Tap to Pay on iPhone Now Available in Germany
Apple today announced that Tap to Pay on iPhone is available in Germany, providing a way for independent sellers, small businesses, and larger merchants in the country to use an iPhone as a contactless payment terminal.
Retailers can take advantage of the NFC chip in the iPhone to accept credit and debit card payments, Apple Pay, and other tap-based payment methods. Tap to Pay on iPhone works similarly to hardware-based payment systems like the Square Reader, but it does not require additional hardware to work.
When a customer makes a purchase, a merchant that supports Tap to Pay on iPhone can accept a payment by having the customer bring a credit card, debit card, prepaid card, iPhone, Apple Watch, or other digital wallet close to the merchant's iPhone. The transaction is completed through NFC, with processing done using the Secure Element for security purposes.
Tap to Pay on iPhone is available to payment platforms and payment app developers in Germany. Adyen, Commerz Globalpay, myPOS, Nexi, SumUp, and Viva support Tap to Pay on iPhone starting today, with mollie, PAYONE, Revolut, Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, and Stripe set to implement support later in the year.
February 2022, Apple has been working to expand it to additional countries. It is now available in 12 countries, including United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, Brazil, Italy, France, Taiwan, Ukraine, and Germany.
Tags: Germany, Tap to Pay on iPhone
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iPhone 13 Pro vs. iPhone 16 Pro: 60+ Upgrades to Expect
The iPhone 16 Pro is set to succeed 2023's iPhone 15 Pro, introducing over 25 new features and improvements to Apple's high-end smartphones. With many users adopting three-year upgrade cycles, plenty of iPhone 13 Pro owners will be looking to upgrade to the iPhone 16 Pro later this year, so this guide breaks down every major difference you should be aware of between the two generations based on rumors.
The iPhone 13 Pro debuted in 2021, introducing a brighter display with ProMotion technology for refresh rates up to 120Hz, the A15 Bionic chip, a telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, macro photography and photographic styles, Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field, ProRes video recording, a 1TB storage option, and up to five hours of additional battery life. Three years later, the iPhone 16 Pro is expected to offer over 60 upgrades. All of the changes the iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to feature compared to their 2021 predecessors are listed below, using information from reliable sources that we have previously covered. We will update this article as more rumors emerge in the coming months.
Design
The design of the iPhone 16 Pro is expected to be a relatively significant evolution over the iPhone 13 Pro, iterating on the titanium frame and slightly rounded edges introduced on the iPhone 15 Pro models last year.
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro
Surgical-grade stainless steel chassis with squared-off edges
Aerospace-grade titanium chassis with contoured edges
Ring/Silent switch
Action button
Thermal design with copper heatsink and black foil battery casing
New thermal design with graphene heatsink and metal battery casing
More repairable design
Lightning port
USB-C port
Alpine Green, Silver, Gold, Graphite, and Sierra Blue color options
Black Titanium, White Titanium, Desert Titanium, and Titanium Gray color options
Dimensions
To accommodate larger displays, both iPhone 16 Pro models are rumored to grow in height and width. In addition to last year's increase in depth, the devices are due to be considerably larger, but with a notable reduction in weight thanks to the adoption of a titanium frame.
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro
7.85mm depth
8.25mm depth (0.4mm thicker)
iPhone 13 Pro: 146.7mm height
iPhone 13 Pro Max: 160.8mm height
iPhone 16 Pro: 149.6mm height
iPhone 16 Pro Max: 163.0mm height
iPhone 13 Pro: 71.5mm width
iPhone 13 Pro Max: 78.1mm width
iPhone 16 Pro: 71.45mm width
iPhone 16 Pro Max: 77.58mm width
iPhone 13 Pro: 204g weight
iPhone 13 Pro Max: 238g weight
iPhone 16 Pro: 194g weight
iPhone 16 Pro Max: 225g weight
Displays
Both iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to feature larger displays than their predecessors, pushing the iPhone 16 Pro Max to be the biggest iPhone ever offered. There are also reportedly improvements to the underlying OLED technology in store, in addition to last year's slimmer bezels, making for a noticeable overall display upgrade.
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro
6.1- or 6.7-inch display
6.3- or 6.9-inch display
"Notch" TrueDepth camera array
Dynamic Island
Always-On Display
Slimmer borders around the display
Up to 1,000 nits typical max brightness
Up to 1,200 nits typical SDR brightness
More efficient OLED display with brighter micro-lens technology
Performance
The iPhone 16 Pro models are rumored to bring notable improvements in processing power, including a 3nm Apple silicon chip and 33% more memory.
