In this week's App Recap, we've highlighted finance app "Budget Burndown," health and fitness app "Endel," and music app "Samplr" as three apps that are worth checking out. We've also compiled a list of apps that received major updates this week.

Apps to Check Out

• Budget Burndown (iOS, Free) - Finance app Budget Burndown is a tool that intelligently tracks daily spending and lets users set a maximum spending budget per month. Featuring no sign up, users can simply link desired cards through Plaid and begin tracking spending. As for security and privacy, Budget Burndown's developer says that credentials are both end-to-end encrypted and inaccessible to the app. Although the app is free to download, users have the option to subscribe to Budget Burndown Pro, which offers custom notifications, saving transactions, a home screen widget, and multiple linked cards for $4.99 per month.
• Endel (iOS & Mac, Free) - Endel, an app that uses sounds to help immerse users into various tasks, features four distinct modes: Relax, Focus, On-The-Go, and Sleep. Each mode will play audio continuously, and users have the ability to set a shut-off timer that will stop sounds from playing at a desired time. Endel can also personalize sounds for the best possible experience using weather and light levels (location data), heart rate information, and motion data should the user grant the app access. The app is free to download, but a subscription is needed to access the app after the seven day trial period. The app offers one month, twelve month, and lifetime options priced at $5.99, $49.99, and $89.99 respectively.
• Samplr (Mac, Free) - Samplr for Touchbar, a demo version of Samplr for iPad, utilizes the MacBook Pro's built-in Touch Bar to vary and play back audio samples. Several different controls and effects can also be accessed directly through the Touch Bar. Users can either press the 'R' key to record audio or drag and drop an audio file onto the app when open to begin using the app. Samplr for iPad, the full version of the app, is priced at $14.99 and features six sample slots, additional effects, gesture recording, and more.
  

App Updates

• Amazon Alexa - Amazon this week updated its Alexa app with hands-free Alexa activation. Once both the app has been updated and features has been enabled, users can activate the digital assistant by only their voice. Unlike Apple’s Siri system-wide integration, Alexa can only be invoked while in the Alexa app.
• Gmail (iPadOS) - Google this week announced that it had updated its Gmail app with Split View, which allows the app to be used alongside other apps in a split screen.
• Google Arts & Culture - The Google Arts & Culture app was updated this week with new features and improvements. Users are able to record videos and take photos of artwork using the Art Projector. Users can also play several new games created by the Google Arts & Culture Experiments team.
• iWork - Apple this week updated its slew of iWork apps including Pages, Keynote, and Numbers with several new features. Pages and Numbers now lets users easily add captions and titles to content, play YouTube and Vimeo videos right from their respective files, and more. Along with other new features, Keynote gained a new “Play Slideshow in Window” options that lets users access other applications when presenting.

Are you using a great new app we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments and we’ll check it out for next week’s App Recap. Are you a developer of a unique app you’d like us to consider? Send us a message through our tip line at the top of the page and we’ll check it out.

Google will address long-standing battery life issues, particularly on Mac devices, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Chrome will improve "tab throttling" by better prioritizing active tabs and limiting resource drain from tabs open in the background. This is said to have a "dramatic impact on battery and performance." Google has reportedly been performing early tests on Mac laptops in particular.

"This is an ongoing investment in improvements to speed, performance and battery life," said Max Christoff, director of Chrome browser engineering. Chrome has previously been criticized for poor use of RAM, battery draining, and privacy concerns.

In May, Google set out plans to improve Chrome battery toll by blocking resource-heavy ads. Chrome will also limit the resources that an ad can use before the user interacts with it. In addition to this, Chrome will soon be updated with new optimization that will allow the most performance-critical parts of the software to run even faster.

Google is currently experimenting with the changes, with the intention of releasing the optimizations and improvements to Chrome in a stable release towards the end of August.

