MacRumors

Apple is planning to expand Apple Pay to allow iOS users to make purchases from websites later this year, reports Re/code. With the change, Apple Pay will be available to customers who visit websites and make purchases using the Safari browser on iPads and iPhones.

Currently, Apple Pay can be used to make purchases in brick and mortar stores and in third-party apps that support the service. Expanding Apple Pay to the Safari browser will alleviate the need for customers to download a store's app to make a payment with Apple Pay, resulting in a payment service that is more convenient and more closely resembles services like PayPal.

Apple is also said to be considering making Apple Pay available on Macs, but it is not clear how that would work without a fingerprint sensor.

The service will be available to shoppers using the Safari browser on models of iPhones and iPads that possess Apple's TouchID fingerprint technology, these people said. Apple has also considered making the service available on Apple laptops and desktops, too, though it's not clear if the company will launch that capability.

As when using Apple Pay to make a payment in an app, customers who make a purchase from mobile Safari will be able to do so without entering an address or a payment method, as that information is provided by Apple Pay and authenticated through a fingerprint.

Apple is said to be telling partner websites that the new Apple Pay feature will be available before the holiday shopping season, and Re/code believes an announcement could potentially happen at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference.

Apple Pay is now available in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and China, and it is expanding to additional countries later this year. Other rumors for the future of Apple Pay include a potential person-to-person payment feature that mimics Square Cash or Venmo.

MacRumors has been receiving a growing number of complaints from customers who are unable to log into iMessage and FaceTime after updating to OS X 10.11.4, which was released to the public on Monday. There are threads covering the issue on the MacRumors forums and the Apple Support Communities, along with user complaints on various social media networks.

The majority of the complaints are coming from users who did a fresh install of OS X, requiring them to log into the FaceTime and iMessage services. When attempting to sign in, an error pops up or nothing happens after entering an Apple ID and password, as seen in the video below. Customers who have recently purchased a new Mac also appear to be affected, and while most customers with login problems seem to be running OS X 10.11.4, there are also reports from those using earlier versions of OS X.

Apple support has been advising users to try logging out of iCloud and disabling two-factor authentication, but these fixes have not worked for most users. Apple's system status page is not listing any outages, but it appears there may be a problem with the iMessage and FaceTime activation servers. One customer who purchased a new Mac was told that Apple's engineering team is aware of the issue and is working on a fix.

Yesterday I bought a new 15-inch macbook pro from the Apple store. Out of the box, 10.11.1, computer would not sign in to my iCloud account with my Apple ID. So I skipped this part of the initial setup. Managed to sign in to iCloud in system preferences, and managed to see my Notes, Reminders, Safari bookmarks. But I have the same problem: I cannot sign in to Messages or FaceTime.

Today, after a couple of hours talking to Apple on the phone last night, I returned to the store to see if there was a fix, or whether the problem was specific to that machine. For an unrelated reason, I wanted to switch models: from the 15-inch to the 13-inch.

So I got a new 13-inch macbook pro this morning and decided to set it up in store. Same issue. I had a lengthy chat with one of the Apple Geniuses who could not figure this out. He did his best, but he could only give vague answers to my questions. He said it seems like an Apple server issue that "engineering" is aware of and are hoping to fix.

Affected customers have been unable to log in since first upgrading to OS X 10.11.4, and so far, there is no reliable fix available to solve the problem. Not all customers who did a clean install of OS X 10.11.4 or who purchased a new Mac are affected, and it is not clear if there is a pattern between users who are experiencing problems.

Two days after Apple's "Let Us Loop You In" event that saw the debut of the iPhone SE, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, and new Apple Watch bands, Apple has posted the full video of its presentation on its YouTube channel. The same video is also available on Apple's event website.

Apple's "Let Us Loop You In" event was shorter than most of its past events, lasting just over an hour. The video kicks off with a look at Apple's environmental efforts, ResearchKit, and a message from Tim Cook about the company's ongoing struggle with the FBI.

