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The massively popular F-150 pickup truck was one of the first Ford vehicles to gain the manufacturer's new SYNC 4 infotainment system for the 2021 model year, and I recently had a chance to test out the vehicle to get a sense of how the overall system functions, including a key new feature for iPhone owners: wireless CarPlay.

If you've shopped pickup trucks before, you know that they come in a huge array of configurations with different trims, cab and bed sizes, engines, and more across a range of prices. While I didn't get to test out the upcoming all-electric F-150 that's been making headlines recently, my 2021 test vehicle was a Lariat trim 4x4 with SuperCrew cab and a 3.5L PowerBoost Full Hybrid engine.

With some additional options, my tester came to a sticker price of a little over $68,000, which is toward the higher end of the F-150's expansive pricing range that starts at under $30,000 and can push past $80,000 fully loaded.

SYNC 4 Infotainment

The Lariat trim of the F-150 comes with a generous 12-inch infotainment screen for managing the SYNC 4 system and Ford says the hardware is twice as fast as that used in the SYNC 3 system. That makes for a responsive system that responds well when switching between functions and doing more intensive tasks like panning and zooming with built-in navigation.

SYNC 4 is also designed from the ground up to be scalable across display sizes and aspect ratios, from the relatively traditional 8-inch and 12-inch display options in the F-150 to the large portrait-style screens in the Edge and Mustang Mach-E that get a slightly modified SYNC 4A system.

The overall look of SYNC 4 is quite similar to SYNC 3, with a simple look that generally lacks significant contrast and forgoes the increasingly common dashboard/widget home screen view for a split-screen view that allows you to see two functions simultaneously and easily switch between them using icons along the bottom of the display.

I've come to prefer dashboard-style views that make it easy to see a variety of information all at once, but I must say that the ability to easily swap between functions, including ‌CarPlay‌, using the persistent navigation bar did grow on me over my time with the vehicle.

SYNC 4 offers both light and dark color schemes, and the system can be set to automatically switch between them depending on the time of day. I must say that I was not a fan of the light color scheme, even during the daytime, as it simply felt like too much light gray with not enough contrast among various elements and even the background. I much preferred the dark theme with its heavy emphasis on blue, which felt better to my eyes regardless of the time of day.

SYNC 4 benefits from not being overly complicated, even though there are a number of advanced features thanks to it being installed in an F-150, such as controlling the onboard generator system, exterior work lighting, and more. But for general use, there aren't a ton of functions you'll need to access on a regular basis.

In addition to the large touchscreen, there is a set of buttons and knobs below it for controlling various audio functions like volume, tuning, play/pause, skipping forward and backward, changing audio sources, and accessing audio settings. Several of these functions can of course also be controlled using buttons on the steering wheel.

Climate controls are thankfully manual, with generous knobs for setting the temperature and an assortment of buttons for various modes including heated and ventilated seats and the heated steering wheel. An easy-to-find rocker in the center of the grouping helps you quickly adjust the fan speed while minimizing the need to take your eyes off the road.

CarPlay

As is becoming increasingly common across the latest infotainment platforms, SYNC 4 supports both wired and wireless ‌CarPlay‌, offering maximum flexibility for phone integration. Wireless setup is simple, requiring only a quick pairing confirmation via Bluetooth before the Wi-Fi connection is made. From that point on, I experienced quick and seamless connection every time I started the vehicle.

With the F-150's 12-inch screen divided into several sections with the split-screen view on the left and right, persistent navigation bar at the bottom, and fairly large status bar at the top, ‌CarPlay‌ feels like it takes up a relatively small portion of the overall screen real estate. It's certainly functional, but you won't get the expansive ‌CarPlay‌ experience you see on some other vehicles where it can display in widescreen at greater resolution.

‌CarPlay‌ also looks a little out of place against the relatively monochrome SYNC 4 system that takes up the rest of the screen. But ‌CarPlay‌ performs well, and I noticed no lag or other issues when using either a wired or wireless connection.

While ‌CarPlay‌ itself is limited to only a portion of the SYNC 4 display, it does an adequate job of displaying content, including navigation apps. Any smaller and it would definitely feel cramped, but it gets the job done.