Casual MacRumors visitors may not realize that we have a very active PowerPC forum where users discuss issues related to PowerPC Macs that have not been produced since 2006. Threads range from hardware upgrades and software options to nostalgia:

Photo by AphoticD

Apple's recently announced transition to Apple Silicon (Arm) based Macs raised some interesting questions about future support for these old machines.

In particular, MacRumors forum member Wowfunhappy asked about ongoing support for Universal binaries in the upcoming Arm-based macOS, and whether or not a four-way universal binary was possible:

During their 2020 WWDC keynote, Apple announced the reintroduction of Universal Binaries, for developers to create apps that work on both Intel and Arm Macs during the transition.

But Universal Binaries never really went away the first time! You can run PPC-Intel apps on Mojave, and I assume also Catalina. Also, many Intel-only apps are still "universal," in that they contain versions for both i386 (32bit Intel) and x86_64 (64bit Intel).

Thus, I am intensely curious: would it be possible for a developer to create a single universal binary that works natively on all four architectures: PPC, i386, x86_64, and ARM?

The answer, it appears, is yes. The TenFourFox developer blogged about the possibility, confirming that it is indeed possible:

A question I got repeatedly the last couple days was, now that AARM (Apple ARM) is a thing, is the ultimate ARM-Intel-PowerPC Universal Binary possible? You bet it is! In fact, Apple already documents that you could have a five-way binary, i.e., ARM64, 32-bit PowerPC, 64-bit PowerPC, i386 and x86_64. Just build them separately and lipo them together

TenFourFox is a Firefox port for PowerPC Macs running OS X 10.4 or 10.5. It provides those users with modern browser support. The developer actually points out that each architecture can even have its own subtype, meaning that ultimately a so-called "Super Duper Universal Binary" could have support for 17 different instruction sets, which could run on any machine from PowerPC to future Arm-based Mac with full support for all processor subtypes.

Game developers are now able to more easily develop games for Apple devices using Windows machines, thanks to a new set of Metal developer tools released by Apple (via Reddit).

Apple quietly released a set of Metal Developer Tools for Windows 10 at WWDC this year, which enables Metal Shading Language (MSL) compilation on Windows into Metal Library Objects targeting Apple platforms. This means that game production teams may now use PCs to compile games developed on Windows for macOS and other Apple operating systems.

Many game development studios have established game or graphics asset production pipelines that use the Microsoft Windows infrastructure. One of the key final steps in the asset creation process is compiling the graphics and compute shaders for inclusion in the game.

Since Apple is transitioning the Mac to custom silicon, developers that bring their games to Metal will be able to run them on iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and macOS. Apple's API automatically translates all inputs to whatever the available input method may be, such as touch, controller, or keyboard and mouse. Developers targeting the Apple platform can now develop for iPad, iPhone, Mac, and Apple TV simultaneously. This may make the Apple platform more attractive to game developers as they will have access to a far larger market share than on macOS or iOS alone.

Although it is not possible to develop games for Apple devices on Windows entirely, since a Mac is still needed to sign software and for testing, the availability of gaming-oriented Apple developer tools for Windows marks a significant step in gaming on Apple devices.

As Apple moves the Mac to custom silicon, where it will no longer support Boot Camp, it is interesting that Apple is releasing developer tools specifically for gaming with regards to Windows. Seeing that these new developer tools allow Windows games to be compiled into Metal for Apple platforms, rather than being completely rebuilt, it should now be easier for developers to port native PC games and AAA titles to the Mac.

Update: Max Tech also has a good video covering the topic:

Microsoft's LinkedIn was sued yesterday for allegedly reading and diverting users' private information using the iOS clipboard.

The lawsuit filed in San Francisco federal court states that LinkedIn "secretly" read the clipboard "a lot," without notifying the user, according to Reuters. The complaint also claims that LinkedIn has been gathering clipboard information from nearby Apple devices through the Universal Clipboard feature, and has been circumventing Apple's Universal Clipboard timeout.

