The store has a prime location in Jewel, a new nature-themed entertainment and retail complex on the landside of Changi Airport, which is Singapore's main airport.
Linked to three of its passenger terminals, Jewel features more than 280 shops across five stories, and boasts as its centerpiece the world's tallest indoor waterfall – the 40-meter-tall Rain Vortex – cascading from a vaulted glass roof and surrounded by terraced gardens.
No other information, such the size of the Jewel store, has been provided by Apple. However, the company did reveal to Singapore-based The Straits Times that some brand new programming will be developed exclusively for visitors to the new Jewel store, such as The Magic of Jewel Changi Airport Photo Walk.
This photo walk is said to be around 500m and will allow attendees to explore Jewel's attractions, such as its modern architecture, indoor gardens and its 40m waterfall. Attendees will learn how take photos or videos of these attractions using an iPhone or iPad.
Apple is said to be close to opening another new store in the country, at the Marina Bay Sands resort next to Singapore's central business district. The dome-shaped store will be situated over water, connected to the luxurious resort with a walkway nestled amid palm trees. The site was previously occupied by night club Avalon.
Apple opened its first Singapore store in May 2017 at Knightsbridge mall in Orchard Road. Apple Orchard Road was also the first Apple store to open its doors in South-east Asia.
A selection of Apple retail locations are now selling the One Drop Blood Glucose Monitor, reports CNBC. The One Drop Blood Glucose Monitor is designed to give people with diabetes a way to track blood sugar through the Health app.
Apple has long offered One Drop glucose monitoring products through its online store, but has recently transitioned to offering them up in some retail locations as part of what CNBC calls an expanded focus on the health space.
The introduction of OneDrop is a prime example of how Apple is breaking into the health space by selling consumer-oriented products and integrating the data from them in its Health app, making the iPhone and Apple Watch hubs for people's personal health.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has said multiple times that he believes one of Apple's major contributions to the world will be in the health space. "Apple's most important contribution to mankind has been in health," he said earlier this year.
Available for $70, the FDA-approved One Drop includes a Bluetooth-enabled blood glucose meter, a chrome lancing device, test strips, and a carrying case.
The blood glucose monitor can read results in approximately five seconds, transmitting the information to the One Drop app and the Apple Health app.
A limited number of Apple Stores are carrying the One Drop at the current time, but availability is going to expand to most Apple retail stores across the United States in July.
Apple's Macs and iPads include support for a feature called Sidecar, designed to let you use your iPad as a secondary display for your Mac. Sidecar is quick, simple to use, and can either mirror content on your Mac or turn it into a secondary display for extra screen real estate no matter where you are.
This guide covers everything you need to know about Sidecar, from how to use it to compatibility to Apple Pencil integration.
Using Sidecar requires a compatible Mac running macOS Catalina or later and a compatible iPad running iOS 13 or later. There are multiple ways to activate Sidecar, all of which can be done from Catalina.
The easiest way to get to Sidecar is to use the AirPlay interface on the Mac. When you click the AirPlay icon at the top of the Menu bar (it's the one that looks like a screen with an arrow), if you have an iPad that's compatible with Sidecar, it will show up in the AirPlay list.
From there, simply choose the iPad that you want to connect to and it will automatically turn on and be activated as a secondary Mac display.
You can also get to Sidecar by clicking and holding the green window expansion button on any Mac app, and you can access Sidecar in the Sidecar section of System Preferences.
Using Sidecar
Sidecar is designed as a secondary Mac display, so it works like any other secondary display you might use with your Mac. You can drag windows from the Mac to the iPad and vice versa, and interact with both using your Mac's trackpad.
Sidecar is not designed to work with touch gestures, so while you can tap some on-screen control options or scroll through some webpages, you're mostly meant to control things with either the trackpad or mouse of your Mac or with the Apple Pencil. That's because Sidecar is not meant to bring touch controls to Mac - it's just a secondary display option.
Apple Pencil Integration
When using Sidecar, the Apple Pencil (first or second generation depending on your iPad) serves as a mouse alternative for clicking, selecting, and other on-screen control tasks. Think of the Apple Pencil as a mouse or trackpad when using it with Sidecar.
In apps like Photoshop and Illustrator, the Apple Pencil does even more. You can draw right in Photoshop or other similar Mac apps, which transforms the iPad into a graphics tablet for your Mac, not unlike a Wacom graphics tablet. It's a great way to create art, edit photos, and more with the interactivity of your Apple Pencil but the power of your Mac.