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro
A15 Bionic chip (TSMC's "N5P" 5nm process)
A18 Pro chip (TSMC's "N3E" enhanced 3nm process)
16-core Neural Engine
Enhanced neural Engine with "significantly" more cores to support Apple Intelligence
Dedicated AV1 decoder
6GB memory
8GB memory
Connectivity
Connectivity is also due to get a significant upgrade on the iPhone 16 Pro, bolstering the device's 5G, Wi-Fi, Thread, and Ultra Wideband specifications.
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro
Snapdragon X60 5G modem
Snapdragon X75 5G modem
Wi‑Fi 6 connectivity
Wi‑Fi 7 connectivity
Thread networking technology
First-generation Ultra Wideband chip
Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip (connects from 3x further away)
Precision Finding for Find My friends
Cameras
The iPhone 16 Pro models are slated to receive a range of substantial camera enhancements, such as a larger main camera sensor, a 48-megapixel sensor on the ultra wide camera, and a dedicated hardware button for photography and videography on the side of the device.
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro
"Capture Button" to trigger photography and videography features
12-megapixel main camera
48-megapixel main camera
Photonic Engine for better low light performance
1/1.65-inch main camera sensor
iPhone 16 Pro: 1/1.28-inch main camera sensor
iPhone 16 Pro Max: 1/1.14-inch main camera sensor (12% larger)
Sony IMX-703 main camera sensor
iPhone 16 Pro: Sony IMX-803 main camera sensor
iPhone 16 Pro Max: Sony IMX-903 main camera sensor with stacked design for better performance, a 14-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) for high-quality image data conversion, and Digital Gain Control (DCG) for better dynamic range and noise control
7P main camera lens
8P main camera lens
Telephoto camera with sensor-shift optical image stabilization
Telephoto camera with larger sensor, folded tetraprism design, optical image stabilization, and autofocus 3D sensor-shift module
77mm maximum focal length
iPhone 16 Pro: 120mm maximum focal length
iPhone 16 Pro Max: "Super" telephoto camera with focal length above 300mm
4P telephoto camera lens
5P telephoto camera lens
12-megapixel ultra wide camera
48-megapixel ultra wide camera
5P ultra wide camera lens
6P ultra wide camera lens
Anti-reflective coating on camera lenses
0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 3x optical zoom
0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 5x optical zoom
13mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, and 120mm focal length picker
12-megapixel super-high-resolution photos
24- and 48-megapixel super-high-resolution photos
Smart HDR 3
Smart HDR 5
Portrait mode with Focus and Depth Control
Next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control
Night mode and Night mode portraits
Improved Night mode and Night mode portraits
Shoot and instantly transfer 48-megapixel ProRAW images to Mac via USB 3
Record video directly to an external drive
ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps
ProRes video recording up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording
Log video recording
Academy Color Encoding System
Record spatial video for Apple Vision Pro
Action mode for improved video stabilization
Batteries and Charging
The iPhone 16 Pro models could receive some major improvements in battery technology and charging, sporting bigger, denser batteries and faster charging capabilities.
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro
Setting to prevent charging above 80%
Battery manufacture date, first use, and cycle count information in Settings
Single-layer battery technology
Stacked battery technology for increased energy density and prolonged lifespan
iPhone 13 Pro: 3,095 mAh battery
iPhone 13 Pro Max: 4,352 mAh battery
iPhone 16 Pro: 3,355 mAh battery
iPhone 16 Pro Max: 4,676 mAh battery
Up to 20W wired charging
Up to 40W wired charging
15W charging via MagSafe
20W charging via MagSafe
Other Features and Changes
The iPhone 16 Pro models will also offer support for Apple Intelligence, Apple's new suite of personal AI features, later this year, as well as satellite connectivity, Crash Detection, and more storage.
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro
Apple Intelligence
Emergency SOS via Satellite
Microphone
Upgraded microphone with improved signal-to-noise ratio and water resistance, designed to support new AI features
Crash Detection
Improved audio quality on phone calls
Lightning connector with USB 2 transfer speeds (up to 480Mb/s)
USB 3 transfer speeds (up to 10Gb/s, 20x faster)
DisplayPort support for up to 4K HDR video output
Up to 1TB of storage
Up to 2TB of storage
Release Date
The iPhone 16 lineup is expected to launch in the fall. Apple usually hosts an event every September to unveil new iPhone models, with launch following just over a week later. For more information about the iPhone 16 Pro models, see our comprehensive roundup.