The main advantage of this layout for SYNC 4 is that ‌CarPlay‌ integrates very well with the native system. You can view secondary information like radio or SiriusXM data and controls in the split-screen view right alongside ‌CarPlay‌, and jumping back and forth between ‌CarPlay‌ and other SYNC functions is extremely easy thanks to the navigation bar at the bottom. You're always only one tap away from getting in or out of ‌CarPlay‌.

In addition to the 12-inch main infotainment screen, Lariat and higher trims also include a 12-inch all-digital driver productivity screen. It's dominated by large digital tachometer and speedometer dials, but it can display some information such as native navigation prompts in the center portion of the screen. It does not support second-screen ‌CarPlay‌ ‌Apple Maps‌ navigation prompts, which is disappointing but not terribly surprising considering that feature is just starting to be supported by a few manufacturers.

Charging and Ports

The F-150 does offer an optional wireless phone charger, but unfortunately, my Lariat trim tester did not come equipped with it. The charger is included on higher-end King Ranch, Platinum, and Limited trims, and it's unfortunate that it's not available even as an option on lower trims to complement wireless ‌CarPlay‌ and Android Auto.

There are three sets of USB ports through the cab, however, with each set including both a USB-C port and a USB-A port. One set for data and charging is located at the base of the center stack next to a generous media bin, which is where the wireless charging pad is located on trims that offer it. The chargers and bin have a retractable cover to help hide away valuables.

The second and third sets of USB ports are both charge-only, with one set located inside the cavernous center console compartment and the third set located on the rear of the center console for second-row passengers.

My test vehicle was also equipped with Ford's 7.2 kW Pro Power Onboard system, which is exclusive to the hybrid powertrain and offers various other 120V power outlets and even a 240V outlet scattered around the cabin and in the bed of the truck, allowing the vehicle to act as a generator for power tools and other devices. Even under a full load, the system can run for up to 32 hours on a full tank of gas.

Wrap-up

My feelings on SYNC 4 in the 2021 Ford F-150 can really be broken down into two parts: the look and the functionality. To put it simply, I'm not a big fan of the overall look of the system. Too much of the overall interface is relatively monochrome, which results in a boring look and makes it harder to pick out information and interactive elements. I particularly don't like the light theme and its fairly bright gray look, while the dark theme's blue offers a bit more character but is still too much of one color for my tastes.

On the functionality side, I found SYNC 4 to be a very solid system that was easy to use, even considering some of the extra features included thanks to the F-150 being a workhorse pickup. The system is responsive and I appreciate the flexibility of a split-screen view that gives access to both ‌CarPlay‌ and the native system simultaneously.

My initial disappointment at a lack of a dashboard-style view quickly gave way to an appreciation of how the split-screen view and the persistent navigation bar make it easy to switch between functions and make ‌CarPlay‌ feel like just another app, even if the look is wildly different from the native system.

If I have one issue with the functionality, it's that I'd like to see a bit better use of space in the overall design. There's an awful lot of wasted space along the top of the screen, and I'd like to see a different layout on a screen with perhaps a bit different aspect ratio that would allow for a wider and larger ‌CarPlay‌ pane within the system.

When it comes to connectivity, the F-150 certainly offers an array of ports to help keep devices connected and charged, and of course, wireless ‌CarPlay‌ is a convenient option that's great to see standard across all trims.

I do wish wireless phone charging wasn't limited to only the higher trim levels, as it seemed a bit silly to me to be driving a vehicle with a sticker price approaching $70,000 but which didn't even offer the feature as an option on that trim. I'm still a firm believer that wireless phone charging should at least be an option if not standard on any vehicle that includes wireless ‌CarPlay‌ and Android Auto.

ElevationLab today announced the upcoming launch of the TagVault: Pet, an AirTag holder that is designed to attach to pet harnesses and collars.

The design is similar to ElevationLab's TagVault, offering a full enclosure for the ‌AirTag‌ that's both protective and waterproof. The ‌AirTag‌ holder screws on with four screws and then attaches to a collar with a mounting plate.

