MacRumors

Google launched its second-generation Pixel Buds this week to generally favorable reviews, thanks in part to a couple of new features that AirPods owners have appreciated for some time.

The new Pixel Buds use a pairing process on Android 6.0+ phones called Fast Pair: Hold the case near your phone, flip the lid, and a screen pops up on the screen to indicate automatic pairing, which links them to the user's Google account.

Apart from the obvious UI differences, that's pretty much identical to the way you connect a pair of AirPods to iPhone. But the similarities don't stop there. Google is also making it easier to find misplaced Pixel Buds. From Google's blog:

It can be frustrating when you put your Bluetooth headphones down and immediately forget where you placed them. If they’re connected to your phone, you can locate your headphones by ringing them… And, when you misplace your headphones, in the coming months, you can check their last known location in the Find My Device app if you have Location History turned on.

Sound familiar? Apple's Find My app includes a Find my AirPods feature that plays a tone to help users recover nearby ‌AirPods connected to iPhone or iPad. It also shows the last known location of AirPods if they're no longer connected.

Credit where it's due, Google appears to have implemented the features well, including notifying users when the earbuds and case battery are running low upon connection. The company says it plans to include its Fast Pair technology in other audio accessories, just like Apple added its instant-pairing W1 and H1 chips to its wireless Beats line.

The new Pixel Buds are compatible with iOS, but don't expect the new seamless pairing features to work with iPhone (the same goes for AirPods on Android). Unlike AirPods Pro, Pixel Buds don't include active noise canceling either, instead offering something called Adaptive Sound that automatically adjusts the volume based on the wearer's surroundings.

Features like Adaptive Sound and other settings are accessible in the Pixel Buds app on devices running Android 6.0 and later. The Pixel Buds software is also built into the settings menu as a system-level app on Pixel phones. Google's new Pixel Buds are priced at $179 in the U.S. and can be ordered on the Google Play Store.

Since iPadOS 13 was released last year, Apple has included native suppport for opening two or more windows in the same application to view them side by side.

Since then, more and more third-party apps have been building in multi-window support, and now Microsoft is beta testing its own versions for Word and PowerPoint on iPad.

The ability to display two documents next to each other is particularly useful for comparing two versions of the same document or keeping an eye on your reference notes while working. Similarly, PowerPoint support would let users cross-reference presentation slides on the same screen.

In a blog post, Microsoft details three ways to access multi-window support in Word and PowerPoint for ‌iPad‌:

• Touch, hold, and drag a file from the Recent, Shared, and Open file list in the app to the ‌iPad‌ screen edge to open it side-by-side.
• In Word or PowerPoint, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and open the dock. Then touch and hold the same app’s icon and drag it off the dock to the left or right edge of the screen. Then tap the document to open it.
• In Word or PowerPoint, access the Recent, Shared, and Open views in the app start screen, tap the "…" menu for a file in the list, then tap Open in New Window.

Microsoft hasn't said when the multi-window support will be available to all users, but it surely can't be long now, given that the same feature was demoed at WWDC 2019 for Microsoft Word.

Anyone interested in trying out the new feature will need to join the Office Insider program and download beta versions of Word and PowerPoint through Testflight.

Apple in the iOS 13.5 beta introduced a new Group FaceTime feature that's designed to disable the option that automatically enlarges the tile of the person who is speaking.

Group ‌FaceTime‌, by default, has a dynamic view with a tile for each person. The person who is speaking at the current time has a larger tile, while tiles for people who are not talking fade into the background, a layout that's not always ideal.

In the ‌FaceTime‌ section of the Settings app, there's now an "Automatic Prominence" section with a "Speaking" toggle. Turning off the "Speaking" toggle makes it so the tile for the person who's talking in ‌FaceTime‌ won't get larger, allowing tiles for all people to remain the same size. Enlarging a person's tile can be done by tapping it, as noted by The Verge.

A grid with static image sizes for all participants is perhaps preferable for meetings and events where multiple people are talking at once or right after one another, and it mimics layout options available in Zoom and other video chatting apps.

The iOS 13.5 beta also makes it easier to unlock an iPhone with a passcode when wearing a mask by bringing up the passcode interface more quickly and it lays the foundation for the introduction of the exposure notification API that Apple plans to release for health apps in May.

