MacRumors

Apple will use lawyers from Gibson Dunn, the same firm that spearheaded the second Apple v. Samsung action, in its bid to fend off a private antitrust suit leveled by Epic Games, according to software patent and litigation expert Florian Mueller at FOSS Patents.

Last week, Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store after ‌Epic Games‌ introduced a direct payment option in the app, defying ‌App Store‌ rules. In what appears to have been an orchestrated move, ‌Epic Games‌ promptly filed a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of anti-competitive actions. Gibson Dunn has been selected to stand as counsel for Apple before the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in the case.

The firm has represented Apple in high-profile litigation cases in the past, such as the second Apple v. Samsung case. Apple filed a lawsuit in February 2012 claiming that Samsung had violated five Apple patents. Samsung responded with a counterclaim, stating that two patents had been infringed on by Apple. Apple was awarded $539 million in damages as a result.

Interestingly, Gibson Dunn has also counseled against Apple in the Apple v. Qualcomm antitrust and contract litigation in the Southern District of California. The case saw Gibson Dunn attorneys counsel Apple's contract manufacturer when Apple refused to pay royalties on Qualcomm's intellectual property.

"The court is almost certainly going to ask why Epic can't just live and comply with the same app developer agreement it had been honoring for years, gladly making a billion-dollar amount, while this litigation is ongoing," Mueller speculated.

The first ‌Epic Games‌ v. Apple encounter in court is scheduled to take place on Monday in the form of a Zoom videoconference. ‌Epic Games‌ now faces the threat of its Apple Developer Program account being terminated on August 28 unless it resolves violations of Apple's Developer Program License Agreement.

Instagram is launching in-app QR codes worldwide via an update, according to The Verge.

Users will now be able to generate QR codes that are scannable from any third-party QR camera app. The feature will allow businesses to print and display a QR code that will direct customers to their Instagram account more easily, for example. QR codes in Instagram first launched last year in Japan, but the feature is now rolling out to all territories.

To use the new QR codes in Instagram, make sure you have the latest version of the app. Then, to generate your profile's QR code, go to the settings menu and simply tap "QR code." You can then save or share the image.

QR codes are replacing a similar system called Nametags, which were a kind of QR-like code that could only be scanned in the Instagram app. It is yet to be seen if Instagram's adoption of the open QR code standard will encourage other social media giants such as Facebook and Snapchat to follow suit.

Apple Oakridge Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, is set to close for up to four years as the mall undergoes major redevelopment, according to Retail Insider and 9to5Mac.

The current Apple Store will be replaced entirely and moved to an all-new redesigned space. The new retail location will be a flagship store with more than 10,000 square feet of space.

The Oakridge Centre is in the early stages of a major redevelopment effort that will require most tenants to vacate over the coming months. The area is being entirely redesigned and is adding apartments for more than 6,000 residents, a large outdoor community space, nearly one million square feet of new retail space, and a food hall.

Although the Oakridge Centre has become an active construction zone, the ‌Apple Store‌ currently remains open for shopping, pickup of online orders, and Genius support. British Columbia has five other Apple Stores for customers to choose from. The closest location to the Oakridge Centre is Apple Pacific Centre, which has also been publicly approved for refurbishment and transition to flagship status.

Apple appears to be significantly expanding its presence in British Columbia. In addition to the two replacement flagship stores, last year it was reported that Apple intends to open a major new office facility in Vancouver.

Multiple startup companies in Korea are calling for an investigation into Apple and Google's in-app purchase practices, reports The Korea Herald.

An alliance of app developers and small companies submitted a petition to the Korea Communications Commission earlier today, asking for an investigation into whether Apple and Google may be violating Korean laws on in-app purchases and anti-competitive behavior.

They explain that Apple has been forcing developers to use their specific in-app purchase system since 2011, through which Apple takes a 30 percent commission. Google demands game apps in Korea use its own in-app purchase module and adds an additional game-only commission.

"While the 30 percent commission rate is too high in itself, it is more problematic that they force a specific payment system for the app markets," said Choi Sung-jin, President of the Korea Startup Forum.

