MacRumors

Apple has decided to temporarily waive the 30 percent cut that it takes from in-app purchases for Facebook's in-app paid event feature, reports CNBC. Facebook had accused Apple of hurting small businesses by collecting fees from the new feature, which lets users attend online classes and events through Facebook.

The policy update will pertain to ClassPass and Airbnb, two companies that are also offering new digital experiences and classes within their apps.

An Apple spokesperson said that Apple reversed its decision on the Facebook event fees due to the pandemic and a desire to give companies more time to adapt to digital business models. Apple says that Facebook will not have to pay fees through the end of the year, with Apple to resume taking its standard 30 percent cut in 2021.

Despite the reprieve, Facebook is unhappy that the waived fees are not applicable to gaming businesses that want to sell online access to their events, but Apple says that this is because gaming businesses have always been digital only and have not been affected by the global health crisis.

"This is a difficult time for small businesses and creators, which is why we are not collecting any fees from paid online events while communities remain closed for the pandemic," Facebook spokesperson Joe Osborne said in a statement. "Apple has agreed to provide a brief, three-month respite after which struggling businesses will have to, yet again, pay Apple the full 30% App Store tax."

With the in-app purchase Facebook fees waived for now, small business owners who set up online classes or events using the Facebook Paid Events feature in the Facebook app on iPhone or iPad will be able to keep the all of the money customers pay to attend.

Facebook plans to waive its own fees for the Paid Events feature through at least August 2021, even though Apple will begin collecting fees again after December 31.

Apple and Facebook have been feuding over this issue since August, and Apple has struggled with applying App Store rules to businesses that are transitioning from real-world events to online events. ClassPass and Airbnb, for example, used to provide access to real-world events where Apple did not collect fees, but the virtual classes and experiences the two apps now offer are subject to Apple's standard 30 percent commission.

Until today's decision to temporarily waive fees through the end of the year, Apple had refused to grant special permission to ClassPass, Facebook, Airbnb, and other similar apps in the name of fairness to other developers who are subject to the fees. Apple in a statement today reiterated its stance: "The ‌App Store‌ provides a great business opportunity for all developers, who use it to reach half a billion visitors each week across 175 countries. To ensure every developer can create and grow a successful business, Apple maintains a clear, consistent set of guidelines that apply equally to everyone."

Facebook is now actively seeking an option to make its Messenger app the default app for messages on iPhones, reports The Information.

Emboldened by changes in iOS 14 that allow users to set a default email and browser app of their choice, Facebook believes it now has a more persuasive case to argue for a similar change for messaging apps. Last year, Apple also allowed Siri to send messages through other apps.

"We feel people should be able to choose different messaging apps and the default on their phone," said Facebook's vice president Stan Chudnovsky, who is in charge of its Messenger app. "Generally, everything is moving this direction anyway."

Chudnovksy revealed that Facebook has repeatedly asked Apple to consider adding an option for users to select a messaging app of their choice.

"For any other developer in the [messaging] space, it isn't really a level playing field" on Apple’s platform, Chudnovsky stated. If Apple mirrored Android's approach, he said, it would "allow us to compete more fairly where iOS is dominant."

When asked why Apple is unwilling to cede the ability to set a different default messaging app, Chudnovsky said his "main guess is that messaging drives hardware sales."

If Apple did consider such a change, it would require additional changes to allow SMS texts to be received via third-party apps, which is not currently possible on iOS, and more invasive alterations for setting up third-party apps with SMS verification codes. The move would require more substantial and invasive changes to the way iOS functions than the ability to change default browser, for example.

Facebook is intending to merge Instagram and Messenger chats, and the platform is increasingly central to Facebook's business.

Facebook appears to be joining other companies such as Epic Games in a willingness to risk provoking Apple for the chance of potential reward. Yesterday, a range of companies, including Epic Games, Spotify, and Tile, have formed a new organization called the "Coalition for App Fairness," in an effort to highlight developer issues with Apple.

