark room. Here's how to enable or disable readings in Theater Mode.

1. Open up the Settings app on the Apple Watch.
2. Scroll down and tap on the Blood Oxygen app.
3. Scroll down and tap the toggle next to "In Theater Mode" to turn the feature on or off.

Enabling Automatic Blood Oxygen Readings During Sleep

As with Theater Mode, Apple has an option to disable blood oxygen readings when the Apple Watch is in Sleep Mode because the bright light might be distracting in the dark. Here's how to enable or disable readings for Sleep Mode.

1. Open up the Settings app on the Apple Watch.
2. Scroll down and tap on the Blood Oxygen app.
3. Scroll down and tap the toggle next to "In Sleep Mode" to turn the feature on or off.

Viewing Blood Oxygen Data

No blood oxygen data can be viewed on the Apple Watch outside of the reading that you just took if you have the app open. Historical data needs to be viewed on the ‌iPhone‌, and it can be a little bit hard to find.

Here's the easiest way to get to your data.

1. Open up the Health app on the ‌iPhone‌.
2. Tap on Browse at the bottom of the app.
3. Tap on Vitals or at the top of the app, search for Blood Oxygen.
4. Tap on the reading that comes up.

From here, you can see your average Blood Oxygen measurements by day, week, month or year, tapping on the chart to see specific information about each reading in day view or ranges for the other view options.

Tapping on "Show More Blood Oxygen Data" provides the latest reading, range over time, daily average, and readings in a High Elevation Environment or during sleep if those apply.

If you scroll all the way to the bottom of the app, there's a "Show All Data" option that you can tap to see all of the blood oxygen measurements that have been taken with specific information on date, barometric pressure, and more.

Turn Off Blood Oxygen Monitoring

Don't want to use blood oxygen monitoring at all? It can be disabled in the Settings app.

1. Open up the Settings app on the Apple Watch.
2. Scroll down and tap on the Blood Oxygen app.
3. Tap on the toggle next to "Blood Oxygen Measurements" to turn the feature off.

If you want to reenable blood oxygen readings at a later date, just turn the toggle back on. It's enabled by default when you set up the Apple Watch, so the only reason you might need to enable it is if you've previously disabled it.

Blood Oxygen Troubleshooting

The sensors that measure oxygen level in the blood on the Apple Watch are highly sensitive and the reading will fail even if there's minor movement. If you're frequently getting an "Unsuccessful Measurement" warning, make sure to follow these steps.

1. Hold your wrist flat and face up, with your fingers also resting open. Blood oxygen measurements will not work if the arm is hanging down or if your fingers are in a fist.
2. Make sure the Apple Watch is snug against the wrist with a band that fits well and is not too loose or too tight.
3. Make sure the Apple Watch is flat against the wrist and not impeded by the wrist bone. If it is over the wrist bone, adjust the positioning of the watch.
4. For more stability, put your wrist on a table or flat surface such as your lap.
5. Minimize all movement for 15 seconds. The stiller you are, the better.
6. Don't tap or otherwise engage with the Apple Watch. A tap on the screen or touching the Digital Crown can cause minute movement that disrupts the reading.

If you're following all of the above steps and are still having trouble, Apple warns that there are a few scenarios that can cause poor readings.

• Tattoos - Dark tattoos in the area where the sensors are located can cause the light that shines through the skin to measure oxygen level to fail to work properly. There's no fix for this, unless there's a non-tattooed wrist area available. Note that lighter tattoos may not interfere with the sensor, and it may also work with those that leave a good amount of skin visible.
• Cold weather - If it's cold outside, it can affect how much blood flows through your arm at any given time, which in turn can cause blood oxygen measurements to fail.
• Skin perfusion - Regardless of weather, sometimes the blood flowing through the skin is slower, and this can vary significantly from person to person. Skin perfusion is a factor in how well the blood oxygen measurements work.
• High heart rate - If your heart rate is above 150 beats per minute at rest, the blood oxygen measurement feature will not work.
• Motion - As mentioned above, blood oxygen measurements tolerate little to no motion at all, and arm position is a factor. Hold the arm straight with your fingers out and try not to move if you're having issues.

