MacRumors

Apple today announced that it plans to open its online store in India on Wednesday, September 23, providing customers located in India with a way to purchase iPhones, Macs, iPads, and more directly from Apple.

"We're proud to be expanding in India and want to do all we can to support our customers and their communities," said Deirdre O'Brien, Apple's senior vice president of Retail + People. "We know our users are relying on technology to stay connected, engage in learning, and tap into their creativity, and by bringing the Apple Store online to India, we are offering our customers the very best ofApple at this important time."

Apple's online store will also feature Apple Specialists able to help with ordering products and setting up new devices, with customers able to get help in English and Hindi.

With the store, Apple will introduce financing options and a trade-in program, along with EDU pricing for students. Starting in October, Apple will also host free online Today at Apple sessions led by local Creative Pros with a focus on photography and music.

Apple has long had a presence in India, which is an important market for the Cupertino company, but device sales have been done through third-party resellers because of restrictions imposed on foreign companies that require 30 percent of production to be done locally.

India in August 2019 relaxed the rules, providing a way for Apple to operate an online store in the country. Apple also intends to open up retail stores in the future, and there are already retail locations in the works.

Apple today released the first beta of iOS 14.2 to developers for testing purposes, and the new update introduces a Music Recognition control for the Control Center.

The new feature lets you discover music playing around you and it recognizes the music playing with in apps, even when you're wearing AirPods. Songs pop up as notifications, and you can tap to listen in Apple Music.

Shazam's Music Recognition feature can be added to Control Center through the Control Center options in the Settings app. To use the feature, open up Control Center and then tap on the Shazam icon to initiate a single recognition.

Apple devices have long been able to recognize songs through Shazam, but doing so at the current time requires asking Siri to identify a song or opening up the Shazam app for iOS devices. The new Control Center feature will make it easier to get a song recognized with minimal effort.

With today's update, Apple has also added a new music feature that displays ‌Apple Music‌ suggestions in the Control Center Now Playing widget when music is not being actively played. Redesigned media controls also make it easier to see and control AirPlay-connected devices like Apple TVs and speakers.

For those who have low vision, Apple introduced a new "People Detection" feature in the Magnifier app that is designed to use the camera to let iPhone users know how far away other people are.

The new iOS 14.2 beta will likely be in testing for some time as Apple works on releasing new iPhones. We're expecting new iPhones to debut sometime in October.

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming watchOS 7.1 update to developers for testing purposes, one day after releasing the watchOS 7 update.

To install the ‌watchOS 7‌ beta, developers need to download the proper configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the ‌‌watchOS 7‌‌ beta can be downloaded through the dedicated ‌Apple Watch‌ app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.

To update to the new software, the ‌Apple Watch‌ needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the ‌‌iPhone‌‌.

There's no word yet on what's new in the watchOS 7.1 update, but we'll update this article with details if changes and new features are discovered.

Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 updates to developers, just one day after releasing the iOS 14 update and a few hours after hinting at the iOS 14.2 beta in an Xcode beta update.

iOS and iPadOS 14.2 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper developer profile has been installed.

There's no word yet on what's included in iOS 14.2, but it likely focuses on features, bug fixes, and tweaks that weren't able to be include in the initial iOS 14.2 release.

Once we download the update and dig into what's new, we'll update this article with details.

Update: iOS 14.2 introduces a new Shazam Music Recognition feature for the Control Center, making it easier to identify songs that you're listening to or that are playing around you.

Apple has also added a new music feature that displays Apple Music suggestions in the Control Center Now Playing widget when music is not being actively played.

Update: The iOS 14.2 update can now be downloaded over the air.

With the release of watchOS 7, Apple has added several new features to compatible Apple Watch models, such as new watch faces and sleep tracking, but it also drops support for the Force Touch gesture that some users may have come to think of as a second nature interaction on their wrist.

When users firmly pressed their Apple Watch screen, Force Touch technology would sense the extra pressure exertion and display additional content and controls depending on the context. But in watchOS 7, Apple has removed all Force Touch interactions from the UI, making the Force Touch sensor gasket in Apple Watch Series 5 and earlier models effectively superfluous.

Below, we've collected 10 new functions in watchOS 7 that replace our favorite Force Touch features on Apple's digital timepiece. Some are more well known than others, but hopefully you'll learn at least one thing about what a firm press on your Apple Watch screen used to do, and what you need to do now that it's gone.

1. Clear All Notifications

The Apple Watch's notifications dropdown can get busy pretty fast, especially if you often forget to dismiss an incoming alert after reading it. Rather than deleting notifications one by one, a Force Touch gesture let you clear them all with a tap.

