MacRumors

Apple supplier Luxshare Precision has reached an agreement with fellow manufacturing company Wistron to purchase one of its iPhone assembly plants in the Chinese city of Kunshan, according to the Nikkei Asian Review.

Earlier this year, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo mentioned the possibility of Luxshare pushing into the iPhone assembly business, starting with older models. Luxshare first entered the Apple supply chain in 2013, making cables and connectors for the company, and it has since become involved with assembly of AirPods and the Apple Watch.

Wistron has been an iPhone manufacturer itself since 2015, with plants in China and India. The report claims that Apple has asked Wistron to share some of its iPhone production expertise with Luxshare as part of the deal.

In other supply chain news, one of Apple's largest manufacturing partners Pegatron is expanding operations to India, according to The Economic Times.

Instagram's new "Reels" feature is coming to the U.S. in early August, Facebook has confirmed (via Business Insider). The TikTok-style short-form video feature made its debut in Brazil late last year, and allows Instagram users to record and edit 15-second video clips with audio and music soundtracks.

Instagram users will be able to create and share Reels to their Stories, and can access their short-form videos in a new, dedicated tab on their profiles. Public accounts will have their videos shared on the app's Explore page, and users will have the option of displaying Reels on their profiles and in followers' Feeds.

The U.S. launch will follow the testing of Reels in India this month, after a ban of TikTok in the country. NBC News reports that Facebook is set to launch Reels in over 50 countries "in a matter of weeks." The move comes as TikTok faces intense scrutiny for its ties to China, with U.S. government officials recently threatening to ban the app over security concerns.

Instagram lacks the scrollable feed of TikTok, but regardless of whether or not the latter app is banned, Facebook is clearly hoping to win over users from the rival social platform. Meanwhile, Snapchat has also started testing TikTok-style navigation for its video content, while YouTube is testing an in-app feature for short-form video with a "small group" of people.

Several verified high profile Twitter accounts were hacked on Wednesday in a cryptocurrency scam that targeted accounts belonging to Apple, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, and more.

Twitter has said it doesn't believe any passwords were stolen in the hack, which forced the company to temporarily lock all verified accounts on the platform. While the company continues to investigate the attack, a new report suggests at least one Twitter employee and possibly more were involved in the takeover.

Motherboard was able to speak to two of the alleged hackers, who claim they paid a Twitter employee to gain access to the compromised accounts using an internal tool. This tool apparently allows staff to change the email address associated with accounts, and it was this ability that allowed the security breach to take place.

Twitter on Thursday said that a "coordinated social engineering attack" had targeted some of its staff as part of the hack.

Hackers posted tweets on the compromised accounts saying that if followers sent Bitcoin to a wallet address then they would receive double the amount in return. Many users clearly fell for the scam, which earned the hackers over $100,000 in the space of two hours.

Twitter believes approximately 130 accounts were targeted by the attackers in some way as part of the incident, but the company has not yet been able to confirm whether DMs were compromised. The FBI is also investigating how the breach was allowed to happen.

Apple today announced that the redesigned Apple Sanlitun store is opening for customers. Apple Sanlitun, located in the Taikoo Li Sanlitun mall in Beijing, was Apple's first store in China.

The original store opened up in 2008, but Apple is replacing it with a new flagship store that's been under construction for several months. The updated store is adjacent to the original store, but it's twice the size.

According to Apple, the redesigned store features many of the modern updates that Apple has been bringing to its retail locations, such as a Forum for Today at Apple sessions, a Viewing Gallery that overlooks the outdoor square, and a Boardroom where local businesses and entrepreneurs can get advice.

"This store sets a new standard for Apple Retail in China and we're thrilled to build on our history in Beijing," said Deirdre O'Brien, Apple's senior vice president of Retail + People. "We look forward to operating Apple Sanlitun, and all of our stores around the world, with the health and safety of our customers and teams as our top priority."

There are 33-foot glass panels at the front of the store, signature staircases on both sides, Padang Light stone flooring sourced from the Shandong province, and Sophora japonica trees, which are the official tree of Beijing.

Apple Sanlitun features Apple's first integrated solar array built into a retail store in China, and it allows the location to run on renewable energy like the rest of Apple's facilities worldwide.

Apple Sanlitun is opening at 10:00 a.m. CST, and Apple is implementing safety measures like temperature checks, social distancing, and masks.

