MacRumors

Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after the launch of the second betas.

Registered developers are able to download the iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 updates over-the-air after installing the appropriate profile from the Developer Center. Going forward, beta updates will not require a profile and will instead be done directly on device through an Apple ID linked to a developer account.

iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 add new emoji characters, including shaking head, pink heart, light blue heart, donkey, moose, jellyfish, hyacinth, ginger, black bird, and more. There are 31 new emoji in total, including left and right hand options in several skin tones.

Safari Web Push notifications have been added on the iPhone and iPad, and you can receive them from websites that have been added to the Home Screen on your device. Web Push notifications are identical to the notifications that you get from websites on the Mac, and behave like any other iOS notification.

Third-party browsers like Chrome are now able to let users add websites and websites to the ‌Home Screen‌, and Apple has reintroduced the HomeKit architecture upgrade. There are also changes to Podcasts, minor updates to Apple Music, new options for Shortcuts, a reintroduced page turning animation for Apple Books, and more, with a full list of new features in iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 available in our features guide.

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming watchOS 9.4 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software update coming one week after launch of the second beta.

To install the watchOS 9.4 update, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center.

Once installed, ‌watchOS 9.4 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update. To update to new software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it has to be placed on the charger, and it will need to be in range of the ‌iPhone‌ it is paired with.

watchOS 9.4 gains support for new emoji characters that include donkey, goose, black bird, shaking head, hyacinth, pea pod, and more, with 31 new characters available in total.

Through iOS 16.4, the update adds support for Web Push notifications that are sent to an iPhone, with the notifications able to be set up for a website that is added to the iPhone's Home Screen.

watchOS 9.4 will go through several rounds of beta testing, and it is expected to see a launch in the spring alongside iOS 16.4.

Augmented reality gaming company Niantic today announced that its newest title, Peridot, is set to launch on Tuesday, May 9. Peridot is a virtual pet game, in the theme of Tamagotchi.

Like Niantic's other games, this is an augmented reality title that encourages you to take your pets for walks in the real world, where you can collect items, discover new places, and take photos. The game syncs with the Health app to allow players to earn walking distance when the app is closed.

Discover the fantastical world of Peridot, a real-world adventure pet game where you raise, care for, and breed one-of-a-kind adorable creatures. After thousands of years of slumber, Peridots are waking to a vastly different world than the one they lived in, and need our help to protect them from extinction. Develop an emotional connection with these creatures while exploring the world together as you raise them to adulthood and work with other players to re-diversify their species.

Players can raise a Peridot or "Dot" from birth, feeding them, playing with them, teaching them tricks, and otherwise meeting their needs to help them grow. In addition to exploring places in the real world and uncovering items, there is a breeding element that can unlock new Peridot archetypes.

Players can work together to expand the available Peridot species, and Niantic says there are "infinite possibilities of Peridot archetypes." The Dots themselves will be modeled after existing animals and mythological creatures, such as cheetahs, dragons, unicorns, and more.

Niantic first announced Peridot last spring, so the game has been in development for more than a year. Niantic is best known for its development of Pokémon GO, but the company also developed Ingress and the now defunct Harry Potter: Wizards Unite game that did not ultimately prove to be popular with users. Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was shut down on January 31, 2022.

iPhone and iPad users who are interested in Peridot can pre-register for it on the App Store as of today. The game is free to download, but there will be "Gemstones" as a purchasable in-app currency. [Direct Link]

Sonos today announced new Era 300 and Era 100 smart speakers following multiple leaks. In addition to Bluetooth 5.0, both speakers support AirPlay 2 for wirelessly streaming audio from Apple devices like the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.

The higher-end Era 300 speaker features an hourglass design with six class-D digital amplifiers, four tweeters, two woofers, USB-C line in, and a far-field microphone array with beamforming and multi-channel echo cancellation. Era 300 is the first Sonos speaker capable of multi-channel surround sound when used as rear speakers in a home theater system, and features Trueplay technology for automatic EQ optimizations.

The lower-end Era 100 is the successor to the Sonos One speaker and features a cylindrical design with three class-D digital amplifiers, two tweeters, and one woofer. Like the Era 300, it has USB-C line in, a far-field microphone array, and Trueplay.