Apple then delves into the debut of new Apple Watch bands before moving on to the iPhone SE and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, both of which will be available for order starting tomorrow, March 24.

Apple will be hosting at least two more events in 2016, including its annual Worldwide Developers Conference that typically takes place in June and a fall event where it is expected to debut new flagship iPhones.

An updated 12-inch Retina MacBook may be launching before the end of April, according to information discovered in Apple's System Image Utility feature and in the OS X Server application by a source that shared details with 9to5Mac.

System Image Utility lists the existing early 2015 Retina MacBook and an early 2016 Retina MacBook, which has yet to be released. Given that it's earmarked as an "early" 2016 device, the next-generation Retina MacBook should be coming soon, as Apple refers to "early" for devices that launch during the first four months of the year. The same 12-inch early 2016 MacBook is listed the OS X Server application.

The Retina MacBook first launched in April of 2015, so an April 2016 update at the one year mark makes sense. A refresh will likely be minor, leaving the overall design unchanged but introducing upgraded internals, such as one of Intel's Skylake chips.

Skylake chips appropriate for the Retina MacBook have been available since the later months of 2015. The new Core M Skylake processors offer 10 hours of battery life and 10 to 20 percent faster CPU performance compared to the Core M Broadwell processors used in the first-generation Retina MacBook, along with 40 percent faster graphics performance.

There are no mentions of new Retina MacBook Pro or MacBook Air models in OS X Server or System Image Utility, and it continues to remain unclear when exactly we might see refreshes for those machines.

A rumor yesterday suggested Apple is working on "ultra-thin" 13-inch and 15-inch MacBooks, but it is not known if those machines are in the MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air family. Apple is said to be targeting a June or July launch date for the mystery MacBooks, which lines up with a potential debut at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

Update: Additional investigation of OS X 10.11.4 by Pike's Universum has led to details on the low-power Skylake processors Apple will likely use in the 2016 12-inch MacBooks, which are in line with expectations.

References to the Core m3-6Y30, Core m5-6Y54, and Core m7-6Y75 have been found.

The low-end Core m3-6Y30 succeeds the Core M-5Y31 and will likely be used in the entry-level 12-inch MacBook, which Apple sells for $1,299. The middle tier Core m5-6Y54 replaces the Core M-5Y51 and is likely to be used in the higher-end 12-inch MacBook Apple sells for $1,599, while the high-end Core m7-6Y75 replaces the Core M-5Y71, the chip used in high-end 12-inch MacBook custom configurations.

A number of new CarPlay-enabled vehicles are making their North American debuts ahead of the 2016 New York International Auto Show this week, including models from Chevrolet, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru, and Volkswagen.

Chevrolet kickstarted the announcements last week when it introduced the 2017 Sonic as the first subcompact vehicle with CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. General Motors also introduced the 2017 Chevrolet Trax with CarPlay support last month. Both vehicles will reach dealerships by fall 2016.

Honda followed suit this week with the debut of its 2017 Civic Hatchback, available in fall 2016, and U.S. spec Clarity Fuel Cell Sedan, launching by the end of this year, both of which feature CarPlay and Android Auto. Honda already offers CarPlay in the 2016 Accord, 2016 Civic, and 2017 Ridgeline.

Hyundai today unveiled its 2017 Ioniq electric vehicle with CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, while its subsidiary Kia debuted the 2017 Cadenza with matching support for both in-dash software platforms. Hyundai did not provide a launch date for the Ioniq, while the new Cadenza will go on sale in late 2016.

New York's auto show marks the arrival of Subaru's first CarPlay vehicle in the all-new 2017 Impreza, while Volkswagen's U.S. version of the 2017 Golf Alltrack also features CarPlay and Android Auto. The new Golf model goes on sale in fall 2016, while no launch date was provided yet for the Impreza.