Will It Be Worth Upgrading?
The iPhone 15 Pro was a fairly significant upgrade over the iPhone 13 Pro, introducing a vast array of significant features including a titanium chassis, much slimmer bezels, the Action, and a USB-C port. The iPhone 16 Pro will build on these upgrades, offering larger displays, the Capture button, improved cameras, and Apple Intelligence support. With over 60 upgrades likely to be in store, many iPhone 13 Pro users will find upgrading to an iPhone 16 Pro model worthwhile.
Related Roundup: iPhone 16 Pro
Related Forum: iPhone
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macOS Sequoia Lets You Customize AirPods Audio in System Settings
macOS Sequoia expands a long-existing accessibility feature on the iPhone and iPad to the Mac: Headphone Accommodations.
On the macOS Sequoia beta, the Headphone Accommodations options are in the System Settings app under Accessibility → Audio. The settings allow you to customize the audio for all AirPods and select Beats headphones. For example, Apple says you can amplify soft sounds and adjust certain frequencies to help music, phone calls, and more sound more crisp.
a note on Apple's developer website.
These settings were previously only available in the Settings app on the iPhone and iPad.
Related Roundup: macOS Sequoia
Related Forum: macOS Sequoia
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Beats Pill Bluetooth Speaker Makes a Comeback With Improved Sound, Water Resistance, and a Lower Price Tag
Launched in 2012 before Beats was acquired by Apple, the original Beats Pill shook up the portable Bluetooth speaker category with fun colors and well-regarded sound quality. The speaker got an upgrade in 2015 with the launch of the Pill+ under Apple's ownership, but over time it appeared to become an afterthought for Beats compared to headphones and earphones, and the Pill+ was eventually discontinued in early 2022.
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After several months of teasing, Beats is officially announcing the return of the Beats Pill today with a host of upgrades and a lower price point of $149.99. The new Pill features a completely redesigned speaker system consisting of a single tweeter and a single racetrack woofer, a removable lanyard, USB-C and Bluetooth connectivity, 24 hours of battery life, and IP67 water and sweat resistance.
Available in Matte Black, Champagne Gold, and Statement Red color options, the new Beats Pill features a soft-touch silicone housing with a metal speaker grille and a Beats "b" logo, with several subtle physical buttons along the top for on-device controls. The new removable lanyard slips easily around the wrist to help secure it while being carried or even to let the speaker dangle from, although it can't be tightened up for additional security.
Compared to the previous Pill+, the reengineered single racetrack woofer in the Beats Pill uses stronger neodymium magnets to drive 28% more motor force, allowing the woofer to displace 90% more air volume, while radial ribbing around the edges minimizes low-end distortion. The new Pill also moves from dual tweeters to a redesigned single tweeter in its own housing for extra stability and to similarly reduce distortion. Both speakers are aligned to give the Pill a 20º inclined tilt, which provides better sound projection with less reflected sound.
If you have two Beats Pill speakers, you can pair them up in either Amplify Mode, which gives you bigger overall sound for larger spaces, or Stereo Mode, which separates the sound output into left and right channels sent to the different speakers.
The Beats Pill can serve as a speakerphone for your connected devices, with a noise-learning algorithm that suppresses ambient sound to target the user's voice, and full duplex support helps ensure your conversations are intelligible to both sides. Voice assistant support for connected devices is also include, so you can activate Siri or Google Assistant with the press of a button.
USB-C comes to the Beats Pill for the first time, allowing for lossless audio over a wired connection, easy recharging, and the ability to charge other devices from the Pill's internal battery. The Pill itself has up to 24 hours of battery life, and a 10-minute Fast Fuel delivers up to two hours of playback. A black USB-C to USB-C cable is included in the box.
The new Pill has four buttons along the top edge, a Power button, a Center button, and Volume Up/Down buttons. Each of the buttons serves multiple purposes, so you can control a fair amount of features without needing to dig into your iPhone. A press of the Power button turns the speaker on or off, while a brief tap lights up an adjacent LED for battery status, a double tap activates Siri, and a triple tap reverses the charging direction when connected via USB-C. Pressing and holding the Power button while plugging the Pill in via USB-C activates wired audio input.
The Center button is for your usual media controls, with a single press playing or pausing your audio, a double press skipping forward, and a triple press skipping backward. The Center button is also used in combination with the Volume Up/Down buttons to configure the paired speaker modes. Holding the Center buttons on two speakers activates Amplify Mode, and holding Center and Volume Up on one of them then activates Stereo Mode with that speaker becoming the left channel. The same combination returns to Amplify Mode or holding Center and Volume Down can be used to break the speaker group entirely.
iCloud or Google account, and support for Find My and Find My Device tracking based on the speaker's last connected location.