The TagVault: Pet does not need to attach to a ring on a collar and it does not dangle, making it a more secure solution than other pet-related ‌AirTag‌ holders.

According to ElevationLab, the TagVault:Pet is designed to work with any width collar or harness, and collar thicknesses up to 5mm. This encompasses 99 percent of collars, though some doubled leather or studded collars may be too thick.

Given the size of the TagVault: Pet, it is best to use it with dogs and cats that are over 10 pounds. It works with smaller animals, but the TagVault will be rather large. ElevationLab says that this design is comfortable for pets, and that signal and sound pass through the casing.

The TagVault: Pet can be preordered from the ElevationLab website for $19.95 and it will ship out in July.

Tidal this week released an Apple Watch app, allowing subscribers to stream music and control playback directly on their wrist, without an iPhone nearby. The app is available through the App Store on watchOS.

Tidal on the Apple Watch provides access to tracks, albums, playlists, and downloaded content that can be listened to offline from anywhere without internet connectivity. Apple Music also offers offline playback on the Apple Watch, as does Spotify starting last week, so this feature is consistent with other streaming music services.

Launched in 2014, Tidal has a catalog of over 70 million songs. One of the platform's unique advantages was high-fidelity audio, but Apple Music will start offering lossless audio to subscribers in June at no additional cost.

Flexibits is well-known for its popular calendar app Fantastical available across Apple's platforms, but it also offers a contacts management app, Cardhop, that goes above and beyond what Apple's stock Contacts app offers.

Coinciding with its 10th anniversary, Flexibits this week is introducing Cardhop 2.0 for Mac, iPhone, and iPad, with an all-new design. It also brings a number of new features that supplement the powerful parsing engine that makes it easy to manage your contacts and initiate actions such as messages and calls by typing a quick line of text:

• Relationships: View relationships among your contacts in a family tree view, or even view company org charts that can be automatically generated from Google and Office 365 entries.
• Widgets: With Notification Center and Home Screen widgets, you can easily set up quick access for frequent contacts by simply specifying a person and an action, and widget setups can sync across your devices.
• Business card scanning: Add contacts by simply scanning a business card with the camera on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌. Cardhop will automatically recognize relevant data fields and populate them, and will also save a picture of the business card with the entry.
• Fantastical integration: Invite a single contact or a group of contacts to events via Fantastical.

Fantastical made the shift to a subscription app last year, offering a free tier with limited functionality and a premium tier that unlocks full functionality for the app. Cardhop is now following suit, but with a catch – Fantastical and Cardhop are now bundled together in a single Flexibits Premium subscription at the same price as the previous Fantastical Premium.

Pricing for Flexibits Premium comes in at $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year (a 33% discount compared to monthly), with a 14-day free trial. A family plan for up to five family members is also available, priced at $7.99 per month or $64.99 per year.

Existing Fantastical Premium subscribers will be automatically upgraded to Flexibits Premium to receive access to Cardhop 2.0. Users who previously purchased Cardhop 1 will be able to download Cardhop 2 and continue to use all of the features that were included in Cardhop 1, but will need to subscribe to Flexibits Premium to unlock the new capabilities.

Last week, Bloomberg reported that Apple is working on a high-end version of the Mac mini with additional ports and featuring the same Apple silicon chip expected to debut in the upcoming redesigned MacBook Pro. Now, new renders from Apple leaker Jon Prosser have potentially given us our first look at this upcoming Mac.

According to renders made by Ian Zelbo in collaboration with Prosser, and shared in a new YouTube video from Front Page Tech, the new Mac mini will retain a mostly similar design to the existing ‌Mac mini‌ but be smaller in overall size.

According to Prosser, the new high-end ‌Mac mini‌ will feature the same ports currently available on the Intel-based ‌Mac mini‌, which includes four Thunderbolt, two USB-A, Ethernet, and HDMI. Another change reportedly coming to the new ‌Mac mini‌ is a "plexiglass-like" top, which will sit above the aluminum enclosure.

