MacRumors

The iPhone XS and XS Max are Apple's most expensive iPhones yet, with the top-of-the-line iPhone XS Max coming in at a cost of $1,449 for 512GB of storage.

If you want to outfit your pricey iPhone with a case that's just as expensive, we've hunted down a list of the most ridiculously priced iPhone XS cases you can get.

Gray's Alter Ego line of cases available in Titanium, Stealth, Gold, and Aurora start at $1,457. The cases are all made from aerospace grade titanium and offer a minimal design with an X shape that covers the back of the iPhone along with protective covers at each of the corners to protect from drops.

The Aurora version of the Alter Ego case, priced at $2,763 for the XS and $3,000 for the XS Max, features hand-torched titanium to achieve a colorful finish, with each piece offering a unique array of colors. The Aurora and the Gold Alter Ego cases are limited to 100 pieces, while there are 500 of the Stealth edition available. The cases can be purchased from the Gray website.

Gresso, a company that makes high-end titanium sunglasses, also makes titanium iPhone cases and has a new line out for the iPhone XS and XS Max. The Gresso Magnum cases feature an interior cover crafted from flexible, high resistance TPU for protection and an outer shell made of grade-5 titanium for strength and durability. All of Gresso's Magnum Titanium cases for the iPhone XS and XS Max are priced at $595.

Hadoro is selling a selection of luxury iPhone XS and XS Max cases made from exotic animal skin materials like lizard, stingray, python, ostrich, alligator, and calfskin. The priciest is an 890 euro Alligator Folio Case available in a range of colors.

Luxury brand Louis Vuitton makes a line of super fancy, super expensive iPhone cases like this Eye Trunk for iPhone X and XS, which resembles one of the company's classic trunks. There's no iPhone XS Max version just yet, but one is probably in the works. The Louis Vuitton case costs a whopping $1,320.

Luxury fashion house Dolce & Gabbana also makes iPhone cases and has a line of pricey options that will fit the iPhone X and the iPhone XS. The most expensive is a leather iPhone case with a green rabbit fur bracelet that's priced at $795, but you can also get a plain logo case in leather with what looks like fur for $675.

Though not cases, Brikk and Caviar are the ultimate experts in super expensive iPhones, and both have debuted iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max devices that feature entire casings replaced with high-end materials.

Caviar's gold-plated mother of pearl diamond-encrusted iPhone XS is priced starting at $5,420, and there are all kinds of other casing options with carbon bodies, snake skin, alligator skin, gold accents, and diamond accents.

Brikk offers the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max in carbon, ceramic, and gold, with pricing on the carbon models starting at $9,995 and pricing on the ceramic models starting at $12,995.

Have you seen any outrageously priced iPhone XS and XS Max accessories? Would you buy one of these? Let us know in the comments.

If you updated your iPhone to iOS 12 this week and noticed that some Activity Challenge awards are missing, you're not alone.

In a new support document, Apple has acknowledged that five limited edition awards may be temporarily unavailable in the Activity app after updating to iOS 12, presumably due to a minor software bug of some kind.

They include:

• Thanksgiving Day Challenge 2016
  

• Mother's Day Challenge 2017
  

• Veterans Day Challenge 2017
  

• Thanksgiving Day Challenge 2017
  

• China National Fitness Day 2018

Apple is aware of this issue and will address it in an upcoming software update, according to the support document.

MacRumors has been affected by this issue on at least one of our iPhones, with a few awards missing on both iOS 12 and the first beta of iOS 12.1, seeded to registered Apple developers earlier today. There's a chance the awards could be restored in a subsequent beta version of iOS 12.1 in the days to come.

Of note, the Mother's Day Challenge award was still visible on another one of our iPhones running Monday's publicly released version of iOS 12, so it appears that not everyone is affected to begin with.

The watchOS 5 update, introduced yesterday, brought several new watch faces that weren't available during the beta testing period. These faces are designed to work with the Apple Watch Series 4 and were shown off when the device launched, but they are available on existing Apple Watch models as well.