Many people are wearing masks that cover their faces when going outside, visiting stores, and other tasks, and Apple's Face ID iPhones do not unlock when the face is obscured by a mask.

In the iOS 13.5 beta, released this morning, Apple has streamlined the speed with which the passcode pops up when a person wearing a mask is detected, making it easier to get into an iPhone with a passcode when ‌Face ID‌ fails.

Speedier access to the passcode interface is noticeable when you swipe upwards on the Home screen when unlocking the iPhone, as this action now immediately brings up the passcode interface if your face is covered by a mask.

Previously, the iPhone would attempt to initiate ‌Face ID‌ first, creating a few seconds of delay before the passcode interface was shown. The new, speedier passcode entry method makes it quicker to get into an iPhone.

The feature is available in the current iOS 13.5 beta, which should see a public release in the next few weeks.

Apple in iOS 13.5 is introducing an exposure notification API designed to allow apps created by public health authorities worldwide to notify people who come into contact with someone who has COVID-19 about their exposure to the virus.

Apple's Exposure Notification feature is privacy focused and shares no personally identifiable information or location data with the public health authorities creating the apps, but some users may want to opt out of the feature, which is enabled by default when upgrading to iOS 13.5.

Apple in the iOS 13.5 update added a toggle to disable COVID-19 Exposure Notifications for those who do not want to participate and do not want to be notified should they come into contact with someone who has COVID-19. Here's how to get to it:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap on Privacy.
3. Tap on Health.
4. Tap on COVID-19 Exposure Notifications.
5. Tap the toggle to turn the feature off.

The purpose of the exposure notification system is to limit the spread of COVID-19 as much as possible by informing people who have been exposed so they can self-isolate and get recommendations from their local health authorities. Because it works by allowing two smartphones to interface with one another using random identifier beacons and Bluetooth, it works best when most people have it turned on.

Re-enabling Exposure Notifications can be done by following the steps above and tapping the toggle to turn the feature back on. If the toggle is green, it's on, and if the toggle is gray, it's off.

iOS 13.5 is available in a beta capacity at the current time, and there won't be apps that take advantage of Exposure Notifications until the update is released. Receiving Exposure Notifications also requires downloading an app from a public health organization that uses the API and agreeing to its terms and conditions. Simply having the toggle turned on won't do anything without the app.

Apple is today releasing the third beta of iOS 13.5 for developers along with the first beta of Xcode 11.5, laying the groundwork for the release of its opt-in exposure notification APIs that will be used by public health apps to create coronavirus contact tracing tools.

iOS 13.4.5 has been bumped up to iOS 13.5 to include the code that’s necessary to run the first apps built using the exposure notification API, while Xcode 11.5 includes a new version of the iOS SDK with the exposure notification API.

Apple is working with Google on its exposure notification initiative, and Google has also delivered its beta Google Play Services update with the exposure notification API and SDK to select developers who can test using Android Developer Studio.

Public health authorities are able to use these new tools to begin getting their apps that take advantage of exposure notification ready. Apple is planning to release its exposure notification API in mid-May following the testing period.

Apple and Google first announced plans to develop Bluetooth-based contact tracing technology (now known as exposure notification) on April 10, providing a privacy-focused way to track coronavirus exposure.

The beta API released today is the first part of a two-prong effort to provide an exposure notification platform for health agencies. Apps created by verified health authorities can incorporate the API to allow smartphones to communicate with one another, providing users with notifications if they’ve come into contact with someone that is later diagnosed with COVID–19.

When smartphone users with a contact tracing app installed come into contact with another person that also has an app installed, their phones exchange an anonymous identifier beacon. If one of those people contracts coronavirus, they can then choose to notify all of the other people they’ve been in contact with, and at that point, all the other smartphones that have exchanged info with the infected person’s smartphone will be notified.

The API works cross platform on both iOS and Android devices, and it was built with privacy and transparency in mind. A random, rotating identifier, which changes every 15 minutes, is assigned to a person’s phone and transmitted via Bluetooth to nearby devices.

No personally identifiable information is associated with the identifier, and the list of identifiers a person has been in contact with doesn’t leave the phone unless the user decides to share it. Users that test positive will not be identified to other users, Apple, or Google, and location data is not collected.

