Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming watchOS 6.1.1 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the third beta and more than a month after releasing the watchOS 6.1 update.

Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS beta can be downloaded through the dedicated ‌‌Apple Watch‌‌ app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.

To install the update, the ‌‌‌Apple Watch‌‌‌ needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the ‌iPhone‌.

watchOS 6.1.1 appears to be a minor update focusing on performance improvements and bug fixes that weren’t able to be addressed in watchOS 6.1.

No new features were found in the first three betas of watchOS 6.1.1, but we’ll update this article should new features be found in the fourth beta.

This article, “Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of watchOS 6.1.1 to Developers” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming tvOS 13.3 update to developers and public beta testers, two weeks after seeding the third beta and over a month after releasing the tvOS 13.2 update.

Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 13.3 developer beta can be downloaded onto the ‌‌Apple TV‌‌ via a profile that’s installed using Xcode.

tvOS updates have historically been minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements rather than major outward-facing changes. Apple provides little to no information on what’s included in tvOS beta updates, so we may not discover any major changes after installing the software.

The update does, however, include a useful new setting that’s designed to let you change the main banner interface in the TV+ app from What to Watch to Up Next, which shows content from shows that you’re already watching instead of show suggestions.

The option can be accessed by going to the Settings app, choosing Apps, and selecting the TV app. From there, select Home Screen and choose “Up Next” in the “Top Shelf” section.

While we don’t often know full details about what’s new in tvOS during the beta testing process, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download it upon release.

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Apple today updated its Clips app designed for the iPhone and the iPad, introducing Animoji and Memoji support for the first time. With the Animoji and Memoji addition, video recordings can be made with the Animoji and Memoji characters.

Users can share personal video messages, slideshows, school projects and more, with Animoji and Memoji able to follow the movement of a user’s face for “fun selfie videos” using the front-facing camera. Prior to now, Animoji and Memoji were limited to FaceTime and Messages.

Memoji created and customized in the Messages app will be integrated automatically into clips, and Animoji and Memoji video clips can be layered with existing Clips features like filters, animated text, and music.

For those unfamiliar with the Clips app, it’s a video editing app that lets users combine video clips, images, and photos with voice-based titles, stickers, music, filters, and graphics to create unique videos that can be shared on social media.

Today’s update also introduces new stickers featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse, along with a new winter-themed poster. Using Animoji and Memoji in Clips requires a device with a TrueDepth camera.

Clips was last updated in April 2019 before today’s major Animoji and Memoji addition. The app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

This article, “Apple’s Clips App Gains Support for Memoji and Animoji, Plus New Stickers” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Earlier this week, security researcher Brian Krebs found that the new iPhone 11 Pro models access user location data even when all apps and system services on the iPhone are set to not request the data.

Krebs told Apple that he had found a possible privacy bug as this presumably should not happen, but Apple told him that there were no concerns and the ‌iPhone‌ was operating as designed. “It is expected behavior that the Location Services icon appears in the status bar when Location Services is enabled. The icon appears for system services that do not have a switch in Settings,” Apple said.

Krebs came to the conclusion that Apple has certain system services that check for location regardless of whether the setting has been disabled individually for apps and system services, which, as it turns out, is accurate.

Apple today provided more context in a statement to TechCrunch, explaining that the new ‌iPhone‌ models that have a U1 ultra wideband chip are using location data to make sure they’re not in restricted areas.

As Apple explains, there are some areas where ultra wideband technology is not allowed because of international regulations, so the ‌iPhone‌ must make sure it is not in these locations.

Ultra wideband technology is an industry standard technology and is subject to international regulatory requirements that require it to be turned off in certain locations. iOS uses Location Services to help determine if ‌iPhone‌ is in these prohibited locations in order to disable ultra wideband and comply with regulations.

The management of ultra wideband compliance and its use of location data is done entirely on the device and Apple is not collecting user location data.

Apple says that the location checks are done on device and no data about location is being sent to Apple’s servers.