The new Pill does have some heft, weighing in at 24 ounces (~680 grams), although that is 10% lighter than the Pill+. It measures a little over 8.5 inches (~22 cm) long by 2.8 inches (~7 cm) deep and high, just fractionally larger than the Pill+. It's certainly portable and you can easily toss it in a bag, but you're not going to want to carry it in your hand wherever you go.
revamped Beats Pill is priced at $149.99 and is available to order today in all three colors, with shipping beginning this Thursday, June 27.
Tag: Beats
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Amazon Prime Day 2024 Will Run July 16-17
Amazon today announced that its annual Prime Day sale event will take place beginning Tuesday, July 16 and run through Wednesday, July 17. Amazon began Prime Day back in 2015, and since 2019 the event has been running for two days straight every summer.
Shoppers can expect massive discounts on an array of products, including Apple devices. Some deals will last the entire run of the sale, but there will also be lightning deals that drop every 30 minutes and last for select periods, or until they sell out.
join Prime to participate in this year's Prime Day. Once your initial free trial is over, Prime membership will run for $14.99/month or $139/year. For students, that's $7.49/month or $69/year, with a six month free trial for new students.
EARLY DEALS
Amazon Prime Day 2024
highlighting early Prime Day deals that you can shop now, weeks ahead of the event. For now, this mainly includes Amazon devices like Kindles, Echo Dot, Fire TVs, and other Amazon branded products.
Once Prime Day kicks off, Amazon's website will be filled with lightning deals on everything from tech products to home appliances, clothing, toys, and much more. We'll be covering all of the best deals you can get throughout Prime Day, particularly on all of the Apple products that appear, so be sure to keep an eye on the MacRumors front page starting July 16.
Prime Day discounts will be available to Amazon Prime members in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
Amazon held two Prime Day events last year, one in July and a second in October. Given that we're only now hearing about the July event, we don't know yet if the retailer will again host a second Prime Day, which it called "Prime Big Deal Days," in the fall. If and when that is announced, you can also expect us to cover all of the deals that come out.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Related Roundup: Apple Deals
Tag: Prime Day
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Apple Supplier Unveils 'Industry First' Tandem OLED Laptop Panel
OLED iPad Pro panel maker LG Display has begun mass producing the industry's first 13-inch tandem OLED panel designed for laptops, the Korean company announced this week.
LG Display supplies the majority of OLED panels for Apple's latest M4 iPad Pro models, which use a similar tandem structure. Tandem OLED panels combine two stacks of red, green, and blue (RGB) organic light emitting layers, which together offer better durability and performance compared to single-layer OLED panels such as the one used in Apple's iPhones.
LG has been developing the panels for the automative industry since 2019, and says that efficiency gains mean they reduce power consumption by up to 40%, and enable up to three times the brightness. By designing the components and enhancing the structure of the 13-inch tandem OLED panel, LG Display says it has also been able to make it around 40% thinner and 28% lighter than existing OLED laptop screens, allowing for a sleek design and greater portability.
press release:
The new panel combines convenience and performance with high definition. It boasts a WQXGA+ (2880×1800) high resolution and accurate color expression that meets 100% of the DCI-P3 standard color area established by the Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI), allowing high-definition content to be presented with increased clarity.
There are currently no Macs with OLED displays. However, according to a November 2023 report by analyst Jeff Pu of Haitong International Technology Research, Apple is actively developing an OLED screen for the MacBook Air, although the release of an OLED MacBook Pro is expected to come first.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed that a new MacBook Pro with an OLED display could be the first touchscreen Mac in 2025. Notably LG Display says that it has also embedded a touch sensor inside its latest tandem OLED panels to improve touch performance.
Tags: OLED, LG Display
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Apple Pauses Work on Planned North Carolina Campus
Apple is delaying plans for a major new campus located in North Carolina, reports the Triangle Business Journal. Back in 2021, Apple said it would invest more than $1 billion in North Carolina, a project that included a new engineering and research center in the Research Triangle area of Raleigh and Durham.
Assemblage of seven properties in Research Triangle Park owned by Apple
A limited amount of progress on the campus has been made since the announcement, and Apple has not provided updates on construction until now. Apple told Triangle Business Journal that it has paused work on the campus, and it is working with North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and the North Carolina Department of Commerce to extend the project's timeline by four years.