The lawsuit attempts to certify the complaint as class action based on alleged violation of the law or social norms, under California laws. Last week, LinkedIn claimed that the clipboard copying behavior is a bug and is not an intended operation. A VP at LinkedIn commented that the contents of the clipboard are not stored or transmitted, and that a fix for the issue will soon be available.

iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 include a new privacy banner feature that informs users when an app pastes from the clipboard. Other apps, such as TikTok, Twitter, Starbucks, Overstock, AccuWeather, and more, have also been caught snooping on user clipboards for no clear reason, but this is the first legal case of its kind related to clipboard spying.

Apple supplier Foxconn plans to invest $1 billion in India to expand a factory that assembles iPhones, reports Reuters.

One source told Reuters that Apple has been pushing Foxconn and other suppliers to move production outside of China. The move will ultimately help the company in diversifying its supply chain in an effort to reduce its reliance on Chinese manufacturing amidst the ongoing trade war between China and the United States.

Foxconn's investment is being made in the Sriperumbudur plant, which is responsible for producing some iPhone XR models. The improvements, which will take place over three years, include the addition of 6,000 new jobs and the production of other iPhone models in the plant.

Should Apple's supply chain expansion into India prove successful, the company may begin using the country as an "export hub."

With India’s labour cheaper compared with China, and the gradual expansion of its supplier base here, Apple will be able to use the country as an export hub,” Neil Shah of Hong Kong-based tech researcher Counterpoint said.

Apple is rumored to be expanding its presence in India by introducing an online Apple Store in the third quarter of 2020. The company is also reportedly working on opening retail locations in the country beginning with a store in Mumbai.

After one round of developer beta testing, Apple unleashed iOS and iPadOS 14 to a wider audience this week, opening it up to members of the public beta program. There are lots of changes and new features to check out, but as with any beta, be careful about installing it on your main devices.

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Other major stories this week included our hands-on video with some iPhone 12 dummy units that give a great idea of what the new phones will likely look like, some fresh info on Apple's roadmap for its Mac notebooks as it transitions to Apple Silicon, and some rumors about iPhone 12 pricing.

Check out our video above and read on below for more from this busy week in Apple news and rumors!

iOS 14 Public Beta and More Released!

Start your downloading! Apple has released the first public betas of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 for members of its free public beta testing program. Watch our hands-on video of iOS 14 for an overview of all of the new features and changes to check out.

As always, it is recommended that users install beta software on a secondary device if possible, as there is always the potential for bugs, reduced battery life, and other issues during testing. We also recommend backing up your device while it remains on iOS 13.

The first public beta of iOS 14 corresponds with the second developer beta released earlier this week. We've rounded up all of the changes in the second beta, including a home screen widget for the Files app, a slightly redesigned Calendar icon, and more.

Apple has also seeded the fourth developer betas of upcoming iOS 13.6, iPadOS 13.6, macOS Catalina 10.15.6, watchOS 6.2.8, and tvOS 13.4.8 updates for testing.

Hands On With iPhone 12 Models Showing New Sizes and Design

Apple is widely expected to announce four new iPhone 12 models later this year, and ahead of time, we got our hands on physical mockups of the devices for a closer look at their design and sizes.

Following in the footsteps of the iPhone 4, all iPhone 12 models are expected to feature a stainless steel frame with flat edges. At the lower end, a 5.4-inch model is expected to be Apple's smallest new iPhone in over four years, with the device slotting between the original 4-inch iPhone SE and the second-generation 4.7-inch iPhone SE in size.

At the other end of the lineup, the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max is set to become Apple's largest iPhone ever. While not shown on the dummy model, this device is expected to feature a LiDAR Scanner like the latest iPad Pro for enhanced augmented reality experiences.

Apple Silicon Macs to Include 13-Inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air This Year, 14.1-Inch and 16-Inch MacBook Pro Models Next Year

Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo this week shared his projections for transitioning Apple's Mac notebook lineup from Intel processors to Apple Silicon, starting with the 13-inch MacBook Pro in the fourth quarter of this year.