Sung-jin added that while large developers may be able to negotiate lower rates of commission with platform providers, it is out of reach to smaller developers and startups who cannot afford to do so. Moreover, they fear that setting about a negotiation could eventually lead to a hike in in-app purchase commissions.

Apple and Google made up 87.8 percent of the Korean app market in 2019, and the issue is effectively an antitrust dispute. The Korean offices of Apple and Google did not provide a comment.

Tech companies are coming under fire in antitrust complaints around the world, with investigations underway in the U.S., the EU, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Russia. Companies such as Microsoft, Spotify, Airbnb, and Epic Games have also joined calls for greater control over app store terms and rates of commission.

Apps designed for the Mac don't often receive as much coverage as apps designed for iPhones and iPads, which is why we have a series here at MacRumors that highlights interesting Mac apps worth checking out. This month's picks feature productivity and organization tools along with a couple of fun but useful apps.

• Panelicious (Free) - Panelicious lets you organize your files and apps into separate panels, so you can streamline different workflows and make groups of apps and files easier to access. So, for example, if you have a workflow for answering emails that includes an email app, a notes app, and a calendar, you can group those together and then pull up that panel to get right to what you need. Panels can be customized and hidden when they're not needed.
• Tuck ($6.99) - Tuck is an app that lets you dock app windows to the edge of your screen, popping them out when you move your cursor over into the area. Available as a menu bar app, Tuck lets you move windows to the Left, Right, Bottom, and Top of the Mac's screen, keeping apps organized but accessible. Tuck is $6.99, but there's an unlimited free trial available.
• MacDroid ($19.99 per year) - MacDroid is a useful app for those who have a Mac and an Android device. It allows photos, videos, music, folders, and more to be transferred between an Android phone or tablet and a Mac over a USB connection. There's a 7-day free trial, and after that, it costs $19.99 to use for a year.
• Poolside FM (Free) - Poolside FM is a fun little summer app that pairs summer playlists with a classic Mac design. It's a no-frills app from the popular Poolside.fm radio station, which is also available on the web.
• TextSniper ($5) - TextSniper is a simple app that lets you take a screenshot of unselectable text, converting it into typed text that you can use. You can take a screenshot of an image or a PDF that has text, and the app will recognize the text and copy it to the clipboard. The app lives in the menu bar so it's out of the way but on hand when needed.

Know of a must-have Mac app or game that we haven't highlighted yet? Let us know in the comments below and we might feature it in a future video. For more of our Mac app picks, check out our essential Mac apps archive.

Apple this week announced that it has expanded its Independent Repair Provider Program to include Mac repairs. Apple has since outlined further details about the initiative in an internal document obtained by MacRumors.

The internal document states the following:

• Qualifying repair shops can gain access to Apple genuine parts, tools, and training starting August 17
• The program covers all Mac models
• The program is limited to out-of-warranty Mac repairs
• Examples of components eligible for repair include the display, logic board, and top case, the latter of which includes the keyboard, trackpad, speakers, and battery
• Participating repair shops must have Apple-certified technicians perform the repairs
• Participating repair shops are not permitted to offer whole-unit replacements for Macs
• Participating repair shops cannot ship Macs to an Apple repair center

Apple first launched the program for out-of-warranty iPhone repairs in the United States last year and expanded it to Canada and Europe last month. Apple's website has more details, but it has yet to be updated to reflect the inclusion of Mac repairs.

Update: Apple has also repriced several Mac repair parts for technicians. While some parts are now lower in price, several have increased by up to hundreds of dollars, such as 13-inch MacBook Pro displays.

Apple today released the fifth developer betas of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 for testing purposes, updating and refining some of the new features that are included in the new software.

As the beta testing period goes on, changes get smaller and less notable, but we've highlighted the few new features that can be found in iOS 14 beta 5.

- Apple News Widget - The Apple News widget has a new option for a taller widget window that provides more space to display additional news stories. The size of the widget prevents it from being used on the Home Screen.

- Widget Privacy - For apps that use location, there's now a popup that asks if you want to allow widgets for those apps to also use your location data. Widgets can use location data for up to 15 minutes when activated, and the Location Services Privacy settings for apps now mention widgets.

- Alarm Clock Wheel - When setting an alarm in the Clock app, you can now use a finger to swipe through the clock wheel to set the time rather than having to type it in. It's much smaller than the wheel in iOS 13.6, and there's still an option to type a time.

