MacRumors

Apple last month announced that its "My Photo Stream" service is set to shut down on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, which means customers who are still using that feature need to transition to using iCloud Photos before that date. Keep reading to learn what it means for you and whether you need to take action.

What is My Photo Stream?

Originally launched in 2011, My Photo Stream is a free service that when enabled temporarily uploads images (up to 1,000 at any given time) to iCloud, making them accessible across your Apple devices and available for importing to your library on any device. Photos remain in My Photo Stream for 30 days and are then automatically deleted from ‌iCloud‌.

My Photo Stream was later replaced by iCloud Photo Library (now ‌iCloud Photos‌) and Apple is now shutting down the My Photo Stream service on Wednesday, July 26, 2023.

To prepare for the shutdown, Apple stopped photo uploads to My Photo Stream on June 26, 2023, so any images uploaded to the service before that date will remain in ‌iCloud‌ for the usual 30 days until the shutdown point.

What Do I Need to Do?

If you already use ‌iCloud Photos‌, you don't need to do anything – your photos are already uploaded and stored in ‌iCloud‌. However, if you're not sure, you can check that ‌iCloud Photos‌ is enabled on all of your devices.

On iPhone and iPad

1. Open the Settings app and tap your Apple ID at the top of the menu.
2. Tap iCloud.
3. Make sure that it says "On" next to Photos.

On Mac

1. Click the Apple symbol () in your Mac's menu bar and choose System Settings.
2. Click your ‌Apple ID‌ name at the top of the sidebar.
3. Click iCloud.
4. Make sure that it says "On" next to Photos.

What to Do If You Don't Use iCloud Photos

‌Photos‌ in My Photo Stream are already stored on at least one of your devices in their original format, so as long as you have the device, you won't actually lose any photos when the service shuts down.

However, what you will lose is the ability to access these images on any device. If any photos you want aren't already in your library on a particular iPhone or iPad, one option is to turn on ‌iCloud Photos‌ using the steps above.

Note that ‌iCloud Photos‌ requires a paid ‌iCloud‌ subscription to go beyond the free 5GB ‌iCloud‌ storage limit, and it‌ is only available on iPhones and iPads running iOS 8.3 or later and Macs running OS X Yosemite or later.

Alternatively, you can save photos in My Photo Stream to your library on a particular device, as long as you do it before July 26. The following steps show you how.

Saving 'My Photo Stream' Photos to Your Photo Library

1. Open the ‌Photos‌ app and tap Albums.
2. Tap My Photo Stream, then tap Select.
3. Tap the photos that you want to save, then tap the Share button (the square with an arrow pointing out).
4. Choose Save Image.

If you own a Mac, you don't have to do anything – My Photo Stream photos automatically import to your library.

Apple has become the target of a £785 million ($1 billion) class action lawsuit on behalf of over 1,500 developers in the UK over its App Store fees, reports TechCrunch.

The suit accuses Apple of abusing a dominant position by charging a 15% to 30% fee on in-app sales in the ‌App Store‌, a policy that has been criticized by antitrust regulators in other countries.

It also argues UK consumers are missing out because developers are being deprived of money that could be spent on research and development to help drive app innovation.

The lawsuit is being brought by Sean Ennis, a professor at the Centre for Competition Policy at the University of East Anglia, on behalf of app developers.

"Apple's charges to app developers are excessive, and only possible due to its monopoly on the distribution of apps onto iPhones and iPads," said Ennis in a statement. "The charges are unfair in their own right, and constitute abusive pricing. They harm app developers and also app buyers."

The lawsuit is an opt-out class action. In other words, UK-based developers don't have to register to be included in any potential winnings, which would be calculated based on their app business.

Apple has been accused of or investigated for anticompetitive practices in several other countries over the past few years, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Japan, the United States, and more, with many of the complaints related to the ‌App Store‌. As a result, Apple has been forced to make changes to the ‌App Store‌ in some countries, such as allowing developers to offer alternative payment systems in South Korea.