Proser says he has "heard" that Apple is testing two-tone color options for the ‌Mac mini‌, similar to the newly released 24-inch iMac. Finally, Prosser says that the new ‌Mac mini‌ will feature the same magnetic power port that debuted in the 24-inch ‌iMac‌.

Apple updated the ‌Mac mini‌ with the M1 Apple silicon chip in November, keeping in its lineup Mac minis equipped with Intel processors. Bloomberg has indicated Apple could scrap its plans to release this new high-end ‌Mac mini‌ but notes that regardless, it will eventually replace the current Intel models with ones featuring Apple silicon chips.

Last week, Apple introduced two new Pride Edition Apple Watch bands. In addition to online orders through Apple.com, the new bands are also available to purchase at physical Apple Store locations starting today.

Priced at $99, the Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop weaves together the original rainbow colors with those drawn from various Pride flags, according to Apple. For $49, the Pride Edition Nike Sport Loop features a nylon weave with reflective rainbow yarn inspired by the Pride flag, which is designed to shimmer when light strikes it.

The first online orders of the new Pride bands are beginning to arrive to customers, including MacRumors reader Harry.

The Braided Solo Loop is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 4 or newer, while the Nike Sport Loop is compatible with the Series 3 or later.

The watchOS 7.5 software update released this week includes a new Pride Woven watch face that matches the design of the Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop. With the rotation of the Digital Crown, the colorful threads on the watch face infinitely scroll and animate with a raise of the wrist. Apple has included an App Clip code on the band's packaging for easy access to the watch face with an iPhone running iOS 14.3 or later.

Netflix is mulling an expansion into online gaming that could end up being similar to Apple's digital subscription offering, Apple Arcade, according to multiple reports.

News of the plans began trickling out on Friday when The Information reported that Netflix had approached veteran game industry executives about joining the company.

Netflix is looking to hire an executive to oversee an expansion into videogames, a sign it is stepping up its efforts to grow beyond traditional filmed entertainment, according to people familiar with the situation.

[...]

One option the company has discussed is offering a bundle of games similar to Apple's online subscription offering, Apple Arcade, one of the people said.

The planned hire, since corroborated by Reuters' sources, signifies part of a wider push into gaming that is said to have been prompted by a desire to find new ways to attract subscribers after the company's slowed growth in the U.S. market.

According to The Information, Netflix's plans are still "very much in flux," although it has reportedly decided not to include ads in the games, which suggests an upcoming service that would be offered to subscribers as an extra bundle.

Since the initial report, an Axios source has said to think of the service as "a smaller ‌Apple Arcade‌" bundle that would consist of a mix of licensed Netflix intellectual property and original work commissioned from independent studios.

The move follows previous dips into gaming by the company, such as its ill-fated partnership with Telltale Games to create a game based on "Stranger Things," which was never released, and its choose-your-adventure style film "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch," which proved a hit.

Netflix already offers several shows based on popular video games, such as "The Witcher" and "Resident Evil," so it could be looking at leveraging this lucrative IP and offering new titles that could even produce spin-off shows further down the line.

Asked from comment on the latest reports, Netflix didn't deny the planned gaming exec hire and told Axios and The Information that it's "excited to do more with interactive entertainment."

Whatever the outcome, Netflix's gaming service is said to be some way off, with Axios' sources suggesting a possible launch in 2022, although plans are subject to change.

As if to underline the fluid nature of the plans, The Information reported that Netflix hasn't ruled out other potential approaches, including the possibility of making games in-house or getting the games to run on smart TVs.

WaterField Designs has launched a new Leather AirTag Keychain and an ‌AirTag‌ Luggage Tag for Apple's popular item tracker.

The ‌AirTag‌ Luggage Tag consists of two layers of bonded rugged leather that form a pocket in which the ‌AirTag‌ is secured. The Tag attaches with a strong 1.5 mm stainless steel wire that threads through a metal grommet, while perforated holes in a diamond pattern allow sound to travel from the ‌AirTag‌'s built-in speakers.

An included address card or a business card can be slid behind a clear window that's covered by a secure leather flap.

