MacRumors

The stream of the Euro 2020 soccer semi-final, one of the UK's most-watched TV moments in recent times, was yesterday hindered by frustrating technical issues for Apple TV users.

The technical problems, first reported on by iMore, affected viewers using the ITV Hub app for the ‌Apple TV‌. According to ITV, the match was watched by as many as 27.6 million people, making it one of the most-watched moments in the UK since the London 2012 Olympics.

Portions of the tense second half of the match between England and Denmark were unwatchable on the ‌Apple TV‌ due to a problem that repeatedly kicked viewers out of the stream. Upon attempting to reconnect, the app played a number of ads before resuming and being kicked out again.

ITV was the only way for UK viewers to watch the game, which likely resulted in unusually large numbers of people trying to join the stream via ITV Hub. Nevertheless, streaming from ITV Hub on other devices appeared to be unaffected. ITV has since apologized to viewers over the experience.

The historic Euro 2020 final between England and Italy will be streamed via both BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub in the UK on Sunday, which should reduce the load on the stream, and at least provide viewers with an alternative if one of them suffers from issues. England fans will nevertheless have had reason to celebrate yesterday in spite of the problems with ITV Hub.

Apple's senior VP of software and services Eddy Cue has joined the Board of Trustees at Duke University in North Carolina, institution officials have announced.

Cue earned bachelor's degrees in computer science and economics at Duke University. He is also an avid Duke basketball fan, and both of his sons Adam and Spencer also studied Computer Science at Duke University.

Cue joins six other new trustees joining the board on a six-year term. All are previous students of the institution who have gone on to establish successful business careers. Like the other trustees, Cue will be responsible for the school's educational mission and fiscal policies.

According to the university's press release, Cue has returned to Duke many times to assist students in technology fields, and in 2017 he spoke to the Duke Technology Scholars, which aims to inspire more Duke women undergraduates to choose careers in computer science and electrical and computer engineering.

Cue has been at Apple since 1989 and as a member of the company's executive team he oversees Apple TV+, the iTunes Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, Maps, and iCloud. Eddy helped create the original Apple online store in 1998, the iTunes Store in 2003 and the App Store in 2008. He also played a key role in developing Apple's iLife suite of productivity apps.

(Via AppleInsider.)

Apple plans to open its first Apple Developer Academy headquarters for the Middle East and North African region (MENA) in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, reports Saudi Gazette.

The Apple Developer Academy is Apple's strategic program to ensure that students interested in technology receive proper training for programming across all of its platforms. Students are taught how to write and manage iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS apps, and are all taught under a curriculum created by Apple.

In Saudi Arabia, Apple will partner with the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones alongside the Tuwaiq Academy and the Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahaman Unversity. Saudi Arabia's Minister of Education, Dr. Hamad Al-Sheikh, called Apple's expansion of the academy into the country a "key center for producing programmers and technology developers."

One of the academy's key aims will be women's empowerment in the technology space and part of Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030" plan, which aims to diversify the economy beyond reliance on oil. The chairman of the SAFCSP (Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones), Faisal Al-Khamisi, says it is his hope that the new partnership will create more opportunities for the Saudi workforce, and the local community.

In our partnership with Apple, we will work together and strive to create an economic ecosystem for business to instill skills that enhance innovation and technology, and ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for our local community and the societies of the world that will undoubtedly benefit from the technical cadres that will receive education and training at the Apple Academy.

The first Apple Developer Academy launched in Brazil in 2013 and has since expanded to more countries, with Saudi Arabia being the latest as part of Apple's global outreach to students passionate about app development.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Since this article was published, Nanoleaf reached out to MacRumors to explain that the information was incorrectly shared early in Europe, and that Thread Border Router support will be in fact be rolled out next month.

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Nanoleaf, the company that makes wall-mounted modular light panels in various shapes, today rolled out Thread border router support for its Shapes and Elements light panels, which can be arranged in multiple positions.

As a quick explainer, Thread is a low latency and low power mesh-like network for smart devices. Unlike Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the Thread standard doesn't depend on a router or hub. Instead, the smart device itself extends the network by talking to other Thread-enabled devices, thereby boosting the signal between them.

Apple's HomePod mini and the latest Apple TV 4K act as Thread border routers, and by adding Thread-supported devices around the home, users can typically expect improved connectivity compared to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, a wider control range, and more remote scheduling options.