In the future, Apple plans to provide a dedicated toggle that will turn off the ultra wideband technology and thus disallow the background location tracking that’s currently going on.

This article, “New iPhones Access Location Info When Settings are Disabled Due to Ultra Wideband, Toggle Coming in Future Update” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Watch models with cellular connectivity are now available in New Zealand for the first time ever.

Apple has started selling Series 3 and Series 5 models with Wi-Fi and Cellular through its online store in New Zealand this week, with pricing starting at NZ$549 for Series 3 models and NZ$929 for Series 5 models.

Spark is the only carrier that offers service for the Apple Watch in New Zealand right now. For $12.99 a month, Spark’s wearable plan lets you share your iPhone plan’s minutes and texts and get unlimited data on the Watch. And until June 6, 2020, Spark is offering the first three months free.

(Thanks, Richard Everson!)

This article, “Apple Watch Now Available With Cellular in New Zealand” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple plans to release five new iPhone models in 2020, according to the latest prediction from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a research note with TF International Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo outlined his expectations for a so-called iPhone SE 2 with a 4.7-inch LCD display in the first half of 2020, followed by a higher-end all-OLED lineup consisting of 5.4-inch, two 6.1-inch, and 6.7-inch models in the second half of the year.

Kuo expects all four higher-end models to support 5G with a Qualcomm X55 modem, adding that availability of models with Sub-6G-only or Sub-6G-plus-mmWave types of 5G will vary by country.

Kuo expects the iPhone models with mmWave to be available in five markets, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, and the United Kingdom, while Apple may disable Sub-6G functionality in countries that do not offer 5G service or have a shallow 5G penetration rate to reduce production costs.

Four new high-end iPhones in 2020 lines up with a prediction shared by JPMorgan analyst Samik Chatterjee on Wednesday.

The so-called iPhone SE 2 is expected to resemble the iPhone 8, including a 4.7-inch display with bezels and a Touch ID home button, but with a faster A13 chip and 3GB of RAM. The device will continue to have a single-lens rear camera, according to Kuo, like the original iPhone SE and the iPhone 8.

The four higher-end iPhones are expected to resemble the iPhone 4, including a new metal frame that will likely sport flatter edges.

All in all, we can expect the following iPhone lineup in 2020 if Kuo is accurate:

• 4.7-inch iPhone SE 2: LCD display, single-lens rear camera, no 5G support
  
• 5.4-inch iPhone 12: OLED display, dual-lens rear camera, 5G support
  
• 6.1-inch iPhone 12: OLED display, dual-lens rear camera, 5G support
  
• 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro: OLED display, triple-lens rear camera, 5G support
  
• 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max: OLED display, triple-lens rear camera, 5G support

Also See: Kuo: Apple to Launch ‘Completely Wireless’ iPhone Without Lightning Connector and ‘iPhone SE 2 Plus’ With Touch ID Power Button in 2021

This article, “Kuo: Apple to Launch Five iPhones in 2020, Including 5.4-Inch, Two 6.1-Inch, and 6.7-Inch Models With 5G” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple plans to launch a high-end iPhone without a Lightning connector in the second half of 2021, according to a new prediction from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The device will supposedly offer a “completely wireless experience,” suggesting that Apple is not switching to USB-C, but rather dropping the port entirely.

An excerpt from Kuo’s research note with TF International Securities, obtained by MacRumors:

Apple will create more differentiation between the highest-end and high- end models. It will benefit the shipment of the highest-end model and iPhone ASP. Among new 2H21 iPhone models, we expect that the highest-end model would cancel the [Lightning] port and provide the completely wireless experience.

Earlier in 2021, Kuo expects Apple will launch a so-called “iPhone SE 2 Plus” with a full-screen design but no Face ID, resulting in only a small notch. Instead, Touch ID will be built into the power button, according to Kuo:

Apple will launch the iPhone SE2 Plus in 1H21. We predict that the display size will be 5.5 or 6.1-inch. This model will adopt a full-screen design. The notch area will be smaller because of no Face ID support. The Touch ID will be integrated with the power button, which is located on the side.

