Square Enix today announced that iOS game Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is shutting down immediately, due to some kind of in-app purchase bug.
Apparently customers have been unable to access content purchased in the iOS app for the last several weeks, which Square Enix says is "due to changes made to the in-app purchases model." Apple hasn't made any known changes to in-app purchases in recent months, so it is not clear what Square Enix is referencing given the limited information provided.
Further, the company says that it is "unable to completely fix the bug and implement the new changes," which means support for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles on the iPhone and iPad is ending.
The game has been removed from the App Store, and customers who made an in-app purchase in January 2024 or later can request a refund by contacting Square Enix support.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles offered online multiplayer and cross-platform play, allowing gamers to team up to conquer dungeons and earn loot. The remastered version of the game continues to be available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Android.
Update 8:28 pm: As noted by forum member An_mo_, Apple made a change to the security requirements for App Store receipts that went into effect the day before Square Enix reported receiving complaints, so it appears that may be related to the issue users were experiencing. If so, it still remains unclear why Square Enix was unable to update the app to support the new certificates.
Earlier this week, Apple announced and began accepting orders for the Powerbeats Pro 2. Today, the high-performance wireless earbuds began arriving to customers and became available to purchase in person at Apple's retail stores.
Powerbeats Pro 2 feature the same H2 chip from the AirPods Pro 2, enabling Active Noise Cancellation, which is a feature the original Powerbeats Pro lack. Another key feature is heart rate monitoring, with each earbud featuring LED optical sensors that can pulse at over 100 times per second to measure heart rate via blood flow. This feature works with supported fitness apps like the Peloton app and Nike Run Club.
For complete details about the Powerbeats Pro 2, read our coverage of the announcement and watch our hands-on video below.
Powerbeats Pro 2 are available to order on Apple's online store, in Electric Orange, Hyper Purple, Jet Black, and Quick Sand color options. In the U.S., pricing is set at $249, which is equal to the price of the AirPods Pro 2 and original Powerbeats Pro.
"Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle. No other details were provided.
So, what can we expect? We outline some possibilities below.
The most likely possibility seems to be a new entry-level iPhone SE. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman already said a new iPhone SE was coming by next week, prior to Apple's teaser, and he has since doubled down on his claim.
"Tim Cook teases the new iPhone SE," he said, in a social media post today.
The new iPhone SE is rumored to feature a larger screen than the current model, a USB-C port, Apple Intelligence support, and more.
Another rumored name for the next iPhone SE is iPhone 16E, which would be the so-called "newest member" of the iPhone 16 family.
New MacBook Air and iPads
New models of the MacBook Air, iPad Air, and entry-level iPad are "coming soon," according to Gurman. He said MacBook Air and iPad Air inventory is running low at many of Apple's stores. It is unclear if any of these devices will be announced next week, though, with Gurman seemingly suggesting they are coming a little bit later.
Newer chips are expected for these devices, including the M4 chip for the MacBook Air, the M3 chip for the iPad Air, and either the A16 Bionic chip or A17 Pro chip for the entry-level iPad 11. No other significant changes have been rumored.
Smart Home Hub
A made-up concept of an Apple smart home hub
Apple's rumored smart home hub is not expected to enter mass production until the second half of 2025, but what if Apple surprises us with an early preview next week? Many all-new Apple product categories were previewed months prior to an actual launch, including the original iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, HomePod, and more.
The home hub is expected to resemble a HomePod with a screen, with rumored features including a 6-inch or 7-inch display, an A18 chip, and Apple Intelligence support. Gurman said it can be attached to a tabletop base with a speaker, or mounted on a wall.
Gurman previously said the home hub will be "Apple's most significant release of the year," as it represents the company's "first step toward a bigger role in the smart home." He said the device will be like a "smaller and cheaper iPad" that lets users "control appliances, conduct FaceTime chats, and handle other tasks."
AirTag 2
The circle around the animated Apple logo in Cook's post has fueled online speculation about an AirTag 2 announcement next week. This is entirely based on the fact that the current AirTag, announced in April 2021, has a circular design.
