MacRumors

For World AIDS Day today, Apple highlighted its long-standing partnership with (RED), which has raised more than a quarter of a billion dollars since 2006, and is offering seven new downloadable (RED) Apple Watch faces.

Since 2006, Apple-supported grants have helped to provide support for over 11 million people and distribute over 197 million HIV tests. They have also helped over five million HIV-positive mothers prevent passing the virus on to their children.

A portion of the proceeds from every (PRODUCT)RED purchase goes to the Global Fund to combat AIDS and COVID-19. Eligible devices now include iPhone 14, ‌iPhone 14‌ Plus, iPhone SE, and Apple Watch Series 8, while accessories such as the Silicone Case with MagSafe for ‌iPhone 14‌ and ‌iPhone 14‌ Plus are also available in (PRODUCT)RED.

Following last year's World AIDS Day custom watch faces, this year, seven new downloadable Apple Watch faces allow users to show their support for (RED).

The watch faces complement the PRODUCT(RED) Sport Loop, Sport Band, and Braided Solo Loop bands, according to Apple. Visit apple.com/product-red to download the new faces and see the PRODUCT(RED) items available to buy from the Apple Store.

To raise visibility for World AIDS Day and the ongoing effort to eradicate HIV and AIDS, hundreds of ‌Apple Store‌ retail locations are marking the day with new window and product displays. The company is also spotlighting ways for customers to learn about AIDS in the App Store, Apple Books, Apple Music, and Apple TV app.

TSMC's $12 billion chip plant currently under construction in Arizona will begin producing 4-nanometer chips as soon as it opens in 2024 thanks to urging from Apple and other companies, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

The plant had originally been planned to start with production of 5-nanometer chips, but with Apple and other companies increasingly looking to source components from the United States, TSMC has upgraded its plans so the facility will be able to supply more cutting-edge chips.

TSMC previously said it would make 20,000 wafers per month at the Arizona facility, although production may increase from those original plans, the people said. Apple will use about a third of the output as production gets underway.

Apple and other major tech companies rely on TSMC for their chipmaking needs, and the change means they'll be able to get more of their processors from the US. Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has previously told employees that his company plans to source chips from the Arizona plant.

The new plans are scheduled to be announced in Phoenix next Tuesday with President Joe Biden, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and Apple CEO Tim Cook expected to be in attendance, along with AMD CEO Lisa Su and Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang.

In addition to the 4-nanometer production facility, TSMC will reportedly officially announce plans for a second phase involving an adjacent facility that will produce even more advanced 3-nanometer chips, a development that was revealed last week by TSMC founder Morris Chang.

Apple's latest chips are manufactured on a 5-nanometer process, and moving to more advanced processes should result in significant improvements in performance and power efficiency. Apple has been rumored to be using 4nm and 3nm processes for some of its upcoming M-series and A-series chips for use in Macs, iPads, iPhones, and other products.

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.

Apple's Beats brand today announced a new collaboration with Japanese designers Wacko Maria for limited-edition Beats Flex earphones featuring a leopard-print design with a dual-color cable.

Beats Flex are the entry-level in-ear earphones from Beats that debuted in 2020 as an evolution of the previous BeatsX models. While the Beats Flex connect wirelessly via Bluetooth to your devices, the individual earbuds are connected by a Flex-Form cable with inline modules for housing battery and control hardware.

The earphones include Apple's W1 chip for seamless setup and switching across Apple devices, multiple ear tip sizes, magnetic earbuds that secure the buds around your neck when not in use and support Auto-Play/Pause, Find My support, up to 12 hours of battery life, and Fast Fuel charging via USB-C that delivers up to 90 minutes of listening time in just 10 minutes.

As with the regular Beats Flex available in Beats Black, Yuzu Yellow, Flame Blue, and Smoke Gray, the Wacko Maria Leopard Beats Flex will be priced at $70 in the U.S. and will be available starting December 2 at 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

Retailers carrying the limited-edition Beats Flex include Wacko Maria, END Clothing, and SSENSE, as well as boutiques INVINCIBLE in Shanghai and SOULGOODS in Beijing.

Apple today updated its vintage and obsolete product list to designate several 2013 and 2014 iMac models as obsolete. These Macs were previously on the vintage list, but are now considered obsolete and are no longer eligible for repair.