"Users deserve freedom of choice and option to decide the music, mail, chat, or any other necessary app that suits them best," said a spokeswoman for the organization, mirroring Facebook's sentiments.

Facebook has recently heavily criticized Apple for restrictions on gaming apps, ad targeting, and in-app purchases. Last month, Facebook warned advertisers that Apple's upcoming anti-tracking tools could cause a more than 50 percent drop in Audience Network publisher revenue due to the removal of personalization from ads within apps. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also referred to Apple's App Store as monopolistic and harmful to customers. Apple "blocks innovation, blocks competition," and uses the ‌App Store‌ to "charge monopoly rents," he said.

This new development represents yet another front upon which Apple is facing pressure regarding antitrust and monopoly issues.

We've partnered up with OWC this season to offer our readers an exclusive offer on the retailer's popular USB-C docks for Mac computers. Below you'll find these deals, along with a few other sales going on at OWC in September.

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

Our exclusive sale is knocking $10 off the OWC USB-C Dock in Space Gray and Silver. There are a few versions of this accessory, including one with 10 ports and a Mini DisplayPort for $94.98, down from $149.99.

You can also get the USB-C Dock with 10 ports and a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI 4K adapter for $108.99, down from $149.99. Both of these accessories have had the MacRumors exclusive savings automatically applied, so simply add them to your cart and check out to net the deals (limit two per customer).

In total, the USB-C Dock has two USB-C ports, four standard USB ports, one Mini DisplayPort, one gigabit Ethernet port, one 3.5mm audio port, and one SD card reader. Our exclusive offer with OWC will run through the end of October.

Other deals at OWC include savings of $10 when you buy two USB-C Travel Docks, totaling $99.98, down from $109.98. The Travel Dock includes ports for USB-C, two standard USB ports, one SD card reader, and one HDMI port.

Lastly, OWC has a collection of bundle deals for shoppers. The first lets you purchase an OWC miniStack external hard drive and bundle in select hard drives to save up to $10 off your purchase. You can also save on Parallels Desktop Pro Edition when purchasing alongside select OWC hard drives. All of these offers can be found at the top of this page.

OWC also has its Drive Dock USB-C with a special combo deal that offers $10 off qualifying hard drives. The Drive Dock offers a compact solution to access bare SATA drives, offering two drive bays that accomodate 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch drives, priced at $89.75, down from $119.99.

Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.

Google plans to introduce updated Play Store guidelines that emphasize the requirement for most apps to use the company's billing system for in-app purchases as early as next week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

While this requirement has existed for years, the report notes that some major developers like Netflix, Spotify, and Tinder have circumvented the rule by prompting customers to pay directly using a credit card, rather than their Play Store account, bypassing Google's 30 percent commission for in-app purchases.

In a statement, Google said that it is always working with developers to clarify its Play Store policies, but it did not elaborate on any forthcoming changes:

As an open platform, Android allows multiple app stores. In fact, most Android devices come with at least two stores right out of the box, and users can install others. For developers who choose to distribute their apps on Google Play, our policy has always required them to use Play's billing system if they offer in-app purchases of digital goods. We are always working with our partners to clarify these policies and ensure they are applied equitably and reasonably.

The report claims that when Google's updated guidelines are implemented, major developers currently not in compliance will be given time to update their apps and are unlikely to face immediate removal from the Play Store.

Google and Apple have faced increasing scrutiny over the way the companies run the Play Store and App Store, respectively. Apple in particular has been accused of anticompetitive behavior by Spotify and others, and the company remains in a high-profile legal battle with Fortnite creator Epic Games over in-app purchases.

YouTube channel Unbox Therapy has today shared a new video giving a closer look at Apple's reusable face masks for corporate and retail employees.

Apple's own face mask was designed by the company's Engineering and Industrial Design teams amid the global health crisis for corporate and retail employees, and the boxes include Apple's famous "Designed by Apple in California" text.