Now you have to swipe down to scroll to the top of your notifications and then tap the Clear All button.

2. Create and Remove Watch Faces

To create a custom watch face with a background picture, you still open the Apple Watch Photos app and select a photo.

Instead of pressing firmly on the display like you used to, tap the Create Watch Face icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen instead, and then select Kaleidoscope or Photos.

3. Compose a New Message

On opening the Mail and Messages apps, you used to be able to reveal the option to compose a new message with a Force Touch gesture.

Now that's gone, you need to swipe down to reveal the New Message button at the top of your messages list.

4. Change Move Goal and Get a Weekly Activity Summary

Using Force Touch on the Activity app's main screen used to reveal a Weekly Summary showing how many times you've beaten your daily move goal so far this week. Pressing down on this screen again revealed a Change Move Goal button to adjust the amount of calories you're aiming to burn.

Both of these options have been replaced by individual buttons that you'll find right at the bottom of the Activity app's main screen, below today's activity stats.

5. Share Your Location With a Contact

When viewing a message in the Messages app, using Force Touch allowed you to quickly share your location with the message sender or view more details about the contact.

These options can now be found at the very bottom of the message screen, directly below the Instant Replies.

6. Switch Between App Grid View and List View

Force Touch in the App View would switch between the default honeycomb-style Grid layout and the alternative List View.

In watchOS 7, you can find both options in the Settings app under App View.

7. Hourly Temperature Forecast and Chance of Rain

The standard forecast display on the Apple Watch's stock Weather app shows the general weather conditions for the day ahead. Prior to watchOS 7, using Force Touch in the app displayed buttons for switching between weather conditions, chance of rain, and temperature.

Fortunately, you can still access these views just as easily by tapping the 12-hour forecast to cycle through them.

8. Control Camera Settings Remotely

With the Apple Watch Camera app open, Force Touch would reveal a hidden submenu offering access to your iPhone's HDR, Flash, Live Photo, and Flip controls.

In watchOS 7, all of these controls are accessed by tapping the three dots in the bottom-right of the screen, which reveal a vertical scrolling menu.

9. Switch Calendar View

Prior to watchOS 7, changing view options within the Calendar app could be done using Force Touch.

These options are now found in the Settings app under Calendar -> View Options.

10. Switch and Edit Watch Faces

Out of all the changes following the removal of Force Touch, this is almost certainly the least abrasive, and involves an almost identical gesture.

To switch between watch faces or customize the currently selected one, simply long press on the watch screen to invoke the watch face selector.

Final Thoughts

Force Touch was one of those Apple Watch features that was so discreet and unassuming that this arguably worked against it in the long run. Apple hasn't said why it removed the firm-press gesture in watchOS 7, but it could be that not enough users were aware of it for it to be genuinely useful.

That's a shame, because just like 3D Touch on iPhone, Apple implemented the haptic feedback technology across the entire watchOS interface, putting additional functionality right at your fingertips. Of course, ‌3D Touch‌ went the same way as Force Touch on Apple Watch when the iPhone XR was launched, which some would argue suffered from the same lack of discoverability.

The iPhone XR introduced ‌Haptic Touch‌ to replace ‌‌3D Touch‌‌. While ‌‌Haptic Touch‌‌ (aka long press) is essentially a feedback mechanism, ‌‌3D Touch‌‌ offered genuine input options like Peek and Pop. This change has since expanded to the entire iPhone lineup, which has allowed Apple to remove the capacitive layer integrated into the ‌iPhone‌ display.

Will you miss Force Touch after updating your Apple Watch to watchOS 7? Are there any other Force Touch gestures we missed? Let us know in the comments.

Apple earlier this week debuted an all-new radically redesigned iPad Air that's set to ship in October, but ahead of the release date, Apple invited members of the Chinese media to a special hands-on event to test out the new ‌iPad Air‌ models.

Several videos demoing the 2020 ‌iPad Air‌ have been shared on YouTube, and while these videos are in Chinese, those interested in the new ‌iPad Air‌ may want to check them out to see details on size, the USB-C port, and the way the new Touch ID top button works.

This first video has an excellent close up look at the ‌iPad Air‌'s casing and edge-to-edge display, Apple Pencil support, and ‌Touch ID‌ top button, as well as a comparison with the older ‌iPad Air‌ model that had a more rounded case design and the 11-inch iPad Pro.

There's an interesting demo of ‌Touch ID‌ working at around 4:40 minutes in, showing off its speed and the button in action in both portrait and landscape modes.