Exposure time is recorded in five minute intervals, with the maximum exposure time capped at 30 minutes. All Bluetooth metadata is encrypted, and exposure estimates will rely on the power level of the Bluetooth signal to determine the distance between two phones when contact was made.

Public health authorities will be able to define and calculate an exposure risk level that they can choose to assign to users in the event they are notified of COVID–19 exposure, allowing for fine-tuned notifications that will evaluate exposure based on information like approximate distance and exposure duration. Exposure risk is calculated on users’ devices in the app and the data is not shared with Apple or Google.

Apple and Google on Friday plan to release additional information including sample code that will aid developers in understanding how the exposure notification system will operate, and specific criteria for developing apps.

Detailed privacy information about Apple’s exposure notification initiative is available on Apple’s Contact Tracing website, with info on Bluetooth and Cryptography specifications along with a Frequently Asked Questions feature.

In the future, Apple and Google plan to debut a broader Bluetooth-based contact tracing platform that is built into iOS and Android, allowing more individuals to participate.

Update: Due to the Labor Day holiday in Europe on Friday, Apple plans to release additional details associated with the betas of the exposure notification API early next week.

Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.5 updates to developers, two weeks after seeding the second betas and a month after releasing iOS and iPadOS 13.4 with iCloud Folder Sharing, iPad trackpad support, and more.

iOS and ‌‌iPadOS‌‌ 13.5 can be downloaded from the Apple Developer center or over the air after the proper developer profile has been installed.

iOS 13.5 is not a typo – Apple has introduced an API change to include initial support for its exposure notification platform in both the new iOS beta and Xcode 11.5, necessitating the version update to iOS 13.5 because it’s using a different SDK than iOS 13.4.

Today’s update introduces the exposure notification API in a beta capacity to allow public health authorities to begin developing COVID–19 contact tracing apps that take advantage of it. Most of the features are for health-related apps that will incorporate the new API, but there is a toggle that is designed to allow users to opt out of participating in COVID-19 exposure notifications.

The update features the same content that was in iOS 13.4.5 beta 2 along with the addition of support for apps that use the exposure notification API, which is set to be released officially in mid-May.

Earlier betas have introduced a new Apple Music feature that allows ‌Apple Music‌ songs to be shared on Instagram Stories. Tapping the Share button on a song in ‌Apple Music‌ creates a story with a song title, album name, and animated background, but at this time there is no way to get to ‌Apple Music‌ from the shared information.

iOS 13.5 also patches two security vulnerabilities that affect the Mail app on the iPhone and the ‌iPad‌. One vulnerability allowed an attacker to remotely infect an iOS device by sending emails that consume a significant amount of memory, while another allowed remote code executions.

The update may also address an issue with Personal Hotspot that prevents it from working for some people and it could also fix a VPN-related vulnerability, both of which are bugs that Apple has promised to address in upcoming iOS updates.

Update: Apple has also seeded the new iOS 13.5 beta to public beta testers.

Popular music streaming service Pandora today updated its app for the Apple Watch to introduce support for Siri, allowing ‌Siri‌ to be used to play stations, songs, albums, and podcasts.

The inclusion of ‌Siri‌ support makes it easier to find specific content right on the Apple Watch without needing to rely on the iPhone. Users can also ask ‌Siri‌ to dislike or like the current song for preference tuning purposes.

Pandora for iOS is also gaining more personalized discovery for better music recommendations, there's a Shuffle Stations feature and there's an option to add music to a specific playlist using ‌Siri‌, though this is limited to Premium subscribers. The full release notes for the update are below:

NEW: Edit Shuffle Stations feature
* Available for Premium listeners
* Select which stations you want to play on shuffle
_
NEW: Siri on Apple Watch
* Ask Siri to play stations, songs, albums, and podcasts: "Hey Siri, play Thumbprint Radio on Pandora."
* Tell Siri you like or dislike the current song: "Hey Siri, I like this song."
_
ADDED FEATURES/IMPROVEMENTS: Siri on iOS
* Ask Siri to add music to your collection or for a specific playlist: "Hey Siri, add Hotel California to my collection on Pandora." (Premium listeners only)
* Tell Siri you like or dislike the current song.
* Even more personalized discovery to help you find and listen to the music you love.