The new Nanoleaf Thread border router support also means Android users will be able to control the Essentials devices, too. Other devices that work with Thread include smart home products from Eve, the Nest Hub Max, and Nest Wi-Fi by Google.

(Via Trusted Reviews.)

Attorneys general representing 36 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. today levied an antitrust lawsuit [PDF] against Google to challenge Google Play Store fees, reports Politico.

The lawsuit was filed in California federal court and is led by Utah, North Carolina, Tennessee, New York, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, and Nebraska. The states are fighting against Google's plan to require all app developers who use the Google Play Store to pay a 30 percent commission on the sales of digital goods or services, which Google plans to enforce in September.

Google last year said that in 2021, it would begin enforcing Play Store rules that require app developers to use Google's in-house billing method instead of independent payment systems. Google has long had this rule, but the company was not strictly enforcing it so developers could avoid using the Play Store billing system and Google's fees.

The change that Google is enacting would put the Google Play Store on level footing with Apple's App Store, as Apple has always required developers to use in-app purchases instead of alternative payment methods. Apple collects a 15 to 30 percent fee from app purchases and in-app purchases, and Apple's situation differs from Google's because the ‌App Store‌ is the only way to install apps. Even if Google implements its Play Store requirements, companies can still offer apps through alternative app stores.

It is not clear if Apple will be hit with a similar lawsuit, but the company has also been facing scrutiny over its ‌App Store‌ fees and policies. Alongside Google, Apple is embroiled in a legal battle with Epic Games over ‌App Store‌ fees and policies. There was a trial in May, and we're still awaiting the judge's ruling in the Apple v. Epic case.

Google is dealing with several other antitrust lawsuits that are part of a wider crackdown on tech companies. The United States Justice Department and 14 states sued Google in October over its dominance of the mobile search market, and an additional 38 states sued Google in December over the same issue.

Apple Maps received several notable improvements in iOS 15, including new details in cities, an interactive globe, and enhanced driving directions. It also gained a feature that has long been available in rival map apps – the ability to set leaving and arrival times for driving directions.

This is a feature that's long been available for Google Maps, and one that's really useful if you have a journey planned in the near future and you want to know how long it's going to take to get there or when you need to leave in order to arrive at a particular time.

Until now, there was no way to get estimated travel times in advance of a trip using the ‌‌Apple Maps‌‌ app. In previous versions of iOS, leaving and arrival time input was limited to directions for public transportation, but Apple has thankfully now expanded the option to driving, putting it on a more level playing field with Google Maps in the battle for users.

The following steps explain how to make use of the new leaving and arrival times on iPhones and iPads running iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 or later.

1. In ‌Apple Maps‌' search field, enter your destination and tap Search.
2. Tap the Driving directions button.
3. Tap Leaving Now.
   
   

4. Using the Leave at and Arrive by tabs, select a time and date.
5. Tap Done.
   

‌Apple Maps‌ will show you several directions and how long it will take you to get to your destination based on predicted traffic for the time and date you selected.

Nomad today debuted its latest product, a Leather Cover that's designed to work with Apple's MagSafe Charger. The Leather Cover is meant to slide over a ‌MagSafe‌ Charger, providing a more attractive design for those who use Apple's charging solution.

The Leather Cover for ‌MagSafe‌ is available in rustic brown and black Horween leather, and each cover has a soft microfiber exterior that does not do any damage to the ‌MagSafe‌ Charger.

Nomad designed the Leather Cover to fit snugly to the ‌MagSafe‌ Charger, but it does add a little bit of extra size, which Nomad says makes the ‌MagSafe‌ Charger easier to grip and remove from an iPhone.

Like all of Nomad's leather products, the Leather Cover for ‌MagSafe‌ will develop a rich, unique patina over time with use. These Leather Covers also match well with Nomad's Leather ‌iPhone‌ cases because it's the same material.

Nomad's Leather Cover for ‌MagSafe‌ is priced at $24.95 and can be purchased from the Nomad website.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Nomad. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

A few months ago, I took a look at the 2021 Buick Envision, which now supports wireless CarPlay as part of the Buick Infotainment System offered by GM. I've been a fan of GM's infotainment systems for a while now, as I find they have an intuitive, modern interface that keeps things simple and comes closer to replicating a smartphone feel than systems from many other manufacturers.