No reason was given for the delay, but Apple said that it is still committed to building in North Carolina.
Apple has been operating in North Carolina for over two decades. And we're deeply committed to growing our teams here. In the last three years, we've added more than 600 people to our team in Raleigh, and we're looking forward to developing our new campus in the coming years.
Apple last year filed development plans for the first phase of construction, but the specific timeline for the project has never been clear. Apple's plans for Research Triangle Park include six buildings and a parking garage totaling 700,000 square feet of office space, 190,000 square feet of accessory space, and close to 3,000 parking spaces spanning 41 acres.
more than 200,000 square feet of office space in Cary, North Carolina.
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Apple Wasn't Interested in AI Partnership With Meta Due to Privacy Concerns
Apple turned down an AI partnership with Facebook parent company Meta due to privacy concerns, according to a report from Bloomberg. Meta and Apple had a brief discussion about a possible partnership in March, but the talks did not progress and Apple does not plan to integrate Meta's large language model (LLM) into iOS.
The Wall Street Journal suggested that Apple and Meta were in active discussions about integrating Llama, Facebook's LLM, into iOS 18 as part of Apple Intelligence. The report suggested that the discussions were ongoing had not been finalized, but Bloomberg's follow-up indicates Apple never seriously considered a partnership.
Preliminary talks happened at the same time that Apple began discussions with OpenAI and Google parent company Alphabet, but Apple decided not to move on to a more formal discussion because "it doesn't see that company's privacy practices as stringent enough."
iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. Users can opt-in to ChatGPT, with Siri able to hand some requests off to the more sophisticated AI model. Apple is also working on a deal with Google to integrate Gemini into its operating systems, and it is holding discussions with AI company Anthropic.
Tag: Meta
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Apple Wasn't Interested in AI Partnership With Meta Due to Privacy Concerns
Apple turned down an AI partnership with Facebook parent company Meta due to privacy concerns, according to a report from Bloomberg. Meta and Apple had a brief discussion about a possible partnership in March, but the talks did not progress and Apple does not plan to integrate Meta's large language model (LLM) into iOS.
The Wall Street Journal suggested that Apple and Meta were in active discussions about integrating Llama, Facebook's LLM, into iOS 18 as part of Apple Intelligence. The report suggested that the discussions were ongoing had not been finalized, but Bloomberg's follow-up indicates Apple never seriously considered a partnership.
Preliminary talks happened at the same time that Apple began discussions with OpenAI and Google parent company Alphabet, but Apple decided not to move on to a more formal discussion because "it doesn't see that company's privacy practices as stringent enough."
iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. Users can opt-in to ChatGPT, with Siri able to hand some requests off to the more sophisticated AI model. Apple is also working on a deal with Google to integrate Gemini into its operating systems, and it is holding discussions with AI company Anthropic.
Tag: Meta
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Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 197 With macOS Sequoia Support
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced in March 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.
Safari Technology Preview 197 includes fixes and updates for Canvas, CSS, Forms, JavaScript, Media, Rendering, Security, SVG, Web Inspector, WebDriver, and WebGL.
macOS Sonoma and the macOS Sequoia beta, the newest version of macOS that Apple is beta testing.
downloaded the browser. Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.
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Apple's Efforts to Automate iPhone Assembly Detailed in New Report
The Information today reported that shortly after COVID-19-related lockdowns and protests in China impacted iPhone assembler Foxconn in late 2022, Apple's senior vice president of operations Sabih Khan instructed managers to reduce the number of workers on iPhone assembly lines by as much as 50% over the following few years.
To achieve this goal, Apple allegedly began approving high-cost automation projects for iPhone assembly that it previously shied away from. The report claims these efforts resulted in a "significant amount" of automation being involved for iPhone 15 production, but automation has still posed challenges for Apple due to manufacturing complexities.
This year, Apple sought to build on some of its automation successes by using machines to install the iPhone's buttons, receiver, speaker and main logic board into its chassis, according to three people who worked in Apple's supply chain. But the machines stumbled in properly fastening those components, which have to be carefully screwed into position at odd angles, the people said.
Apple's push for automation could allow it to move even more iPhone assembly to countries outside of China, such as India, Vietnam, and Thailand, as part of the company's efforts to diversify its supply chain in Southeast Asia.
The Information's report.
Tags: Foxconn, The Information
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Everything New in iOS 18 Beta 2
Apple today released the second betas of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 to developers, and the software adds support for new features that Apple is working on, plus it tweaks some of the interface changes that have been made in the updates.