The video described the packaging alone as an "unboxing experience unlike anything you would expect for a reuseable face mask." It shows that each box contains five individually sealed masks with adapters to join the ear loops for a more secure fit. The packaging for each mask is printed with instructions for use, encouraging users to wash their hands, open the mask, and then adjust the straps for a comfortable fit.

Unbox Therapy observed that the mask, made of three pieces of high-quality fabric, feels better than conventional masks. The mask has a design with a triangle shape to accommodate the nose without fogging glasses, a rounded section for the chin, and adjustable strings for the ears.

Although Apple did not provide a medical classification for air filtration capability, the video's informal testing suggested that the mask is effective at blocking airflow out of a user's mouth. "It feels very secure. As far as breathing is concerned, I'd say it's fairly comparable (to a surgical mask) but I definitely feel more sealed off than a standard surgical mask," Unbox Therapy remarked.

The mask comes in a range of sizes and can be washed up to five times, with up to eight hours of use possible before a wash. As the mask is intended for corporate and retail employees, it is not available to the general public.

The video also reviewed ClearMask, a consumer option designed to overcome the barriers to visual communication that come with conventional opaque masks. Apple is also using ClearMask, in addition to their in-house design, for retail employees.

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.

After almost a decade since the game's release on Mac, Valve's iconic co-op zombie shooter "Left 4 Dead 2" has just got a huge update thanks to new content pack "The Last Stand."

It has been many years since the infection first hit. Radio silence, no sign of life, nothing but lingering hopes... CEDA is not going to save us. But there is hope! A few brave souls have continued the fight against all odds, and soon we can all benefit from their resilience.

Created by the L4D2 community and officially endorsed by Valve, the update includes over 1,000 changes to the game, including 26 new survival maps, new weapons, new enemy types, new animations, and unused dialogue. There are also several new achievements, many bug fixes and a handful of user interface enhancements to make the game feel fresh again.

The only downside to today's development for old-school gaming fans is the dawning realization that "Left 4 Dead 2" for Mac remains a 32-bit game, which means it's currently incompatible with macOS 10.15 Catalina and later, and the chances that Valve will update the title to 64-bit anytime soon don't look great. (Aspyr, it's worth noting, stopped selling 32-bit Mac games last year.)

If your Mac is still running macOS 10.14 Mojave or older, then you won't have a problem playing 32-bit games like "Left 4 Dead 2." For everyone else, Valve suggests a couple of remaining options:

• After upgrading to macOS 10.15 Catalina, consider installing macOS 10.14 Mojave on a separate APFS volume on your computer along with Steam. This will allow you to flip over to macOS 10.14 on restart of your computer where you can continue to play all of your 32-bit Mac games. More information here.
• Use Bootcamp on Mac to launch your games in Windows on your Mac computer. More information about Bootcamp can be found here.

It bears repeating that Boot Camp will not be supported on forthcoming Apple Silicon-based Macs and likely never will, with Apple preferring to emphasize virtualization going forward. Ultimately though, the hope is that the performance gains of Apple Silicon will prompt developers to make triple-A games native for Mac.

As a launch promotion, Valve has made "Left 4 Dead 2" free to play for the duration of the weekend, and for anyone who wants to keep playing beyond Sunday, the game is available for just $2 on Steam.

The European Commission on Friday said it would appeal a court ruling that overturned its demand that Apple pay 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in tax to the Irish government (via CNBC).

"The Commission has decided to appeal before the European Court of Justice the General Court's judgment of July 2020 on the Apple State aid case in Ireland," Margrethe Vestager, the head of competition policy in the EU, said in a statement.

The EU's General Court in July sided with Apple, and said the EU's executive arm, led by antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, had failed to show Ireland's tax arrangements with the company were illegal state aid.

Both Apple and Ireland appealed the original 2016 ruling, which stated that Apple owed the country over 13 billion euros in tax payments because the arrangements between the two countries were unfair.