Apple's ‌App Store‌ terms and conditions are also being probed by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which opened its investigation in March 2021.

In the European Union, Apple is gearing up to accommodate the Digital Markets Act, which will require it to allow apps to be downloaded on the iPhone using sideloading or alternate app stores in iOS 17.

For Apple's part, it says the ‌App Store‌ is not the only way for developers to reach users, since they can also do so over Safari and other web browsers, where Apple rules do not apply. The company also says the majority of developers don't even pay any commission, while of those who do, many benefit from the ‌App Store‌ Small Business Program which requires them to pay only 15% fees.

Apple has also been keen to point out that over the past 15 years it has not raised commission rates or added fees, while twice in the last two years, federal courts have said Apple is entitled to charge a commission for access to its platform and rejected the assertion that the ‌App Store‌ gives the company monopoly power. Apple often also highlights the success of third-party apps on the ‌App Store‌ and their investments in developers' success, as well as the quality and security of the ‌App Store‌ itself.

In a support document published last month, Apple said certain SATA hard drives might unexpectedly disconnect from the 2023 Mac Pro after the computer wakes from sleep. Apple said it was aware of the issue and would fix it in a future macOS update, and the company followed through on that promise today.

Apple updated the support document today to indicate that the issue has been resolved in the macOS Ventura 13.5 update released today, so users simply need to update their Mac. The issue will also likely be resolved in the macOS Sonoma beta.

The Issue

While the Mac Pro is configured with SSD storage, it has SATA ports for connecting internal hard drives, and sometimes the drives could disconnect due to a bug.

"Certain models of internal SATA drives might unexpectedly disconnect from your computer after your Mac wakes from sleep," said Apple. "This can occur if your Mac automatically goes to sleep or if you manually put your Mac to sleep. If you see a message that your disk was not ejected properly, you can restart your Mac to reconnect to the drive."

New Mac Pro

Unveiled at WWDC last month, the new Mac Pro features Apple's M2 Ultra chip. The desktop tower has the same design as the Intel-based model from 2019, but lacks graphics card support and user-upgradeable RAM due to Apple silicon's unified architecture. Customers who do not need PCIe expansion should consider the Mac Studio instead.

The iOS 16.6, iPadOS 16.6, macOS Ventura 13.5, watchOS 9.6, and tvOS 16.6 updates that Apple released today address a long list of security vulnerabilities, including two that Apple says may have been actively exploited.

Apple today also released iOS 15.7.8, iPadOS 15.7.8, macOS Monterey 12.6.8, and macOS Big Sur 11.7.9 for devices that are not able to run the current release versions of the Mac, iPhone, and iPad software. These updates contain the same security improvements.

There are several fixes for kernel vulnerabilities, including one that could allow an app to modify a sensitive kernel state. This is the vulnerability that Apple says may have been actively exploited, but Apple's wording indicates that it only received reports of active exploits against versions of iOS that were released before iOS 15.7.1. It is, however, patched on all platforms.

The updates also fix a WebKit vulnerability that Apple says could have been actively exploited, but Apple first addressed this issue with the iOS 16.5.1 (c) and macOS Ventura 13.4.1 (c) Rapid Security Responses, so some iPhone, ‌iPad‌, and Mac users may have already had protection from this issue.

Because these new software releases include so many security fixes, it is a good idea to install them as soon as possible. A full list of the patches that Apple has implemented can be found on Apple's security support website.

Apple today released macOS Ventura 13.5, the fifth major update to the macOS Ventura operating system that was released in October. macOS Ventura 13.5 comes a month after the launch of macOS Ventura 13.4, an update that brought minor features to the Apple News app and bug fixes.

The ‌‌‌macOS Ventura‌‌‌ 13.5 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings.

According to Apple's release notes, macOS Ventura 13.5 introduces important bug fixes and security updates. Apple recommends that all users install the software.