CarPlay is available in over 100 vehicle models worldwide from over two dozen automakers, providing hands-free or eyes-free access to common iPhone apps such as Maps, Messages, Music, Phone, and Podcasts. Apple keeps a periodically updated list of available models on its website.

Israeli mobile software developer Cellebrite is helping the FBI in its attempt to unlock the iPhone at the center of the San Bernardino shooter investigation.

That's according to a story filed by Reuters this morning, based on a report in Wednesday's copy of Israeli daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. If the software company succeeds then the FBI will no longer need the help of Apple, the report claimed, citing unnamed industry sources.

According to its website, Cellebrite offers "mobile forensics solutions" which "give access to and unlock the intelligence of mobile data sources to extend investigative capabilities, accelerate investigations, unify investigative teams and produce solid evidence".

Apple and the U.S. government have been embroiled in a heated public battle that started when a court ordered Apple to help the FBI unlock the iPhone 5c of terrorist Syed Farook. Unlocking the iPhone would require Apple to build a new version of iOS that bypasses iPhone passcode restrictions and provides the FBI with a way to enter passcodes electronically, something Apple has staunchly refused to do.

On Monday, the U.S. Justice Department convinced the court overseeing its ongoing battle with Apple to postpone a hearing scheduled to take place March 22. The DoJ said new leads had been discovered that could provide it with a way to unlock the iPhone 5c used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook without involving Apple.

Various commentators on the case have cast doubt on the FBI's original claim that it had exhausted all avenues in its attempt to unlock Farook's iPhone and a number of ideas have been floated in the media by security experts. The most likely attack was set out in a March 7 blog post by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which directly called into question the FBI's initial assertion that it had no means of extracting the iPhone's data.

The process described by UCLA technology fellow Daniel Kahn Gillmor uses a technique called NAND mirroring to copy the portion of the phone's memory that counts the number of passcode attempts entered. By continually restoring the copy, the FBI could thereby circumvent the limit on the number of passcode guesses that can be made before the device is rendered permanently inaccessible.

Another, more risky – not to mention laborious – method is an invasive microchip attack known as "de-capping". This involves removing and de-capsulating the phone's memory chip, carefully drilling down into it using a focused ion beam to expose the portion of the chip containing the target data (in this case, the iPhone's unique ID and passkey algorithm) and then probing it, micron by micron, to extract the information.

The latter could then be used in an off-device "brute-force" attack on the passcode that would be able to try all possible combinations without running up against the iPhone's guess limit.

The judge involved in the high-profile California case has agreed to vacate the March 22 hearing and requested that the government provide an update on its progress by April 5. The motion requiring Apple to help the FBI lock the iPhone was suspended.

In a conference call with reporters on Monday, Apple said it would insist on obtaining details about the exploit the FBI plans to use should the government keep the case going. If the case is dropped, Apple will not be able to ask for that information.

Update 8:13 AM: As noted by Twitter user @zenalbatross, the FBI signed a $15,000 contract with Cellebrite on Monday.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues 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.

AT&T first introduced Wi-Fi calling in October of 2015, allowing customers to place calls over Wi-Fi in instances where a cellular connection is poor. At launch, AT&T's Wi-Fi calling feature could only be used within the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, but as of this week, Wi-Fi calls can also be made from other countries.

Starting this afternoon, and following the iOS 9.3 update, AT&T began sending text messages to customers notifying them of the change. When traveling abroad, a call placed to the United States or received from the United States using Wi-Fi calling will incur no long distance charges, a feature that should be highly useful to AT&T customers who are visiting another country and calling home.

As long as a U.S. number is calling another U.S. number using Wi-Fi calling, there will be no charge, regardless of physical location. Calling an international number from a U.S. phone with Wi-Fi calling will continue to incur standard international call charges.