The second video also has demos of the ‌Touch ID‌ button at about three minutes in for those interested in seeing it in action, as well as a good look at the different colors. The new ‌iPad Air‌ comes in rose gold, green, and blue in addition to the traditional space gray and silver colors.

The third video offers up another close look at ‌Touch ID‌, color options, the new edge-to-edge display, display comparisons with other iPads, USB-C port, ‌Apple Pencil‌, and Magic Keyboard support. There's also a bonus look at some of the new Apple Watch Series 6 models and bands.

Though the new ‌iPad Air‌ models were announced on Tuesday, Apple isn't accepting orders until an unspecified date in October, so it's going to be awhile before we get to see them in person. We can expect to see U.S. media reviews at some point in the future, likely shortly before the launch date.

Alongside macOS Big Sur beta 7, which was seeded out to developers this morning, Apple shared the Xcode 12.2 beta. The release notes for the new Xcode beta mention SDKs for iOS 14.2, iPadOS 14.2, tvOS 14.2, and watchOS 7.1, suggesting these are updates we’ll be seeing in the near future.

Xcode 12.2 beta includes SDKs for iOS 14.2, iPadOS 14.2, tvOS 14.2, watchOS 7.1, and macOS Big Sur 11. The Xcode 12.2 beta release supports on-device debugging for iOS 9 and later, tvOS 9 and later, and watchOS 2 and later. Xcode 12.2 beta requires a Mac with Apple silicon running macOS Big Sur 11 or later, or an Intel-based Mac running macOS Catalina 10.15.4 or later.

There are, of course, always new iOS 14 betas provided shortly after the software sees a public release, but that the numbering is iOS 14.2 instead of iOS 14.1 is unusual.

Apple does sometimes skip numbers with iOS releases, especially as of late when SDK changes are required, but it’s possible that the iOS 14.1 update will be reserved for the new iPhone 12 models that are not yet out, while iOS 14.2 will be a wider device release. Of course, iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 could also be for the new iPhones and the new iPad Air.

Either way, we’re likely going to get new iOS 14 developer betas as soon as next week with new features, bug fixes, and changes that were not able to be included in the release version of iOS 14, which came out yesterday.

Amid rumors that Apple is continuing to work on some kind of wireless charging mat after the failure of the AirPower, 9to5Mac has shared a video said to depict an Apple "magnetic wireless charger prototype."

The charger is a flat white disc with some kind of connector at the back, which appears to allow it to attach to another device. The circular shape resembles the Qi-based wireless charging coils built into iPhones, and the connector indicates that it could be a component of a larger accessory.

Rumors have suggested that the iPhone 12 models have a ring of magnets inside for attaching them to wireless charging accessories, but it's not known if the prototype is related. Component photos have previously depicted alleged iPhone 12 internals that feature the rumored magnet layout.

There is no word on what this charger is, how Apple will use it, or if it is somehow representative of a future wireless charging accessory that Apple will release.

There is a possibility that this is some kind of accessory that Apple will use as a display in its retail stores, as other curious mounts spotted in the past have turned out to be for retail use. It's also possible that this is some kind of demo unit designed for Apple's Made for iPhone partners to provide instructions on future wireless chargers.

Apple on Tuesday introduced a new Fitness+ home workout service that offers guided training videos that can be watched on iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV and monitored with the Apple Watch.

Given that Fitness+ provides videos that are ideal for people who are unable to visit gyms and other facilities, it has been seen as a logical response to the ongoing health crisis, but Apple's Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams today told Reuters that it was planned long ago.

MacRumors in March discovered signs of the new Fitness+ service in a leaked version of iOS 14, confirming that Apple was working on it well before people began working and learning from home.

Work on Fitness+ started "quite a while ago" as a "natural extension goal of Apple Watch, which is to help people live a better day." Apple has long had a focus on encouraging people to be more active with the Apple Watch, offering an Activity app with daily movement goals.

"At least pre-Covid, if you could write one prescription for the world from physicians, it would have been to be more active. It's so powerful," Williams said in a press briefing. "So anything we do in that realm that helps people be more active is something we're excited about."

Fitness+ will offer workouts across a range of categories, including yoga, dance, treadmill walk and run, cycling, HIIT, rowing, core, strength, and mindful cooldown.

Apple films workout videos using a team of trainers in Los Angeles, with the exercises focusing on using little to no equipment.

Apple is planning to launch Fitness+ by the end of the year, with Apple charging $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year. Those who buy a new Apple Watch Series 3 or later will get a free three month trial.

