Apple has today rebranded its iTunes Podcasts offering as ‘Apple Podcasts’, encapsulating the podcast directory and the client Podcasts app available on iPhone and iPad. Although today’s announcement is merely a branding change, it may indicate a renewed focus by Apple on podcasting. Full marketing guidelines for podcasters can be found here. In February, Eddy Cue teased that the company is working on new features for podcasts at the Code Media conference....

Apple has released the first developer beta of iOS 13.4.5. This comes following last week’s public release of iOS 13.4 and iPadOS 13.4. This week’s update focuses on bug fixes and performance improvements. The release notes for this update are generic. “This beta version of iOS 13.4.5 contains bug fixes and improvements,” Apple says. We’ll dive deeper into the update now that it’s rolling out to see what’s new for sure....

As promised yesterday, Apple has released the first iOS 11.3 public beta loaded with new features for iPhone and iPad. Apple previewed several new features yesterday prior to the first developer beta: 4 new Animoji on iPhone X: Lion, Skull, Bear, and Dragon ARKit 1.5 with support for vertical surfaces like walls, irregular shaped surfaces like circular tables, support for auto-focus, and 50% higher resolution Business Chat for iMessage in beta with Discover, Hilton, Lowe’s and Wells Fargo on board Health Records in Health app automatically updated from select partners More prominent music video features in Apple Music HomeKit software authentication without chip certification Advanced Mobile Location for sending your location to emergency services when calling from iPhone Apple has also promised new battery features on iPhones affected by performance throttling, although these won’t be in the initial beta....

Apple has rolled out an updated beta version of macOS 10.12.2 for Mac. The new build comes in at version 16C32f compared to 16C32e from the first beta release and may require installing an update utility from the developer center. Note that the new build is not macOS 10.12.2 beta 2 as it still lists version 1.0 on the release, just a newer build for some reason. macOS 10.12.2 includes Unicode 9....

Apple and social networking don’t have such a great history, but the Cupertino tech firm is ready to give it another go, if new rumors regarding a potential acquisition of the Path social app are true. According to PandoDaily, Apple is already in talks with the mobile social network and the merger is “essentially a done deal.” Path, for the uninitiated, is a mobile-only social networking app launched in 2010 that features photo sharing, private messaging, and other features you’d expect from a basic social service....

Apple has updated its classic iTunes Remote app for iOS with two-factor authentication support when signing in to Home Sharing. This lets you use stronger security on your Apple ID and iCloud account and makes iTunes Remote prompt you for 2FA when someone attempts to sign in. iTunes Remote was previously known simply as Remote and worked with iTunes as well as older Apple TV models. Apple released a new standalone app called Apple TV Remote back in August with Siri Remote features, however, but the classic Remote app has stuck around for Home Sharing features....

In addition to beta 5 for watchOS 3 and iOS 10 developers, Apple today has also released beta 5 of tvOS 10. To update, check through the Software Update section on the Apple TV, or grab the Configuration Profile from Apple’s Developer center if you’d like to install it for the first time. For screenshots of the new Music UI introduced in tvOS 10 beta 2, check back on our previous article....

Setteb.it noted that Apple would do a live broadcast of CEO Tim Cook’s remarks tomorrow at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference. Cook usually talks numbers and trends at these events but they are not usually broadcasted live. Tim Cook sends congratulatory email, plans to ‘discuss some exciting new things going on at Apple’ at Town Hall meeting (9to5mac.com) Tim Cook calls new Retail SVP John Browett ‘the best by far’ (9to5mac....

Apple’s isn’t ready to premiere its first retail store in Downtown Los Angeles just yet, but the stage is set. Broadway’s Tower Theatre is undergoing the largest transformation in its 92-year history. Apple’s restoration of the building will save an important part of Los Angeles culture and draw new energy to downtown’s core. Here’s a look at what’s been done so far. Last August, Apple officially unveiled its plans for the Tower Theatre after nearly three years of rumors....

Apple TV users in Australia are receiving new content today with the launch of Cricket.com.au on the platform. Cricket Australia, the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia, made the announcement today noting that the channel will be free and offer the “latest videos as well as highlights from the archive.” Apple TV users should be able to access the new Cricket Australia channel starting today. The press release says the app is entirely free but doesn’t specify whether or not users might be required at some point to purchase one of the service’s streaming subscriptions that usually cost $5/month or $30/year....