Apple will refine iOS 18 over the course of the next few months, with multiple changes and refinements expected from now until September. We've highlighted everything new in the second iOS 18 beta.
iPhone Mirroring
When paired with a Mac running macOS Sequoia beta 2, iOS 18 beta 2 supports the Mac-based iPhone Mirroring feature. With iPhone Mirroring, you can control your iPhone using your Mac.
iPhone Mirroring can be enabled by clicking on the new iPhone Mirroring icon on a Mac and following the instructions. It lets you open and use apps, manage notifications, and more, all while your iPhone is locked.
RCS Toggle
iOS 18 beta 2 adds a toggle for the new RCS messaging protocol that will replace SMS and MMS, but RCS is not yet functional. Right now, the RCS toggle only shows up for U.S. iPhone users who have a carrier that supports RCS, which includes T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T.
RCS will improve text messaging conversations with Android users, allowing for higher-quality images and videos, read receipts, typing indicators, Tapback support, and more.
Home Screen
The App Store icon on the Home Screen now has a dark mode, which changes the background color of the app. There's also a wallpaper tinting toggle that can be used in automatic mode, something that wasn't an option before. The toggle makes the wallpaper you've chosen darker.
For some icons, the second beta improves the contrast of the tint feature by adding more dark areas.
Note that tinting and icon color changes seem to be quite buggy in beta 2, and sometimes tints won't deactivate until the iPhone is restarted.
Widgets
There's a new Connected Card Wallet widget app, but it does not appear to be functional as of yet. Connected Cards integrate with the Wallet app to display total card balance and transaction history. In the United States, this feature only works with Discover at the current time.
Control Center
The power button in the Control Center has a more pronounced haptic feel when pressing it, and it only triggers with a press rather than just a tap. The change will prevent the power button from accidentally being activated when using Control Center.
EU App Ecosystem Changes
In the European Union, the iPadOS 18 beta adds support for alternative app marketplaces and downloading apps from websites. These are the same changes that Apple made to the iPhone in iOS 17.4, with the updates now extended to the iPad as required by the European Commission.
More New Changes
Know of a new feature in beta 2 that we left out? Let us know in the comments below.
Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
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macOS Sequoia Beta 2 Adds Support for iPhone Mirroring
With the second developer beta of macOS Sequoia, Apple has added support for iPhone Mirroring, one of the main updates coming to the Mac. iPhone Mirroring is a Continuity feature that lets you control your iPhone from your Mac.
When you're signed in to the same Apple ID on a Mac and an iPhone, you can use iPhone Mirroring to interact with your iPhone even when the iPhone is locked. You can open up and use apps, deal with notifications, send messages, and more.
You can use your Mac keyboard, trackpad, or mouse with your iPhone, which is useful for typing up long emails and other documents on the iPhone, and it provides an easy way to keep up with your iPhone notifications without having to pull out your device and check it. When you click on a notification on your Mac when using iPhone Mirroring, it is supposed to open up right into the app on your iPhone.
Though it isn't enabled in this beta, iPhone Mirroring will eventually allow files, photos, and videos to be dragged and dropped between your iPhone and Mac and vice versa. Apple plans to add that iPhone Mirroring feature later in 2024, and it won't be available when macOS Sequoia first launches.
iPhone Mirroring requires an iPhone running iOS 18 beta 2 and a Mac running macOS Sequoia beta 2, and it is accessible using the new iPhone Mirroring icon in the Dock. It works on Macs that have an Apple silicon chip or a T2 Security Chip, and you'll need to have the devices near each other with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and you'll need to be signed in to the same Apple ID with two-factor authentication turned on. iPhone Mirroring can't be used when Sidecar or AirPlay are activated.
iPadOS 18 support for remote control when using the SharePlay screen sharing feature. This option allows you to ask for permission to control someone's device remotely so that you can provide more direct technical assistance for problem solving.
Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia
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iPadOS 18 Beta 2 Includes Alternative App Stores and Other EU Changes
Apple today announced that the second beta of iPadOS 18 extends alternative app marketplaces and other app-related changes in the EU to the iPad. The changes were first introduced on the iPhone in the EU with iOS 17.4 earlier this year.
The expansion of these changes to the iPad comes nearly two months after the European Commission said iPadOS is also a gatekeeper platform under the Digital Markets Act.
Tags: App Store, European Commission
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Apple Seeds Second Betas of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 to Developers
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after the release of the first betas after the WWDC 2024 keynote event.
Registered developers are able to opt into the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to the Software Update section, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option, and toggling on the iOS 18/iPadOS 18 Developer Beta setting. Note that an Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.