Apple today seeded the seventh beta of an upcoming macOS Big Sur update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the sixth beta and more than two months after the new update was unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

The macOS Big Sur beta can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center and once the appropriate profile is installed, subsequent betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.

macOS Big Sur introduces a refreshed design to the Mac operating system, overhauling the entire look from the curvature of the window corners to the dock icons to the system sounds. Everything feels fresh but familiar, with a lighter and more modern appearance. There's a new customizable Control Center that mirrors the Control Center on iOS devices, putting key system controls right at your fingertips.

The Notification Center has been redesigned with iOS-style widgets that are available in multiple sizes, plus there are more interactive notifications that are now grouped by app to make it easier to see what's going on. Safari is faster and more battery efficient, plus there's a new start page that can be customized with wallpapers and sections that include Reading List and iCloud Tabs, which makes Safari more tailored to your individual usage needs.

Tabs have been redesigned, there's a built-in language translation feature, Chrome and Firefox Extensions can be ported to Safari, and YouTube supports 4K video playback. There's also an option to choose which sites an extension works with for greater privacy. Speaking of privacy, a new Privacy Report feature lets users know the trackers Safari is blocking when you visit websites.

Messages is more similar to the Messages app on iOS with support for pinned conversations, mentions, inline replies, and Memoji creation, plus the built-in search feature has been overhauled to make it easier to find links, photos, and conversations in the app.

Apple redesigned the Maps app to add support for Look Around, indoor maps, and Guides, which are lists of notable attractions, restaurants, and more created by trusted sources. Maps can also be used to generate directions for cycling routes and electric vehicle trips that can be sent to iPhone, and shared ETA updates are now viewable on the Mac.

Photos includes a better Retouch tool, Apple Music's For You section has been replaced with a Listen Now section, HomeKit Secure Video cameras support Face Recognition and Activity zones, and Siri can answer a wider range of questions than before.

In the future, the macOS Big Sur App Store will help users better understand privacy practices with clear info on the information that an app collects, and after installing macOS Big Sur, you'll see faster updates that begin in the background and then finish more quickly to make it easier to keep your Mac up to date.

Apple in the third beta of macOS Big Sur changed the battery icon for the Battery section in System Preferences, refining the design to make it look more clean and streamlined. The beta testing period also brought a new design for the Music app icon (it's red), and some color changes to the buttons and icons inside the music app.

For more on everything that's new in macOS Big Sur, make sure to check out our roundup.

Apple on Tuesday introduced the Apple Watch Series 6 and the Apple Watch SE, and orders kicked off on the same day.

The first Apple Watch Series 6 and SE deliveries are expected on Friday, and orders in the United States, UK, and other countries have begun shipping out ahead of tomorrow's delivery date.

Not all of those who purchased an Apple Watch on Tuesday will be getting their new watches this Friday because many Apple Watch Series 6 combinations featured delivery estimates of September 25 to September 29 from the time that orders kicked off.

In the United States, some of those who have estimates of September 25 to September 29 may get their orders somewhat early, as there are reports on the MacRumors forums from users who are able to track their shipments using reference numbers (typically a phone number or an order number) or advanced tracking features offered by FedEx and UPS.

Apple Stores that are open may have some Apple Watch Series 6 and SE stock available starting tomorrow as tomorrow is the official launch date, but no in-store availability is listed as of right now.

Many orders placed today for new Apple Watch models will see delivery dates in early October.

The Apple Watch Series 6 introduces blood oxygen monitoring for the first time, adding new LEDs and infrared light to detect the percentage of oxygen in the blood. Low blood oxygen can be a sign of a medical emergency that needs immediate attention.

There's also a new S6 chip, improvements to the Always-On display, new blue and (PRODUCT)RED aluminum colors, and new Solo Loop and Braided Solo Loop band options that fit over the wrist with stretch and have no clasps. The Series 6 is priced starting at $399.

The Apple Watch SE is Apple's new low-cost Apple Watch. It's identical in design to the Series 6, but it does not have blood oxygen monitoring, it cannot take ECGs, it has a slower S5 chip, and it is available in aluminum only. The SE is priced starting at $279.

Sometimes you might not want certain pictures shot on your iPhone or iPad to be visible in your Photo Library, but for whatever reason, you might not want to outright delete them either. That's why Apple's Photos app includes an option to hide certain photos from the main library.

Prior to iOS 14, this option would hide pictures from the ‌Photos‌ and For You sections of the ‌Photos‌ app, but they would still show up in the Albums section under an album called "Hidden," which wasn't exactly an inconspicuous way of squirreling away private pictures.

With that in mind, Apple has added an option in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 that allows users to hide the Hidden album from the ‌Photos‌ app, quite literally. The following steps run you through the process of hiding a picture and then making sure the Hidden album is concealed in the ‌Photos‌ app.