Apple Pay is going international for the first time next month with its expansion into the UK, but for now Apple is steadily turning on support through more partnered banks and credit unions across the United States. The latest addition includes more than two dozen institutions now supporting Apple’s iPhone-, iPad-, and Apple Watch-based mobile payment service. Here are the latest banks joining Apple’s list as well as the full list of Apple Pay banks to date:...

Apple Pay compatibility in the UK grew by two major banks last week with the addition of Lloyds and Halifax, and today Apple has added over 40 to its list of participating issuers. Since launching in the United States nearly a year ago, Apple’s mobile payment solution has steadily been signing on and rolling out support for waves of new banks and credit unions around the country. These are the latest to join:...

Apple’s online support Discussions boards blipped out briefly this weekend after the site was allegedly hit by a malicious attack — and that’s when Apple quietly announced that “Apple Discussions is becoming Apple Support Communities“. “Very soon a major change will be taking place here at Apple Discussions. To help you prepare we have created some documents to give some insight and instructions on this major upgrade,” Apple informs on its website....

As promised earlier today, Apple has released the first iOS 11.3 developer beta loaded with new features for iPhone and iPad. A free public beta version will be available in the future. Apple previewed several new features this morning including: 4 new Animoji on iPhone X: Lion, Skull, Bear, and and Dragon ARKit 1.5 with support for vertical surfaces like walls, irregular shaped surfaces like circular tables, support for auto-focus, and 50% higher resolution Business Chat for iMessage in beta with Discover, Hilton, Lowe’s and Wells Fargo on board Health Records in Health app automatically updated from select partners More prominent music video features in Apple Music HomeKit software authentication without chip certification Advanced Mobile Location for sending your location to emergency services when calling from iPhone Apple has also promised new battery features on iPhones affected by performance throttling, although these won’t be in the initial beta....

Apple has released the second tvOS 11.4 developer beta for testing on Apple TV 4 and Apple TV 4K. tvOS 11.4 turns Apple TV into an AirPlay 2 speaker which supports multi-room AirPlay from iOS. The latest developer beta of tvOS follows the official release of tvOS 11.3 to all customers last month. The new version added support for frame rate matching to older Apple TVs and Apple Music highlighted new music video playlists....

Update: iOS 13, iPadOS 13, and watchOS 6 beta 8 are now available. No updates to macOS Catalina beta 6 or tvOS 13 beta 7. iOS 13 public beta 7 also coming today. Apple is releasing iOS 13 and iPad OS 13 beta 8 to developers (possibly alongside new seeds of watchOS 6, tvOS 13, and macOS Catalina) today. The release comes just under one week since the last round of releases — save for macOS Catalina which was just updated this week....

(Before and after screenshots via The Guardian) Just over a week ago at WWDC, Apple announced several changes and improvements coming to the App Store this fall with the public release of iOS 8 including new ways to navigate through the App Store as well as explore new apps. As The Guardian points out (via MacStories), App Store customers across Europe will notice improvements in the following categories: health, lifestyle, music, photo and video, productivity, and sports....

Today, Apple Senior Vice President of Internet Services has launched a new iTunes section accessibly solely to Apple employees. The new section is designed to highlight media (such as books, songs, TV shows, and movies) worked on by Apple employees. Cue introduced the new initiative to employees via email: This new employee perk is yet another addition to Apple in recent years. Apple has been offering employees free apps, books, gift bags, and significant product discounts....

Following the release of the third OS X 10.10.2 pre-release version, Apple has seeded individual Safari betas for testing via its developer program. While the pre-release version of OS X 10.10.2 included Safari 8.0.3 beta, Apple has made beta versions for OS X Mavericks and OS X Mountain Lion available to download from the developer portal. The latest Safari beta versions include Safari 6.2.3, Safari 7.1.3, and Safari 8.0.3. Apple lists the following focus areas for the latest beta versions of its web browser:...

Apple has a new web page up today sharing exclusive holiday offers available for customers who use its newly launched Apple Pay on the web feature. Some of the companies offering deals for using Apple Pay on the web this holiday season include Adidas, Casper, Grubhub, lululemon, Overstock, Shopify, seamless, and more. Some retailers like 1-800 Flowers.com and Adidas are offering free shipping for using Apple Pay on the web, while others are offering gift cards and other discounts....