Apple's iOS 14 update, coming this fall, is packed with tons of new features, functions, and design changes, many of which iOS users have been wanting for years now. In our latest YouTube video, we highlighted some of the best features included in iOS 14 that will make you want to upgrade to the new software.

• Picture in Picture FaceTime - You know how FaceTime pauses your video if you exit the app while you're on a FaceTime call? That's no longer the case in iOS 14 thanks to the Picture in Picture FaceTime option where you can use your phone as normal while you chat.
• Compact Phone Calls - Fed up with phone calls taking over the entire iPhone display and interrupting what you're doing? If your iPhone is unlocked and in use, incoming phone calls now show up as a small banner that can be tapped to expand it or swiped away so it's little more than a passing nuisance.
• App Library - App Library is a one stop shop for all your apps, and it's one of those features that makes you wonder why the iPhone didn't always have it. You can find any of your installed apps in the App Library, and it lets you get rid of Home Screen pages and hide apps if you want, for a much more organized iPhone interface.
• Third-Party Default Apps - Tired of tapping links and having them open up in Safari instead of Chrome? In iOS 14, you can set default mail and browser apps so you're no longer forced to open links and compose messages in Apple's own Safari and Mail apps.
• Search in Apps - Apple made search better in iOS 14, and now when you type in a search term, you can scroll down to the "Search in Apps" section and tap an app to automatically launch a search in that app. You can search Notes, Reminders, Mail, Files, Messages, the App Store, and more. App search was in iOS 13, but the feature in iOS 14 is expanded and more organized.
• Approximate Location Sharing - Lots of apps are hungry for your location data, and in iOS 14, Apple has a new privacy option to let you use location-based features while obscuring your exact location. Apps like those that serve up weather info don't need to know exactly where you are, so you can now choose to share an approximate location instead of an exact location.
• Emoji Search - The Mac has long had a little search interface for finding emoji, and in iOS 14, Apple finally brought this same emoji search option to the iPhone. Just tap on the emoji (or globe) icon and then tap on the emoji search bar to find the exact character that you're looking for.
• On-Device Dictation - In iOS 14, dictation now gets better over time as you use your device with all of that learning done directly on the iPhone rather than through Apple's servers. All processing is now done offline, so when you dictate a text message, note, or email to your iPhone, it stays on device.
• Back Tap - With Back Tap, you can double or triple tap on the back of the iPhone to perform actions like taking a screenshot, accessing the Control Center, changing the volume, and more. It's an Accessibility feature, but anyone can use it.
• Sound Recognition - Another Accessibility feature, Sound Recognition is a useful feature for those who are hard of hearing because it lets the iPhone listen for sounds like fire alarms, smoke, pets, door bells, running water, shouting, and more. It's pretty accurate and sends a notification whenever the iPhone detects a sound.
• Exposure Lock - Serious iPhone photographers will be pleased to learn that iOS 14 allows an exposure compensation value to be locked in for an entire photo or video session with separate controls available for locking camera focus and exposure for a single shot.
• HomeKit Control Center - Your favorite HomeKit scenes can be accessed in the Control Center in iOS 14, plus there's an expanded HomeKit interface you can get to with a tap to make it easier than ever to control smart home products.
• Custom Widget Stacks - Apple added widgets for the Home Screen in iOS 14, so you can pull them right out of Today Center and onto the main iPhone display. Even better, Apple made Widget Stacks, so you can create one widget space on the Home Screen that houses multiple widgets you can swipe between.
• QuickTake Video - Have an iPhone XR or an iPhone XS? Good news, in iOS 14, you can use the QuickTake video feature that Apple added to the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro. You can hold down the capture button in photo mode to capture a quick video without taking precious seconds to swap to video mode. In iOS 14, QuickTake also works with the Volume Down button.
• Apple Music Redesign - "For You" in Apple Music is now "Listen Now," which offers up better than ever suggestions for what you might like to listen to. Search offers up suggestions based on genre and mood, and playlists now feature animated artwork. It's a solid update for Apple Music users.
• Apple Music Continue Playing - There's also one other new Apple Music feature so good that it deserved its own bullet point - continue playing. When you listen to a single song or a playlist and the music ends, Apple Music will now automatically play something that's similar so there's no dead air.

This list is by no means exhaustive, and there are a bunch of other great features included in iOS 14 that we'll highlight in the future. If you have a favorite new iOS 14 change, let us know in the comments below.

iOS 14 is available to developers and public beta testers at this time, so anyone with a compatible device is able to download it. iOS 14 will be in beta testing for a few more months before it sees a public release this fall.