There are no notable feature changes or standout bug fixes in macOS Ventura 13.5, and work on the operating system is wrapping up. Apple is shifting its focus to macOS Sonoma, the next-generation version of macOS that's coming this fall.

Apple today released iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6, the sixth point updates to the iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 operating systems that first came out last September. The launch of iOS 16.6 comes over a month after the release of iOS 16.5, an update that brought minor changes to Apple News.

‌‌iOS 16‌‌‌.6 and iPadOS 16.6 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes for the updates to propagate to all users because of demand. Apple has also released an iOS 15.7.8 update for those who are not able to update to iOS 16.

According to Apple's release notes for the update, it includes unspecified bug fixes and security improvements. No new features were found during the beta testing period, and Apple's notes on the software provide no insight into what's included.

Apple's work on iOS 16 is winding down now that iOS 17 is available for beta testers and set to launch in September alongside new iPhones.

Apple today announced the release of Apple Vision Pro developer kits, with developers able to apply to receive a kit starting today. Developers will be provided with an Apple Vision Pro "loaner" that will allow them to develop and test apps.

Along with a Vision Pro, developers will get help with device setup and onboarding, check-ins with Apple experts for UI design and development guidance, and help with app refining. Each developer who receives a kit will be provided with two additional code-level support requests for troubleshooting code issues.

Apple says that ‌Apple Vision Pro‌ headsets are Apple-owned development devices, and will need to stay where they are shipped in a private, secure workspace that is accessible only by the developers who were approved to work with one. Apple plans to be in regular contact with developers using the kit, and the kit will need to be returned at Apple's request.

Developers can apply on Apple's website. Apple will collect details about each team's development skills and existing apps, with priority given to applicants creating an app that takes advantage of visionOS features and capabilities.

Apple today released watchOS 9.6, a minor bug fix update for the Apple Watch. watchOS 9.6 is a free software update that comes a month the launch of watchOS 9.5, an update that brought the new 2023 Pride watch face.

watchOS 9.6 can be downloaded for free through the Apple Watch app on the iPhone by opening it up and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌‌‌.

According to Apple, the update includes bug fixes and security improvements for Apple Watch owners, with no new specific features.

watchOS 9 will soon be replaced with watchOS 10, the next-generation version of watchOS that Apple is currently beta testing.

Apple today released tvOS 16.6, the sixth notable update to the tvOS 16 operating system that initially came out last September. Available for the Apple TV 4K and the ‌Apple TV‌ HD, tvOS 16.6 comes over a month after the launch of tvOS 16.5.

tvOS 16.6 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌ by going to System > Software Update. If you have automatic software updates turned on, you will be upgraded to tvOS 16.6 automatically.

There were no new tvOS 16 features discovered in the tvOS 16.6 update during the beta testing process, and it appears to focus on bug fixes and security improvements much like iOS 16.6, watchOS 9.6, and macOS Ventura 13.5. A HomePod software version 16.6 has also been released.

Apple's notes for the tvOS 16.6 update can be found in the tvOS support document.

Today we're tracking a pair of deals on popular Apple accessories including the MagSafe Battery Pack and Apple Pencil 2. You'll find both of these sales on Amazon, with delivery estimated between July 25 and July 29 for most orders placed in the United States.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Starting with the MagSafe Battery Pack, this is available for $84.00, down from $99.00. We haven't tracked a decent deal on this accessory in a few months, making this a great opportunity for anyone who's been waiting for a markdown. Overall, this is a second-best price.

The Apple Pencil 2 is on sale for $89.00, down from $129.00. This is a match of the deal price we tracked over Prime Day earlier in the month.

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.

A man was saved by his iPhone 14's emergency features on Friday evening after he drove his car off a cliff and plummeted 400 feet into a canyon in the Mount Wilson area near Los Angeles, according to the local CBS affiliate.