Sonos also announced that it will be adding support for Apple Music's spatial audio feature. Apple Music subscribers will be able to listen to spatial audio tracks on the Era 300, as well as the Arc and second-generation Beam sound bars, starting March 28.

Both speakers can be pre-ordered now and will be available globally starting March 28, with U.S. pricing set at $449 and $249, respectively.

Verizon has returned with the first discount on the AirPods Pro 2 that we've tracked in about a month, marking the headphones down to $199.99, from $249.00. This remains the best price on the AirPods Pro 2 that we've seen so far in 2023, with the previous sale coming from Amazon.

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

As of now, only Verizon is offering the AirPods Pro 2 at this price. You can also get free two-day shipping on orders over $49 if you live within the contiguous United States. Additionally, if your local Verizon store has stock, there's the option of picking up the AirPods Pro 2 in store.

Apple's AirPods Pro 2 earphones feature better noise-canceling technology than the previous generation, improved Transparency mode, and an H2 chip. Overall, the earphones are similar in design to the original AirPods Pro, featuring a rounded design with silicone ear tips and a short stem.

We track sales for every model of the AirPods in our Best AirPods Deals guide, so be sure to bookmark that page while you shop around for the wireless headphones. 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.

Alongside the Yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus and new selection of Silicone Cases, Apple today released 19 new Apple Watch bands offering a range of fresh color options, including a new "Casaque" line for Apple Watch Hermès.

The new Apple Watch band colors are as follows, with slightly different new options available depending on the type of band:

Apple's collaboration with French fashion brand Hermès for high-end Apple Watch bands and AirTag accessories was also refreshed today, introducing a new "Hermès Casaque" line, featuring three patterened Apple Watch bands made of nylon or leather:

Inspired by the bold jerseys worn by horse jockeys, these bands strike the perfect balance between sophistication and sportiness.

Nine new Apple Watch Hermès bands join the lineup:

The AirTag Hermès Bag Charm is also now available in Bambou and Rose Azalée, while the AirTag Hermès Key Ring is available in Bambou, Rose Azalée, Montagne, and Voiture.

In tandem with its new Yellow color option for iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus models, Apple has made its silicone cases for the iPhone 14 series available in four new colors, including Canary Yellow, Olive, Sky, and Iris.

The new cases are being made available for iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max, and they can be purchased from Apple's online store for $49 or at Apple's retail stores.

Apple regularly refreshes the available colors of its case options designed for the iPhone, and this latest spring update comes alongside the announcement of a new Yellow color option for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.

The new iPhone case colors are available to order in-store now, with online orders arriving Thursday, March 9 at the earliest.

Alongside the new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus in Yellow, Apple today announced that the Emergency SOS via Satellite feature will be available in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal later this month.

The feature allows iPhone 14 models to connect to a Globalstar satellite, enabling users to send text messages to emergency services when outside the range of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. Apple warns that foliage or other obstructions can result in messages taking longer to send or failing to send, and satellite connectivity might not work in places above 62° latitude. The service is free for two years after activating an iPhone 14.

Emergency SOS via Satellite first launched in November in the U.S. and Canada and requires an iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, or iPhone 14 Pro Max. The service became available in France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK in December.

As rumors suggested, Apple today announced a new Yellow color option for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, as well as four new Silicone Case colors.

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus in Yellow will be available for pre-order on Friday, March 10, with availability starting on Tuesday, March 14. There are no new color options for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Apple's press release reads:

Apple today announced a new yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, adding even more color choices to the lineup this spring. Beautifully designed and built to last, iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus have a durable Ceramic Shield front cover, an updated internal design for better sustained performance and easier repairs, and amazing battery life — with iPhone 14 Plus offering the longest battery life of any iPhone ever. Both models include a dual-camera system for stunning photos and videos, the powerful A15 Bionic chip, and innovative safety capabilities including Emergency SOS via satellite and Crash Detection.

The new Yellow shade joins the iPhone and iPhone 14 Plus's existing Midnight, Starlight, (PRODUCT)RED, Blue, and Purple color options. Apple last offered a Yellow color option for the iPhone in 2019 with the iPhone 11, which came just one year after the Yellow iPhone XR.

Apple usually introduces new iPhone color options in the spring to boost sales midway through the device's product cycle. Last March, Apple introduced a new Green color for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini, and a new Alpine Green color for the iPhone 13 Pro models. In April 2021, Apple made the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini available in Purple.