There's a new Breathe face that's designed to let you launch into quick relaxation breathing sessions by following the motion of the icon on the watch face. The Breathe watch face features three styles: Classic, Calm, and Focus, each with a unique look.

As with the Breathe app on the Apple Watch, the Breathe face uses the same rhythm and 8.5 second timing to invoke relaxation. The Breathe app can be outfitted with three complications, one at the top left, one at the top right, and one at the bottom.

Along with the Breathe watch face, there are three new watch faces that are designed to take advantage of the larger screen on the Apple Watch Series 4 with fluctuating materials that move and shift when you raise your wrist.

The new watch faces include Fire and Water, Liquid Metal, and Vapor. Fire and Water, as the name suggests, lets you select either fire or water animations, while the Liquid Metal face features liquid metal in silver, gold, black, and an option to cycle through the colors.

The Vapor face features a vapor-like substance that shifts around on the wrist in colors that include Blue/Green, Black/White, and Pink/Orange. With all of the watch faces, you can choose to have them switch between the various options when your wrist is in motion.

Fire & Water, Vapor, and Liquid Metal all support three complications, two at the top and one at the bottom.

Apple has other watch faces in store that are going to be exclusive to the Apple Watch Series 4 models, but we'll need to wait until the new devices launch this Friday to see those faces.

What do you think of the new watch faces Apple has added in watchOS 5? Let us know in the comments.

Google today updated its popular Google Maps navigation app, introducing support for CarPlay. With iOS 12, third-party mapping apps work with CarPlay for the first time, giving CarPlay users an alternative to the built-in Apple Maps app.

Prior to iOS 12, CarPlay users were forced to use the Apple Maps app as other mapping apps were not supported. Google's update release notes:

Things we're excited about: rainbows, puppies, and navigating with Google Maps on Apple CarPlay. Check it out to get the best of Google Maps right in your car's built-in display!

For CarPlay to work with third-party apps, those apps need to introduce CarPlay support through an update. Google is the first mapping app to have done so, but other apps like Waze and TomTom are expected to debut support for CarPlay in the near future.

CarPlay is available in the Google 5.0 update that can be downloaded from the iOS App Store starting today. [Direct Link]

For a special giveaway this week to celebrate the launch of Apple's new iPhones, we've teamed up with iMobie to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a 64GB iPhone XS Max and a copy of the company's AnyTrans software, which is designed to let you manage the content on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

The iPhone XS Max is Apple's latest flagship device, equipped with a 6.5-inch OLED display, Face ID support, an impressive dual-lens rear camera system, an A12 Bionic chip, Gigabit LTE, more durable glass, and improved water resistance.

The new iPhone, like other iPhones and Android devices, is compatible with the AnyTrans software. AnyTrans is an iTunes alternative that lets you transfer files to and from your iOS devices, moving music, photos, contacts, messages, and more from device to device with a click.

AnyTrans lets you manage your music and create custom ringtones, backup your photos, clean up your lists of contacts and messages, and manage your apps from the desktop. It also creates complete backups through a wireless Air Backup feature and it has a built-in iCloud Manager option for handling your iCloud files.

AnyTrans is a useful solution for everything from securely creating device backups on your computer to switching to a new device to moving content like music from one iPhone to another without a hassle. It's also handy if you want to switch from Android to iPhone.

The AnyTrans returns many of the features that Apple eliminated in iTunes with iTunes 12.7, allowing users to save apps for local backup, install app updates with one click, categorize and arrange apps on your iPhone or iPad's home screen, and backup home screen layouts.

AnyTrans is available from the iMobie website, and while it costs $39.99, a free trial is available. We have one free copy of AnyTrans to giveaway alongside an iPhone XS Max. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (September 18) at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on September 25. The winner will be chosen randomly on September 25 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.

Apple this morning seeded the first beta of an upcoming tvOS 12.1 update to developers for testing purposes, just one day after releasing the tvOS 12 update.

Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 12.1 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode.