I've subsequently had a chance to try out another GM vehicle with wireless ‌CarPlay‌, and that's the 2021 Cadillac Escalade with its high-end OLED Infotainment System, an all-new system that bears essentially no resemblance to other current GM infotainment systems.

Hardware and Native Infotainment

Cadillac markets the Escalade as having an industry-first 38 inches of curved OLED display in front of the driver, although this is actually made up of three separate displays: a 16.9-inch infotainment screen, a 14.2-inch instrument cluster screen, and a 7.2-inch "control panel" screen to the left of the instrument cluster. The setup is standard across all trims of the Escalade.

All three screens are curved OLED displays, which makes for vivid colors and outstanding contrast with deep blacks. Cadillac says the screens offer twice the pixel density of a typical 4K television, and they certainly do deliver sharp text and graphics.

The design of the triple-display layout is such that the screens taper off a bit at the left and right edges, which means the infotainment system is designed around non-rectangular interfaces that complement the shape of the physical screens. It's a very cool look, but as we'll see in a bit, it introduces some issues.

The Escalade is a big vehicle with big screens on a big dashboard, so in addition to the touchscreen for the main infotainment display, Cadillac also includes some controls on the center console. That includes a rotary controller to navigate the interface in both the native system and ‌CarPlay‌, a volume knob, and some buttons to quickly jump to popular functions.

One neat trick with the native system is that in some spots the interface optimizes itself based on whether you're using the touchscreen or the rotary controller. For example, the home screen of the native system switches to a carousel view that feels natural to navigate with the dial, but once you reach for the screen with your hand, it switches to a more traditional grid view.

CarPlay

‌CarPlay‌ functions in either wired or wireless mode, and wireless setup was very easy as expected. But once ‌CarPlay‌ pops up on the infotainment screen, a problem immediately becomes apparent: It's not optimized for the shape of the display. ‌CarPlay‌ remains a traditional rectangular screen shoehorned into this oddly-shaped display, leaving significant areas of the display unused. Granted, those areas are a nice deep black thanks to the OLED technology, but it still looks funny.

With the shape constraints, you end up with a fairly typical-sized ‌CarPlay‌ screen of around 8.5 inches on the diagonal even on a massive 16.9-inch display. It's not a widescreen interface, so you don't get the expansive view on navigation apps like you do with systems that support wider aspect ratios for ‌CarPlay‌.

That said, the ‌CarPlay‌ interface does look great on the OLED display, with deep blacks and vivid colors that really pop. I just wish it could fill up more of that huge display. The Escalade does not support second-screen Apple Maps navigation prompts in either the instrument cluster or head-up display, but that's not totally surprising given that only a few automakers have started supporting it so far.

GM does make it easy to hop back and forth between ‌CarPlay‌ and the native infotainment system, thanks partly to some hardware controls on the center console. If you're in ‌CarPlay‌, a quick press of the home button takes you to the native system, while a longer press-and-hold gets you back into ‌CarPlay‌.

Wireless Phone Charger

In addition to wireless ‌CarPlay‌, the Escalade includes a wireless phone charger as standard equipment, which is a welcome inclusion and certainly expected given the sticker price of the vehicle and all of the other technology in it. Cadillac has used a space-saving vertical design for its charger, and I found it worked quite well. Inside the charging cavity is a pair of flexible domes that give way to allow the phone to slide in but then hold the phone firmly in place against the vertical surface.

This is a fantastic setup that keeps things secure and ensures that you get perfect alignment every time, unlike some of the pads I've used in other vehicles where getting the phone situated just right for charging can be a little finicky.

I will say that my iPhone 12 Pro Max with an Apple leather case on it just barely fit in the charging slot, so keep that in mind if you're using a Pro Max phone with a more substantial case or an Android phablet that's even larger than Apple's largest offering.

Cadillac says the wireless charger supports up to 15W of charging power, which is fantastic for a vehicle charger, although iPhones are undoubtedly limited to 7.5W since this isn't using Apple's MagSafe standard. Still, it's great to see improvements on the charging front after experiencing some of the early days of vehicle wireless chargers that could barely charge at a trickle.

Ports, Connectivity, and Seatback Entertainment

If you want to go the wired route, the Escalade comes absolutely loaded with USB ports. There is a set of USB-C/USB-A ports for charging and data located prominently on the center console, and another set also for data and charging inside the center console compartment.