The two iPhone 14 features that helped to save the man's life were Crash Detection and Emergency SOS via satellite. First, the iPhone automatically detected a severe car crash. Second, the device automatically sent a text message to an emergency relay center via satellite connection, since the crash site was outside of the range of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. The message included precise location information, and a local search and rescue team was able to find and rescue the man with use of a helicopter.

"He was 400 feet down in a canyon with virtually no way out," said Steve Goldsworthy, Rescue Operations Leader at Montrose Search and Rescue. "So, who knows when, or if, we would've located him." Another member of the search and rescue team said the man likely would have bled out had he not been rescued in a timely manner.

Crash Detection is enabled by default on all iPhone 14 models. In the U.S., Emergency SOS via satellite requires an iPhone 14 updated to iOS 16.1 or later.

Apple services chief Eddy Cue has effectively ruled out the company's rumored bid to obtain the broadcasting rights to the English Premier League for Apple TV+.

Apple has reportedly been interested in obtaining the rights to broadcast the Premier League as far back as 2012. Earlier this year, Bloomberg highlighted Apple's consideration of a bid for the rights to stream the Premier League, among other lower league matches run by the English Football League, for ‌Apple TV‌+.

‌Eddy Cue‌ has now effectively ruled out Apple's intention to make a bid on the basis that it would be unable to obtain global rights. The company sought a deal similar to its rights to broadcast Major League Soccer (MLS) worldwide for a period of ten years, an arrangement hailed as a "historic first for a major professional sports league." Speaking to The Daily Mail, Cue explained Apple's rationale:

I don't like the word exclusivity because that's important but not as important. The global rights are important to us. We're a global company, we have customers in every country in the world, a large number of customers, and it's not exciting for me to have something that you can have but you can't have.

Secondly, we're throwing a significant amount of engineering resources into the product. We think we're going to do some very innovative things with the product as we move forward. We've done some things like MLS 360 (providing live look-ins from every match), we've done the multi-viewing of games, which is again very difficult to do in other environments. And this is nothing.

I can't justify throwing what I think are the best engineers in the world on a small subset product. It has to be this kind of a partnership because our level of investment is significant. This isn't "hey, I've got an opening from 8pm to 10pm tonight and I'm going to put this game on." That's not the way we're doing it. We're all in on this as an investment point of view, so it doesn't work unless it's something significant.

Recent years have seen bidding wars play out for the rights to the Premier League between Sky Sports, BT Sport, and Amazon Prime Video, with Sky Sports often being the dominant player, although Amazon has been increasingly wielding its bidding power in recent years. Packaging terms ensure that no one broadcaster gains rights to all English Premier League matches, so any Apple deal for the Premier League's broadcasting rights would necessarily fall short of the exclusivity deal the company successfully negotiated with MLS. Asked if this meant that Apple was disinterested in the rights to UEFA or the Premier League, Cue said:

I never say no to anything without knowing more specific [information]. But, in general, are we going to sign something, any league, that is to a specific country or small a subset of countries? I highly doubt we would ever do that. I can't see a scenario in which we would want to invest and do that because we're not a typical distributor, we're not just trying to fill in some gaps that we have.

This [MLS deal] is our number one thing, and we want it to be a huge success. If we were going to do something else it wasn't because it would be number two, it's because it would be another number one around it and we would want it to be, so I think that's the difference that we have.

Apple has been pursuing sports content in an effort to attract new viewers to the ‌Apple TV‌+ streaming service. The company has signed deals with Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer, which is currently available on ‌Apple TV‌+ via an MLS Season Pass priced at $14.99 per month or $99 per season. Apple has also reportedly expressed interest in acquiring an NBA streaming package.

‌Apple TV‌+ is also the home of hit sports comedy drama "Ted Lasso," in which an American college football coach is hired to coach an English soccer team.

Apple has asked its suppliers to develop "bezelless" OLED display panels for future iPhone models, The Elec reports.