Apple added that four new colors will also be available for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus Silicone Cases, including Canary Yellow, Olive, Sky, and Iris.

Apple was easily the most popular smartphone brand last year, with eight of its iPhone models featuring in a list of 10 best-selling smartphones.

That's according to Counterpoint Research's Global Monthly Handset Model Sales Tracker, which establishes Apple as the first brand to occupy so many spots in its top 10. The remaining two spots were taken by Samsung.

According to the report, Apple's iPhone 13 was the best-selling smartphone of 2022, contributing 28% of iPhone sales and achieving best-selling smartphone status in major markets such as China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Counterpoint's data suggests that the iPhone 13 remained the number one smartphone each month from its launch in September 2021 until August 2022, with price cuts after the launch of the iPhone 14 further driving iPhone 13 sales in developing markets.

Compared to the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which was the second best-selling smartphone of 2022, twice as many iPhone 13 models were sold, underlining the device's broad popularity across markets. With reference to the iPhone 14 Pro Max, the report notes that:

For the first time, a Pro Max variant of an iPhone series drove more volume than its Pro and base models in 2022. It helped the iPhone 14 Pro Max to capture the third spot in the 2022 list. It was the top-selling smartphone model for September, October and November of 2022. The iPhone 14 Pro Max sales were led by early adopters and those upgrading to a higher iPhone variant.

Elsewhere, robust sales in the U.S., Japan, and China saw the iPhone 12 – the best-selling smartphone of 2021 – hold sixth spot above the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, despite being the oldest Apple handset in the list. The iPhone SE (2022) meanwhile took the tenth spot, with strong sales in Japan giving it a boost.

Lastly, Samsung's two spots on the list include its entry-level Galaxy A13 as the fourth best-selling smartphone, and the Galaxy A03, which rounded off the top 10. That's one more spot in the list than the Korean company achieved the previous year.

"We believe the share of the top 10 smartphones will increase in 2023 as brands focus on clearing inventory and optimizing their launches," said Counterpoint analysts Harshit Rastogi and Karn Chauhan. "We also expect brands to continue making their portfolios leaner in 2023 to minimize cannibalization. The number of active smartphone models in the global market has already fallen from over 4,200 in 2021 to around 3,600 in 2022."

In 2023, Apple continues to sell the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 alongside the iPhone 14 series and the third-generation iPhone SE, underlining the continuing popularity of its older models among new and returning customers.

Apple's standard iPhone 15 models will not be equipped with an LPTO display, suggesting that the devices will continue to lack ProMotion support and an always-on display option like Apple's Pro models have.

Last year's iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models used updated low-power display backlighting that supports ProMotion refresh rates that range from 1Hz to 120Hz. The refresh rate of the display adapts to what's happening on-screen, with lower rates used for static content and higher rates reserved for motion like games and video for a smoother, more responsive experience.

According to an industry source cited by news aggregator account "yeux1122" on the Korean Naver blog, just like last year, only the Pro models in the iPhone 15 series will be equipped with the LPTO panels required for ProMotion, indicating that the feature will remain exclusive to Apple's higher-end models. From the machine-translated blog post:

Apple is said to have already made arrangements to deliver iPhone 15 series display panels to domestic companies, and will soon finalize details and prepare for mass production. What is confirmed here is that only the Pro Series will have a specification that supports LTPO 120 refresh rate, with the basic regular Plus model not having it in its requirements.

If accurate, unfortunately this means that the always-on display option will also remain a Pro-exclusive feature, since it is the 1Hz refresh rate capability of the updated LPTO panels that enables an idle Lock Screen to stay visible without significantly impacting battery.

The Naver blog's industry source corroborates the thinking of respected display analyst Ross Young, who in September 2022 said that while he expects Dynamic Island to feature on all iPhone 15 models, production scale constraints will likely prohibit Apple from bringing LPTO panels to the entire iPhone 15 series.

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple's China-based supplier BOE, which has won orders for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, will not have production capacity for mass shipments of LTPO displays for high-end iPhones until 2024 at the earliest.

On the plus side, all iPhone 15 models will be equipped with a more power-efficient OLED display driver chip manufactured based on a 28nm process, compared to 40nm for current models, according to one report. The primary benefit of the 28nm chip would be reduced power consumption, which could contribute to longer battery life for iPhone 15 models.