We're not yet sure what fixes and changes the tvOS 12.1 update might bring, but it's likely to focus on bugs that have been discovered since the release of tvOS 12.

Apple's tvOS updates have historically been minor in scale, and Apple does not often provide us with detailed notes outlining what's new. We'll update this post should anything be found in the beta.

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming watchOS 5.1 update to developers, just one day after releasing the new watchOS 5 operating system.

Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General -> Software update.

To install the update, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the iPhone.

It's not yet clear what features will be introduced in the watchOS 5.1 update, but it could bring support for answering Group FaceTime calls, a feature that was removed during the beta testing period. New emojis are also an option.

We'll update this post when we find out what's new in the watchOS 5.1 update.

One year after launching the successful live game show app HQ Trivia, Intermedia Labs is planning a new game called HQ Words. Instead of a basic series of trivia questions and multiple choice answers, HQ Words has a hidden phrase presented in a series of letter blocks that look like the puzzles from "Wheel of Fortune" (via Digiday).

Players will be presented with a clue for each puzzle, and below the empty tiles are letters that they can select to complete it. You'll get three strikes, and will be awarded for each correct letter you choose. HQ Words will be live, just like HQ Trivia, so every player will be solving the same puzzle at the same time, and those with the most points win the jackpot.

CEO Colin Kroll discussed the company's readiness to move beyond trivia:

“We’re trying to diversify a bit, and that’s where my skill-set comes in handy. My favorite part of working here is your imagination runs wild when you look at what we’re doing and you apply that to any idea. The sky is the limit, but the challenge is how do we build them,” Kroll said.

The company is hoping that it can avoid some of the problems that have been prevalent in HQ Trivia over the past year, namely including numerous glitches, technical challenges, and cheating. Sponsorships in HQ Words have not yet been mentioned, but given the frequency of sponsors in HQ Trivia, users can likely expect the same for the new game.

A specific launch date for HQ Words was not confirmed, but you should see it appear on the iOS App Store in October.

MacRumors has received confirmation that the names of Apple's latest iPhone models are to be stylized with a capital X, followed by the S or R in Small Caps, which are lowercase characters resembling uppercase letters:

• iPhone Xs
  

• iPhone Xs Max
  

• iPhone Xʀ

If the option to use Small Caps is not available, then both the X and S or R are to be stylized in fully capitalized letters:

• iPhone XS
  

• iPhone XS Max
  

• iPhone XR

In other words: iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, and iPhone Xr with the final letter being lowercase is incorrect styling.

This might seem like trivial information to report, but there has been quite a bit of confusion over the past week in relation to the proper names of the latest iPhone models. Apple didn't help the situation, using everything from XS to Xs to Xs in Small Caps on its product pages, press releases, and support documents. Sometimes, the S and R are even in squares.

The final answer, we're told, is caps XS and XR. Apple even updated its iOS 12 press release, changing Xs and Xr to XS and XR:

Now, we can move on.

Now that we're just three days away from the launch of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, Apple has given the green light for publications and YouTubers to publish full reviews and unboxing videos of its latest smartphones. In this post, we've rounded up a few unboxing videos that were shared early this morning, most of which focus on the all-new gold color of the iPhone XS and XS Max.

If you've ever owned an iPhone, it appears that the contents of the box for the iPhone XS and XS Max won't be too surprising. The box art showcases the edge-to-edge OLED display of each device and simply says "iPhone" on the sides. If you buy the gold color, the iPhone and Apple logos are also subtly tinted with gold coloring.

Inside the box for both the iPhone XS and XS Max you'll find paperwork, Apple stickers, the iPhone itself, the EarPods (with no Lightning-to-3.5mm dongle), an AC adapter, and a Lightning cable.

YouTuber Jonathan Morrison notes that one difference is that in the box for the iPhone XS the AC adapter sits above the EarPods, but for the iPhone XS Max Apple has swapped this positioning. Morrison also gave a quick impression of the faster Face ID in iPhone XS, stating that while it won't make an iPhone X feel slow in comparison it is noticeably zippy and worked perfectly even in low light.