Guide Feedback

Have questions about blood oxygen monitoring on Apple Watch Series 6 or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.

The Apple TV app is coming to Xbox, according to Windows Central, which tweeted that it can "confirm" the news. It is unclear when the app will arrive on Xbox, but the report claims it will "likely" be available in time for the launch of the new Xbox Series X and Series S consoles on November 10. It is unclear if older consoles like the Xbox One would be supported.

A member of the Xbox Insider beta program recently shared a photo that appears to show the Apple TV app in a list of apps available to test, although they said the app was non-functional and disappeared shortly after.

The Apple TV app allows users to stream TV shows and movies from Apple TV+, Apple TV Channels, and their iTunes libraries, as well as buy or rent TV shows and movies from the iTunes Store. The app is already available on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, PC, Apple TV, select Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, and select Samsung, LG, and Vizio smart TVs.

Back in March, we noted that optical Thunderbolt 3 cables were starting to become available some four years after the standard's debut. Availability of these high-end optical cables has taken another step forward recently, as Corning has begun shipping out its cables in lengths ranging from 5 meters to 50 meters.

Compared to passive and active copper Thunderbolt 3 cables that support relatively short lengths most appropriate for a desktop setting, optical cables allow for much longer cable lengths needed by certain professional and corporate users. But for anyone who wants to be able to put their computer and/or accessories like external storage some distance away from their workspace, such as for heat, noise, or aesthetic reasons, these cables are certainly an option.

While optical Thunderbolt 3 cables allow for long cable runs, they do have some limitations compared to traditional copper cables, with one of the most significant being a lack of power capabilities. That means small accessories like external SSDs that need to draw bus power from the host devices they're attached to won't work with optical cables.

Optical Thunderbolt 3 cables also only support Thunderbolt 3 connections and can not fall back to USB modes running at slower speeds, so you won't be able to use one of these optical Thunderbolt 3 cables to directly connect USB-C devices that don't support Thunderbolt 3, for example.

They can, however, be used with Thunderbolt 3 docks that can in turn support a variety of other types of connections such as USB, displays, audio, and more, as the Thunderbolt controller in the dock handles converting everything to run over Thunderbolt. Daisy-chaining of multiple Thunderbolt 3 accessories is also supported with optical cables.

Connectors on optical Thunderbolt 3 cables are a little on the bulky side given the components needed to convert the electrical Thunderbolt 3 signal to an optical one and back. They are, however, only a bit larger than typical passive copper cable connectors and similar in size to active copper cable ones, so they shouldn't block adjacent ports. With only the fiber optic strands inside, the cable itself is also significantly thinner than most traditional USB and Thunderbolt cables.

Unsurprisingly, all of this optical technology comes at a cost that may put these cables out of reach for many consumers. The shortest Corning optical Thunderbolt 3 cable, the 5-meter version, is priced at $360 at vendors like B&H Photo. The price does not, however, rise significantly with cable length as the expensive parts are in the connectors, with 10-meter cables priced at $370, 15-meter cables at $390, 25-meter cables at $410, and, 50-meter cables at $480.

B&H is currently quoting special order status with availability in 7-14 business days for all but the 50-meter version, which is listed as in stock. Corning says significantly improved supplies will be available in just a couple of weeks.

As noted on Reddit, the second developer beta of iOS 14.2 introduces a new yearly spending history option for the Apple Card, allowing cardholders to see how much they have spent with the card within the current calendar year.

Apple Card spending activity was previously limited to weekly or monthly summaries. The new yearly option can be accessed by opening the Wallet app, tapping on the Apple Card, and tapping on the Activity bars below Card Balance. As of the second developer beta of iOS 14.2, there are now three tabs at the top for Week, Month, and Year overviews.