For the latest rumors about the iPhone 15 lineup, read our roundups linked below.

Apple's next-generation 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models will both be equipped with an M3 chip, according to 9to5Mac sources. The report claims that Apple is also planning to release an updated version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 chip.

The unannounced M3 chip will have an 8-core CPU like the M2 chip, according to the report, but the chip is expected to be manufactured based on TSMC's latest 3nm process for further performance and power efficiency improvements. The M2 chip and its higher-end Pro and Max variants are built on TSMC's second-generation 5nm process.

The report doesn't indicate when the trio of MacBooks will be announced, but speculates that WWDC 2023 in June would be an ideal time for Apple to announce the M3 chip and the first Macs powered by the chip. Apple introduced the existing MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro alongside the M2 chip at WWDC 2022 last year.

On Sunday, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said it was "plausible" that at least the new 13-inch MacBook Air would be equipped with the M3 chip. He said that Apple would likely launch both the 13-inch and 15-inch models "between late spring and summer."

There have been conflicting reports about whether the new MacBook Airs will be equipped with the M2 chip or the M3 chip and when they will be released. Just hours ago, display industry analyst Ross Young reiterated his expectation that the 15-inch MacBook Air will launch in April, but timing remains a question mark at this point.

Apple's rumored announcement of at least one new iPhone 14 color option is "imminent," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said today in a tweet.

It was rumored last week that Apple plans to make the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus available in a new Yellow finish. Multiple sources informed MacRumors that Apple's PR team is planning a product briefing with reporters this Tuesday, March 7, which could be related to the launch of a new iPhone color, but we have not confirmed the topic.

Apple often introduces new iPhone colors in the spring to boost sales midway through the product cycle. On Tuesday, March 8 of 2022, Apple introduced a new Green color for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini, and a new Alpine Green color for the iPhone 13 Pro models. In April 2021, Apple made the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini available in Purple.

The new iPhone 14 color option would likely be announced with a press release on the Apple Newsroom website on Tuesday morning, potentially alongside the introduction of new iPhone case and Apple Watch band colors for the spring.

Apple first launched the iPhone 14 series last September. The new color would be purely a cosmetic change, with the hardware otherwise remaining the same. The new iPhone 15 lineup is expected to be announced in around six months from now.

Samsung in February launched the Galaxy S23 Ultra, its newest flagship smartphone. The S23 Ultra is a lot like the S22 Ultra, but it has a 200-megapixel wide-angle camera lens that supports 8K video capture. Given that the S23 Ultra is a direct competitor to Apple's iPhone 14 Pro Max, we thought we'd take a look at both smartphones to see how they compare.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is a 6.8-inch smartphone with an OLED display, so it's fairly similar to the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max. Samsung is using a pinhole cutout for the front-facing camera, though, so there is more available display area on the S23 Ultra since it doesn't have a notch. Both support 120Hz maximum refresh rates, but the smoothing looks more dramatic on the S23 Ultra

Samsung is using a more squared off design with slim bezels, so these two smartphones don't look much alike. It has less curve on the display than the prior-generation model, and even though it's large, the flat display and the straight frame make it comfortable to hold. There's also an S-Pen stylus that can be used with it, which Apple does not offer. The S-Pen is handy for note taking, but it's more of a niche feature than something that is widely appealing to all users.

At the back, there's a triple-lens camera setup and Samsung has introduced a 200-megapixel wide-angle lens while the iPhone 14 Pro Max has a 48-megapixel lens. With high-end smartphones, it's often difficult to choose a clear winner in terms of image quality, and it comes down to a preference for the color temperature and built-in editing that smartphone manufacturers do.

When it comes to video quality, Apple's iPhones usually win out, but Samsung has made some improvements this year. The 8K video is impressive, and there are notable boosts in stabilization on the Galaxy S23. It's much harder to tell the difference in video quality between the two smartphones with the S23 Ultra.

Main lens photos look fantastic on both phones in good lighting conditions, despite the difference in megapixels. You can choose from 50 or 200 megapixels when using the S23 Ultra, and you'll get more detail, but at the cost of storage space. The ultra wide lenses are also comparable, but Samsung is the clear winner when it comes to zoom capabilities. The Galaxy S23 Ultra has 10x optical zoom and up to 100x digital zoom, though it stops looking great after about 30x. Apple's iPhone 14 Pro Max tops out at 3x optical zoom, though that's set to change with the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Portrait mode on both smartphones is impressive. The S23 seems to do better with details in shots with people and it has better background blur, but it can be too soft. The iPhone is better at skin tone.