Keyboard Integration
When using a keyboard like Apple's Smart Keyboard with an iPad, the keyboard serves as an alternative to the Mac keyboard, letting you type like you would on the Mac in any open window.
Wired or Wireless Connection
Your Mac can be connected to your iPad over a wired or wireless connection. For a wired connection, you'll need an appropriate cable, such as a USB-C to USB-C cable for the newest iPad Pros or a USB-C to Lightning cable for Lightning-equipped iPad models.
Using a wired connection allows your iPad to charge and it should cut down on any latency issues you might see from a poor wireless connection. Using Sidecar over a wireless connection works well, though it might not work quite as well when connection speeds are low.
Using a wireless connection requires your iPad to be within 10 meters of your Mac, which is actually pretty far.
Touch Bar and Controls
Sidecar puts a control sidebar on your iPad for doing things like hiding or showing the dock, bringing up the on-screen keyboard, closing a window, or accessing controls like Shift, Command, Option, and Control.
Sidecar also adds a Touch Bar to the bottom of the iPad, which is the same as the Touch Bar on the Touch Bar-compatible MacBook Pro models. Even if your Mac doesn't naturally have a Touch Bar, these Touch Bar controls will show up.
Touch Bar controls will pop up for Apple apps and for third-party apps that have implemented support for the Touch Bar.
Accessing Sidecar Settings
If you click on the AirPlay icon while your Mac is connected to your iPad, you can see some quick controls for doing things like hiding the sidebar or hiding the Touch Bar, and there's also an option to swap between using the iPad as a separate display or mirroring the Mac's current display.
Additional Sidecar options can be found by opening up System Preferences and choosing the Sidecar section. In this spot, you can move the sidebar to the left or the right of the screen, move the Touch Bar to the bottom or the top of the screen, or enable double tap on Apple Pencil.
Sidecar Compatibility
Sidecar is limited to many newer Macs, and it is compatible with the following machines:
Most older machines are blacklisted from taking advantage of Sidecar, but some older Macs can use the feature via a Terminal command provided by developer Steve Troughton-Smith. There are few details on this method, but those interested can check out our original article on compatibility.
On the iPad, Sidecar is limited to iPad models that work with the Apple Pencil, so older models that do not have Apple Pencil support can't be used with Catalina. Compatible iPads include the following:
Apple's longtime head of design, Jony Ive, is leaving the company to start his own design firm, Apple announced today. Though Ive is leaving, Apple will be one of Ive's "primary clients," which means Ive will continue to do design work for the Cupertino company.
In a statement, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that he is looking forward to working with Ive "long into the future."
"Jony is a singular figure in the design world and his role in Apple's revival cannot be overstated, from 1998's groundbreaking iMac to the iPhone and the unprecedented ambition of Apple Park, where recently he has been putting so much of his energy and care," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "Apple will continue to benefit from Jony's talents by working directly with him on exclusive projects, and through the ongoing work of the brilliant and passionate design team he has built. After so many years working closely together, I'm happy that our relationship continues to evolve and I look forward to working with Jony long into the future."
Design team leaders Evans Hankey and Alan Dye, vice presidents of Industrial Design and Human Interface design, respectively, will now be reporting to Jeff Williams, Apple's Chief Operating Officer.
Williams has overseen the development of the Apple Watch since its inception, and following Ive's departure, will spend more of his time working with the design team.
Ive said in a a statement that over the course of the last 30 years, he has worked to build a strong design team and culture at Apple, which is stronger and more talented today than at any point in Apple's history.
"After nearly 30 years and countless projects, I am most proud of the lasting work we have done to create a design team, process and culture at Apple that is without peer. Today it is stronger, more vibrant and more talented than at any point in Apple's history," said Ive. "The team will certainly thrive under the excellent leadership of Evans, Alan and Jeff, who have been among my closest collaborators. I have the utmost confidence in my designer colleagues at Apple, who remain my closest friends, and I look forward to working with them for many years to come."
There is no word on exactly when Ive will be departing Apple, as Apple's announcement simply says that he'll be leaving Apple as an employee later this year. In an interview with The Financial Times, Ive said his new company, created in partnership with Marc Newson, is called LoveFrom.
Apple will be LoveFrom's first client, and while Ive is departing, he said he will still be "very involved" for "many, many years to come." "This just seems like a natural and gentle time to make this change," he told The Financial Times.