Siri and search. Siri is gaining a better understanding of natural language, improved contextual awareness, and the personal assistant will integrate with ChatGPT to answer more complex queries.
iPhone 15 Pro models and iPads with an M-series chip, but there are a number of other features that are coming. Apple is allowing users to rearrange Home screen apps to have open spaces, plus there's a dark mode for app icons and tinting options.
The Control Center is customizable and third-party developers can add controls for their apps, with the Lock Screen Flashlight and Camera icons able to be replaced or removed. Messages is gaining Rich Communication Services support to improve conversations with Android users, the option to schedule texts to be sent later, new text effects, messages over satellite when there's no cellular, and the option to use any emoji for Tapback responses.
Face ID or Touch ID authentication even when your phone is unlocked.
Photos app interface has been overhauled, and there's a new Tap to Cash feature for privately and securely transferring money using Apple Cash. Other features include equation solving and voice memo transcription in Notes, a game mode for improving game performance, and an option to respond to Siri on AirPods with head gestures.
Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
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Amazon's New Sale Has Big Savings on Popular Accessories From Anker, Eufy, and Jackery
Amazon today has a large collection of discounts from Anker, Belkin, Eufy, and Jackery, including a wide array of wall chargers, Bluetooth trackers, and other USB-C accessories. Some of these deals will require you to clip an on-page coupon then head to the checkout screen before you see the final sale price, and some require a Prime membership.
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$19.99, down from $29.99. This accessory is shaped like a credit card so it can fit in your wallet and allows you to track it when it goes missing. It's also compatible with Apple's Find My app, so you can get left behind notifications and many other Find My features when you add it to the app.
$10 OFF
Eufy SmartTrack Card for $19.99
$109.99, down from $129.99. If you need a bigger battery, you can get the Portable Power Station with Smart Display + Retractable Light for $129.99 with an on-page coupon, down from $149.99. Additionally, below you'll find more Anker accessories including speakers and USB-C products.
$15 OFF
MagGo 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station for $84.99
$20 OFF
Portable Power Station with Smart Display + Retractable Light for $129.99
$199.99 with an on-page coupon, down from $229.99. This is a miniature-sized portable power station that can fit in the palm of your hand and weighs just 2.13 lbs, while featuring a 31,000 mAh capacity and 128W output.
Belkin
Auto-Tracking Stand Pro with DockKit - $134.99 with coupon, down from $179.99
Eufy
SmartTrack Card - $19.99, down from $29.99
Anker
Audio
Soundcore Motion 300 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker - $64.99, down from $79.99
Portable Batteries
MagGo Power Bank 10,000 mAh - $69.99 with on-page coupon, down from $89.99
Nano Power Bank with Built-In USB-C Cable - $38.24 with on-page coupon, down from $49.99
Prime Power Bank 20,000 mAh with 100W Charging Base - $164.99 with on-page coupon, down from $184.99
Power Stations
MagGo 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station - $84.99, down from $99.99
MagGo 3-in-1 Folding Charging Station - $93.49 for Prime members, down from $109.99
Portable Power Station with Smart Display + Retractable Light - $129.99 with on-page coupon, down from $149.99
3-in-1 MagSafe Charging Cube - $129.99, down from $149.99
SOLIX F2000 Portable Power Station - $1,299.00 with on-page coupon, down from $1,999.00
Wall Chargers
20W USB-C Charger - $13.99, down from $16.99
100W 3-Port USB-C Charger - $59.99, down from $74.99
6-in-1 Nano Charging Station - $49.49 with on-page coupon, down from $65.99
Prime 67W 3-Port Charger - $59.99, down from $65.99
Hubs
4-Port USB-C Hub - $12.99 with on-page coupon, down from $19.99
10-in-1 USB-C Hub - $59.99, down from $149.99
Jackery
Explorer 100 Plus with Solar Panel - $199.99 with on-page coupon, down from $229.99
Solar Generator 300 Plus - $499.00, down from $579.00
Expansion Battery Pack 1000 Plus - $549.00 with on-page coupon, down from $799.00
Expansion Battery Pack 2000 Plus - $1,259.00 with on-page coupon, down from $1,599.00
Explorer 2000 Pro - $1,299.00 with on-page coupon, down from $1,899.00
Explorer 3000 Pro - $2,499.00, down from $2,799.00
Solar Generator 2000 Plus + Explorer 2000 Plus + Battery - $3,599.00 with on-page coupon, down from $4,999.00
If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
Related Roundup: Apple Deals
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Apple and Meta Reportedly Discussed AI Partnership for iOS 18
Apple has held discussions with Meta about integrating the Facebook owner's AI model into iOS 18 as part of its Apple Intelligence feature set, according to a report over the weekend.