Meanwhile, offering something different to the typical polycarbonate ‌AirTag‌ holders, WaterField Design's more traditional-looking Keychain accessories house the ‌AirTag‌ within a layer of full-grain, vegetable-tanned leather, which protects the tracker while also concealing it from view.

The ‌AirTag‌ Keychain has nine small perforations in the raindrop-shaped leather pouch that allow ‌AirTag‌ sound alerts to pass through, and a heavy-duty matte black ring that can hold multiple keys. The accessory can be attached to items with a metal screw fastener.

A Matte black metal screw stud closes the pouch but allows access for battery replacement, and WaterField Design offers the Keychain with a choice of carabiner or 1.5mm stainless-steel cable, with a barrel closure, that threads through a metal grommet to attach to bags, belt hooks, and so on.

• AirTag Accessories: Keyrings and Holders for Apple's AirTags

The Leather AirTag Keychain is available from May 28 for $25 in Acorn, Black, Blue, and Red, while the Leather AirTag Luggage Tag is available from June 9 for $49 in a Black exterior/Black interior, Blue/Black, Crimson/Black, and Grizzly Brown/Black.

macOS Big Sur 11.4, which was released this morning, addresses a zero-day vulnerability that could allow attackers to piggyback off of apps like Zoom, taking secret screenshots and surrepetiously recording the screen.

Jamf, a mobile device management company, today highlighted a security issue that allowed Privacy preferences to be bypassed, providing an attacker with Full Disk Access, Screen Recording, and other permissions without a user's consent.

The bypass was actively exploited in the wild, and was discovered by Jamf when analyzing XCSSET malware. The XCSSET malware has been out in the wild since 2020, but Jamf noticed an uptick in recent activity and discovered a new variant.

Once installed on a victim's system, the malware was used specifically for taking screenshots of the user's desktop with no additional permissions required. Jamf said that it could be used to bypass other permissions as well, as long as the donor application the malware piggybacked off of had that permission enabled.

Jamf has a full rundown on how the exploit worked, and the company says that Apple addressed the vulnerability in macOS Big Sur 11.4, Apple confirmed to TechCrunch that a fix has indeed been enabled in macOS 11.4, so Mac users should update their software as soon as possible.

The three week Epic Games v. Apple trial wrapped up today, with a series of debates that were held in lieu of traditional closing arguments. The wrap up follows Apple CEO Tim Cook's testimony last week, which saw him grilled by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers on Apple's App Store policies.

As outlined by Protocol, at the conclusion of the trial, Rogers aimed to get at the heart of the dispute and determine what remedies might ultimately be appropriate.

As she did earlier in the trial, Rogers hinted that she may be leaning toward something of a compromise with a ruling that would see Apple required to allow apps like Fortnite to direct users to make purchases on the web rather than in apps, something that's currently forbidden by the ‌App Store‌ rules.

In this scenario, Apple would be required to relax its "anti-steering" restrictions, but the rest of the iOS ecosystem would remain untouched and would function as normal. Apple's lawyers attempted to say that Apple's anti-steering rules are meant to improve transaction efficiency, but Cook's testimony undermined that argument. "Cook conceded that it's a method of being compensated for intellectual property," Rogers said.

Epic's lawyers argued that iOS should be opened up to competing app stores. Apple could still offer the security and privacy of the current ‌App Store‌, but with third-party app stores, customers would have a choice. Epic's closing argument pointed toward the Mac as an example of what iOS should look like.

Apple's lawyers argued that consumer choice already exists because people can choose Android, and that the changes that ‌Epic Games‌ wants implemented would ruin the iPhone by making it less secure with apps that are impossible to curate or moderate. Epic wants Apple to "drop its gloves and stand in the middle of the arena and take what comes without any meaningful defense," Apple's lawyer said.

Rogers was not particularly convinced by Epic's argument because it would result in such a drastic change to the ‌App Store‌. ‌Epic Games‌ could not demonstrate similar antitrust cases where the extreme kind of outcome it is asking for had been granted by a court.