In a separate announcement, Apple has named 24-year Apple veteran Sabih Khan to the executive team as a senior vice president of operations. He will be in charge of Apple's global supply chain, ensuring product quality and overseeing planning, procurement, manufacturing, logistics and product fulfillment functions, as well as Apple's supplier responsibility programs. He will continue to report to COO Jeff Williams.
In a statement, Apple CEO Tim Cook said "Sabih leads our Ops team with heart. He and his entire worldwide team are committed to delivering unmatched experiences to our customers, treating workers everywhere with dignity and respect, and protecting the environment for future generations."
JCPenney, a popular department store in the United States, this month said that it has reactivated contactless payments options including Apple Pay in all of its retail stores.
The information was shared by a JCPenney support employee on Twitter, who also said that Apple Pay would be accepted in stores starting June 19th. Given that it's now June 27, Apple Pay should be working in JCPenney retail locations once again.
JCPenney earlier this year eliminated support for Apple Pay and other contactless payment options due to an April 13 deadline from Visa for retiring legacy magnetic stripe contactless technology in favor of EMV technology.
A third-party credit card brand made the requirement for all merchants to actively support EMV contactless functionality effective April 13, retiring the legacy MSD contactless technology in place. Given the resources and lead time associated with meeting the new mandate, JCPenney chose to suspend all contactless payment options until a later date. Customers still have the ability to complete their transactions manually by inserting or swiping their physical credit cards at our point-of-sale terminals in stores, an option employed by the vast majority of JCPenney shoppers.
At the time Apple Pay was pulled from retail stores and the JCPenney app, JCPenney did not provide details on if and when it might be reinstated.
JCP is happy to share that we are working to reactivate contactless payment options and therefore mobile wallet transactions will be accepted in all of our stores by June 19th.
— Ask JCPenney (@askjcp) June 14, 2019
Prior to the end of Apple Pay support, JCPenney had offered the payment option since 2015, when it first rolled out to JCPenney stores.
Apple today shared a new AirPods ad called "Bounce," which is meant to highlight the AirPods Wireless Charging Case that launched in March alongside the second-generation AirPods.
In the spot, which was shot in black and white, a bored man pulls his AirPods off of their wireless charging pad (an Apple exclusive Belkin model) before he pops outside and begins bouncing over normal street items that are inexplicably bouncy like a trampoline. The song "I Learnt Some Jazz Today" plays while he runs through town.
Apple has shared AirPods ads in the past, but this is the first ad that is specifically aimed at highlighting the wireless charging capabilities of the AirPods.
Apple sells the AirPods 2 for $199 with a Wireless Charging Case included, which is able to charge on any Qi-based wireless charging mat. It's also available on a standalone basis for $79.
Update: Apple has also shared another short ad highlighting the Screen Time feature on iPhone.
Apple Music has 60 million paid subscribers, according to iTunes chief Eddy Cue. Cue confirmed the new subscriber number with French site Numerama earlier today, and Music Business Worldwide shared details on the report.
Cue said that he's happy with Apple Music's subscriber count, and that the company is continually working on perfecting the platform across various devices. He also said that Beats 1, Apple's radio station, has "tens of millions of listeners."
Cue declined to divulge how many subscribers are outside of the Apple ecosystem. "I know the number, but I can't tell you," said Cue. He did, however, tell Numerama that Apple Music is the number one service used by people in the Apple ecosystem.
On the topic of the elimination of iTunes in favor of standalone TV, Music, and Podcast apps, Cue said that he's fond of iTunes, but "Apple Music is absolutely the best in all respects. We have something better now and it's useless to look back."
Apple Music's new 60 million subscriber milestone comes following a November report suggesting the service was up to 56 million subscribers. 60 million paid subscribers still puts Apple Music below Spotify, which had 100 million premium (aka paid) subscribers worldwide as of April.
Despite the difference in paid subscriber counts, Apple Music in early 2019 surpassed Spotify's paid subscriber total in the United States. Apple Music has somewhere around 28 million U.S. subscribers, compared to Spotify's 26 million.
Google today announced a major update for Google Maps on both Android and iOS, introducing new transit-related features.
Google Maps will now provide details on live traffic delays for buses in places where real-time information doesn't exist from local transit agencies, which will let Maps users see if a bus will be late, how long the delay might be, and how long travel might take.
The app will provide details on exactly where delays are on the map so riders will know what to expect before getting on a bus.