Kuo says an Apple Silicon-based MacBook Air would come either around the same time or in the first quarter of 2021, and then the MacBook Pro lineup will transition to Mini-LED displays with "all-new form factor" designs in both 14.1-inch and 16-inch sizes in the second or third quarter of next year.

Taiwanese research firm TrendForce is hearing about similar timing for that MacBook Pro transition, saying that Apple suppliers will begin competing to win manufacturing orders for new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Mini-LED displays in the first quarter of 2021.

Analyst Believes iPhone 12 Pricing Will Start $50 Higher Even Without EarPods or Charger in Box

Despite multiple reports indicating that Apple will not include EarPods or a wall charger with iPhone 12 models this year, one industry insider believes that pricing will still increase over iPhone 11 models.

In a research note this week, analyst Jeff Pu forecasted that iPhone 12 pricing will start at $749 for the 5.4-inch model, an increase of $50 over the base model ‌iPhone 11, which costs $699. Pu said the price is primarily attributed to the addition of 5G and an OLED display on all ‌iPhone 12‌ models.

Due to 5G, Pu believes that the price increase will be "accepted by consumers" and "will not affect demand," but it's hard not to envision the move being controversial if the EarPods and charger are in fact removed.

Foreshadowing the move, Apple has been surveying recent ‌iPhone‌ buyers to ask about what they've done with the power adapters that came with their previous iPhones. We've also had a look at what is supposedly a redesigned inner tray for the iPhone 12 box with the charger slot removed.

Apple's Arm-Based Macs With Apple Silicon Chips Will Support Thunderbolt

As part of WWDC last month, Apple announced that it will be switching to its own custom-designed processors for Macs starting later this year, and we continue to learn more specific details about this plan.

Shortly after Intel shared details about Thunderbolt 4, launching later this year, Apple has confirmed that it remains committed to the future of Thunderbolt and will support it in upcoming Macs with Apple Silicon.

Thunderbolt 4 won't deliver any increase over the maximum 40 Gb/s available on Thunderbolt 3, but the specification delivers some notable improvements, such as the ability to support docks and other accessories with up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports (one upstream, three downstream).

Apple Shares Inside Look at Upcoming WWII Movie 'Greyhound' With Tom Hanks

Originally intended for theatrical release, war movie "Greyhound" has just debuted on Apple TV+. Ahead of the launch, Apple shared an "inside look" at the film, written by and starring Tom Hanks.

Hanks stars as a longtime Navy veteran who is tasked with protecting a convoy of 37 ships carrying thousands of soldiers and much-needed supplies across the treacherous waters of the Atlantic during World War II.

Apple TV+ can be accessed through Apple's TV app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, PC, Apple TV, select Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, and select Samsung and LG smart TVs. The service can also be accessed at tv.apple.com.

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With iOS 13, Apple added a Picture in Picture Mode to the iPad, and with iOS 14, that Picture in Picture functionality is available for the iPhone too, letting users do things like watch videos and take FaceTime calls while doing other things on their device.

This guide covers everything that you need to know about using Picture in Picture on the ‌iPhone‌.

Using Picture in Picture With Apps

Picture in Picture works with apps that play video content, but when it comes to third-party apps, app developers have to implement support for the feature.

Picture in Picture in the Apple TV app. Content is black because Apple does not allow screenshots of movies and TV shows.
In the ‌iOS 14‌ beta, for example, YouTube has not implemented Picture in Picture support, so the YouTube app doesn't work with the feature.

In a compatible app, which includes Apple's apps such as ‌Apple TV‌, you can tap on the Picture in Picture icon available at the top of the app to activate Picture in Picture mode, or double tap on the video with two fingers.

Exiting out of Picture in Picture Mode and returning to full screen mode with the app reopened can be done by tapping on the same icon in the upper right corner of the Picture in Picture window or double tapping with two fingers. Closing the Picture in Picture window and existing out of the app can be done by tapping on the X in the left corner.

Picture in Picture mode controls for apps that play television and movie content include play/pause and an option to tap to skip 15 seconds forward and 15 seconds back.