Obsoleted Macs include the late 2013 21.5 and 27-inch iMacs, the mid-2014 21.5-inch ‌iMac‌, and the late 2014 27-inch Retina 5K ‌iMac‌. The late 2014 27-inch ‌iMac‌ was the first iMac with a 5K Retina display. At the time, Apple's Phil Schiller said it was the "most insanely great Mac we have ever made."

Apple designates products as obsolete seven years after they were last on sale. All hardware service is discontinued for obsolete products, and service providers are not able to order parts for obsolete devices. The 2013 and 2014 iMacs will no longer be able to be repaired with components from Apple.

Apple today also marked the Apple Watch Series 2 as vintage. The vintage products list features devices that Apple stopped distributing for sale more than five years ago and less than seven years ago. Apple provides service and parts for vintage devices for up to 7 years, or as required by law, but repairs are subject to parts availability.

Both the original Apple Watch and the ‌Apple Watch Series 2‌ are considered vintage, with the Series 2 having come out in 2016.

Apple today started selling new Zens charging accessories, including a modular 4-in-1 charging stand for the iPhone, iPad, AirPods, and Apple Watch. I got my hands on this stand and have outlined my first impressions below.

The stand delivers the fastest possible charging speeds for the latest Apple devices. A built-in MagSafe charger wirelessly charges the iPhone 12 and newer at up to 15W, and the Apple Watch magnetic puck extension supports fast charging for the Apple Watch Series 7, Series 8, and Ultra, allowing those Apple Watch models to wirelessly charge from 0% to 80% in around 45 minutes. The stand also has a 30W USB-C port on the right side that can charge any iPad or MacBook Air at the fastest speeds, along with a Qi-certified pad for an AirPods case. In my early testing, all charging speeds were as advertised.

Both the MagSafe charger and Apple Watch charging puck are certified by Apple, and the stand being sold on Apple's online store is an additional stamp of approval from the company, so customers should feel confident about purchasing this accessory.

The stand has a modular design, with the Apple Watch charging puck attaching magnetically to the main charging station for the iPhone, iPad, and AirPods and sharing the same 65W power adapter. There are two additional magnetic pins for attaching other modular parts sold separately on the Zens website, such as additional Qi pads or a USB-A charger. The MagSafe charger is tilt adjustable for different iPhone viewing angles.

An LED light on the back of the main charging station appears white when the Qi-certified pad is charging AirPods or another device. It would have been nice if this indicator were placed on the front of the stand so that it were more easily visible.

While it's certainly convenient to be able to charge an iPhone, iPad, AirPods, and Apple Watch all in one spot, the stand is priced at $179.95 on Apple's online store in the United States, making it an expensive luxury. That said, I'm not aware of any other four-device charging stands with an Apple-certified MagSafe charger and a fast-charging Apple Watch puck, with other options that I've seen so far limited to three devices.

Zens says the stand is made with recycled plastic, although it's unclear to what extent. The use of recycled ABS pellets gives the stand a speckled design that almost makes it look a bit dusty, which might be a downside for some people but isn't a huge issue.

All in all, the Zens modular 4-in-1 charging stand is a versatile but costly accessory for those interested in a fast-charging hub for nearly all of their Apple devices. The stand can be purchased on Apple's online store for delivery in early December.

Note: Zens provided MacRumors with the 4-in-1 charging stand for testing. No other compensation was provided.

The Crash Detection feature built into the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, and new Apple Watch models is causing skiers to accidentally dial emergency services, according to Utah news site KSL.

Designed to summon help when a car crash is detected, the Crash Detection feature can be activated at ski resorts, and Summit County dispatchers in Utah have seen an increase in 911 calls.

"We will get a call in that says the owner of this Apple Watch or iPhone has either had a severe crash or they've been involved in a car accident," Summit County Dispatch Center supervisor Suzie Butterfield told KSL.

With many of the activations, people don't respond at first because they are unaware that the call was placed. "They're usually like, 'Oh, I'm sorry, I was skiing. Everything's fine,'" said Butterfield.

Three to five emergency calls from Apple devices are coming in per day, and so far, none have been activated on purpose. Butterfield said that she doesn't mind the accidental calls because the feature could be useful in an actual emergency situation.

Reddit users have confirmed that skiing can trigger the Crash Detection feature, with one user explaining that he was going down a hill at a moderate pace when his Apple Watch started to dial 911.