In 2016, Apple CEO Tim Cook called the EC's original decision "total political crap" and said that Apple believed it would be reversed. "The decision is wrong, and it's not based on law or facts, it's based on politics. And I think it's very important that we stand up and say that very loudly," said Cook at the time.

The final decision will now be made by the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU), the highest court in the European Union.

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.

Earlier this week a proven leaker claimed that the iPhone 12 lineup would be named "iPhone 12 mini," "iPhone 12," "iPhone 12 Pro," and "iPhone 12 Pro Max," and today the same nomenclature has appeared again in a photo depicting alleged stickers from unreleased Silicone iPhone cases originating from Apple's international distribution center in Ireland.

The photo shows three stickers with the associated handset sizes written alongside them, corresponding to the three expected sizes of iPhone 12, with the 5.4-inch model being the "‌iPhone 12‌ mini," the 6.7-inch model being the ‌"iPhone 12‌ Pro Max," and the two 6.1-inch models being the ‌"iPhone 12‌ / ‌iPhone 12‌ Pro."

The color for all three Silicone cases is black, and the model numbers that can be clearly made out include "MHL732M/A" and "MHLG32M/A," neither of which Apple has used in the past.

The photo was shared by Twitter leaker DuanRui, who last month shared photos of an iPad Air pamphlet depicting an all-screen display that turned out to be authentic.

The naming of the "Pro" models follows the precedent established in previous years, and the speculated titles would be a logical naming system for the ‌iPhone 12‌ lineup. With four new iPhones expected in this year's lineup, the use of four different names would help to differentiate the models more easily.

The ‌iPhone 12‌ mini would be the first iPhone with the "mini" moniker, which has been seen on the iPad mini, Mac mini, and iPod mini. At 5.4-inches, the ‌iPhone 12‌ mini would be smaller than last year's smallest ‌iPhone, the iPhone 11 Pro‌, which is 5.8-inches.

Apple plans to introduce its new iPhones in October this year, perhaps on October 13, and start shipping them out later that month. Rumors have suggested we can expect a staggered release, and some models might not come out until November.

In order to continue improving its Podcast offerings experience, Apple earlier this year purchased podcast app Scout FM, reports Bloomberg.

The website for Scout FM is now defunct, but it was available on iPhones, Android devices, and Amazon smart speakers. Scout FM generated podcast stations covering various topics, similar to a radio station but for a podcast experience.

A person could select a specific topic and then find podcasts related to that topic, with the service also offering up recommendations based on listening history and personal preference. TechCrunch explained how it worked in 2018:

Scout.fm wants to change the way people listen to podcasts. Instead of scouring through the over 500,000 shows in your current podcast app, this startup's new curated podcast service will just ask you a few questions to find out what you like, then create a podcast station customized to you. The experience is primarily designed for use on smart speakers, like Amazon's Alexa-powered Echo devices, but is also available as iOS and Android applications.

According to Bloomberg, Scout FM was a popular iPhone podcast app that worked with CarPlay, plus it was available for Alexa-based devices.

An Apple spokesperson confirmed the purchase to Bloomberg with Apple's standard acquisition statement, but did not provide details on how the app's technology will be used.

Apple competitor Spotify has been making significant investments into the podcasting space, which has also spurred Apple to make updates. Apple plans to improve its podcast offerings through original podcast content that will be exclusive to the Podcasts app.

Apple plans to create audio spinoffs of some of its original television and movie content, but it is also seeking to purchase original podcast programs that could also tie into future Apple TV+ shows.

Apple Fitness+ is a service that's designed to help Apple Watch and iPhone owners keep fit through a series of guided workouts that are available across multiple workout categories. Our Apple Fitness+ guide covers everything that we know about the Fitness+ service, which launched in late 2020.

Apple Fitness+ Explained

Apple Fitness+ is a home workout program that guides you through various workouts, complementing the fitness-focused features in the Apple Watch.

With Fitness+, Apple provides workout routines that can be watched, with the Apple Watch doing the necessary tracking to make sure you're on target and meeting fitness goals if you're using an Apple Watch for tracking.