At the conclusion of the trial, Judge Rogers said that she expects that her verdict will take quite some time, but she did not provide a concrete date. It could be several weeks before we hear about the ‌Epic Games‌ v. Apple trial again, and it's quite likely that any decision will be appealed, so this is a lawsuit that could carry on for months to come.

New MacBook Pro models are coming at WWDC, according to leaker Jon Prosser who has a mixed track record when it comes to predicting Apple's plans.

Prosser provided no additional information, but there are new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models in the works. The new MacBook Pros will feature the most radical redesign to the ‌MacBook Pro‌ lineup since 2016.

Apple is planning to reintroduce the MagSafe port, and the 2021 ‌MacBook Pro‌ models will feature an HDMI port and an SD card reader in addition to a trio of Thunderbolt/USB-C ports, and multiple color options are a possibility.

There will be no Touch Bar included, with Apple returning to a traditional row of function keys, and there will be a redesigned thermal system to accommodate the upgraded Apple silicon chips that the machines are expected to include.

Bloomberg recently said that the new ‌MacBook Pro‌ models will feature 10-core Apple silicon chips with eight high-performance cores and two energy-efficient cores, along with 16 or 32-core GPU options and support for up to 64GB RAM.

No other sources have indicated that the ‌MacBook Pro‌ models will be coming at WWDC, and it has been atypical for Apple to debut hardware at the event in recent years, but it is not unheard of. The new ‌MacBook Pro‌ models are expected to enter production in the second half of 2021, and reliable sources that include Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo have suggested a launch in the second half of the year.

Apple last Friday released the first M1 iMac models to customers and began selling them in stores, and iFixit has now started one of its traditional teardowns on the new machines.

iFixit is tearing down the mid-tier purple ‌iMac‌ model with an 8-core CPU, an 8-core GPU, and 8GB RAM. It's worth noting that the internals of this model will look different than the internals of the base model with a 7-core GPU as the two machines have different cooling systems.

The base ‌iMac‌ has a single cooling fan and a heat sink while the higher-end 8-core GPU models have two fans and a heat pipe along with heat sinks, so expect the internals to look different if you have a 7-core GPU ‌iMac‌.

The teardown starts off with a detailed x-ray, and the x-rays are always fun to look at because they give us a look at the internal components without opening up the machine. There are two main metal plates inside and an RF passthrough for antenna hardware in the Apple logo.

The ‌iMac‌ is sealed with what iFixit says is "classic ‌iMac‌ adhesive," which is not as gloopy and hard to work with as adhesive Apple uses for products like the iPad.

Since the front of the ‌iMac‌ is a single piece of glass, there's no separate front to the chin that blocks access to the internals as on past models. The chin houses the logic board, and there are two fans blowing inward. A copper heatpipe and two short heatsinks draw heat away from the ‌M1‌.

iFixit detailed the components on the logic board, which include SK Hynix memory, Kioxia NAND flash storage, and an Apple-designed ‌M1‌ SoC, Bluetooth/WiFi module, and power management IC, among other components.

There is a "mystery button" with three LEDs below it, that iFixit says will be revealed later. iFixit also plans to share Magic Keyboard Touch ID sensor details, info on the speakers, and a repairability score.

iFixit's teardown won't be completed until tomorrow, but MacRumors readers interested in seeing inside the ‌iMac‌ can follow along on the iFixit website as new components and details are unveiled.

Update: iFixit has now completed part two of its teardown, giving us a full look inside the ‌iMac‌, the ‌Touch ID‌ Magic Keyboard, and power supply.

Apple today released iOS 14.6 and iPadOS 14.6 to the public. The iOS 14.6 update isn't quite as significant as the iOS 14.5 update that preceded it, but it still introduces a number of notable new features. We've highlighted everything that's new in iOS and iPadOS 14.6 below.

Apple Music Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio Support

Apple in May introduced two new Apple Music features, which ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers are getting for no additional cost. ‌Apple Music‌ Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos will offer up an immersive, multi-dimensional audio experience that lets artists mix music in a way that makes it sound like the notes are coming from all around you.