At the end of the day, operating system preference matters much more than feature set for smartphones at this level. If you're an iOS user, you're probably not going to want to swap over to Android, and vice versa, regardless of how many eye-catching features are offered.

What do you think of Samsung's S23 Ultra? Which smartphone photos do you prefer? Let us know in the comments below.

Apple's rumored 15-inch MacBook Air is still on track to launch in April, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants. Young has a very good track record with display-related information about future Apple products.

Last month, Young said Apple's supply chain had started production of display panels for a new 15-inch MacBook Air, which would be the largest display size ever offered for the laptop. At the time, Young said he expected this MacBook Air to be released in early April, and he reiterated that timeframe in a brief tweet today.

If the 15-inch MacBook Air launches in April, there is still a chance of an announcement and pre-orders being sooner. Apple often announces new products in March, but it did hold an April event in 2021, so both months are possibilities.

The existing 13-inch MacBook Air with the M2 chip launched in July 2022 after being announced at WWDC a month earlier. It's still not entirely clear if the 15-inch model would be equipped with the M2 chip or the M3 chip, as rumors have conflicted. Last year, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that a 15-inch MacBook with M2 and M2 Pro chip options would be released in the second quarter of 2023, potentially without Air branding.

Apple has normally reserved larger display sizes for the MacBook Pro, so a 15-inch MacBook Air could provide customers with more screen real estate at a lower price point. The laptop would also have a larger chassis, allowing for a bigger battery.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects both 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models to launch between late spring and summer.

In 2021, Apple introduced a feature that lets residents of participating U.S. states add their driver's license or ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age.

Unfortunately, states have been slow to adopt the feature since it was first announced in September 2021, with Wallet app IDs only supported in Arizona, Colorado, and Maryland so far. Apple shared a list of additional states committed to supporting the feature in the future, but none of the states in the list have revealed any plans yet.

Which U.S. states support the feature?

• Arizona (as of March 2022)
• Maryland (as of May 2022)
• Colorado (as of November 2022)

Which U.S. states are committed to supporting the feature?

In March 2022, Apple said the additional nine states listed below would "soon" allow residents to add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app, but it's unclear exactly when each state plans to roll out support for the feature.

• Connecticut
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Iowa
• Kentucky
• Mississippi
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Utah

Apple said the feature would also be supported in Puerto Rico.

In 2021, Apple Wallet VP Jennifer Bailey said the company was "already in discussions with many more states" and working to offer the feature nationwide in the future. Apple has yet to announce any plans to expand the feature to other countries.

Note that some states like Florida and Louisiana offer iPhone driver's licenses through their own state-operated apps, separate from this Wallet app feature.

Where can IDs in the Wallet app be used?

Driver's licenses and state ID cards stored in the Wallet app can currently be used at select TSA checkpoints within select U.S. airports:

• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
• Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
• Denver International Airport (DEN)

Apple says travelers should refer to TSA checkpoint signage to confirm availability of the feature.

For more details about IDs in the Wallet app, read our previous coverage.

Apple today released tvOS 16.3.3, a bug fix update for the tvOS 16 operating system that originally came out in September. Available for the Apple TV 4K and ‌Apple TV‌ HD, tvOS 16.3.3 comes almost a month after tvOS 16.3.2.

The tvOS 16.3.3 update can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the ‌‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌‌ by going to System > Software Update. ‌‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌‌ owners who have automatic software updates turned on will be upgraded to ‌tvOS 16.3.3 automatically. Note that this update is only for the third-generation ‌Apple TV‌ 4K.

tvOS updates are usually minor in scale, focusing on internal bug fixes and improvements rather than notable outward-facing changes. According to Apple's release notes, this update fixes an issue that could cause the Siri Remote to not work with the third-generation ‌Apple TV‌ 4K.

This update fixes an issue where the Siri Remote can become unresponsive on Apple TV 4K (3rd generation).

Apple shares information on tvOS releases in its tvOS support document, which is updated after each tvOS launch.