Watching Fitness+ Videos

Fitness+ content can be watched through the Fitness app on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, and Fitness+ can also be AirPlayed to AirPlay-compatible devices that include the Mac.

The Fitness+ routines are designed for you to follow along with for home workouts, with minimal equipment needed in most cases.

Apple Watch Integration

As you follow along with Fitness+ routines, the Apple Watch tracks your movement, workout length, calories burned, heart rate, and more, just like other workouts.

Workout stats are viewable on the Apple Watch, but information is also shown right on the iPhone, ‌iPad‌, or ‌Apple TV‌ in real-time so you can keep a closer eye on how the workout is going and the calories you're burning without having to look down at your wrist.

A small window in the upper right hand corner of the Fitness+ interface shows statistics synced from the Apple Watch.

When you hit milestones like closing an activity ring, an animation pops up on the screen to keep you motivated. You can also see comparisons with other people who have done the workout before as part of a "Burn Bar" to give you an added push, and you'll see a countdown timer so you know just how long is left during a particularly tough interval.

An Apple watch is required to set up and use Apple Fitness+ on the ‌Apple TV‌ because of the Apple Watch on-screen integration. You can, however, do Fitness+ workouts on iPhone or ‌iPad‌ without an Apple Watch. When AirPlaying Fitness+ workouts, you can see the video, but the metrics won't be displayed on the screen. Note that there is no way to set up Apple Fitness+ without a watch, so the setup process still requires Apple's wrist-worn device.

Starting a Workout

Fitness+ workouts can be initiated through the Fitness+ section in the Fitness app on the iPhone, ‌iPad‌, and ‌Apple TV‌. Launching a workout through the Fitness+ app on one of the aforementioned devices also starts the correct workout in your Apple Watch Workout app, with workout metrics automatically sent in real-time to the screen you're viewing the workout on.

Support for Two People?

Many people have wondered if Fitness+ supports two people working out at the same time, but it does not. Only one person's Apple Watch can be synced to an iPhone, ‌iPad‌, or ‌Apple TV‌ at a time.

Even though Fitness+ does not support dual workouts on the screen, the second person working out can still start the same workout on their Apple Watch and follow along, just without seeing their progress displayed on the screen. Another option is to use a second screen such as an ‌iPad‌ along with a TV.

Fitness+ also works over FaceTime with SharePlay, so multi-person long distance workouts are a possibility using the ‌FaceTime‌ feature. Both participants need to have a Fitness+ subscription for this feature.

Fitness+ With No Apple Watch

As of iOS 16.1 and tvOS 16.1, the Apple Fitness+ service can be used without an Apple Watch, with subscribers instead able to connect using an iPhone. Prior to iOS 16.1, Apple Fitness+ required an Apple Watch. Seeing metrics on the screen while working out still requires an Apple Watch.

AirPlay

Apple Fitness+ on iPhone and ‌iPad‌ supports AirPlay 2. With AirPlay 2 support, Apple Fitness+ workouts can streamed from the Fitness app iPhone or an ‌iPad‌ to an ‌AirPlay‌ 2-compatible smart TV Mac (macOS Monterey required), or set-top box like the Roku.

Audio and video can be sent to an ‌‌AirPlay‌‌ 2-enabled TV or set-top box, but Apple Watch metrics are not displayed on the screen. Activity rings, workout time remaining, calories burned, and burn bars do not show up on the television set over ‌‌AirPlay‌‌ 2 and instead need to be viewed on the connected ‌iPhone‌ or ‌‌iPad‌‌, but this should be a welcome change for those who want to be able to watch Apple Fitness+ workouts on a larger screen.

Fitness Video Categories

Workout categories include Treadmill Walk, Treadmill Run, HIIT, Rowing, Dance, Cycling, Yoga, Core, Strength, Pilates, Mindful Cooldown, and Guided Meditation, a feature added alongside the launch of iOS 15.