Meta launched Llama 2, its large language model, in July 2023, and in April, the company released the latest versions of its AI models, called Llama 3. The Wall Street Journal reports that the two longtime rivals have held talks about offering Meta's model as an additional option to OpenAI's ChatGPT. The paywalled report notes that the discussions haven't been finalized and could fall through.
As part of its Apple Intelligence feature set, Apple announced a partnership with OpenAI that will allow Siri to access ChatGPT directly in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia to provide better responses in relevant situations. Using ChatGPT will be optional, so users with concerns about the technology can abstain.
could be an option in the future.
WSJ reports that discussions with other AI companies have similarly taken place with the understanding that neither party will pay each other. Rather, pushing an AI model to hundreds of millions of Apple devices is considered to be of equal or greater value: AI companies get to sell premium subscriptions to their services through Apple Intelligence, while Apple is in a position to take a commission on sales.
Tags: The Wall Street Journal, Meta, Apple Intelligence
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Cheaper Apple Vision Headset Might Require a Tethered iPhone or Mac
Apple could offer a cheaper version of its Apple Vision Pro headset by making the device reliant on a tethered iPhone or Mac, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Last week, a report claimed that Apple had suspended work on the second-generation Apple Vision Pro in order to focus on bringing a cheaper model to market. However, Gurman claims Apple shifted resources to developing a cheaper model even before the Vision Pro was released, and he has now offered some more details on how Apple plans to build a more affordable spatial computing unit.
latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that a prototype lower-cost headset, codenamed N107, has a narrower field of view compared to Vision Pro.
Apple is also considering making this version more reliant on a tethered Mac or iPhone. "That would let Apple save money on the processing power and components needed to make the Vision Pro a fully standalone product," he argues.
Gurman says that Apple is still struggling to bring the cost down while retaining key features. But if it can, Apple plans to launch the cheaper headset as early as the end of 2025. Indeed, this has been the plan "since before the Vision Pro was unveiled last year," he adds.
Gurman doubled down on his reaction to last week's report by noting that Apple has no plans to abandon the high end of the headset market, and while it's "less of a priority," Apple is still working on a second-generation Vision Pro, codenamed N109.
Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Apple Vision Pro
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iPadOS 18 Includes Support for Formatting External Drives
Apple wants iPad users to be able to format external drives connected to their device, without the need for a Mac, based on the latest find in the iPadOS 18 developer beta (via MacStories).
Writing in his ByteBits substack, Kaleb Cadle said he made the discovery of new file format options while tinkering with the Files app:
Now in the Files app on iPadOS 18, when we right click or hold press on an external drive and select "Erase", new options appear for reformatting the drive. Currently, the format options here are APFS (with options for Case Sensitive or Encrypted), ExFAT, and MS-DOS (FAT), the same format options available in Disc Utility (with the exception of macOS extension formats which wouldn't make much sense for this feature on iPadOS). This is a major improvement for iPad power users and it will be interesting to keep an eye out for new improvements to this functionality and others within the Files app over the course of the iPadOS 18 beta cycle. It seems Apple may be taking a similar tact to the way they incorporated much of the functionality of the Preview app into the Files app via Quick Look, but now with functionality from Disc Utility.
File format options in the Files app on iPadOS 18 (Image: Kaleb Cadle).
Monday.
Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
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Amazon Introduces Record Low Prices on M3 iMacs, Starting at $1,149.99
Amazon today has a big sale on the 24-inch M3 iMac, including both 256GB and 512GB models. All of these deals require you to clip an on-page coupon in order to see the final deal price at the checkout screen, and in every case these are all-time low prices.
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$1,149.99 in three colors with the on-page coupon, down from $1,299.00. Amazon also has the 10-core GPU/256GB M3 iMac on sale for $1,349.99 with a coupon, down from $1,499.00. This one is also available in three colors.
Note: You won't see the deal price until checkout.
$149 OFF
M3 iMac (8-core/256GB) for $1,149.99
$149 OFF
M3 iMac (10-core/256GB) for $1,349.99
$149 OFF
M3 iMac (10-core/512GB) for $1,549.99
$1,549.99 in two colors, down from $1,699.00. All of Amazon's deals today are record low prices on the M3 iMac, and right now only Amazon is offering these steep discounts.
Apple Deals roundup.
Related Roundup: Apple Deals
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