A report from JPMorgan analysts earlier this week said that Apple will be moving toward a biannual iPhone release cycle to help smooth out sales. Coupled with Kuo’s report, it does look like Apple may be moving towards a trend of lower-end iPhones each spring and higher-end iPhones each fall.

This article, “Kuo: Apple to Launch ‘Completely Wireless’ iPhone Without Lightning Connector and ‘iPhone SE 2 Plus’ With Touch ID Power Button in 2021” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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In May 2018, Apple announced that it had helped facilitate a collaboration between two of the world’s largest aluminum producers, Alcoa and Rio Tinto, on a new carbon-free aluminum smelting process. Together, the companies formed a joint venture called Elysis, working to develop the patented technology further.

Today, Apple said it has now bought the first-ever commercial batch of carbon-free aluminum from Elysis, according to Reuters. The aluminum will be shipped from a Pittsburgh facility and used in unspecified Apple products. iPhones, iPads, Macs, and many other Apple products use aluminum.

“For more than 130 years, aluminum – a material common to so many products consumers use daily – has been produced the same way. That’s about to change,” said Apple’s environmental chief Lisa Jackson.

Alcoa and Rio Tinto aim to commercialize and license the carbon-free smelting process beginning in 2024. If fully developed and implemented, it will eliminate direct greenhouse gas emissions from the traditional aluminum smelting process developed over 130 years ago, according to Apple.

Alcoa said it has been producing aluminum at its facility near Pittsburgh with the new process, to varying degrees, since 2009. The process resulted from decades of research and is described by Apple as the most significant innovation in the aluminum industry in more than a century.

Elysis also plans to manufacture the carbon-free aluminum at a CA$50 million research facility under construction in Saguenay, Quebec, which is slated to open in the second half of 2020, according to the report.

This article, “Apple Begins Buying Aluminum Made With Carbon-Free Process, Plans to Use in Select Products” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today announced that its flagship store in Sydney, Australia will be temporarily closed starting January 5, 2020 to receive “creative updates.” As noted by 9to5Mac, this will likely include a Forum and Video Wall for Today at Apple sessions, and the Genius Bar could be replaced with a more casual Genius Grove area.

Apple Sydney was the company’s first store in Australia, opened June 2008. During the closure, customers can shop at Apple’s nearby Bondi or Broadway locations. Apple has not indicated when the renovations will be completed.

This article, “Apple Store in Sydney Closing January 5 to Undergo Renovations” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Nearly four months after rolling out in the United States, the Apple Card is now beginning to appear on credit reports.

Goldman Sachs has confirmed that it is working with credit bureau TransUnion to begin reporting Apple Card information, informing cardholders that they will see full details on their credit report within the next five days. This includes the date the Apple Card account is opened, credit balance, payment status, and more.

In other words, like any other credit card, the way you use your Apple Card can now have an impact on your credit score.

Last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook opined that the Apple Card has been the “most successful launch of a credit card in the United states ever,” although that was before allegations surfaced of gender bias during the approval process. Goldman Sachs has since offered to reevaluate credit limits.

To apply for an Apple Card, simply open the Wallet app on an iPhone running iOS 12.4 or later, tap the plus button in the top-right corner, and follow the on-screen steps. The process takes just a few minutes, and if approved, your digital Apple Card will be ready for purchases immediately.

We have been working with TransUnion to begin reporting your Apple Card information. Within the next 5 days, you will see the full details on your credit report.

— GS Bank Support (@gsbanksupport) December 5, 2019

#AppleCard showed up on my credit report today. pic.twitter.com/7nYhemuqeE

— Dongjun (@dongjunzhao) December 4, 2019

Apple Card offers 3% cashback at a growing number of merchants, including Apple, Nike, Uber, Uber Eats, Walgreens, Duane Reade, and T-Mobile.

This article, “Apple Card Beginning to Show Up on Credit Reports” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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