Many of the workout types require no specific equipment, but Rowing, Treadmill Walk, Treadmill Run, and Cycling can be used with any compatible exercise equipment. Some yoga workouts require a yoga mat and some strength training exercises require dumbbells.

Apple is also experimenting with seasonal workout options such as "Workouts to Get Ready for Snow Season" with exercise routines that are designed to improve skiers' and snowboarders' performance ahead of the winter season.

The Fitness+ workouts are designed to be done from home, the park, a hotel, or anywhere else you happen to be, but you can also use them at the gym with the gym's workout equipment and a connection to the Apple Watch.

Fitness+ for Beginners

Each Fitness+ video includes three different trainers on the screen at the same time, and at least one of these trainers will be doing a "modified" version of the workout that's simpler or less taxing. In a cycling workout, for example, one trainer might pedal more slowly, or in a yoga workout, one of the trainers might do simpler poses. In many cases, the alternate trainers you see in workout videos will be the leads of other kinds of workouts.

Apple has also added a series of 10 to 20 minute videos for those who are new to workouts and not ready for the standard workouts. These videos have a single instructor and provide instructions on equipment setup or how to do a particular exercise.

Fitness Level Options

If you're new to working out, or just to home workouts, Apple has a program for beginners available, and Apple Fitness+ has been designed for people with all skill levels in mind.

Each workout will include modifications for those who are new to workout out or for those who are experts.

Custom Workout Duration

You can select the duration for your workout to match the amount of time that you have available. Workouts can be as short as five minutes or as long as 45 minutes.

Apple Music Integration

Fitness+ videos are set to songs pulled from Apple Music, which can be listened to even by non-Apple Music subscribers. ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers, however, have the option to download Fitness+ playlists for use outside of the Fitness+ service.

Post Workout Metrics

When you finish a fitness routine you'll see a summary screen with all of your workout metrics, including full workout time, average heart rate, active calories burned, total calories burned, and more.

Weekly Content Updates

Apple has a dedicated team of trainers that work to produce videos for Fitness+ and the company adds new workouts on a weekly basis so there's always a fresh routine to do.

Goal-Setting Workouts

Apple Fitness+ includes a weekly video series with goal-setting workouts that are designed to help users stay motivated and keep up with training. Apple adds new Apple Fitness+ videos every Monday, with one of the Apple Fitness+ trainers offering suggestions for workouts that week.

Smart Suggestions

Apple Fitness+ is more than just a collection of workout videos. It offers up intelligent recommendations for videos you should try out based on the things you typically do with the Workout app on the Apple Watch.

Fitness+ suggests workouts based on your interests, along with new trainers and workouts that can help you even out your routine. You'll see these suggestions after you've completed three Fitness+ workouts.

Time to Walk

"Time to Walk" is an Apple Fitness+ feature that offers up audio stories from celebrities.

Designed specifically for outdoor walks done while wearing an Apple Watch, Time to Walk features stories from musicians, actors, and athletes, with each story lasting from 25 to 40 minutes. Right now, there are four audio stories available from country music star Dolly Parton, NBA player Draymond Green, musician Shawn Mendes, and actress Uzo Aduba.

Each audio story is meant to focus on the guest's "personal, life-shaping moments," and Apple has designed these workouts to feel like you're walking alongside the celebrity that's speaking. The person telling the story is also on a walk, and will describe their surroundings before jumping into a personal discussion.

Time to Walk workouts are available to all Apple Fitness+ subscribers and can be accessed in the Workout app as a unique workout type. Since the audio is coming from the Apple Watch, AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones are required to listen. Time to Walk episodes can also be found in the Fitness+ section on the iPhone.

• How to Use Time to Walk on Apple Fitness+

Fitness+ Pricing

Fitness+ will be available for $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year, which breaks down to $6.67 per month. For that price, up to six family members total can use the Fitness+ service.