The yearly summary also shows how much Daily Cash a user has earned with the Apple Card within the current calendar year.

To apply for an ‌Apple Card‌, open the Wallet app on an iPhone running iOS 12.4 or later, tap the plus button in the top-right corner, and follow the on-screen steps. The process takes just a few minutes, and if approved, a virtual ‌Apple Card‌ will be ready for purchases immediately. A physical, titanium Apple Card can also be requested through the Wallet app for use at retail stores that do not accept contactless payments.

Apple Card's key features include color-coded spending summaries, no fees, and up to three percent cashback on purchases, paid out daily. The card remains limited to the United States, but an international expansion may be on the horizon.

Around a month after Facebook began quietly merging its Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, the transition has been officially launched, with a full rollout to all users soon to follow.

As a result of the merging of the chat services, Instagram users can chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform. Features previously only available on Facebook Messenger can now be accessed in Instagram, including colorful chats, more emoji reactions, and swipe-to-reply. In addition, the regular paper airplane DM icon in the top-right corner of the Instagram UI has been replaced by the Facebook Messenger logo.

The move is part of Facebook's long-term plan to merge Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp chat platforms. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly wants all the apps to incorporate WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption and put a new focus on user privacy.

The company hopes that unifying its messaging infrastructure will help to keep its billions of users engaged in the Facebook ecosystem, in an attempt to ward off rival messaging services such as Apple's iMessage.

Last week, Facebook began lobbying Apple for an option to make its Messenger service the default messaging app on iOS, arguing that now users can select a third-party app as the default browser and email app, it is unfair to exclude messaging apps.

Apple has reportedly removed two RSS feed reader apps from China's App Store to comply with Chinese law. Fiery Feeds and Reeder both tweeted that their iOS apps had been removed in China over content that is considered "illegal" in the country.

Fiery Feeds quoted a three-year-old tweet from Inoreader, a similar RRS service that was banned from Apple's Chinese ‌App Store‌ back in 2017 and had its entire service blocked in the country in April. Apple's original message to Inoreader read:

We are writing to notify you that your application will be removed from the China App Store because it includes content that it illegal in China, which is not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines:

5. Legal
Apps must comply with all legal requirements in any location where you make them available (if you're not sure, check with a lawyer). We know this stuff is complicated, but it is your responsibility to understand and make sure your app conforms with all local laws, not just the guidelines below. And of course, apps that solicit, promote, or encourage criminal or clearly reckless behavior will be rejected.

It's not clear why Apple waited until now to block the additional feed readers, but the fact that it pulled these apps at all suggests RSS readers can sometimes circumvent China's Great Firewall and pull in content from third-party websites that are otherwise on its blocked list.

Apple has faced increasing pressure from investors and human rights activists about its relationship with China and its tendency to comply with Beijing's demands. Last year, for example, Apple removed the app of news outlet Quartz from China's ‌‌‌App Store‌‌‌ after complaints from the government that it included content that is illegal in the country. The app was covering the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement protests at the time.

Apple has also been forced to remove many VPN apps from the ‌‌‌App Store‌‌‌ in China due to the administration's regulations. Other apps affected in the past include WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and the New York Times app.

Earlier this month, Apple published a human rights policy document that commits to "freedom of information and expression," following years of criticism from investors that it shows too much deference to Beijing and accedes to China's censorship demands.

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.

Twitter says it's making its voice tweets feature available to more users on iOS. Launched in June for a limited number of users, voice tweets is designed to allow people to tweet with their voice, sending voice-based messages instead of text.

Voice tweets can be created by opening up the tweet composer and tapping the new wavelengths icon. A screen then opens with a user's Twitter icon, which can be tapped to begin a recording.

Twitter users can capture up to 140 seconds of audio, but continuous recording is possible and longer audio will create multiple voice tweets.

Listening to a voice tweet can be done by tapping on the image in the Twitter timeline. On iOS, playback starts in an audio player that's docked at the bottom of the timeline so users can continue to scroll through Twitter.

