MacRumors

Facebook has announced a new forward limit on its Messenger chat platform so that messages can now only be forwarded to five people or groups at a time.

The limiter was revealed in a Facebook Newsroom blog post explaining that the new rule has been introduced to provide users with "a safer, more private messaging experience," particularly amid the ongoing global health crisis and in the run up to major elections in the United States.

Limiting forwarding is an effective way to slow the spread of viral misinformation and harmful content that has the potential to cause real world harm.

The change follows a similar limit on Facebook-owned WhatsApp that was introduced in July. In limiting the ability to forward messages to multiple chats at once, the encrypted messaging platform cited events in India as a specific example of how spreading fake messages could cause harm.

Earlier this year, a series of viral message-related crimes in India resulted in 12 dead in the span of just one month. One incident left one man dead and two others severely injured after false rumors went viral on WhatsApp that they had tried to abduct children.

WhatsApp said it was "horrified" by the violence in India, and that it had announced several changes to help address the issues.

Apple has published a human rights policy document that commits to "freedom of information and expression," following years of criticism from investors that it shows too much deference to Beijing and accedes to China's censorship demands.

The four-page document formalizes Apple's commitment to "respecting the human rights of everyone whose lives we touch," but concedes that the company is "required to comply with local laws," although it stops short of mentioning any particular country.

"Where national law and international human rights standards differ, we follow the higher standard. Where they are in conflict, we respect national law while seeking to respect the principles of internationally recognised human rights."

The Financial Times reports that Apple's board of directors approved the policy and published it ahead of a deadline of September 5 for shareholders to submit motions for next year's investor meeting.

The commitment comes seven months after some of Apple's shareholders defied management and supported a proposal from a consumer advocacy group called SumOfUs that would have compelled it to uphold freedom of expression globally. Apple reportedly tried to strike the proposal from the agenda but was denied by the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Apple has faced increasingly pressure from investors about its relationship with China and its tendency to accede to Beijing's demands. Last year, for example, Apple removed the app of news outlet Quartz from China's ‌‌App Store‌‌ after complaints from the government that it included content that is illegal in the country. The app was covering the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement protests at the time.

Apple has also been forced to remove many VPN apps from the ‌‌App Store‌‌ in China due to the administration's regulations. Other apps affected in the past include WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and the New York Times app.

Sondhya Gupta, campaign manager at SumOfUs, welcomed the publication of Apple's human rights policy, but told FT it was not clear how Apple would create proper oversight or measure progress, and Apple had not said how it would disclose the actions it might take in response to government demands that could limit free expression or access to information.

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.

The ongoing dispute between Apple and Epic Games has spurred complaints from Japanese game developers about Apple's App Store business model and the way it handles third-party app submissions.

Bloomberg reports that some developers in the Japanese gaming market have been emboldened by the dispute and are becoming more vocal about their own concerns, which including Apple's 30% commission rate and inconsistent enforcement of App Store policies.

While Epic, publisher of the hit title Fortnite, focuses on the 30% revenue cut app stores typically take, Japanese game studios have broader concerns. They have long been unhappy with what they see as Apple's inconsistent enforcement of its own App Store guidelines, unpredictable content decisions and lapses in communication, according to more than a dozen people involved in the matter.

According to game developers in Japan, Google's Play Store offers a smoother approval process and better communication than the App Store. Some developers even rely on a third-party service called iOS Reject Rescue, which helps them navigate through Apple's approval process if their app is rejected.

"Apple's app review is often ambiguous, subjective and irrational," said Makoto Shoji, founder of PrimeTheory, which provides the rejection service. "While Apple will never admit it, I think there are times when they simply forget an item's in the review queue or they intentionally keep it untouched as a sanction to a developer giving them the wrong attitude," Shoji told Bloomberg.

Japanese developers have also been critical of the way Apple interprets what is appropriate content and say it often changes policies without advance notice. One topic in particular they take issue with is Apple's judgement of what constitutes overtly sexualized or pornographic material. The report notes that several game studios had characters in swimsuits approved only for them to be later rejected as Apple considered them to be "sexualized."

Apple has faced increasing scrutiny over its App Store practices from both developers and regulators in recent months. In response to the public clash between Apple and Epic Games, Japan's antitrust regulator has said it will "step up attention" to the iPhone maker's practices and how they affect the country's massive mobile gaming market.