Gurman is skeptical about an AirTag 2 next week, though.
"Lots of folks pointing out the circular design and think it's an AirTag," he said. "There is a new one coming this year. But Tim isn't going to put out a teaser for a new $29 accessory. He would for a major new low end iPhone though."
Rumored features for the next AirTag include a more tamper-proof speaker to reduce stalking, a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip with up to 3× longer range for item tracking, and improved integration with the Apple Vision Pro headset.
Apple is working on a 27-inch mini-LED display that could come as soon as late 2025, display analyst Ross Young said today. The display could be a new version of the Studio Display that Apple first introduced in 2022. The current version of the Studio Display uses a 5K LED panel, so a mini-LED version would be a significant update.
Young says that the display will use mini-LEDs from Epistar, while LG Display will supply the panels.
Back in 2023, Young claimed that Apple had been working on a Studio Display Pro with ProMotion technology, but Apple allegedly canceled the project. Young at the time said that Apple wasn't working on another 27-inch display, but Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has maintained that Apple plans to launch some kind of display in 2025.
Apple already uses mini-LED technology for the MacBook Pro. Compared to LED, mini-LED displays feature superior brightness, contrast, and color accuracy. The MacBook Pro display, for example, uses more than 10,000 mini-LEDs for deeper blacks, more detail in shadows, and improved highlights.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurmanhas confirmed the rumor of Apple's work on a 27-inch mini-LED display, and he believes that it will be coming in 2026.
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In terms of TVs, the highlight of this sale is up to $700 off The Frame TVs, with the popular 65-inch model available for $1,299.99, down from $1,999.99. Another steep TV discount is on Samsung's 85-inch Neo QLED 4K TV for $2,149.99, down from $3,999.99.
This sale also has a huge selection of home appliances at a discount, including refrigerators, laundry appliances, kitchen ranges, robot vacuums, and more. You can find some of these products in the lists below, but be sure to check out Samsung's website for the full array of discounts on offer.
Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.
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In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19.
"Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag.
The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle.
Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so his post is a bit of a mystery. However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes the post is a teaser for Apple announcing a new iPhone SE. He previously said the device would be unveiled by next week, with rumored features including an A18 chip, a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID, a USB-C port, Apple Intelligence support, and more.
Will any other new products be announced next week? Rumors suggest new MacBook Air, iPad Air, and entry-level iPad models will be launching in the coming weeks, and other devices expected to launch this year include a new AirTag, an all-new smart home hub, and more. We shall find out exactly what Apple has planned in six days from now.
Cook's post seems to be more of a teaser rather than an event invite, so it seems likely that any announcements would be shared in press releases on the Apple Newsroom website. But, there could be YouTube announcement videos too, like we saw when Apple announced new iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro models with M4 chips last October.
Apple today published a new support document outlining steps to try if your Apple Watch's microphone or speaker is not working as expected.
Apple says the steps can also be followed if the Apple Watch speaker's audio is "crackling, distorted, muffled, or intermittent."
The potential solutions listed include updating your Apple Watch to the latest watchOS version, restarting the Apple Watch, un-pairing and re-pairing the Apple Watch to an iPhone, checking whether Silent Mode or Do Not Disturb is turned on, cleaning the Apple Watch's microphone and speaker, and drying the Apple Watch with a microfiber cloth to ensure there is no water in the microphone and speaker areas.
Apple has published the support document just a few days after we reported about a potential Apple Watch Series 10 speaker issue, with some users experiencing quiet or muffled audio after extended use of the device. We cannot guarantee that the document was published in response to the issue, but the timing is certainly suspect.
The support document was spotted by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris.
Apple has not commented on the speaker complaints, and it is possible that the support document is merely an interim solution while the company internally investigates the matter. If a software issue is identified, it should be fixed in a future watchOS update. If a hardware issue is identified, Apple could launch a service program offering free repairs.
If and when any further information surfaces regarding the potential Apple Watch Series 10 speaker issue, we will be sure to report it.
In the United States, Apple is offering a refurbished Mac mini with the base M4 chip, 256GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet for $509, down from $599 new. This is the standard 15% discount that Apple offers on refurbished Macs.