Since their arrival on iOS, voice tweets have been criticized for lacking accessibility in the form of audio transcriptions. That criticism led Twitter employees to reveal they'd been asked to volunteer their time on top of their usual work to focus on accessibility.

The ensuing flak led Twitter to tell The Verge that it was exploring how to build a "more dedicated group" to focus on accessibility, and the company has since announced new two teams in that vein. Twitter subsequently said it plans to add automated captions to audio and video on the platform by "early 2021."

Apple has officially retired Beats Updater, the software utility that lets users update the firmware of their Beats Wireless headphones, earphones, and speakers.

Beats Updater allows users to plug their Beats product directly into the USB port of their computer to check for firmware updates online, but with Apple's growing tendency to deliver over-the-air updates to wireless products via iOS and iPadOS, the company clearly feels the utility has reached the end of its life.

Beats Updater is still available to download for use with the following products, but Apple says no new versions will be available in future.

If you have one of the Beats headphones or earphones listed below, pairing them with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch will update them automatically. If you have an Android device, download the Beats app for Android from the Google Play store to update your firmware.

Apple recently released over-the-air firmware updates for AirPods (second generation), AirPods Pro, Powerbeats, ‌Powerbeats Pro‌, and Solo Pro. The new firmware adds automatic switching support to these models and requires iOS 14, iPadOS 14, macOS Big Sur, or later. In addition to automatic switching, ‌AirPods Pro‌ also gained a new spatial audio feature.

Several of Apple's services appear to be experiencing issues, with MacRumors readers reporting problems with Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple News+, the App Store, and more.

When attempting to access ‌Apple Music‌ or ‌Apple TV‌+, for example, the services refuse to load for some people and pop up a connection warning.

Apple's System Status page lists ‌App Store‌, Apple Arcade, ‌Apple Music‌, ‌Apple TV‌+, Radio, Apple Books, Find My, Game Center, iCloud Account, ‌iCloud‌ backup, ‌iCloud‌ Calendar, ‌iCloud‌ Contacts, Photos, ‌iCloud‌ Mail, and iWork outages.

We'll update this article when Apple's services come back online. Update: Apple has resolved the outages.

Apple and Epic Games do not want to have a jury trial in their ongoing legal dispute over Fortnite and Apple's App Store policies, according to a filing submitted to the Northern California court handling the case today.

The two companies said they have met and have agreed that both Epic's claims and Apple's counterclaims should be tried by the court with a bench trial at a date to be determined.

Epic and Apple have met and conferred, and the parties agree that Epic's claims and Apple's counterclaims should be tried by the Court, and not by a jury. Therefore, with Epic's consent, Apple hereby withdraws its demand for a jury trial pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 38(d). The parties respectfully request that the case (including any claims and counterclaims) proceed to a bench trial on a schedule determined by the Court.

In a counterclaim against ‌Epic Games‌, Apple had originally asked for a trial by jury, but given that the judge overseeing the court told the two companies that she does not want to try two separate cases, Apple has withdrawn the request.

There was a preliminary injunction hearing between ‌Epic Games‌ and Apple earlier this week, and during that hearing, the judge suggested that a jury trial might be appropriate to ensure a final judgement that's better able to stand up to appeal, but Apple and ‌Epic Games‌ have declined.

During the preliminary hearing, the judge was hard on ‌Epic Games‌, criticizing the company for the way that it initiated the lawsuit. ‌Epic Games‌ in August added a direct payment option in popular iOS game Fortnite, breaking Apple's ‌App Store‌ rules as the payment option skirted in-app purchases.

Apple then pulled the app from the App Store, and ‌Epic Games‌ filed a pre-prepared lawsuit against Apple, leading to a legal dispute that could take years to resolve. At the current time, Fortnite is not available on Apple devices and Epic's developer account has been terminated.

During Monday's hearing, the judge said that Epic was "not forthright" and had made a "calculated decision" to defy Apple's ‌App Store‌ rules. "There are people in the public who consider you guys heroes for what you did, but it's not honest," she said.