Along with live traffic information for buses, Google is adding crowdedness predictions for transit routes. Based on past ride information, Google Maps will offer up details on how crowded a bus, train, or subway is likely to be.
The new Google Maps features are rolling out today on Android and iOS in close to 200 cities around the world.
The Wonderboom is one of Ultimate Ears' most popular speakers due to its small size that doesn't compromise on sound, and earlier this month, Ultimate Ears launched the Wonderboom 2, an updated version of the Wonderboom with some new functionality.
Design wise, the Wonderboom 2 features the same general size and shape as the original Wonderboom, though it's a bit taller. Ultimate Ears says the design was kept the same because customers loved the look of the Wonderboom. The Wonderboom's small size, affordable price tag, and big sound have always made it my favorite speaker in the Ultimate Ears lineup, and now the Wonderboom 2 is a new favorite.
Ultimate Ears kept everything that was great about the Wonderboom in the Wonderboom 2, but added some useful new features like better weatherproofing, stereo sound capabilities when using two speakers, and better sound both indoors and out.
The Wonderboom 2 measures in at about four inches tall and about 3.75 inches wide, so it's just about palm-sized. There are big volume control buttons at the front (an Ultimate Ears signature look), a stretchy loop for hanging it up at the back, and a covered micro-USB port for charging purposes. Physical controls for playing/pausing music, activating features, and powering the speaker on and off are located at the top.
Ultimate Ears didn't change the size or the shape of the Wonderboom 2, but there are new colors and a new two-tone knit fabric that looks more premium than the fabric used for the Wonderboom. It comes in Deep Space Black, Crushed Ice, Radical Red, Bermuda Blue, and Just Peach, along with a gray and white camo edition that's available exclusively from Apple.
Apple's Head of Security Engineering and Architecture Ivan Krstić will be attending the Black Hat 2019 event where he will give a "Behind the Scenes" look at iOS and macOS security.
Black Hat is an annual event that's designed for the global InfoSec community, providing security professionals with a place to meet up and gain training on new techniques.
According to the webpage for the upcoming event, Krstić will be covering "several key technologies" new to iOS 13 and the Mac, including Pointer Authentication Codes in Apple's latest iPhone chips, the T2 security chip in Macs, and the cryptography behind the Find My feature in iOS 13 and macOS Catalina.
Code integrity enforcement has long been a critical part of the iOS security architecture. Starting with iPhone 7, we began to fortify core pieces of this security mechanism with new features built directly into Apple silicon. We will delve into the history of code and memory integrity technologies in the iOS kernel and userland, culminating in Pointer Authentication Codes (PAC) in the Apple A12 Bionic and S4 chips. PAC prohibits modification of function pointers, return addresses and certain data, preventing traditional exploitation of memory corruption bugs. We will take a close look at how PAC is implemented, including improvements in iOS 13. We will also discuss previously-undisclosed VM permission and page protection technologies that are part of our overall iOS code integrity architecture.
The T2 Security Chip brought powerful secure boot capabilities to the Mac. Comprehensively securing the boot process required protections against sophisticated direct memory access (DMA) attacks at every point, even in the presence of arbitrary Option ROM firmware. We will walk through the boot sequence of a Mac with the T2 Security Chip and explain key attacks and defenses at each step, including two industry-first firmware security technologies that have not been publicly discussed before.
The Find My feature in iOS 13 and macOS Catalina enables users to receive help from other nearby Apple devices in finding their lost Macs, while rigorously protecting the privacy of all participants. We will discuss our efficient elliptic curve key diversification system that derives short non-linkable public keys from a user's keypair, and allows users to find their offline devices without divulging sensitive information to Apple.
The 2019 Black Hat event will take place from August 3 to August 8 at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Krstić has hosted similar talks in the past, including a look at new features in iOS 10 back in 2016.
As part of a promotion for Amazon's upcoming Prime Day, the site is now offering exclusive Prime member access to Mophie's new Juice Pack Air Battery Pack Cases designed for the iPhone X, XS, and XS Max.
The Juice Pack Air battery cases for Apple's newest iPhones are similar to the Juice Pack Air battery case for the iPhone X that Mophie released back in November. Mophie's battery cases are designed to provide extra battery life for Apple's newest iPhones and are offered as an alternative to Apple's own Smart Battery Cases.
Priced at $99.95 for both the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max versions, the new Juice Pack Air cases are able to charge using a Qi-based wireless charger or a Lightning cable, a first for the Mophie battery case line.