The issue is that Apple continues to offer a refurbished Mac mini with the base M2 chip, 256GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet for $559. This means a refurbished Mac mini with an M2 chip is currently $50 more expensive than a refurbished Mac mini with an M4 chip, despite other key specs being equal. That's a bad buy.
The underlying reason for this situation is that Apple increased the minimum amount of RAM included in Macs from 8GB to 16GB last year, at no additional cost. When new, the Mac mini with the M2 chip started at $799 when upgraded to 16GB of RAM, whereas the latest Mac mini now comes with 16GB of RAM by default for just $599. Apple has not revised its refurbished Mac mini prices enough to account for this difference.
Members of key congressional oversight committees have called on the United States' new top intelligence director to pressure the United Kingdom to withdraw its controversial demand for Apple to create a backdoor into encrypted user data stored in iCloud, according to The Washington Post.
Last week The Postrevealed that a secret UK order, issued under the Investigatory Powers Act last month, demanded Apple to provide access to data protected by its Advanced Data Protection feature, which offers end-to-end encryption for iCloud storage. The mandate would apply globally, potentially affecting users worldwide, including Americans.
But in a letter sent Thursday to national intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard, senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) warned that the British order poses significant risks to Americans' privacy and security. The bipartisan pair suggested that if the UK doesn't back down, the US should consider limiting intelligence sharing and cybersecurity cooperation between the two countries.
"If Apple is forced to build a backdoor in its products, that backdoor will end up in Americans' phones, tablets, and computers," the lawmakers wrote, going on to express concerns about the security of sensitive data stored by government agencies on Apple devices.
The legislators also pointed to recent Chinese hacking campaigns as evidence that backdoors intended for law enforcement could be exploited by malicious actors. They referenced the "Salt Typhoon" attacks, which targeted phone networks by exploiting systems designed for law enforcement surveillance.
"The US government must not permit what is effectively a foreign cyberattack waged through political means," the lawmakers wrote. "If the UK does not immediately reverse this dangerous effort, we urge you to reevaluate US-UK cybersecurity arrangements and programs as well as US intelligence sharing with the UK."
Apple has long opposed the UK's plans to demand access to iCloud encrypted content, or indeed any form of backdoor in its encrypted services. By contrast, US law enforcement has historically resisted end-to-end encryption, but recent major cyber attacks have led to increased support for stronger security measures.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple Maps now has expanded coverage for cycling directions in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The expansion, first spotted by a Reddit user, means cyclists can plan a journey on the app from, say, Land's End to John o' Groats, if they're that way inclined.
Cycling directions have been available in the UK and Ireland for a few years, but until now, support didn't cover the whole of the region. Cycling directions in Apple Maps provide specific directions for bike riders with bike lanes, bike paths, and bike-friendly routes that highlight steep inclines, stairs, and other obstacles.
Cycling directions came to Apple Maps in iOS 14, and are available across the United States, Australia, China, France, Germany, and Japan, as well as in select major cities around the world, such as London, Barcelona, and Toronto. Apple maintains a list of all of the areas where cycling directions are available on its website.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has announced plans to streamline the company's AI offerings and provided details on the upcoming releases of its GPT-4.5 and GPT-5 large language models.
GPT-4.5 will be OpenAI's final non-chain-of-thought model, said Altman in a post on X (Twitter). "After that, a top goal for us is to unify o-series models and GPT-series models by creating systems that can use all our tools, know when to think for a long time or not, and generally be useful for a very wide range of tasks," he added.
To achieve this, GPT-5 will integrate multiple OpenAI technologies, including o3, which will no longer be available as a standalone model. Meanwhile, the free tier of ChatGPT will get unlimited access to GPT-5 at a "standard intelligence setting," and Plus and Pro subscribers will gain access to higher intelligence levels with additional features like voice, canvas, search, and deep research capabilities.
"We want AI to 'just work' for you," said Altman. "We realize how complicated our model and product offerings have gotten. We hate the model picker as much as you do and want to return to magic unified intelligence."