You might want to turn off crash detection on your iPhone 14 if you ski with any kind of pace at all. I was out yesterday for the first time. I had my phone in my pocket and was cruising down Tinkerbell at a totally moderate pace doing some short-radius turns on my second run of the year. To give you an idea of how moderate, I had just passed a slow sign with 3 safety patrol by it and none of them even raised an eyebrow at me! I stopped to wait for my wife and my phone immediately started yelling "Have you been in an accident? We will call emergency services in 20 seconds! Woop! Woop!" I turned it off as quickly as possible and then immediately turned off all the emergency notification functions.

In addition to Crash Detection on the ‌iPhone 14‌ models, the Apple Watch Series 8, the new Apple Watch SE, and the Apple Watch Ultra, there's also a fall detection feature on a range of Apple devices that could potentially result in emergency calls as well.

Butterfield said that she does not recommend turning the ‌iPhone‌ and Apple Watch safety features off. "We don't mind taking that call because if something really did happen, we want to be able to get to you," she said.

The Crash Detection feature in the new ‌iPhone‌ and Apple Watch models has also been triggered by rollercoasters, and just today, Apple released an iOS 16.1.2 update that includes "Crash Detection optimizations." Apple has not provided information on what this means, but it likely is aimed at cutting down on accidental triggering where there has not been an actual car accident.

Thanks, justiny!

This year, the Philips Hue line added string lights for the first time, marking the debut of the only string light product able to integrate with the Philips Hue ecosystem. The Festavia string lights are priced at $160 and can be used for Christmas trees, holiday decorations, or year-round accent lighting.

There is a single Festavia product at the current time, and the Festavia includes 250 smart mini LEDs on a 65-foot cord, which is a standard length for a string light. The cord is black and the LEDs are rounded with a flat top, which produces a soft look.

During the day, the black cord tends to stand out a bit more against my tree than a green cord, and it mostly rules out the Festavia for lighter colored trees such as those that are white. In the future, I am hoping that the Hue line will offer other Festavia options with colored cords suitable for a wider range of trees.

I have a tree that is seven feet tall, and the Festavia was just about enough lights for it, though I could probably have done with two strings because I like a lot of lights. Alternatively, if a tree is up against a wall, the lights would look fuller placed just on the front rather than wrapped at the back.

The Festavia lights are HomeKit-enabled and can be controlled through the Home app and with Siri voice commands, but these are Hue lights so a Hue Bridge is required, as is the Hue app. The Hue app is used to change the colors on the lights, and it's worth noting that these are gradient lights.

You can select three gradient colors in gradient mode and mirrored mode, or up to five colors in scattered mode, so each light can be set to a different color. That said, there isn't as much control as you get with something like the Twinkly, but you can sync the lights to music if desired.

The Twinkly lights, which are priced at around $105 for 250 on Amazon, are the obvious comparison to the Festavia lights. Twinkly lights are also HomeKit-enabled, so I do want to point out a few things for those trying to decide between Twinkly and the Hue Festavia lights.

First of all, the Twinkly lights are a lot brighter. The Philips Hue lights are more subtle and less bright at 100 percent brightness, which, in my opinion, is a good thing. The Twinkly lights are too bright by default, so I dim them way down. If you like bright, know that Twinkly lights are brighter.

Hue seems to be a bit more color accurate, and the colors are richer in tone, plus there seems to be more of an available color range in terms of color accuracy. I can change the color of every Twinkly light individually (though it's not the quickest or simplest thing to do in the app), but I can't do that with the Festavia. The Festavia supports different color gradients and a mix of up to five selected colors that are assigned to the lights.

I don't mind not being able to control each of the LEDs separately, but I think the Festavia lights are less fun than the Twinkly lights. There are a ton of effects that are possible with the Twinkly, and you can select different patterns, colors, and even draw words and pictures, while the Festavia is more limited.

That said, the Hue lights have a more subtle, classy look. Hue's gradients are not replicable with Twinkly lights, and Hue also has several nice animations that can't be matched by Twinkly. There is a "Sparkle" animation that's simple white lights in different shades shifting slowly so that it looks like twinkling lights, plus there's a fireplace animation that has a soft orange glow. There are also different color shifting animations available through the Hue Labs feature in the app, though it's not exactly intuitive to get to and use.

Twinkly light animations are all rapid even on the slowest setting, and I prefer the more sophisticated Hue patterns. I do wish that there were more animations available through the Hue app, as it's limited to three. I'm hoping that more will be added in the future.