For second-row passengers in the captain's chairs, each side has access to a USB-C port and an HDMI port that provide connectivity for the seatback entertainment systems. There's also a 120V outlet for powering various electronic devices. Third-row passengers aren't left out either, with a USB-C charging port located on either side.

The seatback entertainment system for second-row passengers supports a variety of inputs such as HDMI, USB video, and Miracast for non-Apple devices, and it also provides access to the navigation system to let passengers get involved in the journey such as by looking up destinations and passing them to the main screen for the driver to accept and plot a route for. The system doesn't include any built-in games, however, which is something my kids were disappointed to learn after experiencing Chrysler's seatback system in the Pacifica.

Instrument Cluster

Getting back to the native infotainment system and the rest of the technology available to the driver, there's an impressive array of options available in the instrument cluster, including a full map view that includes an augmented-reality navigation view that will overlay upcoming turns and POI labels on a live video feed to help guide you along your route.

My test vehicle was also equipped with a $2,000 thermal night vision mode that displays what's in front in a black and white thermal view, potentially helping you identify wildlife or pedestrians on dark roads before they become visible to the naked eye.

If that's not enough information overload, there's also a head-up display to provide glanceable information without having to take your eyes off the road. It's a pretty standard system as head-up displays go, offering a look at your speed, turn-by-turn directions from the native navigation system, driver safety alerts, and a few other tidbits.

The small third screen to the left of the driver offers a few types of functionality, including at-a-glance views of trip metrics, controls for setting the view (gauges, map, AR, night vision) on the main instrument cluster screen, and settings for the head-up display.

Climate Controls

The climate control system on the Escalade is thankfully largely hardware-based, with a row of physical buttons underneath a thin digital display. I wish there was a bit more differentiation among the buttons or some rotary knobs for the temperature and/or fan speed to make it easier to adjust settings by feel, but at least I didn't have to go digging into the main infotainment system for basic climate controls.

Wrap-up

The 2021 Cadillac Escalade is by no means a cheap vehicle, as is obvious from the moment you step into it, if not from the outside. Pricing starts at a little under $80,000, and it's available in five trims: Luxury, Premium Luxury, Sport, Premium Luxury Platinum, and Sport Platinum, with optional four-wheel drive. My test vehicle was a 4WD Sport trim with a number of other options that pushed the sticker price all the way up to nearly $107,000. If you go all-in with the extended-length ESV version and all of the available options, you could even push it beyond $120,000.

Consequently, a premium infotainment experience is to be expected, and Cadillac definitely delivers here with the massive OLED display system included on all trims. The native system works well and looks gorgeous, with multiple options for controlling the system and lots of bells and whistles like the AR navigation view and optional night vision feature.

That said, the ‌CarPlay‌ experience on this system is a bit of a disappointment, with the oddly shaped main infotainment screen significantly impacting the usability of ‌CarPlay‌ by limiting it to a fairly standard-sized window in a traditional aspect ratio. ‌CarPlay‌ looks great on the OLED display and it works well with both wireless connectivity and a handy wireless charger to keep your phone topped up, but it's a shame it can't take advantage of the palette it's presented on.

Apple is expected to release its first OLED iPad in 2023, Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) said today in its newest quarterly OLED Shipment Report. Apple will enter the market with a 10.9-inch AMOLED ‌iPad‌, which prior sources have suggested could be an iPad Air.

There have been multiple reports about Apple's work on an OLED ‌iPad‌, and the sheer number of rumors all but confirm that the technology is in development. Right now, OLED displays are limited to Apple's iPhone lineup, the Apple Watch, and the MacBook Pro Touch Bar, but Apple has been working to bring OLED to Macs and iPads.

Most of the rumors that we've heard about an OLED ‌iPad‌ suggest that it's coming in 2022, which is earlier than the DSCC report predicts. The Elec recently said that Apple will release a 10.8-inch ‌iPad‌ with an OLED display in 2022, and back in March, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple is expected to start using OLED next year. DigiTimes has also predicted a 2022 release for an OLED ‌iPad‌, as have sites like ETNews, which rely on supply chain data.

Kuo also said that Apple's first OLED ‌iPad‌ would be an ‌iPad Air‌ rather than an iPad Pro, with Apple continuing to use mini-LED technology for the ‌iPad Pro‌ lineup. Several reports about the OLED ‌iPad‌ haven't specified that the device will be an ‌iPad Air‌, but that's the general expectation as Kuo often has reliable insight into Apple's plans.