Mophie says that the Juice Pack Air was designed to be slim and lightweight, but as it is a battery case, it does add a decent amount of bulk to Apple's thin and light iPhones. An LED light at the back lets you know charge level, as this case is not able to integrate with the iPhone in the same way as the Apple-designed cases.
Both versions of the case come equipped with 1,720mAh batteries inside, which Mophie claims will extend the iPhone's battery life to a total of 34 hours, which is presumably talk time. That's similar to what Apple promises from the Smart Battery Cases.
Amazon is offering up the Juice Pack Air cases in graphite, black, red, and rose gold, and only Amazon Prime members are able to make a purchase at this time.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission or CPSC has since indicated that Apple has received 26 reports of batteries overheating in affected notebooks, including five reports of minor burns and one report of smoke inhalation, as well as 17 reports of minor damage to nearby personal property.
Apple has asked customers to stop using affected MacBook Pro models and to contact the company to initiate a replacement. Apple's recall program page provides further details and instructions.
Note that only the "Mid 2015" MacBook Pro is part of this recall program. To identify your Mac, click on the Apple logo in the top-left corner of the screen and click on About This Mac. Look for "Mid 2015" in the window that opens. Other models like the 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Air are not part of the program.
The Pokémon Company today unveiled new information about its upcoming mobile game, Pokémon Masters. The new game was created in partnership with DeNA, the mobile developer behind official Nintendo apps like Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.
In Pokémon Masters, players will be tasked with forming a team of Pokémon Trainers to engage in 3-on-3 real-time battles with other AI Trainers. The game takes place on the island of Pasio, a place where the typical rules of Pokémon battles are different than other regions.
Instead of turn-based battles, Pokémon Masters will focus on a feature called "sync pairs," which lets players team up with well-known Trainers from previous Pokémon games, and their partner Pokémon. There will be 65 total sync pairs to recruit in the game at launch, and additional sync pairs will release at a later date.
The game involves players forming a team of three total sync pairs, and fighting in real-time 3-versus-3 battles against other AI-controlled sync pairs. This means that the typical aspect of most other Pokémon games -- collecting Pokémon -- will not be present in Pokémon Masters.
Pokémon Masters introduces a new way to battle in the Pokémon world. Players will command a squad of three sync pairs in real-time team battles and release a barrage of moves—all while the AI opponent unleashes theirs at the same time.
For the very first time in a Pokémon game, players can also direct Trainers in battle to use moves and healing items to increase a Pokémon’s stats. In addition to standard moves, players can occasionally deploy sync moves—powerful attacks performed by specific sync pairs.
Pokémon Masters will launch as a free-to-start game with in-app purchases on iOS and Android devices sometime later this summer.
Signify today announced that it's going to be easier to get started with the Philips Hue line of lights thanks to a new standalone Bluetooth bulb offering.
The new Philips Hue with Bluetooth bulbs allow those who are newcomers to the Hue ecosystem to get started with a single light. Each of the Bluetooth bulbs can be controlled via an app using Bluetooth, with no need for the Philips Hue Bridge that's normally required for Hue lights.
Using the new Philips Hue Bluetooth app, users can turn the lights on and off, dim the lights, set the lights to millions of colors or different shades of light, select pre-set scenes, and enable multiple users to control the lights.
There are three versions of the Bluetooth bulbs: White ($14.99), White Ambiance ($24.99), and White and Color Ambiance ($49.99). They're available in the A19 bulb shape and the BR30 downlight.
Because there's no bridge involved these standalone Bluetooth bulbs are not HomeKit enabled, but for people who purchase them and decide to then expand to a larger Hue ecosystem, the bridge can be added at a later date and the bulbs can be connected like any other existing Hue bulbs.
Philips Hue Bluetooth bulbs do work with Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Nest smart display even without the Philips Hue Bridge.
The new Philips Hue Bluetooth lights are available from the Philips Hue website and Amazon starting today.
We've partnered with Eve to offer our readers a new exclusive promotion that discounts the Eve Room by 20 percent for a limited time. In other deals going on this week, Amazon has a new sale that is discounting the all-new 13-inch MacBook Pro to new low prices, reaching up to $199 off the original cost of the notebooks.