There are limited colorful animations, and the color light settings are primarily limited to static designs in gradients or scattered patterns outside of Hue Labs functionality. The Hue lights are able to integrate with other Hue lights, so if you have Hue bulbs, Hue light strips, or other Hue products, you can create light scenes that integrate all of your lights, including the Festavia.

The Hue app is simple to use for the most part, but it takes some getting used to. You can swap between color options and white tones, or select the effects tab to activate an animation. Light colors can be changed by dragging the icons on the color wheel with a finger, and this is an interface where you can control all of your Hue lights together, grouping them up or selecting individual colors for each one.

There are also simple controls for adjusting brightness, and more limited options in the Home app. You can set single colors for all the lights in the Home app and change the brightness, and ‌Siri‌ can be used for this as well. The Hue app is needed for the effects and the multi-color options.

Since these are HomeKit integrated lights, you can set timers for when they run and use automations to activate them when home, when leaving, or in response to other ‌HomeKit‌ devices such as motion sensors.

Because of the way that the Festavia lights integrate with other Hue lights, I would recommend them as a first choice to anyone with a Philips Hue setup. The Festavia string lights are gorgeous, the app is simple to use, the effects are subtle, and the ability to use the lights alongside other Hue products for lighting scenes makes the cost more worthwhile.

Bottom Line

The Festavia string lights are ideal for those who already have Philips Hue lights or those who want a soft, classy look for a Christmas tree or for holiday decoration. They aren't as interactive as the Twinkly lights, and so might not be ideal for families with kids who might like to play with the color changing Twinkly features, but they are perfect for those who want a less hands-on lighting experience that is more subdued.

How to Buy

The Festavia lights are purchasable from the Hue website, but are unfortunately out of stock at this time. A Philips Hue spokesperson said that there has been strong enthusiasm for the Festavia, and the company is working to make additional inventory available for purchase as soon as possible.

Twitter CEO Elon Musk today met with Apple CEO Tim Cook at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, according to a tweet shared by Musk this afternoon.

Musk thanked Cook for taking him around Apple's headquarters, with no mention of what the two might have discussed. The meeting comes just after Musk on Monday claimed that Apple has "mostly stopped" offering ads on Twitter, and that Apple had threatened to "withhold Twitter from its App Store."

Musk said that Apple has been "making moderation demands," though he did not go into detail on what Apple might have said about moderation. Twitter has been undergoing rapid change since Musk's October takeover, and many employees who handled moderation and policy creation have been fired or have left the company.

Apple has cracked down on other social networking apps for lax moderation policies, such as Parler, so there is real danger that Twitter and Apple could end up in a major dispute should Twitter fail to adequately handle inappropriate content. Twitter has already reinstated more than 62,000 suspended accounts, including that of former U.S. President Donald Trump, and it is not yet clear if that will be problematic.

Apple and Twitter could also run into issues over the Twitter Blue subscription. Platformer this week said Twitter is delaying the launch of the Twitter Blue service as it seeks a way to avoid Apple's 30 percent cut on iOS devices.

The video shared by Musk features the ‌Apple Park‌ duck pond, which has previously been seen in Apple videos and photographs captured by employees.

Update: Musk says that he and Cook resolved a misunderstanding about Twitter potentially being removed from the ‌App Store‌, which Cook said Apple had not considered.

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.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek today spoke out against Apple's App Store policies, joining Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who earlier this week said that Apple was making moderation demands and had threatened to withhold Twitter from the ‌App Store‌.

At The New York Times DealBook Summit, Zuckerberg said that only Apple attempts to limit the apps that are in the ‌App Store‌, and that the ‌App Store‌ policies are not sustainable. As noted by CNBC, Zuckerberg claimed that Apple has "singled themselves out as the only company that is trying to control unilaterally what apps get on a device," which is not a "good place to be."

Zuckerberg went on to praise Google for allowing for alternate content on Android phones. "They’ve always made it so you can sideload and have other app stores and work directly with phone manufacturers," said Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg has clashed with Apple several times over ‌App Store‌ rules, specifically around various purchases that can be made in the Facebook app. Apple wants a 30 percent cut of things like in-app boosts, which Facebook does not want to pay.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, meanwhile, made comments on Twitter claiming that Apple gives developers "the illusion of control," and that the ‌App Store‌ is a "threat to the future of the internet" that denies consumers choice.