For more on all of the new features in iOS 14, make sure to check out our iOS 14 roundup and keep an eye out for our detailed guides and how tos, which we're adding to the site each day. Our guides and our roundup offer an in-depth look at all of the new features in the update, while our how tos teach you how to use them.

Tomorrow marks World Emoji Day, and in celebration of the event, Apple has shared a preview of upcoming 2020 emojis that will be added to iPhones, iPads, and Macs with Emojipedia.

Emojis coming in 2020 are part of the Emoji 13 update, which includes the following emoji options:

• Faces - Smiling Face with Tear, Disguised Face
• People - Ninja, Person in Tuxedo, Woman in Tuxedo, Person with Veil, Man with Veil, Woman Feeding Baby, Person Feeding Baby, Man Feeding Baby, Mx. Claus, People Hugging
• Body Parts - Pinched fingers, Anatomical Heart, Lungs
• Animals - Black Cat, Bison, Mammoth, Beaver, Polar Bear, Dodo, Seal, Beetle, Cockroach, Fly, Worm
• Food - Blueberries, Olive, Bell Pepper, Flatbread, Fondue, Bubble Tea, Tamale
• Household - Potted Plant, Teapot, Piñata, Magic Wand, Nesting Dolls, Sewing Needle, Mirror, Window, Plunger, Mouse Trap, Bucket, Toothbrush
• Miscellaneous - Feather, Rock, Wood, Hut, Pickup Truck, Roller Skate, Knot, Coin, Boomerang, Screwdriver, Carpentry Saw, Hook, Ladder, Elevator, Headstone, Placard, Transgender Symbol, Transgender Flag
• Clothing - Thong Sandal, Military Helmet
• Musical Instruments - Accordion, Long Drum

The update also features 55 gender and skin-tone variants, along with new gender-inclusive emojis that can be used as an alternative to gendered versions, such as person with veil and person with tuxedo rather than the current woman/man options.

Apple shared design previews of several of the new emoji with Emojipedia, which can be seen in the image above and in more detail on the Emojipedia website.

Apple will adopt the new Unicode 13 emoji characters at some point in 2020, likely in a fall update to iOS 14. Apple last year introduced Unicode 12 emojis in the iOS 13.2 update that was released in October.

After the Emoji 13 update, there will, unfortunately, be a delay with Emoji 14 that will prevent new emojis from being introduced in 2021. Emoji 14 will be released six months late, which means it likely won't be able to be added to smartphones until 2022.

macOS Catalina 10.15.6 successfully fixes a frustrating bug that prevented some USB 2.0 accessories from working properly with 2020 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models, according to MacRumors readers and users on Reddit.

Apple in the release notes for the macOS Catalina 10.15.6 update said that the update "resolves an issue where certain USB mouse and trackpads may lose connection," and people who were experiencing that particular problem have confirmed that their accessories are now able to successfully connect.

The bug was first noticed earlier this year by ‌MacBook Air‌ and ‌MacBook Pro‌ users who purchased one of the new 2020 machines. The Mac notebooks were unable to properly work with USB 2.0 accessories connected to their machines through hubs or adapters.

Problems included lost connections, freezes, and a failure to work entirely, and those affected were unable to find any kind of fix with methods like SMC resets, safe mode, Disk Utility repairs, and more. The only suitable fix was using a more expensive Thunderbolt 3 hub instead of a USB-C hub.

Though Apple's release notes mention mice and trackpads, the problem affected all kinds of devices, including keyboards and other accessories, though it appeared to be limited to USB 2.0 devices rather than USB 3.0 or 3.1 accessories.

There have been numerous reports from those who were experiencing the issue that confirm macOS 10.15.6 addresses the issue for all kinds of accessories. The fix doesn't appear to have been implemented in macOS Big Sur, however, so some users may still run into USB issues on the newest update until Apple adds the fix to Big Sur as well.

In iOS 14, Apple pared down the Siri interface so that it no longer takes over the whole of your iPhone's screen when you issue a voice command or query. Instead, a small ‌Siri‌ orb pops up at the bottom of the screen without obscuring what you're looking at.

It's not just the interface that's been improved, though. ‌Siri‌ also picked up several new features, one of which is the ability to record and send audio messages to contacts.

When you send an audio message using the audio interface in the Messages app, the record audio option only appears when the intended recipient is an iMessage user. But ‌Siri‌ can also send audio messages to Android phones. The following steps show you how it's done.