Currently, Apple Intelligence's ChatGPT integration, which doesn't require a ChatGPT account, uses the GPT-4o model. When users who aren't signed into an account reach daily limits, the system switches to a basic mode, likely powered by the GPT-4o mini model. Given OpenAI's roadmap, Apple device users who make use of Apple's suite of AI tools should benefit from the new models when they're rolled out.
Altman didn't provide specific release dates for GPT-4.5 and GPT-5, but he suggested in a follow-up post that they should arrive within "weeks / months," respectively.
Apple's largest high-end model in the upcoming iPhone 17 series this year will feature a smaller Dynamic Island, according to Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station.
The leaker claims that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will adopt a "metalens" for Face ID that integrates the transmitter and receiver components, which will reduce the size and thickness of structural elements, resulting in a smaller Dynamic Island on the device. The technology will also be applied to the next iPad Pro and a rumored foldable iPad, reckons the leaker.
Unlike traditional iPhone cameras, which use curved lenses to bend light toward the image sensor, a metalens is an ultra-thin, flat lens with microscopic nano-structures that precisely control and focus light.
Conflicting Reports
Today's rumor goes against a January report by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that claimed the upcoming iPhone 17 models will not feature a smaller Dynamic Island. However, Kuo's report contradicts analyst Jeff Pu's prediction last year that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will adopt a metalens for Face ID that results in a "much narrowed" Dynamic Island on the device. Pu in 2024 reiterated the claim several times, and he has a fairly good track record with Apple rumors.
As for Digital Chat Station, they accurately revealed that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus would feature a slightly smaller 48-megapixel sensor than the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, as well as the display panel design of the iPhone 12 back in 2020.
Apple introduced the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro models in 2022, and it is also available on all iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, but the size has not changed in successive models. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series next September.
Apple will partner with Alibaba to offer AI features in China, the Chinese company's chairman said on Thursday, resolving months of speculation around Apple's strategy in the region.
"They talked to a number of companies in China," said Joe Tsai at the World Government Summit in Dubai. "In the end they chose to do business with us. They want to use our AI to power their phones. We feel extremely honoured to do business with a great company like Apple."
Alibaba stocks surged as much as 8.6% on a report by The Information that Apple is working with the e-commerce giant to roll out AI features in China. Apple has not yet rolled out its full suite of AI features in the country because of regulations that require it to partner with a local company.
Apple devices outside of the country use a combination of proprietary Apple Intelligence and OpenAI's ChatGPT to provide AI features. The Information reports that both Alibaba and Apple have already submitted materials to authorities for approval.
Today's development follows news earlier in the week that Apple "passed over" the Chinese AI company DeepSeek, which recently made waves in the industry for being developed at a significantly lower cost than rivals. Today's report says that Apple initially considered Baidu as its primary AI partner last year, but its AI models did not meet Apple's requirements.
The AI partnership comes at a crucial time for Apple, which faced a significant setback in China in 2024, relinquishing its position as the country's top smartphone vendor. According to market research firm Canalys, Apple's annual shipments in the country declined by 17%, creating an opportunity for domestic manufacturer Vivo to take the lead.
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser that was first introduced in March 2016. Apple designed Safari Technology Preview to allow users to test features that are planned for future release versions of the Safari browser.
Safari Technology Preview 213 includes fixes and updates for CSS, Editing, Forms, HTML, JavaScript, Media, Networking, PDF, Rendering, Storage, SVG, Tables, Text, Web Animation, Web API, Web Extensions, Web Inspector, and WebRTC.
The current Safari Technology Preview release is compatible with machines running macOS Sonoma and macOS Sequoia, the newest version of macOS.
The Safari Technology Preview update is available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences or System Settings to anyone who has downloaded the browser from Apple’s website. Complete release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.
Apple’s aim with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while it is designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download and use.
Apple this month started advertising on X for the first time in more than a year. The company had stopped advertising on the social media platform in November 2023 following controversial remarks made by its owner Elon Musk.
For example, the @Apple account is running an ad promoting Safari's privacy features. The ad was spotted by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The @AppleTV account has also been running ads for the Apple TV+ show Severance.