Apple is also upgrading its entire music catalog to Lossless Audio, which preserves the details in the original audio file so ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers can hear songs exactly as artists recorded them in the studio.

Neither of these two features are launching with iOS 14.6 and Apple plans to enable them in June through a server-side update, but iOS 14.6 does lay the groundwork.

More about these new features can be found in our Apple Music guide and our dedicated Apple Music Lossless guide.

Apple Card Family

Announced in April, Apple Card Family is designed to allow an Apple card to be shared among family members. Two adults in a family can share a single ‌Apple Card‌ account, with each person serving as a co-owner to build credit.

‌Apple Card‌ Family also lets parents share an ‌Apple Card‌ with their children for making purchases, with optional spending limits and parental controls to help children learn smart financial habits. All spending by the family is tracked with a single monthly bill.

Up to five people can be added to an ‌Apple Card‌ account for sharing purposes, with sharing handled through the Wallet app. All users must be part of the same Family Sharing Group, and be 13 years of age or older.

Co-owners must be 18 years or older, and will have a combined spending limit and the ability to see each other's spending. Existing ‌Apple Card‌ customers will be able to merge their ‌Apple Card‌ accounts if they have two cards, resulting in a higher shared credit limit with the lower APR of the two accounts, but this feature won't be available until July. Adding new family members or adding a co-owner to an ‌Apple Card‌ can be done through the Wallet app, and Apple has provided tutorials.

Apple Podcasts Subscription Support

iOS 14.6 introduces support for subscriptions in the Apple Podcasts app, allowing podcast creators to collect subscription fees from their listeners.

Subscriptions can unlock additional content, with NPR, the Los Angeles Times, Sony Music Entertainment, Wondery, and more planning to introduce premium content. Podcast subscriptions are available in more than 170 countries.

AirTag and Find My

In the Find My app, if you put an AirTag or a ‌Find My‌ accessory into Lost Mode, you can now add an email address for contact purposes. Prior to iOS 14.6, the only option was to enter a phone number.

AirTags will also now show a partially masked phone number of an owner when tapped with an NFC-compatible device.

Voice Control

iPhone users with the Voice Control accessibility option enabled can unlock their iPhones for the first time after a restart using only their voice after installing iOS 14.6.

Bug Fixes

There are a number of bug fixes that are included in iOS 14.6, with Apple fixing issues that include the Apple Watch not working to unlock the ‌iPhone‌, disconnecting Bluetooth devices, and performance issues during startup. A full list of bug fixes is below:

• Unlock with Apple Watch may not work after using Lock ‌‌iPhone‌‌ on Apple Watch
• Reminders may appear as blank lines
• Call blocking extensions may not appear in Settings
• Bluetooth devices could sometimes disconnect or send audio to a different device during an active call
• ‌‌iPhone‌‌ may experience reduced performance during startup

Guide Feedback

Know of a feature that we left out? Send us an email here.

Apple alongside the second-generation Apple TV 4K debuted a redesigned version of the Siri Remote, which is now available to customers with new ‌Apple TV‌ orders and as a $60 standalone replacement for the original ‌Siri‌ Remote.

We picked up the updated ‌Siri‌ Remote to see if it's worth picking up if you have an original ‌Apple TV‌ 4K or HD and are tired of the first iteration of the remote, which has several shortcomings.

Apple entirely overhauled the ‌Siri‌ Remote's design. It has an all-aluminum body that does away with the touchpad interface, instead adopting a touch-based clickpad and several additional buttons for control purposes.

The new remote is thicker than the prior version, and Apple has used that thickness change as an explanation for why the ‌Siri‌ Remote 2 doesn't need Find My. It's bigger, thicker, and shouldn't get as easily lost in couch cushions, though whether that's true remains to be seen and will vary from household to household.

Along with no ‌Find My‌, the new remote does not feature a gyroscope or an accelerometer, so you can't play games with it. Apple now recommends gaming controllers for playing games rather than the standard remote.

The clickpad that Apple added can be used like a standard directional button, and you can also swipe around if you want, but you don't have to. It's much more versatile than the prior touch interface, and it's useful to be able to scroll/scrub through content using a circular swipe gesture.