1. Invoke ‌Siri‌ on your ‌iPhone‌ or iPad with the usual "Hey Siri" voice command or through a physical button.
2. Now say "Send an audio message to [contact's name]." (If ‌Siri‌ is unsure which contact you're referring to, it will ask you to choose one from a selection displayed on the screen.)
3. After ‌Siri‌ responds with "OK, recording," say whatever it is you want to include in the audio message. ‌Siri‌ will transcribe your speech in real time at the bottom of the screen to show that it can hear you clearly, and there doesn't appear to be a limit to how long you can record for.
4. To end the audio message, simply stop speaking for a few seconds, and ‌Siri‌ will recognize that you're finished.
5. When you're done, ‌Siri‌ displays the waveform of the recording on the screen along with options to Send, Cancel, and a play button to play it back to yourself. At this point, ‌Siri‌ is still activated, so if you want you can just ask to play it back, re-record the message, cancel, or send.

If you open the Messages app, you should see the recording show up in a conversation thread, indicating it's been sent.

Note that audio messages are automatically deleted after a couple of minutes unless they're saved, but you can change this default behavior and keep them permanently: In the Settings app, select Messages -> Expire -> Never.

For more details on iOS 14's new compact interface and communication features, be sure to check out our iOS 14 roundup.

Logitech today announced the launch of the Logitech Folio Touch, a new keyboard case with trackpad designed for the 11-inch iPad Pro models released in 2018 and 2020.

The Logitech Folio Touch is Logitech's first keyboard with trackpad designed for the ‌iPad Pro‌ and it serves as an alternative to Apple's own Magic Keyboard. Logitech previously released the Combo Touch, a keyboard with trackpad that works with the 7th-generation iPad, the iPad Air, and the 10.5-inch ‌iPad Pro‌.

Similar in design to the Combo Touch, the Folio Touch features a case that wraps around the ‌iPad‌ along with a laptop-like keyboard with a built-in trackpad that works with the ‌iPad Pro‌'s trackpad support. There's also an adjustable kickstand to allow for greater positioning flexibility, an Apple Pencil holder, and four use modes that include typing, viewing, sketching, and reading.

The keyboard is powered by the Smart Connector on the ‌iPad Pro‌ so it doesn't need to be charged and doesn't need to connect over Bluetooth. When not needed for typing, the keyboard can be folded back behind the ‌iPad Pro‌, a feature not available with Apple's own Magic Keyboard.

Logitech's Folio Touch will be available starting in July 2020 for $160 from the Logitech website or from Apple's online store.

T-Mobile today unveiled its latest "Un-carrier" initiative, Scam Shield, which is designed to block robocalls and scam calls targeting T-Mobile, Metro, and Sprint customers.

A free service, Scam Shield offers scam identification and blocking for every customer and provides more information about who's calling with enhanced Caller ID. T-Mobile is also offering a free second number so customers can keep their main numbers safe, plus free number changes and free ID monitoring.

T-Mobile competitors Verizon and AT&T have similar services, but charge for some features. Verizon, for example, has a free Call Filter service that IDs spam calls, but charges $2.99 per month for features like caller ID, blocking, and spam look up.

AT&T also has a free service for blocking fraud calls, but charges $3.99 per month for caller ID, reverse number lookup, custom call controls, and more. T-Mobile says that it is challenging other carriers to offer the same free services provided to T-Mobile customers.

"Today, I'm challenging the Carriers to get off their assets, stop profiting from fear and do the right thing, because everyone needs and deserves protection now, more than ever," said T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert.

T-Mobile and Metro customers can activate scam blocking by dialing #662# on their smartphones as of today, with the Scam Shield app launching on July 24. Sprint customers will be able to download an upgraded Call Screener app from the App Store on July 24 to activate free scam ID and blocking along with caller ID.

Along with the new Scam Shield service, T-Mobile also announced that it will be combining operations with Sprint and unifying under the T-Mobile brand in retail stores nationwide.

Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, and other voice assistants and connected home products are the target of a new Internet of Things probe the European Commission launched today.

The European Commission says that it's aiming to prevent big companies from becoming "gatekeepers" of the Internet of Things through market domination and data collection.

The potential is incredible. But we'll only see the full benefits - low prices, wide choice, innovative products and services - if the markets for these devices stay open and competitive. And the trouble is that competition in digital markets can be fragile. When big companies abuse their power, they can very quickly push markets beyond the tipping point, where competition turns to monopoly. We've seen that happen before. If we don't act in good time, there's a serious risk that it will happen again, with the Internet of Things.