Exclusive Eve Room Discount
To see this deal, head to Evehome.com, add the Eve Room to your cart, click on the "Have a promo code?" prompt at the top of the checkout screen, and enter the code MacRumors20 to take 20 percent off the device. This will discount the $99.95 Eve Room down to $79.96 for the length of the sale, which will last through Thursday, July 11.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
The promo code only applies to a single Eve Room and will not apply to the retailer's double pack of Eve Room units that you can buy for $179.90. Head to Evehome.com to browse and purchase the Eve Room before the sale ends.
The Eve Room is a small, palm-sized device that can track the temperature, humidity, and air quality within your home, and connects to Apple's HomeKit platform so you can ask Siri about the air quality. When it detects harmful in-home pollutants, Eve Room can give you a heads up about opening a window or turning on an air purifier, ensuring that your home's air is as clean as possible.
2019 13-Inch MacBook Pro Sale
Amazon is discounting the all-new 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro with new low prices that knock $199 off the original prices of the notebooks. Both the 256GB and 512GB models are on sale, available in both Space Gray and Silver. All of the models listed below have the Touch Bar as well.
Apple updated the MacBook Pro last month with new 13-inch and 15-inch Touch Bar models that include new 8th and 9th generation Intel processors, as well as updated butterfly keyboard technology. These MacBook Pros include a T2 chip with enhanced security, support for Hey Siri, a 10 hour battery life, and Touch ID with Apple Pay support on the Touch Bar.
For more sales and bargains, head to our full Deals Roundup.
Apple on Monday seeded the first beta of an upcoming tvOS 13 software update to its public beta testing group, giving non-developers a chance to try out the new Apple TV software ahead of its public release in the fall.
tvOS 13 introduces several changes to the Apple TV interface, including a new Home screen designed to make it easier to find new content. It also introduces multi-user support, a picture-in-picture mode, console controller support as part of the upcoming Apple Arcade game subscription service, and more.
But before you rush to install the tvOS 13 beta, it's worth remembering that this is pre-release software, so don't expect things to work trouble-free. Beta software is typically unstable, as it often contains bugs and issues that have yet to be ironed out. Still interested? Then read on.
Is tvOS 13 Compatible With My Apple TV?
tvOS 13 is designed to run on the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models (Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K, respectively). It is not compatible with earlier versions of the Apple TV, because those models do not support tvOS.
How to Enroll in the Apple Beta Software Program
To download and install the tvOS 13 beta, you must enroll in the free Apple Beta Software Program. If you're already enrolled, you can skip these steps and jump to the next section.
Enter your Apple ID credentials and tap the Sign in button.
Agree to the Apple Beta Software Program terms and conditions if necessary.
How to Download and Install tvOS 13 on Apple TV
Once your Apple TV is enrolled in the Apple Beta Software Program, you'll need to carry out the following steps on the set-top box.
From your Apple TV, click through to Settings -> Accounts.
Under Apple ID, sign into at least one of the account options (iCloud, iTunes and App Store, or Game Center) with the same Apple ID that you used to register for the Apple Beta Software Program.
On your Apple TV, click through to Settings -> System -> Software Update.
Click Get Public Beta Updates to turn it on.
Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.
Your Apple TV should automatically download and install the latest public beta software if you have Automatically Update turned on in the Software Updates settings, but you can always manually check for updates by clicking through to Settings -> System -> Software Updates -> Update Software.
WhatsApp is testing a feature that enables users to share their WhatsApp Status posts over Facebook, Instagram, and other services.
WhatsApp's Status feature works a lot like Stories do in Instagram, in that users can use the option to stitch together photos and video to express themselves in a way words alone might not allow them to.
The idea behind WhatsApp Status sharing is that it will allow users to post their status directly to their Facebook story, Instagram Story, Gmail, Google Photos, or other service.
WhatsApp told The Verge that the sharing feature doesn't link accounts on the two services in any way, and instead transfers the data on-device using Android and iOS data-sharing APIs.
Even when sharing to another Facebook-owned service like Instagram, WhatsApp says the two posts remain separate events and are not associated in Facebook's systems.
Regardless of that explanation, relating the two platforms in the public consciousness has become a risky business for Facebook ever since it acquired WhatsApp in 2014.
The company said at the time that it wouldn't collect data from the end-to-end encrypted messaging service, but then two years later it began doing exactly that for ad-targeting purposes.
In 2016 the company had to end the collection of WhatsApp user data across Europe, including the phone number a user verifies during the registration process and the last time a user accessed the service, after privacy watchdogs slammed the practice and regulators demanded it be stopped.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