Ek has clashed with Apple recently over Spotify's new audiobooks feature. Apple rejected Spotify's audiobook update several times and ultimately did not allow Spotify to direct users to purchase audiobooks through an in-app email signup button.

Ek and Zuckerberg are longtime Apple critics and have been encouraging lawmakers to force Apple to support alternative app stores on iOS devices to reduce fees. Multiple bipartisan bills have been introduced in the U.S., and if these are ultimately passed, Apple would need to make significant ‌App Store‌ changes.

Apple's 12.9-inch iPad Pro Magic Keyboard has fallen to an all-time low price at Walmart today and is now available for $249.00, down from $349.00. The keyboard is available only in black, is in stock, and is sold directly from Walmart with free shipping for delivery as soon as tomorrow depending on location.

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

This is the latest 2021 model of the Magic Keyboard, so it's been optimized to fit the slightly thicker 2021 and 2022 12.9-inch iPad Pro models with mini-LED display, but it also fits the 2018 and 2020 models. It features a full QWERTY keyboard, trackpad, USB-C port for charging, backlit keys, and a floating cantilever design.

The iPad Pro attaches magnetically to the keyboard with passthrough charging for the iPad Pro via its Smart Connector, and the Magic Keyboard provides front and back protection when closed.

Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.

Update: Amazon is now nearly matching this deal with the white version of the Magic Keyboard, similarly representing the best price we've ever tracked on this model at $249.99, a $99 discount. Amazon is currently quoting delivery windows around December 21–23, however, so things are getting tight if you're looking to get one as a holiday gift.

Apple today released iOS 16.1.2, another minor bug fix update that comes one week after the release of iOS 16.1.1 and three weeks after the launch of iOS 16.1, an update that added support for iCloud Shared Photo Library, Matter, Live Activities, and more.

The iOS 16.1.2 update can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

According to Apple's release notes, the iOS 16.1.2 update introduces improved compatibility with wireless carriers along with Crash Detection optimization on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models. Apple's full release notes are below:

This update provides important security updates and the following enhancements for your iPhone:

- Improved compatibility with wireless carriers
- Crash Detection optimizations on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

Crash Detection optimization could perhaps involve improvements to prevent the ‌iPhone 14‌ models from calling emergency services when users are enjoying rollercoasters and other intense rides. There have been multiple reports of accidental Crash Detection activations at amusement parks.

iOS 16.1.2 will be followed by iOS 16.2, an update that is being beta tested and is expected to see a launch in December. iOS 16.2 introduces the Freeform app, new Home app architecture, and other features.

Apple today started selling several new multi-device charging accessories from OtterBox and Zens for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods. The accessories are currently available for shipping in early to mid-December.

OtterBox's new 2-in-1 power bank with MagSafe can wirelessly charge an iPhone at up to 15W speeds and also has an Apple Watch magnetic puck with fast charging support for the Apple Watch Series 7, Series 8, and Ultra. Priced at $149.95, the power bank has a foldable design that allows an iPhone or Apple Watch to charge in an upright or flat position, and the MagSafe charger can also charge an AirPods case. A built-in USB-C port provides up to 20W charging for other devices with an included 0.5-meter cable.

A more basic 2-in-1 power bank for the Apple Watch has also been released by OtterBox. Priced at $49.95, this version has an Apple Watch magnetic puck and a USB-C port for 15W charging of another device with an included 0.5-meter cable.

The final new option from OtterBox is a multi-mount MagSafe power bank for $149.95 that can be used as a power bank, iPhone stand, or car vent mount.

As for Zens, the brand has a new 60W wired charging stand with a USB-C port for iPads or the MacBook Air available for $79.95, along with modular 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 wired/wireless charging stands for $149.95 and $179.95, respectively.

Both of the modular stands have built-in MagSafe for the iPhone, a wireless charging pad for AirPods, and a 30W USB-C port for iPads or the MacBook Air, while the 4-in-1 option includes an Apple Watch magnetic puck extension. Zens says its latest charging stands are made from recycled plastics, but to what extent was not specified.

Apple today shared a new ad titled "The Greatest" that highlights accessibility features available on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. Namely, the ad demonstrates the Door Detection, Sound Recognition, and Voice Control features on these devices.