Pandora can be downloaded from the iOS and Apple Watch App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Apple today shared a new video that follows Grammy-nominated songwriter and music producer Oak Felder as he creates a new song. Felder makes use of multiple Apple products, including the 16-inch MacBook Pro and iMac.

Follow hitmaking, Grammy-nominated songwriter and music producer Oak Felder as he creates a new song. Along the way, he speaks about music production, creating his own unique sound, working with the world's top artists, and what it means for young artists to have access to powerful technology.

Felder was previously featured in an ad introducing the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

VESA today announced that it has released DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0, paving the way for future USB4 devices to support DisplayPort 2.0.

Announced in June 2019, DisplayPort 2.0 has a max effective bandwidth of 77.4 Gbps, nearly triple that of DisplayPort 1.4. The new standard enables support for displays with up to 16K resolution, higher refresh rates, HDR support at higher resolutions, improved support for multiple display configurations, and more.

USB4 converges the Thunderbolt and USB protocols as part of Intel's goal to make Thunderbolt available on a royalty-free basis, which should result in wider and cheaper availability of Thunderbolt accessories like docks and eGPUs.

USB4 uses the USB-C connector design and is backwards compatible with USB 3.2 and USB 2.0.

Apple will likely adopt USB4 in future Macs. VESA expects the first products incorporating DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0 to appear on the market in 2021.

Google has announced that its Meet videoconferencing service will be free to use for anyone with a Google account from next month.

Following a gradual rollout through May, Meet will no longer be exclusive to paying G-Suite members, and will remain open to Google account holders until September 30, 2020.

Google Meet offers many of the features that have made Zoom so popular in recent weeks, including video conferencing for up to 100 participants, the option to schedule meetings, and screen-sharing capabilities.

We've invested years in making Meet a secure and reliable video conferencing solution that's trusted by schools, governments and enterprises around the world, and in recent months we've accelerated the release of top-requested features to make it even more helpful. Starting in early May, anyone with an email address can sign up for Meet and enjoy many of the same features available to our business and education users, such as simple scheduling and screen sharing, real-time captions, and layouts that adapt to your preference, including an expanded tiled view. 

Google Meet usually imposes a 60-minute time limit on meetings for non-paying users, but the company is lifting the limit for the period of its availability to all Google account holders. Given Zoom's recent troubles, Google is also keen to underscore the privacy and security of the platform – Meet video meetings are encrypted in transit, and all recordings stored in Google Drive are encrypted in transit and at rest.

Anyone interested in using Google Meet can download the Hangouts Meet iOS app from the App Store or head to meet.google.com to use the web browser version. As the rollout is gradual, users can sign up to be notified when it's available.

Apple has agreed to pay $18 million to settle a California class-action lawsuit that accused it of intentionally breaking FaceTime in iOS 6 to force users to upgrade to iOS 7.

According to the lawsuit, originally filed in 2017, Apple forced users to upgrade so it could avoid payments on a data deal with Akamai.

Apple used two connection methods when it launched ‌‌FaceTime‌‌ in 2010: a peer-to-peer method that created a direct connection between two iPhones, and a relay method that used data servers from content delivery network company Akamai Technologies.

Apple's peer-to-peer ‌‌FaceTime‌‌ technology was found to infringe on VirnetX's patents in 2012, however, so the company began to shift toward the relay method, which used Akamai's servers. Within a year, Apple was paying $50 million in fees to Akamai, according to testimony from the VirnetX trial.

Apple eventually solved the problem by creating new peer-to-peer technology that would debut in iOS 7. The class-action lawsuits, however, alleged that Apple created a fake bug that caused a digital certificate to prematurely expire on April 16, 2014, breaking ‌‌FaceTime‌‌ on iOS 6.

The lawsuit claimed that breaking ‌‌FaceTime‌‌ in iOS 6 allowed Apple to save money because it would no longer need to support users who did not upgrade to iOS 7.

According to Law360.com, Apple agreed to settle the case with the $18 million payout, although the majority of the money will go to paying attorney fees and expenses, with only a fraction going to the class action's representatives and claimants.

A court in Florida dismissed a similar consumer lawsuit earlier this year alleging Apple broke ‌FaceTime‌ on older iPhones to save costs.