Apple is working on a Tile-like Bluetooth tracking device that's designed to be attached to items like keys and wallets. Called AirTags, these item trackers will let you keep an eye on your possessions right in the Find My app.

AirTags are perhaps one of Apple's worst-kept secrets because we've been seeing signs of them in various versions of iOS since early 2019, but it looks like AirTags may finally be ready to launch, coming alongside new iPhones this fall.

Based on images found in iOS, AirTags may be small, circular tags with built-in Bluetooth and ultra-wideband support for tracking purposes. You'll be able to locate your AirTags in the ‌Find My‌ app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac right alongside all of your Apple devices that support ‌Find My‌.

The rumored ultra-wideband support is worth noting because it's going to let iPhones with a U1 chip (the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max) track positioning with more accuracy than Bluetooth alone. If you lose your keys down the couch cushion, for example, the iPhone should be able to lead you right to them.

We don't know how AirTags will attach to items, but Apple may use rings, adhesive, or a similar method. The exact design also isn't known at this time, but AirTags are expected to be water resistant. As for charging, there are mixed rumors. AirTags might have a replaceable CR2032 battery or they might feature a rechargeable battery that works with an Apple Watch-style charging puck.

Anything that's lost will show up on a ‌Find My‌ map, and you'll see an associated address. Inside, and when you're close, you may also see an augmented reality map with the specific positioning of your lost device. AirTags will also be able to play a sound when you're close by, making it even easier to locate what you're looking for.

There's an iOS 13 feature that lets Apple products communicate with one another when offline, so your lost iPhone can ping off of someone else's that it comes into contact with even without a cellular connection, letting you know where it is. This same feature could come to AirTags.

We could be seeing AirTags quite soon, if the most recent AirTag rumor from Japanese site Mac Otakara is to be believed. ‌Mac Otakara‌ believes Apple will hold an event in October that will see the launch of iPhone 12 models, the Apple Watch Series 6, and the AirTags.

For more on what to expect when the AirTags launch, make sure to check out our complete AirTags guide.

Apple today seeded the seventh betas of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 to developers for testing purposes, updating and refining the features included in the software.

As the beta testing period progresses, changes get smaller and less notable, but the seventh beta still has a few new features that are worth mentioning, such as dark mode options for some wallpapers. We've listed what's new in the seventh beta of iOS 14 below.

- Dark Mode Rainbow Wallpapers - The existing rainbow stripe wallpaper options now feature Dark Mode settings as well as standard light mode settings. You can't select the darker wallpaper by default, though, and it only activates when ‌Dark Mode‌ is on.

- Tweaked App Library Categories - Apple has changed the categories in the App Library. Options now include Social, Utilities, Productivity & Finance, Information & Reading, Creativity, Other, Health & Fitness, Shopping & Food, Entertainment, Travel, Games, Arcade, and Education.

- AirPods Banner - When connecting AirPods or AirPods Pro to an iPhone or iPad in beta 6, there was an error that caused incorrect text to be displayed. That appears to be fixed in beta 7.

Know of any other changes in ‌‌iOS 14‌‌ beta 7 that we didn't list here? Let us know in the comments and we'll add them.

As part of iOS 14, Apple is introducing a new App Store feature that will provide privacy details for each app that you're downloading, which the company has said can be likened to a "nutrition label" for apps.

In a new Developer Support document, Apple outlines the information that developers will need to provide on their ‌App Store‌ pages for customers. Apple is relying on developers to offer up their own privacy policies, and developers will need to start adding this information to ‌App Store‌ Connect starting in the fall.

Later this year, the App Store will help users understand an app's privacy practices before they download the app on any Apple platform. On each app's product page, users can learn about some of the data types the app may collect, and whether that data is linked to them or used to track them. You'll need to provide information about your app's privacy practices, including the practices of third-party partners whose code you integrate into your app, in App Store Connect starting this fall.

Apple says that developers will need to identify "all possible data collections and uses," providing a list of data types that will be shown in the ‌App Store‌ labeling.

Customers can expect to see details on all of the data collected by an app, ranging from name, email address, and address to payment info, location, contacts, and more. Apps will need to make it clear when they access photos, texts, browsing history, purchase history, and more, and whether advertising and diagnostic data is collected.

Apps will need to disclose what the data collected is used for, such as first-party advertising, third-party advertising, analytics, app functionality, or product personalization, and whether data is linked to a user's account, device, or identity.