- Exposure Notifications - The interface for Exposure Notifications has changed in iOS 14 beta 5. Tapping on "Turn on Exposure Notifications" brings up an option to choose a country, region, or state, and it will let you know if an Exposure Notification app is available for your area. This interface is different from the iOS 13.6 interface and the interface available in iOS 14 beta 4.

- Hidden Photo Albums - There's a new Hidden Album setting in photos that when turned on, causes the Hidden album in Photos to be hidden from the Albums list. The Hidden album remains available in the image picker.

- HomeKit Control Center - HomeKit favorites in Control Center now feature smaller tiles and smarter organization that provides access to more shortcuts at a tap.

- Widget Fixes - The Weather widget is fixed and updates at more appropriate intervals, and widgets are now blocked for Screen Time when a parent app is blocked.

- Battery Charge - In the Settings app under Battery, the Last Charge Level section has been tweaked a bit. Rather than displaying the last charge level over to the right of the interface, it's now displayed with the Last Charged wording to make it easier to see at a glance.

- Spatial Audio Video - In the iOS 14 beta 5 code, there's a visualization of how the spatial audio feature for the AirPods Pro works. It's not clear where this video will be shown (perhaps in setup) and though the video is available, spatial audio has not yet been enabled.

Know of any other changes in iOS 14 beta 5 that we didn't list here? Let us know in the comments and we'll add them.

Apple today seeded the fifth betas of upcoming iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 updates to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the fourth betas and nearly two months after unveiling the new software at the WWDC keynote.

Registered developers can download the betas over the air after installing the proper profile from the Apple Developer Center.

iOS 14 introduces a redesigned Home Screen that supports widgets on iPhone for the first time, plus widgets have been redesigned and can now be customized in three sizes through the new widgets gallery.

An App Library shows all of the apps installed on an ‌iPhone‌ in one place, both in an icon view and in an alphabetical list. With all of the apps in the App Library, app icons and ‌Home Screen‌ pages can be hidden for a cleaner look.

Incoming phone calls and FaceTime calls no longer take up the entire ‌iPhone‌/iPad display, and Siri requests have also been minimized so summoning ‌Siri‌ doesn't monopolize the screen. ‌Siri‌ is smarter in iOS 14 and can send audio messages, and dictation can now run on device. A Picture in Picture mode allows users to watch videos or use ‌FaceTime‌ while using other apps.

App Clips lets users take advantage of some app features without needing to download a full app, useful for quick actions like purchasing a coffee, making a restaurant reservation, or renting a scooter, where downloading an entire app would be a hassle. App Clips can be scanned from QR codes, NFC tags, or Apple-designed App Clip Codes, plus they can be shared in Messages or accessed from Safari.

In the Messages app you can now pin important conversations, use @mentions in group chats, and take advantage of inline replies to keep multi-person conversations better organized. There are new Memoji options and group chats can be assigned icons with photos, emoji, or Memoji.

The Health app supports the Apple Watch's new Sleep Tracking feature and there's a Health Checklist for managing health settings, and in the Weather app, there's more info on precipitation and severe weather events.

Cycling directions are available in the Maps app with directions incorporating elevation, how busy a street is, and stairs, plus for those who own electric vehicles, there are options for routes with EV charging stops.

Digital Car Keys let an ‌iPhone‌ be used in lieu of a physical key, a feature that's coming soon to BMWs, and CarPlay now lets users set wallpapers.

A new translate app provides text and voice translations to and from 11 languages, and there are tons of new privacy protections. Developers need to get user permission before accessing devices on a local network, limiting access to photos, and providing apps with approximate locations instead of exact locations.

Safari has a Privacy Report that lets you know which websites have trackers, and there are new icons on the Home screen that let you know when an app is using a camera or microphone. Third-party browser and mail apps can be set as default for the first time, and Apple added new AirPods capabilities.

As for the ‌iPad‌, the Apple Pencil can now be used in any text field, with handwritten text converted automatically to typed text thanks to the new Scribble feature.