Fitness+ is also included in the Apple One Premier bundle, which is priced at $29.99 per month and also offers ‌Apple Music‌, ‌Apple TV‌+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, and 2TB iCloud storage,

Fitness+ Free Trial

With the purchase of a new Apple Watch Series 3 or later, Apple is offering a free three-month trial of the Fitness+ service. All others can get a one month free trial, and those who purchased an Apple Watch from Best Buy also have separate extended trial options.

Fitness+ How Tos

• How to Sign up for Apple Fitness+
• What to Do if You're Not Seeing Your Apple Fitness+ 3-Month Free Trial Offer
• How to Download the Fitness+ App on iPad
• How to Start Workouts In Apple Fitness+
• How to Pause and Resume Apple Fitness+ Workouts
• How to Customize Workout Metrics in Apple Fitness+
• How to Find an Apple Fitness+ Workout
• How to Save an Apple Fitness+ Workout to Your Favorites
• How to Download an Apple Fitness+ Workout for Offline Viewing
• How the Apple Fitness+ Burn Bar Works
• How to See Your Apple Fitness+ Workout Summaries
• iOS 14.5: How to Use AirPlay 2 With Apple Fitness+

Device Compatibility

The Apple Fitness+ service is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 3 or later with watchOS 7 and it requires an iPhone 6s or later with iOS 14 or later, an ‌iPad‌ with iPadOS 14 or later, or an ‌Apple TV‌ with tvOS 14 or later.

Launch Date and Availability

Apple Fitness+ is available in the United States, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, the UAE, and the UK.

Fitness+ requires iOS 14.3 or later, watchOS 7.2 or later, iPadOS 14.3 or later, and tvOS 14.3 or later to work. The service automatically appears as a new tab in the Fitness app on iPhone and as a new app on tvOS. ‌iPad‌ users are able to download the Fitness app from the App Store.

Guide Feedback

Have questions about the upcoming Apple Fitness+ service or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.

Amazon today announced the launch of its fourth-generation Echo speaker, which features a new spherical design and improved sound performance thanks to a three-inch woofer, dual-firing tweeters, and new Dolby processing.

The $100 fabric-covered speaker comes in three colors, including black, blue, and white, and it's accompanied by a built-in smart home hub with Zigbee, Bluetooth Low Energy, and Amazon Sidewalk integration. Amazon Sidewalk extends the range of devices like the Ring and includes support for Tile devices.

The new Echo is equipped with an AZ1 Neural Edge processor that moves speech recognition on-device for faster than ever response times to requests.

Alongside the new sphere-shaped Echo, there's a spherical Echo Dot that's priced at $50 and a kid's version that comes with animal face designs and is priced at $60, along with an updated $250 Echo Show that has the same AZ1 neural processor plus a 10-inch display, the ability to pivot, and a 13-megapixel camera.

A Guard Plus feature, priced at $4.99 per month, allows Alexa devices to listen for sounds like footfalls or doors opening and closing and it can play fake sounds like a dog barking to scare off intruders. Amazon also unveiled Alexa Care Hub, a feature designed to let users monitor a family member's home.

There are new Eero 6 and Eero Pro 6 WiFi 6 mesh systems available, and for Ring, Amazon is adding end-to-end encryption for videos. A new Ring Car Alarm is meant to be plugged into the car's OBD-II port and it includes built-in sirens and sensors to monitor for car theft.

A Ring Car Cam is Amazon's new in-car security solution, and it too includes a siren and emergency crash assist functionality. The Ring Car Alarm is priced at $60, while the Ring Car Cam is priced at $200.

Also new in the Ring family is the $250 Always Home Cam, which is a drone-based security system that can fly to different places in the house from a home dock. It basically flies around the house on pre-set paths, recording while in motion.

Amazon introduced an updated $40 Fire TV Stick with HDR, Dolby Atmos Support, and an Alexa Remote, plus there's a Lite version that has a simplified remote for $30. To compete with Apple Arcade and other streaming gaming services, Amazon's final announcement was Luna, a game streaming service.