OLED technology is expensive, which is a factor that has thus far limited it to smaller devices like iPhones and Apple Watches. When adopted in the ‌iPad‌, it will bring improved brightness, higher contrast, deeper blacks, and wider viewing angles.

The DSCC report also suggests that Apple will "cancel the Touch Bar" in the future, which is in line with ‌MacBook Pro‌ rumors. The new ‌MacBook Pro‌ models expected in 2021 will do away with the OLED Touch Bar, with Apple instead returning to a standard function row of keys.

Original HomePod models appear to be mysteriously failing at an increasing rate, according to multiple MacRumors readers and complaints on Reddit and Twitter. Many of the HomePods that have suddenly stopped working were running the beta version of the ‌HomePod‌ 15 software, but some affected users had HomePods with the 14.6 software installed.

MacRumors reader Jose said that his 18-month-old ‌HomePod‌ running the 14.6 update recently stopped working, and that's a common complaint across multiple Reddit threads that have been created over the course of the last few days.

In one notable case, a Reddit user with a total of 19 HomePods had seven of them stop working today. Four of those HomePods were running the ‌HomePod‌ 15 beta, and three of them were running the 14.6 software.

I have a total of 19 HomePods at home. 6 of them are on Beta and the others on 14.6. As of today, 7 are no longer working. 4 on the beta and 3 on 14.6. I use the HomePods normally and listen to music from time to time but not very loud, on average about 20% volume. All the ones on the beta are connected as default speaker on the Apple TV. Either there is a massive problem with the OS or something in the hardware is built wrong.

That Reddit thread has complaints from several other ‌HomePod‌ owners who have had their HomePods die, and MacRumors reader Andre curated a list of Reddit complaints, all from users who have had their HomePods die over the course of the last few days.

• Failure 1, 5 days ago - Reddit user UnderstandingNo5785 was running the ‌HomePod‌ 15 beta and found that his ‌HomePod‌ was hot on the top, which may have led to a logic board issue. Other Reddit users have speculated about the failures being caused by using the ‌HomePod‌ as a default speaker to the Apple TV while running the ‌HomePod‌ 15 beta
• Failure 2, 2 days ago - A newly opened ‌HomePod‌ was set up, updated to 14.6, and then it lost connection. A hard reset caused the LED to turn red and the volume lights to blink, but it was non-functional.
• Failure 3, 1 day ago - One of two HomePods set as a stereo pair suddenly stopped working. Both HomePods were running the 14.6 update. Broken ‌HomePod‌ doesn't power up and doesn't respond to touch.
• Failure 3, today - 7 HomePods stop working, four on beta, three on 14.6.
• Failure 4, June - A MacRumors reader in June had his ‌HomePod‌ die after a software update. The ‌HomePod‌ does not light up, does not work, and resets do not do anything.
• HomePod Overheating - A Reddit user had a ‌HomePod‌ die when used in stereo mode with the ‌Apple TV‌, and it was hot to the touch. It survived and continued to work, but the Reddit user has noticed the HomePods are still getting hot in stereo mode while running 14.6. This person says that their two other HomePods also died previously.

There are multiple other complaints from affected users in the comment sections of these threads, suggesting that this could be a widespread issue impacting many ‌HomePod‌ owners. Most of the impacted HomePods were used in stereo pairing mode and were linked to an ‌Apple TV‌ running the tvOS 14.6 update, including HomePods running the 14.6 and 15 software updates.

Since many of the HomePods affected have beta software installed, it's not a good idea to install the ‌HomePod‌ 15 update if you have a ‌HomePod‌. ‌HomePod‌ software is distributed on an invite-only basis, but some third-party sites often make the beta available, and if you install an unauthorized beta, Apple is not going to be able to help.

One Reddit user says that a senior Apple technician advised them to unplug their HomePods and stop using them until the next software update.

"I would tell your friends if they have installed OS15 beta on one or both of their HomePods and having issues to unplug them and not use them until next software update comes out to avoid damage to the logic board. In result of damaging your HomePod. If your HomePod has failed due to the developer beta profile being installed which in that case apple cannot be held liable to fix the HomePods due to non licensed developer people installing this software, but suggest if your HomePod has in fact failed and you are a licensed developer you are urged to contact apple developer team for further assistance."