Using Picture in Picture on the Web

Picture in Picture with the Safari app works with almost any video and website developers don't need to implement support. On a site with a video, such as YouTube, tap to play the video and then tap the Picture in Picture icon or do a two finger double tap on the video.

There are some video types that don't work, such as the videos that some sites embed in webpages, so there may need to be some tweaks to some websites before those kinds of videos can be used in Picture in Picture mode. It is compatible with videos from sites like YouTube and Vimeo, however, so websites that use these embeds will have content compatible with Picture in Picture.

Note that you can't use Picture in Picture mode on one website and then open another in the Safari app because it causes the Picture in Picture window to close. It works fine with non-Safari apps though.

Using Picture in Picture with ‌FaceTime‌

Picture in Picture works with ‌FaceTime‌ in ‌iOS 14‌, and that's perhaps the most useful way to take advantage of it. In ‌iOS 13‌, if you need to do something on your phone, you have to swipe out of the ‌FaceTime‌ window, which pauses your video for the person you'te speaking with.

In ‌iOS 14‌, if you swipe out of a ‌FaceTime‌ call it automatically minimizes into a Picture in Picture window that continues to be visible even while you access other apps so you and the other person you're talking to can continue your conversation without the ‌iPhone‌ being otherwise unusable.

You can double tap on the ‌FaceTime‌ window to change its size from large to medium or small and then back again, and if you just single tap the Picture in Picture window expands back to the full size of the ‌iPhone‌'s display. You can also move the Picture in Picture window to the optimal spot on the screen.

Customizing Picture in Picture Window Size and Position

You can double tap on any Picture in Picture window or use pinch gestures to change the Picture in Picture window size. There are three sizes to choose from: small, medium, and large.

The small window is about the size of two app icons, the medium is as wide as about three app icons and as tall as one and a half, while the largest window is the size of eight app icons.

All of the windows are shown in a landscape orientation on the ‌iPhone‌'s Home Screen with the exception of ‌FaceTime‌, which is shown in portrait mode.

Picture in Picture windows can be used with almost any app or while on the Home Screen. The small and medium windows can be moved to any corner of the ‌iPhone‌'s display, while the large Picture in Picture window can be placed at the top or the bottom of the screen.

Moving the Picture in Picture Window Off Screen

You can pull a Picture in Picture window of any size over to the side of the ‌iPhone‌ with drag and drop gestures, moving it off of the screen.

With the Picture in Picture window off screen, you will continue to hear the audio from the video or ‌FaceTime‌ call, but it won't be visible on the ‌iPhone‌'s display.

Guide Feedback

Have questions about the Picture in Picture mode on the ‌iPhone‌, know of a feature we left out, or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.

Apple CEO Tim Cook was the second highest paid CEO in the United States in 2019, according to Bloomberg's list of the highest paid CEOs and executives in 2019. Cook received compensation totaling $133,727,869 by Bloomberg's count.

Almost all of Cook's compensation was provided in the form of stock awards and related performance bonuses. As reported by the SEC earlier this year, Cook received a $3 million base salary with $7.7 million in incentives, with the rest coming from stock awards that vested during the year.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk was the number one highest paid CEO in the United States during the year, receiving close to $600 million. Charger Communications CEO Tom Rutledge, former acting CEO of CBS Joseph Ianniello, Chewy CEO Sumit Singh, and Blackstone Group COO Jonathan Gray all earned over $100 million.

As for other tech company executives, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai earned $86 million, Intel CEO Robert Swan earned $99 million, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella earned $77 million.

Cook regularly contributes to charity organizations and in the past said that he plans to give away the vast majority of his wealth.

Apple this month published a support document that warns customers against closing their Mac notebooks with a cover over the camera as it can lead to display damage.

Image via Reddit
Apple says that the clearance between the display and the keyboard is designed to very tight tolerances, which can be problematic. Covering the camera can also cause issues with automatic brightness and True Tone.