The buttons are tactile and satisfying to press, and Apple has added dedicated mute and power buttons along with the standard buttons for play/pause, volume control, and more. ‌Siri‌ can be activated through a side button.

Like the prior ‌Siri‌ Remote, you can charge this one using Lightning, and other than the physical changes, it operates the same as the original remote so it should be intuitive for most ‌Apple TV‌ users. If you're fed up with the original ‌Siri‌ Remote, the updated version has the potential to be a good alternative if you don't mind the selling price. Get a new ‌Siri‌ Remote? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Following its announcement last month, Apple today officially flipped the switch to allow parents to share their Apple Card with their teenagers or friends and the ability for spouses to co-own a single ‌Apple Card‌ account. However, one notable feature that didn't get released today is the ability for two separate ‌Apple Card‌ accounts to be merged into one.

Apple announced the feature last month but didn't specifically pin a release date. Now, in a new support document, Apple says that starting later on in July, users will be able to merge two existing ‌Apple Card‌ accounts into one, and in doing so, be able to combine their credit limits.

Coming July 2021: You will be able to invite another Apple Card owner to combine credit limits and form one co-owned account.1

The ability to share an ‌Apple Card‌ with iCloud Family members above 13 years old and the ability to co-own an ‌Apple Card‌ were released today as part of the iOS 14.6 update.

Apple today released iOS 14.6, with it bringing support for Apple Podcasts subscriptions and new support for Apple Card Family. Announced last month, ‌Apple Card‌ Family allows families to share a single ‌Apple Card‌ with users above 13 years old with the ability to set a spending limit.

Following its release, Apple has shared two how-to videos on how exactly to share an Apple Card with your teenager or friend and how to co-own a single Apple Card with your significant other. The process for sharing an ‌Apple Card‌ with a friend or teenager is enabled within the Wallet app on iOS 14.6 or later and requires that you be in an iCloud Family with the person you wish to share the card with.

Last month, Apple also announced the ability for couples to co-own a single ‌Apple Card‌, allowing them to build their credit score together. The process is similar to sharing an ‌Apple Card‌ with your teenager or friend but requires you to share your spouse's annual income.

‌Apple Card‌ Family is available today with the iOS 14.6 update.

Apple today released iOS and iPadOS 14.6, marking the sixth major updates to the iOS and iPadOS operating systems that initially came out in September 2020. iOS 14.6 comes one month after the launch of iOS 14.5, an update that added Apple Watch iPhone unlocking, Apple Maps accident crowdsourcing, and tons more.

The iOS and iPadOS 14.5 updates can be downloaded for free and the software is available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the new software, go to Settings > General > Software Update.

iOS 14.6 introduces support for several previously announced features. It lays the groundwork for the Apple Music Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio functionality, but these new ‌Apple Music‌ capabilities aren't expected to launch until June.

The update also adds support for Apple Card Family for sharing Apple Cards, it introduces new Podcast subscription options, and it adds new AirTags capabilities, in addition to addressing several bugs.

Apple's full release notes for the update are below:

Apple Card Family
- Apple Card can be shared with up to five people, including anyone 13 years or older in your Family Sharing group
- Apple Card Family adds support for families to track expenses, manage spending with optional limits and controls, and build credit together

Podcasts
- Subscription support for channels and individual shows

AirTag and Find My
- Lost mode option to add an email address instead of a phone number for AirTag and Find My network accessories
- AirTag will show the partially masked phone number of the owner when tapped with an NFC-capable device

Accessibility
- Voice Control users can unlock their iPhone for the first time after a restart using only their voice

This release also fixes the following issues:
- Unlock with Apple Watch may not work after using Lock iPhone on Apple Watch
- Reminders may appear as blank lines
- Call blocking extensions may not appear in Settings
- Bluetooth devices could sometimes disconnect or send audio to a different device during an active call
- iPhone may experience reduced performance during startup

Major development on iOS 14 will be coming to an end in the near future as Apple prepares to transition to iOS 15, an update that will be unveiled on June 7.