And one of the key issues here is data. Voice assistants and smart devices can collect a vast amount of data about our habits. And there's a risk that big companies could misuse the data collected through such devices, to cement their position in the market against the challenges of competition. They might even use their knowledge of how we access other services to enter the market for those services and take it over.

It's important, says the European Commission, to ensure that smart devices are "truly interoperable" with one another as the Internet of Things market grows, allowing customers the freedom to find the best product on the market without worrying which about which devices it might or might not be compatible with.

The sector inquiry into the Internet of Things will allow the European Commission to "spot problems" and then "take action while there's still time." Right now, the European Commission is seeking data and has sent questionnaires to 400 companies in Europe, Asia, and America that sell smart home appliances, wearables, and voice assistants, along with businesses that provide services that can be used through the aforementioned devices.

The European Commission is questioning companies on how smart products work together and possible problems that might arise making them interoperable. The results of the questionnaires will let the commission find situations where "companies may have broken the competition rules" and will provide information for future regulatory initiatives.

Apple's ‌Siri‌ voice assistant was specifically mentioned in the commission's letter, and the Cupertino-based company will also likely have to answer questions about HomeKit, its smart home framework that supports HomeKit-connected devices.

Verizon today began offering a free six-month Apple News+ subscription with the purchase and activation of a cellular iPad with a data plan.

The promotion applies to the purchase of any cellular iPad, iPad Pro, iPad Air, or iPad mini through January 15, 2021 in the United States. Those who have never subscribed to Apple News+ will receive six months of free access, while users that have already taken advantage of Apple's standard one-month trial will receive five months free.

For those not interested in purchasing an iPad, Best Buy is also offering a free four-month subscription to Apple News+ in the United States, with the only requirement being a free Best Buy account. This offer is available to first-time subscribers only, but previous trial users can still receive an additional three months of free access.

Apple News gained several new features alongside the release of iOS 13.6 and macOS 10.15.6 this week, including audio versions of select stories for News+ subscribers, a daily audio news briefing podcast hosted by Apple News editors, and curated local news collections starting in the San Francisco Bay Area, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York City.

Verizon's plan to offer a free six months of Apple News+ was first reported by 9to5Mac and the promotion is now live.

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

Apple Maps vehicles will be surveying select regions of Finland, Norway, and Sweden through August, collecting street-level imagery and data, according to a list of locations maintained on Apple's website.

The data collected will be used to improve Apple Maps and to expand its Look Around feature, which remains limited to large U.S. cities like Chicago and Los Angeles. Introduced in iOS 13, Look Around is similar to Google's Street View, providing a street-level view of a location with high-resolution 3D imagery that can be zoomed and panned.

One advantage of Look Around over Street View is smoother panning when moving around the map for a more immersive experience. As with Street View, Apple blurs faces and license plates in all of the 3D imagery that it makes available.

In areas where Look Around is available, a binoculars icon will appear in the top-right corner of ‌Apple Maps‌. Tapping that icon opens a street-level view in a card overlay at the top of the screen, which can then be expanded to a full-screen view. Look Around also appears in the search results for a supported city, below the Flyover and Directions buttons.

Apple also removed the U.K. from its list of locations, perhaps signaling that data collection has finished in that country. In January, Apple said that its revamped Maps experience will start rolling out in Europe later this year.

Apple Maps‌ vehicles have also surveyed parts of the United States, Canada, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Portugal, Croatia, Japan, Andorra, and Puerto Rico since data collection began in 2015. In some areas where streets are not easily accessible, Apple uses employees wearing a backpack system to collect data.

As part of its Community Education Initiative, Apple today announced it is partnering with an additional 10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to bring coding and creativity opportunities to their campuses.

Apple says this initiative will introduce more students and adult learners to coding and app design through its free "Everyone Can Code" and "Everyone Can Create" curricula, helping to facilitate coding clubs, for-credit coding courses, community coding events, and workforce development opportunities for learners of all ages.

"Apple is committed to working alongside communities of color to advance educational equity," said Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives. "We see this expansion of our Community Education Initiative and partnership with HBCUs as another step toward helping Black students realize their dreams and solve the problems of tomorrow."

The 10 new HBCUs include: Arkansas Baptist College, Central State University, Claflin University, Dillard University, Fisk University, Lawson State Community College, Morehouse College, Prairie View A&M University, Southern University at Shreveport, and Tougaloo College. Apple expects to double its number of HBCU partners by the end of this summer.

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