There are tons more features in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, so make sure to check out our iOS 14 roundup and our iPadOS 14 roundup for a full list of everything new. We also highlight all of the new feature tweaks and changes introduced with each beta iteration, and you can see the changes from beta 2, beta 3, and beta 4 in our beta 2, beta 3, and beta 4 tidbits articles.

Beta 3 brought a new red Music icon, changes to the design of the Music Library in the Music app, a Clock widget, an updated Screen Time widget, while beta 4 added an Apple TV widget and improvements to search.

iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 are available to registered developers and public beta testers at this time. Beta testing for ‌iOS 14‌ will last for a couple of months, with the update set to be released in the fall alongside new iPhones.

Google today announced a major update for Google Maps, which will see the feature gaining more detail and granularity to better highlight natural features and terrain.

Google is introducing a new color-mapping algorithmic technique that can take the high-definition satellite imagery used for Google Maps and turn it into what Google says is a "comprehensive, vibrant map of an area at a global scale."

The updated Google Maps app will provide a better look at an area's natural features, making it easier to see beaches, lakes, rivers, oceans, vegetation, and even mountaintops. Color-mapping works by using computer vision to identify natural features from satellite imagery, which are then analyzed and assigned a range of colors.

According to Google, the new Google Maps design is available in all 220 countries and territories that Google Maps supports, and in the near future, there will also be more detailed views of roads for pedestrians.

Google Maps will provide accurate road shapes and widths, along with the locations of sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian islands. Detailed street maps will be coming to London, New York, and San Francisco in the coming months and will expand to other cities later.

Apple has also been working to improve the detail shown in the Apple Maps app, and has rolled out redesigned Apple 2.0 Maps across the United States. This year, those mapping updates are also set to come to Canada, Ireland, and the UK.

The updated maps provide more detailed roads, buildings, parks, marinas, beaches, airports, and more, to make it easier to navigate areas with these features.

Samsung's answer to Apple Card, Samsung Pay Card, has launched in the UK.

Samsung has paired with Mastercard and fintech company "Curve" to power the new service. Curve allows users to link existing cards together and then decide which accounts should be used for different purchases. For reasons that are not entirely clear, existing Curve customers are ineligible to apply for Samsung Pay Card.

Curve offers some unique features, such as the ability to "go back in time" on purchases. For example, if you buy something on your credit card, and later decide that the purchase should have been made on a different card, you have up to 90 days to switch the purchase.

"Now, more than ever, people need a secure payment solution they can rely on. We're excited to be able to put the control back into our customers' hands, by launching Samsung Pay Card," said Conor Pierce, Corporate Vice-President of Samsung UK and Ireland. "At Samsung we believe in the power of innovation and, through our partnership with Curve, the Samsung Pay Card brings a series of pioneering features that will change the way that our customers manage their spending, with their Samsung smartphone and smartwatch at the heart of it. This is the future of banking and we look forward to continuing this journey with our customers."

Samsung Pay Card offers five percent cashback on purchases from Samsung, and one percent cashback at other retailers. It also offers instant spend notifications and currency conversion at market rates when traveling abroad, which Samsung claims will be cheaper than the currency conversion fees at many high street banks.

Payments are protected by "Samsung Knox" security, a "multi-layered defense-grade" security solution. In the event of a smartphone loss, access to Samsung Pay Card can be instantly locked using another device from the Samsung ecosystem.

Although Samsung Pay Card cashback rates are lower than that of ‌Apple Card‌, it is important to understand that the UK credit market generally has much lower rates of cashback than the U.S. due to lower merchant fees. A one percent cashback rate could be considered quite competitive within the UK. For comparison, the American Express Platinum Cashback card offers only 0.5 percent; one of the highest cashback rates in the country.

Unlike ‌Apple Card‌, Samsung Pay Card does not offer a physical card. It is a purely digital service available via NFC on Samsung smartphones and smartwatches. Although contactless payments in the UK are usually capped at £45, a spokesperson for Curve said that there is no spending limit on Samsung Card Pay.

Samsung Pay Card is currently only available in the UK, but a rollout elsewhere is likely at a later date. ‌Apple Card‌ has not yet launched outside of the U.S., meaning that Samsung has a captive market in the UK.