A report last month indicated that Apple was considering advertising on X again, and evidently it has decided to do so, at least for now.
Apple is one of many major brands that have paused advertising on X at least once, with others including Disney, Coca-Cola, Sony, IBM, Comcast, and more. Disney and many other brands have cautiously returned to advertising on the platform since.
Musk acquired Twitter in 2022, and rebranded the platform as X the following year. Under his ownership, X has taken a softer approach to content moderation, allowing extremist views to proliferate on the platform. Also, disgraced rapper Kanye West made a series of racist and sexist posts on X last week, before deactivating his account.
Apple's CEO Tim Cook, and other senior executives at the company like marketing chief Greg Joswiak, have maintained a presence on Twitter-turned-X ever since Musk acquired the platform. Apple's former marketing chief Phil Schiller decided to leave the platform, however, and moved to other platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky.
With the Apple TV app, Android smartphone and tablet users have a more convenient way to access the Apple TV+ streaming service, instead of having to rely on tv.apple.com on the web. Apple TV+ includes a variety of original TV shows and films, MLB's Friday Night Baseball, and more. The app also provides access to MLS Season Pass, a subscription service that provides access to the entire MLS regular season and playoffs.
Android users can access Apple TV+ and MLS Season Pass by signing into their Apple Account, or subscribe directly through Google Play's billing system.
In the United States, Apple TV+ is priced at $9.99 per month or $99 per year, while MLS Season Pass costs $14.99 per month or $99 per season. Apple TV+ is also included in all Apple One subscription bundles with other Apple services.
Unlike on Apple platforms, the Android app does not provide access to the iTunes Store for renting or purchasing TV shows and movies on an à-la-carte basis. The app also does not show a user's library of media that they have already purchased.
Apple already offered its TV app on Android TV/Google TV devices, but not for Android smartphones and tablets until now. Starting today, users of the Android TV/Google TV version of the app can subscribe to Apple TV+ and MLS Season Pass directly through Google Play's billing system too, rather than needing an Apple Account.
Android joins a long list of platforms where the Apple TV app is available, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, PlayStation, Xbox, Roku and Amazon Fire TV streaming sticks, select smart TVs, and more.
There aren't too many 5K displays on the market that can compete with Apple's Studio Display, but ASUS recently came out with the ASUS ProArt Display 5K, which is a solid competitor. The ProArt Display 5K features a 27-inch 5K screen with 218 pixels per inch, aka retina quality.
ASUS sells the ProArt Display 5K for $799, so it's actually half the price of the Studio Display, and much, much cheaper than the Pro Display XDR. The ProArt Display is more generic looking than Apple's monitors, so you're not getting Apple style, but if you're used to looking at a 5K Retina display and you need a second monitor, you can get that same general screen quality at a cheaper price.
In our testing, the ProArt Display 5K was color accurate, sharp, and very similar to the Studio Display. Make sure to watch our video for our full hands-on review that goes into more detail on why you might want to opt for the ProArt over Apple's options.
Apple today added MacBook Pro and Mac mini models with M4 series chips to its certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland for the first time since the computers were introduced in October 2024.
Some refurbished MacBook Pro models with M4 chips are also available in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and select other European countries.
As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's refurbished inventory changes often, and the order button is still grayed out for some configurations in some countries, so keep checking back if you are eyeing a particular model.
Apple has yet to make refurbished iMac models with the M4 chip available in any countries.
All of the usual accessories are included in the box with refurbished Macs. For the MacBook Pro, this includes a USB-C power adapter and a USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable. For the Mac mini, this includes the power cord.
Apple says it puts refurbished Macs through "full functionality testing" and a "thorough cleaning process and inspection," and they are covered by Apple's one-year limited warranty and eligible for extended AppleCare+ coverage.
In our view, Apple's refurbished Macs are virtually indistinguishable from brand new ones, providing a good opportunity for savings directly from Apple. But, you can often find better deals on Macs through resellers like Amazon.
A made-up concept of an Apple smart home hub
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