In a domestic coverage area, Wi-Fi calling is enabled whenever wireless network coverage is weak or unavailable. When outside of a domestic coverage area, Wi-Fi calling is now turned on whenever a phone connects to a Wi-Fi network. AT&T's Wi-Fi calling website has been updated with new text to reflect the updated capabilities.

Use Wi-Fi Calling to talk and text over an active Wi-Fi connection. Wi-Fi Calling lets you talk and text from indoor locations where it's hard even for a strong cellular signal to reach. Wi-Fi Calling can be used in the Domestic Coverage Area (U.S., Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands) and from most international countries.

The new international Wi-Fi calling feature is available on the iPhone 6, 6s, 6 Plus, 6s Plus, and newly introduced iPhone SE, so long as iOS 9.3 is installed.

AT&T is also notifying customers about a change to NumberSync, which now allows devices linked to an iPhone to make or receive calls over an AT&T cellular connection, something that wasn't previously possible.

The NumberSync feature allows AT&T users to make calls and send text messages using their phone number from a device like an iPad or Mac even when their iPhone is turned off or in another location. Previously, devices had to be connected to Wi-Fi to use the feature, but starting today, a cellular iPad or other device with a cellular connection can use it to make NumberSync calls when a connected iPhone is unavailable.

Last November, a malicious app called InstaAgent was caught storing the usernames and passwords of Instagram users, sending them to a suspicious remote server. After the app's activities came to light, Apple removed it from the App Store, but it now appears Turker Bayram, the developer behind the app has managed to get two new apps approved by Apple, (and Google) both of which are stealing Instagram account info.

Peppersoft developer David L-R, who discovered the insidious password-sniffing feature in the first InstaAgent app, last week wrote a post outlining new password stealing apps created by Bayram. Called "Who Cares With Me - InstaDetector" and "InstaCare - Who Cares With Me," the apps are available on Android and iOS devices.

The original InstaAgent app attracted Instagram users by promising to track the people who visited their Instagram account, and the two new apps make similar promises. Both apps say they display a list of users who interact most often with an Instagram account, asking users to log in with an Instagram username and password.

David L-R investigated Bayram's new apps and discovered a suspicious HTTPS packet, leading him to uncover a complex encryption process used to covertly send usernames and passwords to a third-party server and hide the evidence. He found both the Android and iOS versions of the app send Instagram account information to unknown servers.

As I had a closer look to the iOS app I found out that the app steals the Instagram password & username to send it encrypted to "unknown" servers. The "password-stealing" algorithm and the encryption seems to be the same as in "InstaCare - Who cares with me?" a new iOS app from the "InstaAgent" developer, which malicious behaviour I discovered a few days ago. A working PoC (Proof of concept for the iOS version) can be found here.

Multiple reviews on the iOS App Store claim that after using the malicious Instagram apps, their accounts were compromised with spam photos advertising the app that were uploaded to their feeds. As with InstaAgent, the apps show up prominently in the Top Charts in some countries, though not in the United States.

Bayram's ability to get multiple new apps approved by Apple after having been found guilty of harvesting Instagram account information speaks towards the glaring issues in Apple's app review policies. It is unclear how a developer who was caught operating a malicious app was able to get additional apps past Apple's radar.

There are dozens if not hundreds of low-quality third-party apps that promise to provide Instagram users with followers and other perks, which should be avoided to avoid having account information stolen. Instagram cautions against installing third-party apps that don't follow its Community Guidelines and says such apps are "likely attempts to use your account in an inappropriate way."

(Thanks, Şizofrenik!)

Apple never announces the RAM in its iOS devices, so that metric often remains a mystery until a device teardown or benchmarking tests. TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino has an iPhone SE and a new iPad Pro on hand, and was able to use a memory checking app to determine the RAM in both devices.

Based on his testing, it appears that both the iPhone SE and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro include 2GB of RAM.

2GB RAM puts the iPhone SE on par with the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus, both of which also include 2GB of RAM. As for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, 2GB RAM means its performance isn't going to measure up to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which is equipped with 4GB RAM.