Developers are also required to understand and outline whether data collected is used for tracking users, aka providing data collected from the app with third parties for targeted advertising purposes.

More information on what developers will need to provide for their ‌App Store‌ listings can be found in Apple's developer document. This feature is expected to become available when iOS 14 launches to the public, though Apple does not appear to have given developers deadlines for when the information needs to be added to the ‌App Store‌.

Apple today seeded the seventh betas of upcoming iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 updates to developers for testing purposes, a little over one week after seeding the sixth betas and over two months after unveiling the new software at the WWDC keynote.

Registered developers can download the betas over the air after installing the proper profile from the Apple Developer Center.

iOS 14 introduces a redesigned Home Screen that supports widgets on iPhone for the first time, plus widgets have been redesigned and can now be customized in three sizes through the new widgets gallery.

An App Library shows all of the apps installed on an iPhone in one place, both in an icon view and in an alphabetical list. With all of the apps in the App Library, app icons and ‌Home Screen‌ pages can be hidden for a cleaner look.

Incoming phone calls and FaceTime calls no longer take up the entire iPhone/iPad display, and Siri requests have also been minimized so summoning ‌Siri‌ doesn't monopolize the screen. ‌Siri‌ is smarter in iOS 14 and can send audio messages, and dictation can now run on device. A Picture in Picture mode allows users to watch videos or use ‌FaceTime‌ while using other apps.

App Clips lets users take advantage of some app features without needing to download a full app, useful for quick actions like purchasing a coffee, making a restaurant reservation, or renting a scooter, where downloading an entire app would be a hassle. App Clips can be scanned from QR codes, NFC tags, or Apple-designed App Clip Codes, plus they can be shared in Messages or accessed from Safari.

In the Messages app you can now pin important conversations, use @mentions in group chats, and take advantage of inline replies to keep multi-person conversations better organized. There are new Memoji options and group chats can be assigned icons with photos, emoji, or Memoji.

The Health app supports the Apple Watch's new Sleep Tracking feature and there's a Health Checklist for managing health settings, and in the Weather app, there's more info on precipitation and severe weather events.

Cycling directions are available in the Maps app with directions incorporating elevation, how busy a street is, and stairs, plus for those who own electric vehicles, there are options for routes with EV charging stops.

Digital Car Keys let an iPhone be used in lieu of a physical key, a feature that's coming soon to BMWs, and CarPlay now lets users set wallpapers.

A new translate app provides text and voice translations to and from 11 languages, and there are tons of new privacy protections. Developers need to get user permission before accessing devices on a local network, limiting access to photos, and providing apps with approximate locations instead of exact locations.

Safari has a Privacy Report that lets you know which websites have trackers, and there are new icons on the Home screen that let you know when an app is using a camera or microphone. Third-party browser and mail apps can be set as default for the first time, and Apple added new AirPods capabilities.

As for the ‌iPad‌, the Apple Pencil can now be used in any text field, with handwritten text converted automatically to typed text thanks to the new Scribble feature.

There are tons more features in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, so make sure to check out our iOS 14 roundup and our iPadOS 14 roundup for a full list of everything new. We also highlight all of the new feature tweaks and changes introduced with each beta iteration, and you can see the changes from beta 2, beta 3, and beta 4 in our beta 2, beta 3, beta 4, beta 5, and and beta 6 tidbits articles.

Beta 3 brought a new red Music icon, changes to the design of the Music Library in the Music app, a Clock widget, an updated Screen Time widget, while beta 4 added an Apple TV widget and improvements to search. Beta 5 introduced a larger Apple News widget option, a scrolling clock wheel for apps like Alarm Clock, an option to turn on Exposure Notifications, and a feature to better hide photo albums, while beta 6 added spatial audio settings.

iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 are available to registered developers and public beta testers at this time. Beta testing for ‌iOS 14‌ will last for a couple of months, with the update set to be released in the fall alongside new iPhones.

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of the upcoming macOS Big Sur update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the fifth 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. There update 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.

Update: Today's macOS Big Sur beta adds support for the new 2020 iMac models.

Apple is set to introduce 5G technology in its 2020 iPhone lineup, but there are two kinds of 5G -- mmWave, which is the fastest, and sub-6GHz, which is slower but more widespread -- and there is mixed information on the spectrums the 2020 iPhones will support.