Apple apparently asked Samsung and LG Display to develop the new OLED display panels, intending to implement them while maintaining the iPhone's current design, in contrast to the curved displays that some smartphone brands with ultra-slim bezels offer. Apple is reportedly reluctant to implement a display that curves over the side of the iPhone due to concerns about optical distortion and durability.

Apple purportedly wants the bezelless displays to facilitate improved thin film encapsulation (TFE) and under-panel camera (UPC) technology, as well as increase space for components like antennas while reducing interference. Retaining a design with a flat display reportedly enables these improvements, where they would otherwise currently be impossible with a curved display.

Overall, this suggests that Apple is currently planning to offer the bezelless OLED display as soon as the iPhone 17 Pro in 2025, since this device is rumored to be the first to feature under-display Face ID technology, sitting alongside a hole-shaped cutout for the front-facing camera. Likewise, Apple is likely targeting a release date sometime before its own custom microLED display technology makes its way to the iPhone. Apple's first device with a custom microLED display is expected to be the 2025 Apple Watch Ultra, with various reports suggesting that the iPhone will be soon to follow in subsequent years.

Apple plans to reduce the iPhone's bezel over time until there is no bezel at all upon utilizing the next-generation OLED panels from Samsung and LG. This year's iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models are expected to have the thinnest bezels of any smartphone to date at just 1.55mm.

This year's new Apple Watch Ultra will be lighter than the current model, according to a rumor posted on Chinese social media site Weibo.

The user, known as "Setsuna Digital" or "Instant Digital," claims that this year's new Apple Watch Ultra will have a reduced weight compared to its predecessor. The current model weighs 61.3 grams, substantially more than the 32 grams of the 41mm aluminum Apple Watch Series 8.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently said that the second-generation Apple Watch Ultra will feature 3D-printed mechanical parts. The components could include the Digital Crown, Side Button, and Action Button, as these are the only mechanical parts of the Apple Watch Ultra. These titanium parts are currently CNC machined. It is unclear whether the 3D printing technology will assist Apple in reducing the weight of the Apple Watch Ultra, but it is expected to improve production time and reduce costs.

Setsuna Digital has provided accurate insights into Apple's plans in the past, such as their accurate claim that Apple would make the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus available in a new Yellow color option in the spring.

Apple is widely rumored to be planning to launch the second-generation Apple Watch Ultra alongside the Apple Watch Series 9 models later this year, but little is known about what upgrades the devices may feature other than a new chip based on the A15 Bionic.

Spotify is increasing its Premium plan to $10.99 per month, up from $9.99, the company has announced. The price hike applies to users in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and several other regions and territories.

"So that we can keep innovating, we are changing our Premium prices across a number of markets around the world," the company said in a post announcing the changes. "These updates will help us continue to deliver value to fans and artists on our platform."

In addition to increasing the Premium subscription price, the cost of the Duo plan is set to increase from $12.99 to $14.99, the Family plan will increase from $15.99 to $16.99, and the Student plan will increase from $4.99 to $5.99.

Spotify said existing subscribers in affected markets would receive an email explaining what this means for their account. Existing subscribers will get a one month grace period before the new pricing takes effect, according to a company FAQ.

The price increases aren't all that surprising given the recent subscription hikes of rival music streaming services. Apple Music prices increased in October, increasing for individuals by $1 a month to $10.99, or by $10 for the annual plan, which costs $109 a year. ‌Apple Music‌ for families also went up by $2 a month to $16.99. Apple raised the price of ‌‌Apple Music‌‌ due to increased licensing costs that provide more money to artists and songwriters, the company said at the time.

More recently, Amazon Music and YouTube Music Premium have also increased their prices, in both cases by adding $1 to their individual standard monthly subscription plans, which now stand at $10.99.

The Spotify price increases will be applied to the following countries: Andorra, Albania, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Croatia, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Serbia, Sweden, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, San Marino, Thailand, Türkiye, United States, Kosovo.

Apple is "considering" raising the price for both Pro models in its upcoming iPhone 15 series, according to Bloomberg.

Citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, the report claims that despite a projected decline in the overall smartphone market, Apple plans to increase its overall revenue by raising the price of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

This isn't the first time we've heard suggestions that Apple could hike the price of its forthcoming Pro models. A rumor in May claimed that since the ‌iPhone 15‌ and ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus will gain a number of features currently exclusive to the Pro models, such as Dynamic Island and the 48-megapixel camera, Apple sees even more of a need to separate the Pro and non-Pro devices in terms of pricing this year.

The price increase was also predicted in March by Jeff Pu, a tech analyst at Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities.

The iPhone 14 Pro and ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max start at $999 and $1,099, meaning that any price increase would put both high-end iPhone models north of $1,000 for the first time.

Apple is expected to announce the ‌iPhone 15‌ series in September, although supplies for the Pro models could be constrained. All four devices are rumored to feature a USB-C port, the Dynamic Island, and a slightly more curved frame, while several additional features and changes are rumored for the Pro models.

Apple is asking suppliers to produce about 85 million units of the iPhone 15 this year, which is roughly in line with the year before, according Bloomberg's report.

Twitter has rebranded as "X" worldwide, under the direction of owner Elon Musk. An "interim" logo featuring a white X on a black background has replaced the original blue bird logo on the platform, signaling the billionaire's intention to transform the social media network into an "everything app" similar to China's WeChat.

Musk on Sunday changed his profile picture to the new logo and added to his bio "X.com," which redirects to a brief "X" splash screen on Twitter's homepage. In a tweet on Monday morning, Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino said "X is here! Let's do this." Musk later shared an image of the new X branding projected onto the side of Twitter's headquarters in San Francisco.

Twitter's official legal entity name was registered as X Corp when the company was acquired in October 2022 by Musk, who has since been referring to it as "X" or "an accelerant to creating X," but the customer-facing avian branding had hitherto survived.

The social media platform has been called Twitter since its launch in March 2006, and its About page still says the blue bird logo is "our most recognizable asset" and "That's why we're so protective of it."

Regardless, Musk believes the replacement "should have been done a long time ago." His penchant for the letter X is evident elsewhere, for example in his SpaceX and X.Ai company names. X.com was also the name of the online bank Musk co-founded, before it merged with Confinity to eventually become PayPal.

According to Platformer's Zoe Schiffer, Musk sent an email last night to Twitter employees telling them the company would publicly become known as X, and that it was the last time he would email from a Twitter address.

In a Sunday tweet, Yaccarino suggested X would be powered by AI and offer users "unlimited interactivity – centered in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking – creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities... X will connect us all in ways we're just beginning to imagine."

"Tweets" are to be replaced, according to Musk, and posts will be called "x's". As of writing, the service still appears as Twitter in the official app, but expect that to also change soon.

Apple retail store staff will soon be able to offer customers home delivery during the ordering process, rather than them having to carry purchased products home.

Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that the EasyPay machines Apple salespeople use when processing in-store product purchases are set to include an option for home shipping for the first time.

Not only will the new option make it more convenient for shoppers buying bulky products like an iMac or Mac Pro, it also means that if an item is out of stock, the store can still book the sale and avoid situations where customers leave empty-handed to look elsewhere.

Currently, Apple store staff are only able to help customers order larger or out-of-stock products online via Apple's website using a shop floor demo Mac or iPad, or by going onto the web themselves using their EasyPay device.

Gurman believes the new option could be effective in reducing the physical space required for stock in future stores. He also suggests the move could aid Apple's retail sales strategy for its Vision Pro headset, which will be complicated by the many different custom combinations of head bands, light seals, and prescription lens inserts.

If any aspect of the customer's required Vision Pro setup is out of stock at the store, the missing part can be shipped directly to them, thereby avoiding a potential no-sale.

According to a memo sent to retail store staff, the new program is called EasyPay Online Ordering and will roll out in early August.