Luna works cross-platform on Macs, PCs, Fire TV, smartphones, and tablets, and it will be compatible with Apple devices, according to Amazon, because it is designed to be a web app and is not subject to Apple's rules.

Luna will be priced at $5.99 per month, and Amazon has designed the Luna Controller, to go along with it. The $50 controller has "cloud direct technology" to cut down on latency, essentially connecting the controller directly to Amazon's servers.

Apple has reversed course and created an online band-only return method for customers who purchased an Apple Watch Series 6 or Apple Watch SE with the wrong size Solo Loop or Braided Solo Loop band.

Apple's new Series 6 and SE models can be purchased with new Solo Loop or Braided Solo Loop band options that have no clasp or fastener, instead using stretch to fit over the hand. As there is no on-band sizing mechanism, the Solo and Braided Solo Loops come in nine sizes, leading to fit issues.

As we reported on Monday, customers who ordered and received a new Apple Watch with a Solo Loop or a Braided Solo Loop and then found that the band did not fit properly were told by Apple's staff that the only online return option involved returning the entire watch.

Following customer complaints and the attention the issue received, MacRumors can confirm that Apple has changed its policy and is now allowing bands to be swapped out online without the need to return the entire watch.

We were able to initiate an online band swap without needing to return the Apple Watch this morning, something that we were not able to do yesterday, suggesting the policy change happened today. Customers are able to send back the poorly-fitting band and will receive a new one when the old one is received.

GameClub exec Eli Hodapp, who first raised the return issue, was also able to initiate a return of his Braided Solo Loop without having to return his entire watch, and he was also provided with a free Sport Band for his trouble.

We have seen other anecdotal reports of similar situations on Twitter, where Apple has allowed customers to return their bands online without having to return the entire watch and wait for a replacement, which is a much improved solution as the wait for a new Apple Watch online is weeks at this point.

From the launch of the Apple Watch Series 6, Apple has been able to do in-store band swaps for those who got an ill-fitting band after getting the wrong result with Apple's measurement tool, but not everyone lives near a store and not all stores are open at this time.

In-store returns can be somewhat confusing for employees and the process can take some time as the swap is worked out, but MacRumors has initiated two separate in-store band exchanges with success.

For those who need to do an online band swap and want to be able to send the band back without returning the entire watch, a phone call is needed. The online support staff is not able to initiate this return process and it must be done over the phone.

Online support should know about the new process and will direct users to call, but if you're having trouble with the online chat, try an over the phone support solution.

Apple today released macOS Catalina 10.15.7, the latest update to the macOS Catalina software. macOS Catalina 10.15.7 fixes several major bugs that Mac users have been experiencing, and it comes a month after the latest macOS Catalina release.

The ‌‌‌macOS Catalina‌‌‌ 10.15.6 Supplemental Update can be downloaded from the Mac App Store using the Update feature in the System Preferences app.

According to Apple's release notes, macOS Catalina 10.15.7 addresses an issue where macOS would not automatically connect to WiFi, it fixes a bug that could prevent files from syncing through iCloud Drive, and most notably for new iMac owners, it fixes an issue that was causing a small white flashing line to appear on machines equipped with the Radeon Pro 5700 XT.

macOS Catalina 10.15.7 provides important security updates and bug fixes for your Mac.

- Resolves an issue where macOS would not automatically connect to Wi-Fi networks
- Fixes an issue that could prevent files syncing through iCloud Drive
- Addresses a graphic issue that may occur on iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) with Radeon Pro 5700 XT

Some features may not be available for all regions, or on all Apple devices. For detailed information about the security content of this update, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

Since the launch of the 27-inch ‌iMac‌ in August, there have been complaints about a graphical glitch with the model that includes the higher-end a 5700 XT GPU. Many users have reported seeing flashes of a horizontal white line, and while it was unclear if it was a software or hardware issue, today's fix indicates that it was indeed a software-related bug.