As was recently discovered, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro also features a slightly underclocked A9X processor, another factor that will impact its performance compared to the larger tablet.

Geekbench testing by Panzarino suggests the iPhone SE is not underlocked compared to the iPhone 6s, with the A9 in the device running at 1.85GHz. On the test, the iPhone SE received a single-core score of 2538 and a multi-core score of 4421, on par with or slightly better than tests conducted on the iPhone 6s.

Given that it includes the same processor and the same RAM, the iPhone SE is as powerful as the iPhone 6s despite its much smaller form factor and lower price. The new iPad Pro, while less powerful than its larger sibling, has its own unique features, including a 12 megapixel camera with rear flash and a unique True Tone display.

The new 9.7-inch iPad Pro adopts the same powerful dual-core 64-bit A9X chip that was first introduced in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, but the two tablets are not on par when it comes to performance. Based on information on Apple's website, it appears the A9X in the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is slightly underclocked compared to the A9X in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (via AppleInsider).

On its iPad comparison page, Apple lists the specs of the A9X in both of the iPad Pros, comparing them to the A7 chip in the iPad Air, iPad mini 2/3, and iPhone 5s. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro lists a 2.5x faster CPU and 5x faster graphics, while the 9.7-inch iPad Pro lists a 2.4x faster CPU and 4.3x faster graphics.

Apple has a history of underclocking the chips used in smaller devices. The iPad mini 2 and the iPad Air both used the same A7 chip, but while the iPad Air clocked in at 1.4GHz, the iPad mini 2 ran at 1.3GHz.

It's likely Apple is underclocking the A9X chip in the 9.7-inch iPad Pro due to its smaller body, which may be unable to dissipate heat as well as the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro, The performance difference between the two tablets is likely to be unnoticeable in real world conditions, and even underclocked, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is offering some significant performance improvements over the 9.7-inch iPad Air 2.

Aside from the slightly lower clock speed, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro has several features that set it above the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, including a 12-megapixel camera with a rear flash and a new True Tone display feature that adjusts the screen's temperature based on ambient lighting.

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro will be available for order starting this Thursday, with in-store availability and shipments starting the following Thursday, on March 31. Pricing for the new iPad Pro starts at $599.

Update: Geekbench benchmark testing conducted by TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino suggests the A9X processor in the 9.7-inch iPad Pro runs at 2.16GHz, compared to 2.24GHz in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

The new iPad Pro received a single-core score of 3022 and a multi-core score of 5107. In comparison, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro sees average scores of 3224 on the single-core test and 5466 on the multi-core test. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro may not be quite as powerful as the 12.9-inch model, but it did significantly outperform the iPhone 6s and the iPad Air 2 on the Geekbench test.

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro and the iPad Air 2 are the exact same size and thickness, measuring in at 9.4 inches by 6.6 inches by 0.24 inches (6.1mm), but Apple accessories designed for the iPad Air 2, such as the Smart Cover and the Smart Case, are not fully compatible with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

With the launch of the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, Apple also released a line of Smart Covers specific to the new device, which are being sold alongside Smart Covers for the iPad Air and the iPad Air 2. Given that many people may already own an iPad Air Smart Cover, there was some question as to whether it would fit on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

Because of the Smart Connector on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, the magnet alignment in the Smart Cover is different, something an Apple representative confirmed to Macworld. For that reason, using the iPad Air Smart Cover with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is "not recommended."

As for the Smart Case designed for the iPad Air 2, while it may fit, it isn't designed for the Smart Connector, the rear flash, or the four speakers on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, making it technically incompatible.

With Apple's own iPad Air accessories ill-suited for the new iPad Pro, it stands to reason other third-party cases and covers designed for the iPad Air and iPad Air 2 are also not going to work with the 9.7-inch tablet, requiring adopters to purchase new accessories.