Once you've completed the steps, the Hidden album won't show up in the ‌‌Photos‌‌ app; just be aware that you'll still see the Hidden album when you use the image picker in third-party apps, so it's not completely invisible from prying eyes.

How to Hide a Photo

1. Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or ‌iPad‌.
2. Tap Select in the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Tap the pictures you want to hide.
4. Tap the Share button in the bottom-left corner of the screen. (It looks like a square with an arrow pointing out.)
5. In the Share Sheet's actions menu, select Hide.
   
   

6. Tap the prompt that appears at the bottom of the screen to confirm.

Again, this hides the photo from the general album view, but conspicuously places the photo in an album called "Hidden". To hide that "Hidden" folder in iOS 14:

How to Hide the 'Hidden' Folder in Photos

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and select Photos.
3. Make sure the switch next to Hidden Album is in the grey OFF position.
   

If you ever want your Hidden album to appear in ‌Photos‌ again, go to Settings -> Photos and then toggle the switch next to Hidden Album so that it's in the green ON position.

Note that while the album is hidden in the ‌Photos‌ app, it can appear in the photo picker from 3rd party apps. At best this just makes it harder for casual snoopers from running across your private photos.

Apple this week refreshed its online store with a variety of new products and accessories, including the Razer Kishi gaming controller for iPhone, new wireless charging stands and battery packs from Mophie, and more.

Created in partnership with Gamevice, the Razer Kishi is a dual-sided game controller that attaches to the top and bottom of the iPhone. The controller plugs into the Lightning connector, allowing it to be powered by the iPhone rather than a battery, and this also provides for a low-latency connection.

Priced at $99.95, the Apple-certified controller features a directional pad, two thumbsticks, A-B-X-Y buttons, and shoulder bumpers.

Apple's new Mophie offerings include a 2-in-1 wireless charging stand for an iPhone and Apple Watch, a 3-in-1 wireless charging stand for an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods case, and a few Powerstation battery packs.

Apple is now selling Logitech's Keys-To-Go, a portable Bluetooth keyboard designed for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Retailing for $69.95, the keyboard features a fabric design with soft and silent keys, an attachable iPhone stand, a full row of iOS shortcut keys, and up to three months of battery life on a single charge.

Other accessories added to Apple's online store this week include the Square Stand, the HidrateSpark brushed stainless steel bottle, the JOBY GorillaPod mobile vlogging kit, and more.

After Apple announced its Apple One service bundles at its "Time Flies" event earlier this week, there was uncertainty among some users with older Apple IDs about whether Apple One would work with multiple Apple IDs.

Some users have two Apple IDs, often split between one for iCloud services and one for purchases and subscriptions. This is a result of the fact that the iTunes Store account and Apple's various cloud service accounts were originally separate. As these accounts were eventually upgraded into modern Apple IDs, it left many users with two different Apple IDs. Although Apple allows users to use both accounts on their devices with various workarounds, the problem has never been fully addressed and Apple does not allow users to consolidate multiple accounts.

MacRumors reader Richard raised a potential issue with ‌Apple One‌ and multiple Apple IDs following the announcement of the new service:

I actually have a question after the announcement of the new Apple One subscription. I, like many older Apple users, have two Apple IDs — one for all of my iCloud services and one for all of my purchases, Apple Music subscription, etc.

We all know Apple has failed to allow any type of merging, but has continued to support two Apple IDs. My question for them is, how will that change with Apple One? Because the subscription service offers a subscription for iCloud storage and my other subscriptions, which span across two Apple IDs...

Since ‌Apple One‌ includes subscriptions to services such as Apple Music, which some users will have registered to the Apple ID that was originally their iTunes Store account, and a subscription to ‌iCloud‌ storage, which some users will have registered to the ‌Apple ID‌ that was originally for Apple cloud services, it was not immediately clear if Apple will support multiple Apple IDs for ‌Apple One‌.

Microsoft's Senior Cloud Advocate Christina Warren raised the question on Twitter, and received a reply from Apple's Chris Espinosa, which was spotted by 9to5Mac.

Espinosa, who was Apple's eighth employee and pioneered Apple's Family Sharing feature, which deals with multiple Apple IDs within a family, confirmed that ‌Apple One‌ will manage users with multiple Apple IDs. It is unclear if this will involve any new consolidation of accounts, but the news will placate many users who were concerned about being excluded from ‌Apple One‌.

The launch date of ‌Apple One‌ is as yet unconfirmed, but the service bundles are expected to arrive this fall.