There are also many complaints from users who are running the 14.6 update, and unfortunately, Apple support has not been helpful for those who have a ‌HomePod‌ that was purchased more than a year ago. MacRumors reader Jose who initially contacted us said that Apple support was unable to offer help because his ‌HomePod‌ was out of warranty, and other ‌HomePod‌ owners have also had the same response.

Given the high number of sudden failures linked to 14.6, it's possible there's a hardware or software bug that's causing the problem, and if that's the case, Apple may eventually offer more help to ‌HomePod‌ users.

There is no known fix for ‌HomePod‌ users at this time, but avoiding beta software is recommended, and those who are highly concerned about failures may also want to stop using the HomePods in stereo mode for the time being until more information is available or a new software update is released to address any possible issues.

One MacRumors reader said that his failure was caused by a diode that failed and he was able to replace the diode and get the ‌HomePod‌ working again, but it is not clear if this is the same issue that others are experiencing nor is it reasonable for ‌HomePod‌ owners to have to tear down their speakers to solder on a new component.

The majority of apps used by iPhone and Android users are made by Apple and Google, according to a study commissioned by Facebook that was shared with The Verge.

The first-of-its-kind Comscore study ranks the popularity of preinstalled iOS and Android apps alongside third-party apps, indicating that the most popular apps are preinstalled. The results show that on iOS, stock apps such as Weather, Calculator, and Clock, are more popular than YouTube, Facebook, and Amazon. The statistics are similar for Android, where pre-installed Google apps dominate the rankings.

According to the findings, 75 percent of the top 20 apps on iOS in the U.S. were made by Apple, while Google made 60 percent of the top apps on Android. The top four apps on both platforms were made by their respective parent company.

The unique study reveals a number of quirks including the fact that Apple's Calculator app has more users than Gmail on Android. Facebook is the only third-party developer with more than one app on the iOS list of apps and the only developer with three apps on the Android list.

Comscore procured data from apps and websites last December to produce the study, alongside information from a study of 4,000 people that asked about the default apps they used during November 2020. The study excluded browsers in the rankings and "embedded operating system features" such as voice assistants.

Facebook said that it paid for the Comscore study to show the "impact of preinstalled apps on the competitive app ecosystem," hinting at the apparently anti-competitive nature of Android and iOS. Facebook has found itself increasingly at odds with Apple, criticizing the company's limitations on third-party developers, privacy measures such as App Tracking Transparency, the inability for Messenger to be selected as the default on the ‌iPhone‌, and more.

The report suggests that some app categories that already have a pre-installed app, such as Weather, are difficult for other apps from third parties to compete in. However, it is worth noting that default apps do not win out in every category; for example, Apple Maps and Apple Music do not appear in the rankings at all, while Gmail is represented alongside Apple Mail.

Speaking to The Verge, Apple scolded the report as "seriously flawed in a number of ways."

This Facebook-financed survey from December 2020 was narrowly tailored to give the false impression that there's little competition on the App Store. In truth, third-party apps compete with Apple's apps across every category and enjoy large scale success.

The spokesperson for Apple criticized the report's methodology and said that the results contradicted Comscore's recent April 2021 rankings on app usage, even if those previous rankings excluded pre-installed apps.

Nevertheless, Facebook clearly hopes that the study will point to the power platform owners have over what apps users choose to use on their devices.

Microsoft is working to allow smaller meetings to take place in its Together Mode, which uses artificial intelligence to put multiple users in the same virtual space.

Launched last year during the peak of the global health crisis, Together Mode for meetings uses AI to place everyone on a call in a shared room-like environment, like a coffee shop or an auditorium, rather than the patchwork gallery view that typically comprises large Teams meetings.

The idea behind the feature is to better replicate real face-to-face meetings by taking people out of their home environments and custom backgrounds, thereby making it easier to pick up on facial expressions, body language, and other non-verbal cues.

Together Mode can accommodate up to 49 people at a time, and currently only becomes available when at least five people have joined the meeting. Soon, however, Microsoft is making it so that the feature can be used with just two people.

Support for smaller gatherings in Together Mode is currently limited to the developer Beta preview, but will soon be available for all. If you want to try accessing the preview, click the ellipsis next to your profile picture, select About, then tick Developer Preview. If the option doesn't appear, it may be because of the way your work account is set up.