Marques Brownlee unboxed the 512GB iPhone XS Max and iPhone XS in Gold, sharing a quick glimpse at three live wallpapers that are exclusive to the new iPhones. The wallpapers are all a play on the planetoid imagery seen since the first iPhone XS leak, with different colors including a green and purple planet, all subtly hiding the iPhone XS' notch.

iJustine compared the various gold colors that Apple has introduced over the years, showcasing the noticable difference between the yellow tones of the gold on the iPhone 6s and the darker gold on the iPhone XS. The iPhone 8's gold is closer to that of the iPhone XS, but appears to be slightly lighter. iJustine also showed off a few of Apple's leather cases, including Saddle Brown and Cape Cod Blue.

For full impressions on the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, you can check out a few reviews which we've rounded up right here. The overall consensus appears to be that the iPhone XS is a worthy upgrade for users on older model iPhones, but numerous publications mention that waiting for the cheaper iPhone XR to launch in October might make more sense for many customers.

Twitter recently confirmed that it is bringing back the classic reverse chronological timeline as an option for its users.

In a series of Tweets sent by @TwitterSupport, the company explained that while it tries to balance showing you the "best" Tweets with the most recent Tweets, it "doesn't always get this balance right" (via TechCrunch).

Following user frustration with this curated selection of Tweets -- which is sometimes mixed in with ads, Tweets your friends like, and more -- the company says it will soon provide an easily accessible way to switch between a timeline of Tweets that are most relevant for you and a timeline of the latest Tweets. The reverse chronological timeline option will come in the form of a test for some users "in the coming weeks."

Twitter will introduce a stopgap solution before the full reverse chronological setting has launched. To do this, Twitter updated the "Show the best Tweets first" setting so that when you toggle it off, you'll only see Tweets from people you follow in reverse chronological order. Before when this was turned off, you'd also see "In case you missed it" Tweets and recommended Tweets from people you don't follow -- now all of this won't show up.

The company didn't divulge when the full and "easier-to-access" reverse chronological timeline setting will launch, but says it will announce further details via @TwitterSupport.

Twitter first rolled out its algorithm-focused timeline in early 2016, curating Tweets for each user based on their activity and ditching the simple reverse chronological flow of Tweets. The company tried to allow some form of customization with buttons that trained the algorithm for Tweets you might not like, but many users still opted for third-party apps like Tweetbot, which stick to a reverse chronological format and don't include ads, "In case you missed it," recommended Tweets, etc.

Withings has returned with a new hybrid smartwatch offering, after one of the company's co-founders bought the brand back from Nokia earlier this year.

Back in 2016, Nokia acquired health startup Withings in a deal estimated at $192 million, hoping to re-establish its presence in the consumer electronics market. It did so by rebranding Withings' line of iOS compatible products under its own name.

But by May 2018, the acquisition was considered a failure, and Nokia announced its intention to sell the division back to Withings co-founder, Eric Carreel. Carreel promised a "relaunch" of its products by the end of 2018, and today's arrival of the Steel HR Sport smartwatch is apparently just the start.

The Steel HR Sport shares many of the features as the Steel HR smartwatch which Nokia released in 2016, such as the heart-rate monitor, sleep tracking, smartphone notifications, and 25-day battery life. But it also packs some additional new features, like the ability to track 30 different activities (yoga, rowing, boxing, skiing, and so on).

Water resistance is now up to 50 meters, while new oxygen intake sensors allow the watch to measure variables like VO2 max, which is supposed to be a good indicator of overall health. Connected to a smartphone, the Steel HR Sport is also able to GPS-track walking, running, and cycling workouts with distance, elevation, and pace metrics recorded in the accompanying iOS Health Mate app.

In addition, the digital readout on the analogue watch face has been tweaked to show notifications from over 100 apps, as well as regular alerts for calls, text messages, and calendar events.

The Steel HR Sport comes in a single 40mm size, costs $200, and is available to order online today from the Withings website or from Amazon.