Apple will release fourth public betas of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 to testers today. This comes after Tuesday’s release of iOS 14 beta 4 to developers, bringing changes such as new widgets for the TV app, COVID-19 Exposure Notification API support, and more. Today’s release of iOS 14 beta 4 to public beta users will likely include the same changes that were introduced to developer beta testers earlier this week....
Following yesterday’s developer betas, Apple has seeded the second iOS 11.4 and tvOS 11.4 public betas. iOS 11.4 includes both AirPlay 2 and Messages on iCloud for testing, and tvOS 11.4 can be used for AirPlay 2 testing. iOS 11.4 beta also suggests we’ll see HomePod gain stereo support when the software update is ready, but the feature requires an unreleased version of the HomePod software to test. AirPlay 2 testing requires Apple TV 4 or Apple TV 4K with tvOS 11....
Apple officially responded to the mounting privacy concerns related to how third-party iOS apps access address book data on users’ devices. Tom Neumayr, a spokesperson for the Cupertino, Calif.-headquartered gadget giant told AllThingsD’s John Paczkowski: So, there you have it. A forthcoming iOS software update will make sure no app can get access to iPhone contacts without your explicit approval. We are inclined to think Apple should not limit user approvals to just location data and contacts....
It was in September of last year that we first heard that Apple was in talks to open an Apple Store in Washington D.C.’s famous Carnegie Library, with more details emerging later in the year. The company has now revealed more of its plans as it prepares for a presentation this evening … While some are concerned about handing over control of a historic building for use as a retail store, Apple says that its plans are respectful of both the appearance and current role of the building....
Apple has today released an update on the FaceTime eavesdropping bug and offered an apology. The company says it has patched the flaw on its servers and will roll out an update to iOS users next week to bring back Group FaceTime with the bug fixed. It also makes a promise to improve how it handles bug reports and its escalation process. Apple’s statement says that as “soon as our engineering team became aware of the details necessary to reproduce the bug, they quickly disabled Group FaceTime and began work on the fix....
As is tradition, Apple today has posted its full Mother’s Day gift guide for this year. The company’s picks are rather uneventful, focusing on the spring collection of Apple Watch bands, iPhone cases, as well as new AirPods. We’re still nearly a month away from Mother’s Day 2019, but Apple is already getting into the spirit. The company’s picks this year consist of the 2019 AirPods, iPhone XS and iPhone XR cases, and more....
Apple is testing a local, offline version of Dictation voice input for iOS devices, according to strings of code found inside of the iOS 7 beta. The code, which was discovered by Hamza Sood, is located inside of both iOS 7 betas, but it is not present in iOS 6. Currently, when an iOS user uses their voice to input text using Dictation, the iOS device will use software that uploads your speech to the cloud to be converted into text....
Much as we had expected, Apple has finally (and quietly) launched the Apple TV in India, priced at Rs.7900 (~$150). Going by the retail price of $99 in the US, some people were expecting the Apple TV to be priced around Rs.6990, but not to be. [Update: Apple India has updated the page with the new price of Rs.8295 for the Apple TV, as they had not included the taxes earlier]....
In addition to shipping iOS 8 to iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users today, Apple has released a software update to Apple TV (third-generation) users as well. As we previewed before, the new version of Apple TV’s software brings a refreshed design with thinner text and flatter icons bringing it more in line with iOS’s look and feel. The update also includes a newly added Beats Music channel for the subscription streaming music service Apple purchased earlier this year....
Update: Apple has confirmed its store opening and closure plans in a statement to TechCrunch: An unusual Apple retail plan is taking shape in Texas. According to public permits filed with the City of Dallas, Apple has secured a tenant location in the Galleria Dallas, a large shopping center less than 10 miles from Dallas Love Field airport. The mall is located midway between four existing Apple Store locations currently serving central Dallas and surrounding communities to the north....
Apple has released the fourth 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....
Apple today released the third developer beta of macOS Catalina 10.15.3. This comes as Apple earlier this week released the third developer betas of iOS 13.3.1, iPadOS 13.3.1, watchOS 6.1.2, and tvOS 13.3.1. The company does not specify what’s new in the update, but it likely focuses on performance improvements, security updates, and bug fixes. Developers can update to the latest beta through System Preferences if they’re already enrolled in the Beta Program....
It’s been almost two weeks since Apple started a new beta cycle with the release of iOS 12.3 beta 1. The update brought with it the initial code-level support for some of the features announced during the “It’s show time” event, including assets for the Apple Card, which we revealed would be paired in a similar way to AirPods. Update 4/8: The second developer betas are now available for iOS 12....
Apple’s TestFlight-based App Analytics service is now available to all registered iOS developers through the iTunes Connect interface. Apple recently made App Analytics available to select developers upon request (which were fulfilled in a short amount of time), but starting today all developers can access the service without the need for requesting access. While the service is still labeled with the ‘beta’ disclaimer, Apple has started notifying developers via email of the new feature availability for everyone....
After announcing earlier today at it is releasing new versions of iWork and iLife for both Mac OS X and iOS, the updated versions of iMovie, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, GarageBand, and iPhoto are now all available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. While Apple was only able to go through a few new features of each app during its iPad event this morning, the iTunes release notes have a long list of new features listed for each app....
Apple Supplier BOE is making OLED screens for the iPhone 12, according to a supply-chain report. Although BOE has long made LCD screens for Apple, and later graduated to making OLED ones for the Apple Watch, it will be the first time the Chinese company has made OLED screens for iPhones. When Apple first switched to OLED for flagship iPhones in the form of the iPhone X, Samsung was the iPhone maker’s exclusive supplier of the screens …...
Apple is apparently preparing to debut its first cellular MacBook models next year, with 5G-enabled MacBooks coming in the second half of 2020 according to Digitimes. Apple will purportedly be using a ceramic antenna component for better 5G performance. At this stage, nobody but Digitimes is making these claims — and it’s always worth treating Digitimes reporting with a healthy dose of skepticism. Apple may well be exploring possible designs for cellular-enabled notebooks, but we wouldn’t put too much stock in the 2020 timeframe just yet....
Bloomberg reports that Apple plans to move its Tokyo, Japan-based headquarters from its current location, the Shinjuku region of Tokyo, to something more magnificant: the 54-story Robbongi Hills complex in central Tokyo. The company plans to make its move as soon as April of this year, according to the report. Also, Apple reportedly told its current office landlord that it would not be renewing its lease after June 2013. The report says that Apple plans to occupy one or two floors of this new building....
Apple doesn’t seem like its slowing it’s original content efforts anytime soon. The company has been aggressively gaining rights to more original content over the past several months and today is no exception. The New York Times reports that Apple has just landed rights to Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change, a novel written by Nathaniel Rich. The report also includes a rather buried mention of when we should expect the new video service to finally go live…...
Bloomberg reports today that Apple’s mobile payments solution Apple Pay is now supported at 2 million locations around the world. In addition to revealing that 2 million locations now support the service, the report also says that Chick-Fil-A, Crate & Barrel, and Au Bon Pain will also start rolling out support for the service soon. In the past, Chick-Fil-A has experimented with a QR-based solution for mobile payments, but that effort has ultimately flopped according to employees....