With Apple and Epic declining a jury trial, the case could be heard sometime in July 2021, with a specific date set to be determined by the court.

Apple CEO Tim Cook was this week awarded 667,974 restricted stock units or RSUs worth more than $76 million at Apple's current price, according to a filing with the SEC. The first half of the RSUs are set to vest in one-third increments in 2023, 2024, and 2025, so Cook will receive 111,329 shares every April starting in 2023.

The second half of the RSUs are performance-based awards and will vest on October 1, 2023, based on Apple's relative shareholder return. Cook can potentially receive up to 200% of the 333,987 RSUs awarded for performance.

These performance-based restricted stock units are scheduled to vest on October 1, 2023. The "target" number of restricted stock units is reported. Between 0% and 200% of the target number of units may vest based on Apple's relative total shareholder return from the first day of Apple's fiscal 2021 and ending with the last day of Apple's fiscal 2023.

Paired with the time-based stock awards, Cook can earn up to 1,001,961 shares worth more than $114 million today if Apple's performance in the S&P 500 is in the 85th percentile or higher relative to other companies.

This is the first stock grant that Cook has received since 2011, with the last of that grant set to vest in 2021. As noted by Reuters' Stephen Nellis, Apple's board of directors issued a statement on Cook's RSU award:

Tim has brought unparalleled innovation and focus to his role as CEO and demonstrated what it means to lead with values and integrity. For the first time in nearly a decade, we are awarding Tim a new stock grant that will vest over time in recognition of his outstanding leadership and with great optimism for Apple's future as he carries these efforts forward.

Several employees on Apple's executive team have also received stock awards, including Luca Maestri, Deirdre O'Brien, and Jeff Williams, all of whom have been awarded 178,128 shares. As with Cook's award, half of these RSUs will vest between 2023 and 2025, while the rest are performance based awards.

The RSUs serve as bonus compensation for Cook and Apple's executives, and will encourage employees to stay with the company through at least 2025, which is when everything will be fully vested. Cook has been Apple's CEO since August 2011, and there has been some speculation lately on how long he will continue to work for Apple. Cook in a recent interview said that he can't envision his life not working at Apple.

I consider it the privilege of a lifetime to be here in this role at this time. I love working with this team. I consider them family. It's hard to explain. It may sound like messaging or something, but it's not. It's that deep in my heart, I really love the people I work with and currently it's tough to envision my life without that. So we'll see. At some point, of course, we all do something different, but at the moment, there's no place I would rather be than right here.

When Cook does opt to retire at some point in the future, Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams could assume the role of CEO, according to a recent Bloomberg report. Williams is "primed" to take over for Cook if necessary and considered the "heir apparent" within Apple.

Rumors have suggested that Apple's iPhone 12 models will not include power adapters or EarPods in the box, and a minor code tweak in iOS 14.2 seemingly confirms Apple's plan to sell the new devices without EarPods.

In iOS 14 and earlier versions of iOS, there's a mention of reducing exposure to RF energy by using the "supplied headphones," which is the same wording that Apple has used for years now.

In iOS 14.2, this wording has been tweaked to say just "headphones," removing the "supplied" part of this statement. The full code reads as follows:

To reduce exposure to RF energy, use a hands-free option, such as the built-in speakerphone, headphones, or other similar accessories.

All prior mentions of headphones have included "supplied," and the deliberate elimination of the word in the new code strongly suggests Apple has no plans to "supply" headphones with the upcoming ‌iPhone‌ 12 models.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in May that the ‌iPhone‌ 12 models will not come with EarPods in the box, with Apple instead planning to introduce some kind of AirPods promotion to encourage ‌iPhone‌ buyers to purchase AirPods as well.

There have also been rumors that Apple is eliminating the power adapter from the ‌iPhone‌ 12 box, which means customers will get an ‌iPhone‌ 12 and a USB-C to Lightning cable with nothing else.