The fastest mmWave 5G could be limited to Apple's iPhone 12 Pro lineup, and a new report from Fast Company suggests that mmWave technology could be limited to Apple's largest and most expensive iPhone, the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max.

A source that spoke to Fast Company said that only the largest iPhone in the lineup has the space inside to accommodate the antenna design needed to implement mmWave support, along with the larger battery needed for its battery drain.

Further, Fast Company believes that the ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌ will support mmWave only in versions of the new iPhone sold in the United States, Korea, and Japan as some countries don't have well-established mmWave networks at this time.

mmWave is the fastest version of 5G, offering up speeds of up to 1Gb/s. but it is limited in scope because it has a short range that's only suitable for more urban areas because of the cost of deployment.

Sub-6Ghz is faster than the average 4G LTE connection, but slower than mmWave 5G. It has a much longer range, however, making it suitable for use in urban, suburban, and rural areas alike, and it is expected to be the more widely available version of 5G.

There have been a few rumors lately that have indicated Apple's iPhone 12 lineup will have a staggered launch, with the more affordable iPhone 12 models coming out before the more expensive iPhone 12 Pro models.

There have also been suggestions that the mmWave 5G iPhones could be delayed because of production issues, which matches up with rumors that it's the Pro models that support mmWave while the lower-end iPhones stick to sub-6GHz.

Apple told some developers that it will delay the enforcement of an anti-tracking feature that's being implemented in iOS 14, reports The Information.

In iOS 14, Apple is requiring apps to seek customer consent before the IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers) can be used to track user behavior and preference across apps and websites for ad targeting purposes.

Major app developers and ad networks like Facebook have spoken out against the feature, with Facebook warning advertisers on its platform that the new feature could cause a more than 50 percent drop in Audience Network publisher revenue due to the loss of personalization from ads within apps.

Facebook and other advertisers expect that customers will not want to share their IDFA's for ad targeting purposes and will therefore decline consent for the ad blocking popups that Apple has implemented in iOS 14.

Mobile developers that spoke to The Information said that they've had little time to prepare for Apple's change, which was announced in June alongside iOS 14. Apple has also not provided a way for them to target ads without using the IDFA.

If Apple does end up delaying the anti-tracking features in iOS 14, customers who upgrade to iOS 14 will not see the prompts to decline sharing their device IDFA with third-party apps.

According to The Information, if Apple does decide to delay, the anti-tracking features could be held until next year.

Eric Seufert, an ads industry analyst, said it "simply wasn't possible for developers to adapt their advertising infrastructure" to Apple's proposed IDFA change in time for the public release of iOS 14, which Apple usually makes available in September. He called delaying enforcement of the new IDFA prompt "the right thing for Apple to do, even if those privacy restrictions are well intentioned and ultimately best for consumers."

Apple's App Store team has apparently been asking gaming firms for details on how the change might impact their businesses, as these kinds of targeted ads are important to free-to-play games, and their responses may determine Apple's plan to implement or delay the feature.

Update 10:02 a.m.: In a statement to TechCrunch, Apple confirms that it is pushing back the change to "early next year."

We believe technology should protect users’ fundamental right to privacy, and that means giving users tools to understand which apps and websites may be sharing their data with other companies for advertising or advertising measurement purposes, as well as the tools to revoke permission for this tracking. When enabled, a system prompt will give users the ability to allow or reject that tracking on an app-by-app basis. We want to give developers the time they need to make the necessary changes, and as a result, the requirement to use this tracking permission will go into effect early next year.

As promised, Los Angeles Metro's TAP card now supports Apple Pay with Express Transit mode, allowing the card to be added to the Wallet app on a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch for tap-and-go payment at rail stations and on buses.

Express Transit mode allows users to pay for rides without having to wake or unlock their iPhone or Apple Watch, or open an app. The mode also bypasses the need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. Users simply need to hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near the contactless payment reader until a checkmark appears on the display.

While the Los Angeles Metro is set to formally announce its new TAP app later today, Apple has already updated a support document to reflect TAP's support for Apple Pay, as spotted by Twitter user Kanjo, who shared the screenshot above.

Apple Pay with Express Transit mode went live for the SmarTrip card in the Washington, D.C. area earlier this week, and the feature is also available in New York City, Portland, London, Hong Kong, and many cities across China and Japan.