Apple today announced that it has renamed its Beats 1 radio station to Apple Music 1. The radio station can be accessed through the Radio tab in the Music app across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other devices, with no Apple Music subscription required.

Launched in 2015, the newly renamed Apple Music 1 is a 24-hour live radio station broadcast by Zane Lowe, Ebro Darden, and other DJs out of studios in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, and London. Apple describes the station as "the center for pop culture conversation and artist-led programming, and the global destination for artists from around the world to release new music, break news, and speak directly to their fans."

Apple also announced that it is launching two additional live radio stations. "Apple Music Hits" will play popular songs from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, while "Apple Music Country" will spotlight country music.

The battle royale continues between Epic Games and Apple.

In a statement shared with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple said that "we won't make an exception for Epic because we don't think it's right to put their business interests ahead of the guidelines that protect our customers."

Apple said that "the problem Epic has created for itself is one that can be easily remedied" if Epic submits a version of the Fortnite app that does not offer a direct payment option for its in-game currency V-Bucks. Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store last week for offering players an alternative to its in-app purchase mechanism.

Apple's full statement:

The App Store is designed to be a safe and trusted place for users and a great business opportunity for all developers. Epic has been one of the most successful developers on the App Store, growing into a multibillion dollar business that reaches millions of iOS customers around the world. We very much want to keep the company as part of the Apple Developer Program and their apps on the Store. The problem Epic has created for itself is one that can easily be remedied if they submit an update of their app that reverts it to comply with the guidelines they agreed to and which apply to all developers. We won't make an exception for Epic because we don't think it's right to put their business interests ahead of the guidelines that protect our customers.

Read our Epic Games vs. Apple guide for an up-to-date timeline of the events surrounding Fortnite's removal from the App Store.

Apple worked with the U.S. government on a "secret" modified iPod, according to a new report by former Apple software engineer David Shayer published by TidBits.

Shayer explains that in 2005, he was asked by the director of iPod software to "help two engineers from the U.S. Department of Energy build a special iPod." The engineers were in fact contractors from Bechtel, a large U.S. defense contractor. Only four individuals at Apple were aware of the project at the time, none of whom still work at the company, and there was no paper trail as all communication occurred in person.

The team set about modifying an iPod to record data from added custom hardware. It still had to look and work like a normal iPod, with any additional data recorded to the iPod's hard disk needing to be undetectable. Shayer's main role in the project was to oversee any help needed by the Department of Energy from Apple. The contractors were given an office at Apple headquarters, and over several months they were taught how to navigate and change the early iPod operating system.

The specific modified device was a fifth-generation iPod, chosen for its easily-opening case and large 60 GB disk. It was also the final iPod for which Apple did not digitally sign the operating system, allowing for easier software modification.

The Department of Energy is responsible for U.S. nuclear weapons and nuclear power programs, and in 2005 its budget was $24.3 billion. $9 billion of this budget was intended to meet defense-related objectives such as nuclear deterrence.

Shayer never saw the additional hardware personally, but believes that the iPod was modified to function as a "stealth Geiger counter." He speculates that such a device would be extremely useful for the Department of Energy when conducting covert operations to gather evidence of radioactivity.

Oracle has expressed serious interest in acquiring TikTok, according to the Financial Times.

Oracle reportedly has already held preliminary talks with TikTok's China-based parent company, Bytedance, to explore the terms of an acquisition. Oracle is also believed to be working with venture capital firms including General Atlantic and Sequoia Capital to raise funds for a bid.

Serious interest from Oracle poses a potential threat to Microsoft's bid, which is currently regarded as the frontrunner. Microsoft has officially provided a formal proposal that would involve the purchase of TikTok's operations in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Twitter is also understood to be exploring an acquisition of TikTok, but there are serious questions around its ability to raise the necessary capital to do so.

Oracle is a multinational technology company focused on database software and cloud systems. Last year, Oracle was the world's second-largest software company by revenue and market capitalization, and it would likely be able to fund a potential acquisition of TikTok.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Friday demanding that ByteDance sells its U.S. operations within 90 days. The Financial Times noted that Oracle's billionaire co-founder Larry Ellison has been openly supportive of President Trump, but it is unclear whether this would consolidate Oracle as the White House's preferred choice.

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.