"At Apple, we believe accessibility is a human right," the video description says. "Innovative features like Door Detection, Sound Recognition, Voice Control, and more are designed to let you use your devices in ways that work best for you."

Built into the Magnifier app on the iPhone, Door Detection can detect doors around you and help you understand how to open the door. Sound Recognition can notify you to certain sounds, such as a crying baby, doorbell, or siren. Voice Control lets you navigate and interact with Apple devices using your voice to tap, swipe, type, and more.

Apple's accessibility website provides a detailed overview of these features and many others.

Geekbench scores allegedly for the upcoming "M2 Max" chip have surfaced online, offering a closer look at the performance levels and specific details of the forthcoming Apple silicon processor.

The Geekbench results, first spotted on Twitter, are for a Mac configuration of with the ‌M2‌ Max chip, a 12-core CPU, and 96GB of memory. The Mac listed has an identifier "Mac14,6," which could be upcoming MacBook Pros or the next-generation Mac Studio. Apple offers a maximum of 64GB of memory on the current 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, while the ‌Mac Studio‌ can be configured with up to 128GB of memory with the M1 Ultra.

According to the test, the ‌M2‌ Max chip scored 1,853 in single-core and 13,855 in multi-core. For comparison, the M1 Max chip in the Mac Studio scored 1,755 in single-core and 12,333 in multi-core. If the ‌M2‌ Max chip results are accurate, the performance increase will be relatively minor for the upcoming chip.

The ‌M2‌ chip, announced in June 2022, is based on an enhanced version of TSMC's 5nm process. What fabrication process the upcoming ‌M2‌ Pro and ‌M2‌ Max chips will have is not entirely clear. While they could feature the same enhanced 5nm process as the standard ‌M2‌ chip, there are also rumors it could leapfrog to 3nm, offering significant performance and energy efficiency gains.

According to the results, the chip was tested on a Mac running macOS Ventura 13.2, which has yet to enter developer or public beta testing but is being worked on internally at Apple. The first Macs expected to feature the ‌M2‌ Pro and ‌M2‌ Max chips are rumored to be updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, with the ‌Mac Studio‌ to follow sometime next year. The updated MacBook Pros were initially rumored to launch in the October to November timeframe but are now expected to launch in early 2023.

Apple has several Macs in the work for 2023, including updated MacBook Pros, an updated iMac, and the long-rumored Apple silicon Mac Pro. For a complete rundown of all the new Macs we expect next year and beyond, be sure to check out our guide.

Tapbots, the company behind the popular Tweetbot app designed for Twitter, is working on developing a new app called Ivory that integrates with the Mastodon social network.

Currently in beta testing, the Ivory app is in the early stages of development, with many features that still need to be implemented and bugs that need to be worked out, but it is a promising start.

Many Twitter users have been swapping over to Mastodon following the Twitter takeover by Elon Musk, and Mastodon has seen a major uptick in adoption over the past few weeks. The app now has over one million monthly active users, with roughly one half of those added since October.

Mastodon is a decentralized social network that allows for people to create their own servers, and it is more confusing to use than Twitter. The website and the app are not immediately familiar to Twitter users, but apps like Ivory could ease the transition for those who are leaving Twitter.

Ivory has a design that is quite similar to Tweetbot at the current time, offering access to a timeline, @ mentions, search, profile, and other options. There's also a dedicated compose button shaped like a horn, as posts on Mastodon are referred to as "toots."

It will be some time yet before Ivory is ready for a public release as a number of features like push notifications and lists are not yet implemented, but Tweetbot fans who have moved to Mastodon will be pleased to hear about the Tapbots project.

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.

Apple CEO Tim Cook this week traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with top Republican lawmakers, reports Bloomberg. Cook is said to be aiming to create ties with the GOP as it prepares to assume control of the House in the new year.

Cook has scheduled meetings with Ohio's Jim Jordan, California's Darrell Issa, and Washington's Cathy McMorris Rodgers. Jordan and McMorris Rodgers will likely be involved with committees that are overseeing the tech industry, heading up the House Judiciary Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, respectively.

Apple is dealing with U.S. antitrust legislation that could result in major changes to the company's App Store policies. There are five separate bipartisan bills that are being considered, and just this week, Twitter CEO Elon Musk spurred lawmaker interest in Apple with his claim that Apple has threatened to "withhold Twitter from its ‌App Store‌" and has stopped advertising on Twitter.