The removal of the power adapter was all but confirmed when Apple released the Apple Watch Series 6 models without a power adapter, but until now, we've heard little else about the potential removal of the EarPods.

Apple has long offered EarPods with new ‌iPhone‌ models to give customers a way to listen to music, make calls, and more, but Apple has been aiming to transition to Bluetooth-only headphones since the launch of the AirPods and the removal of the headphone jack from the ‌iPhone‌ lineup.

Current ‌iPhone‌ 11 and 11 Pro models ship with EarPods that have a Lightning connector to plug into the Lightning port, but it appears the ‌iPhone‌ 11 devices will be the last to come with headphones in the box.

Apple is said to be removing the power adapter and the EarPods from the ‌iPhone‌ 12 box in order to cut costs, as the 5G chips in the new devices are expensive. The change will also allow Apple to slim down the size of the ‌iPhone‌ box, reducing packaging and environmental waste.

Steve Moser contributed to this report.

Back in January, medical device company Masimo levied a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of stealing trade secrets and improperly using Masimo inventions related to health monitoring in the Apple Watch.

Masimo is known for its pulse oximetry devices, and Apple just recently debuted the Apple Watch Series 6 with blood oxygen monitoring capabilities. Following the launch of the Series 6, Masimo has accused Apple of attempting to delay the legal proceedings in order to sell more watches and gain a more dominant share of the smart watch market.

As highlighted by Bloomberg, Apple has not officially responded to the original January lawsuit, instead filing requests to dismiss the trade secret part of the case and to have Masimo patents invalidated. Apple has asked the trial court to put the case on hold until the patent issue is resolved, which could take a significant amount of time.

Apple told the court that delaying the case until a patent review will narrow the issues and "reduce wasted resources." With no hold, the first hearing on the case will take place in April 2021.

According to Masimo, the potential postponement would allow Apple to "seize on a critical window of opportunity to capture an emerging field," using its "considerable resources and ecosystem" to capture market share with no regard for Masimo patent technology.

Masimo CEO Joe Kiani said in the filing that Masimo believes Apple's customers see the Series 6 as a "medical product," which can "harm consumers" and "reduce [Masimo's] opportunities to sell truly clinical-grade products to consumers."

Masimo accused Apple of stealing secret information by pretending to have a working relationship with Masimo and then poaching Masimo employees. Masimo also believes that Apple is infringing on 10 Masimo patents, and says that Apple relied on Masimo technology when developing the light-based heart rate sensor used in the Apple Watch.

Apple allegedly contacted Masimo in 2013, ahead of the launch of the original Apple Watch, and asked to meet for a potential collaboration. Apple was aiming to "understand more" about Masimo's products and was allegedly seeking to add Masimo technology to future Apple devices. Masimo said that the two companies had productive meetings, but then Apple began hiring important employees. Apple ultimately hired several Masimo employees including Michael O'Reilly, who had served as Chief Medical Officer and EVP of Medical Affairs at Masimo. He has been working on Health Special Projects at Apple, and had a hand in the development of the Apple Watch.

Masimo in its original January lawsuit asked the court to block Apple from using Masimo's patented inventions and it asked the court for damages.

Apple today informed developers that it is making new App Store marketing tools available for use, providing developers with a simple way to create short links, embeddable code with app icon and product page, QR codes, and more.

Take advantage of new marketing resources to promote your apps around the world. You can now generate short links or embeddable code that lead to your App Store product page and display your app icon, a QR code, or an App Store badge. Download localized App Store badges, your app icon, and more.

Developers can enter the URL for their app on the marketing page, with Apple then providing tools to generate the aforementioned links and badges. QR codes in particular may be of interest to developers as these can be used to quickly find an app with a scan with an iPhone camera, and QR codes are also used for the App Clips feature introduced in iOS 14.

QR codes can be generated with different colors and with each app's icon for a unique, personalized look that takes seconds to create.

Developers can access the new tools on Apple's App Store Marketing site for developers.