If you close your Mac notebook with a camera cover installed, you might damage your display because the clearance between the display and keyboard is designed to very tight tolerances. Covering the built-in camera might also interfere with the ambient light sensor and prevent features like automatic brightness and True Tone from working. As an alternative to a camera cover, use the camera indicator light to determine if your camera is active, and decide which apps can use your camera in System Preferences.

The warnings from Apple likely stem from complaints from MacBook Pro owners who have seen their displays crack after covering the camera, and there are multiple reports and warnings on sites that include MacRumors and Reddit. The issue appears to be especially bad with the new 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models that have thinner bezels.

Image via the MacRumors Forums
MacRumors forum member Dashwin, for example, put a webcam cover on his 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ in April and the result was a crack in the display under where the camera is located.

The latest MBP 16 inch with the thin tiny bezels and display comes at a cost of breakage with the tiniest of forces with a webcam cover in place. The internal display no longer works and I've had to connect it to an external display. I've had one of the exact same webcam covers on my 2011 MBP with no issues whatsoever for many years.

Damage from applying a webcam cover to the camera is considered accidental and can be repaired under AppleCare+, but it's quite possible it's an issue that Apple won't fix for customers that don't have ‌AppleCare‌+, and it's an expensive fix.

Apple says that customers concerned about illicit camera access should watch for the green light that comes on when the camera is activated. The camera is engineered so that it can't be accessed without the indicator light turning on.

MacBook owners can also control which apps have access to the built-in camera as users must grant permission for camera use on any operating system after macOS Mojave. For those who do need to cover the camera, Apple recommends a camera cover that's not thicker than the average piece of printer paper (0.1mm) and that does not leave adhesive residue.

Apple and Foxconn have reached a key milestone in the development of Apple's long-rumored augmented reality headset, with the semitransparent lenses for the device moving from prototype to trial production, reports The Information.

Apple is developing the lenses on a single production line at a Foxconn factory in Chengdu in southwestern China, where most of Apple’s iPad production is centered, the person said.

Apple has multiple phases in the development of new products, starting with periods of prototyping in California and China, during which it makes dozens and hundreds of units, respectively, of the products and their parts. As of May, the lenses had entered a stage known as engineering validation test, or EVT, during which Apple typically makes thousands of units, said the person familiar with the matter. During that period, Apple has locked down the design and begins testing its suitability for mass production.

The report indicates that the lenses (and thus the headset itself) are still at least a year or two away from mass production, and various rumors have pointed toward a launch around 2022.

A recent report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman indicated that Apple's AR and VR projects have been hampered by internal divisions over whether Apple should emphasize graphics and processing power in a design that would connect wirelessly to a nearby hub or a more personal approach with lesser capabilities but which can be contained entirely within the headset.

Apple is said to have multiple AR and VR projects in the works beyond the initial headset, known by the code name of N301, with a sleeker pair of AR glasses known as N421 that could launch in 2023.

Apple is reclosing 11 additional retail stores in the U.S. because of local increases in coronavirus infections. As reported by 9to5Mac, the stores are located in California, Maryland, Ohio, and Tennessee, and add to the two stores that temporarily closed earlier this week, bringing the total Apple retail store reclosures in the country to 91.

The stores in California include Brea Mall (Brea), South Coast Plaza (Costa Mesa), Irvine Spectrum Center (Irvine), Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo), Fashion Island (Newport Beach), El Paseo Village (Palm Desert), State Street (Santa Barbara),
and Promenade Temecula (Temecula).

Other U.S. store closures include Apple's Columbia store in Maryland, the Kenwood Towne Centre in Cincinnati, Ohio, and CoolSprings Galleria in Franklin, Tennessee.

The stores reclose from today, but Apple is accepting customers with existing online orders and previously scheduled Genius Support appointments at the locations through July 12.

Earlier this week, Apple chose to close four of its stores in Victoria, Australia, following the deteriorating health situation and the reintroduction of lockdown measures there.