Apple seems to have expanded Apple Maps transit information and the 3D view feature in Portugal and the Netherlands.

According to iCulture, Apple has added 3D rendering of satelite images to the cities of Amsterdam, Haarlem, Zandvoort, Bloemendaal, Heemstede, Hoofddorp, Zaandam, and Aalsmeer. Previously, only Rotterdam, Eindhoven, and Utrecht were viewable in 3D in the Netherlands. Flyover is not yet available in the new locations.

The expansion also seems to include several surrounding towns and villages such as Lisse, Abcoude, Amersfoort, Soest, Baarn, and Leusden. The images used are reportedly from the spring of this year.

In addition to the updated views in the Netherlands, Apple has also added public transit information for the city of Lisbon in Portugal to ‌Apple Maps‌, including its surrounding areas. ‌Apple Maps‌ users in the region can now select public transportation routes when getting directions between two locations.

Transit directions were first added to ‌‌Apple Maps‌‌ in 2015 with the launch of iOS 9. Maps initially only offered transit information in a handful of cities, but over the course of the last five years, Apple has worked to expand the feature to additional areas.

Transit information is now live in dozens of cities and countries around the world, with a full list available on Apple's iOS and iPadOS Feature Availability website, although it has not yet been updated to include Lisbon.

Canadian carrier Rogers this week announced that customers can receive six months of free access to Apple Music when signing up for select Infinite data plans, including its 20GB plan for $80 per month or 50GB plan for $125 per month.

The offer is available to new and existing Apple Music subscribers on iOS or Android, and can be redeemed through the MyRogers app. After the six-month free period, customers will have Apple Music's standard $9.99 per month cost charged directly on their Rogers bill. The offer is not applicable to family or student subscriptions.

Rogers is the only Canadian carrier to now offer Apple Music as a perk, following in the footsteps of Verizon in the United States.

South African carrier MTN has also rolled out a six-months-free Apple Music offer.

Apple today shared a humorous new privacy-focused iPhone ad in which people awkwardly overshare their personal information with strangers, such as their credit card number, login details, and web browsing history.

On a bus, for example, a man loudly proclaims that he has browsed eight websites for divorce attorneys that day. And during dinner at a restaurant, a woman tells the other two people at the table that she purchased prenatal vitamins and four pregnancy tests on March 15 at 9:16 a.m., which is clearly something that would be in her iPhone search history.

"Some things shouldn't be shared," says Apple. "That's why iPhone is designed to help give you control over your information and protect your privacy."

Apple has repeatedly said that it believes privacy is a "fundamental human right," and one of the company's "core values." At the CES electronics show in Las Vegas last year, Apple promoted its commitment to privacy with a billboard near the convention center that read "what happens on your ‌iPhone‌, stays on your ‌iPhone‌."

Apple has a privacy page on its website with measures that it takes to protect users, such as end-to-end encryption of iMessages.

Apple has today announced that it will construct two of the world's largest onshore wind turbines near Esbjerg in Denmark, in an expansion of its investment in renewable energy.

Via a press release, Apple explained that the new 200-meter-tall turbines will produce 62 gigawatt hours of energy every year, enough to power almost 20,000 homes. The area will also function as a test site for more powerful offshore wind turbines that may be constructed in the future.

The power produced at Esbjerg will support the Apple data center in Viborg, with all surplus energy going to the Danish grid. The Viborg data center helps to power the App Store, Apple Music, iMessage, Siri, and other services in Europe. Apple has already constructed one of Scandinavia's largest solar arrays to power the data center.

"Combatting climate change demands urgent action and global partnership — and the Viborg data center is powerful proof that we can rise to this generational challenge," said Apple's vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, Lisa Jackson. "Investments in clean energy deliver breakthrough innovations that bring clean energy and good jobs to businesses and local communities. This is an area where we have to lead — for the sake of our planet and future generations."

Last month, Apple announced its intention to become completely carbon neutral by 2030. The new investment in onshore wind turbines is expected to help the company achieve its net-zero climate impact goal within the next decade, and will aid Apple's effort to transition all of its Europe-based suppliers to renewable power.

European Apple suppliers Henkel and tesa SE, DSM Engineering Materials, STMicroelectronics, and Solvay are reportedly working towards clean energy solutions for their Apple fulfillment. German Apple supplier Varta has this week committed to running all Apple production with 100 percent renewable energy.

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.