As Bloomberg points out, Cook's meetings were scheduled weeks before Musk's Twitter rant, but Twitter could be a topic of discussion. Jim Jordan, who Cook is meeting with, has publicly supported Musk, for example.

Cook will also meet with Republican Senator John Cornyn from Texas, Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich from New Mexico and Democratic Senator Brian Schatz from Hawaii as Apple aims to steer regulators away from ‌App Store‌ legislation and questions about the company's device manufacturing in China.

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.

Anker's popular Eufy-branded security cameras appear to be sending some data to the cloud, even when cloud storage is disabled and local only storage settings are turned on. The information comes from security consultant Paul Moore, who last week published a video outlining the issue.

According to Moore, he purchased a Eufy Doorbell Dual, which was meant to be a device that stored video recording on device. He found that Eufy is uploading thumbnail images of faces and user information to its cloud service when cloud functionality is not enabled.

Moore demonstrates the unauthorized cloud uploading by allowing his camera to capture his image and turning off the Eufy HomeBase. The website is still able to access the content through cloud integration, though he had not signed up for cloud service, and it remains accessible even when the footage is removed from the Eufy app. It's important to note that Eufy does not appear to be automatically uploading full streaming video to the cloud, but rather taking captures of the video as thumbnails.

The thumbnails are used in the Eufy app to activate streaming video from the Eufy base station, allowing Eufy users to watch their videos when away from home, as well as for sending rich notifications. The problem is the thumbnails are uploaded to the cloud automatically even when the cloud functionality is not active, and Eufy also seems to be using facial recognition on the uploads. Some users have taken issue with the unauthorized cloud uploads because Eufy advertises local-only service and has been popular among those who want a more private camera solution. "No Clouds or Costs," reads the Eufy website.

Moore suggests that Eufy is also able to link facial recognition data collected from two separate cameras and two separate apps to users, all without camera owners being aware.

Other Eufy users responded to Moore's tweet and saw the same thing happening, and there is also a dedicated Reddit thread on the subject. Moore tested the Eufy doorbell camera, but this also appears to be how other Eufy cameras function. As Moore demonstrates, the images can be accessed with simple URLs after logging in, which is a potential security risk for those concerned. Eufy did remove the background call that reveals the stored images after Moore's tweet, but did not remove the footage.

Moore received a response from Eufy in which Eufy confirmed that it is uploading event lists and thumbnails to AWS, but said the data is not able to "leak to the public" because the URL is restricted, time limited, and requires account login.

There is also another issue that Moore has highlighted, suggesting Eufy camera streams can be watched live using an app like VLC, but little information on the exploit is available at this time. Moore said that unencrypted Eufy camera content can be accessed without authentication, which is alarming for Eufy users.

We've contacted Anker for additional comment on the Eufy issue and will update this article if we hear back. Moore said that he has been in touch with Eufy's legal department and will give them time to "investigate and take appropriate action" before he comments further.

Update: Anker provided a statement to MacRumors, explaining why the images are collected and how the issue will be addressed going forward.

eufy Security is designed as a local home security system. All video footage is stored locally and encrypted on the user's device. With regard to eufy Security’s facial recognition technology, this is all processed and stored locally on the user's device.

Our products, services and processes are in full compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) standards, including ISO 27701/27001 and ETSI 303645 certifications.

To provide users with push notifications to their mobile devices, some of our security solutions create small preview images (thumbnails) of videos that are briefly and securely hosted on an AWS-based cloud server. These thumbnails utilize server-side encryption and are set to automatically delete and are in compliance with Apple Push Notification service and Firebase Cloud Messaging standards. Users can only access or share these thumbnails after securely logging into their eufy Security account.

Although our eufy Security app allows users to choose between text-based or thumbnail-based push notifications, it was not made clear that choosing thumbnail-based notifications would require preview images to be briefly hosted in the cloud.

That lack of communication was an oversight on our part and we sincerely apologize for our error. This is how we plan to improve our communication in this matter:

1) We are revising the push notifications option language in the eufy Security app to clearly detail that push notifications with thumbnails require preview images that will be temporarily stored in the cloud.

2) We will be more clear about the use of cloud for push notifications in our consumer-facing marketing materials.

eufy Security is committed to the privacy and protection of our users' data and appreciates the security research community reaching out to us to bring this to our attention.