MacRumors

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro's USB-C port and accompanying charging cables will feature a Lightning-like authenticator chip, potentially limiting their functionality with Apple-unapproved accessories, a rumor shared on Weibo suggests.

The rumor declares that Apple has developed its own variant of USB-C for this year's iPhone 15 lineup and comes from a user who claims to be an integrated circuit expert with 25 years of experience working on Intel's Pentium processors.

Integrated circuit (IC) interfaces are semiconductor chips used to manage the sharing of information between devices. Since their introduction in 2012, first-party and MFi-certified Lightning ports and connectors contain a small IC that confirms the authenticity of the parts involved in the connection. Non-MFi-certified third-party charging cables, for example, do not feature this chip, often leading to "This accessory is not supported" warnings on connected Apple devices.

The authenticator chip allows Apple to encourage customers to buy genuine iPhone peripherals and receive a commission on MFi-certified accessories, but it also allows Apple to tackle counterfeit and potentially dangerous accessories.

The latest rumor seems to suggest that Apple has developed a similar custom IC for the USB-C ports on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, and presumably its charging cables. As well as the iPhone 15 lineup, the new IC is apparently destined for new MFi-certified peripherals.

It is worth noting that the USB-C interface currently used by Apple in the 10th-generation iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro, do not contain an IC chip for authentication, meaning that this would be a first for ports of this kind offered by the company.

It is unclear if this addition could have any major implications for the functionality of the new devices, but it is possible that Apple could limit features like fast charging and high-speed data transfer to Apple and MFi-certified cables.

According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will remain limited to USB 2.0 speeds – the same as Lightning. Only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models will apparently get faster transfer speeds. As a result, the only major difference between Lightning and USB-C on the standard iPhone 15 models could simply be the physical shape of the connector.

The report is particularly believable since this would effectively mirror the split between the entry-level ‌iPad‌ and the ‌iPad Pro‌. While both ‌iPad‌ models feature a USB-C port, the 10th-generation ‌iPad‌ is limited to USB 2.0 speeds of up to 480 Mbps, while the ‌iPad Pro‌ offers fully fledged Thunderbolt speeds up to 40 Gbps.

Uber is adding CarPlay support to its Driver app, allowing the iPhone app to be accessed from a vehicle's dashboard display, according to TechCrunch. The report says CarPlay integration should be available to all Uber drivers in the U.S. by the end of the month.

As on the iPhone, the CarPlay version of the app allows Uber drivers to view a map with surge pricing areas, navigate with turn-by-turn directions, view and accept trips, add rides to their queue, view if their status is set to online or offline, and more.

Uber competitor Lyft also offers CarPlay support for its Driver app.

Apple today shared a new support document explaining how to accept iCloud terms and conditions for an Apple TV without owning an iPhone or iPad.

Apple says customers who do not have an iPhone running iOS 16 or later or an iPad running iPadOS 16 or later can accept the new terms and conditions on the iCloud.com website. The support document outlines the steps to take:

1. Go to iCloud.com, then sign in with your Apple ID.
2. If necessary, follow the prompts to review and update your account settings.
3. Review and agree to iCloud Terms and Conditions.

Last month, Google employee Chris Koch said he was unable to accept the new iCloud terms and conditions for his Apple TV since he did not own an iPhone, iPad, or any other Apple device. He noted that he tried signing into iCloud.com at the time, but said he was not prompted to accept any new terms and conditions on the website.

While it's a simple workaround, Apple evidently felt this issue was worth addressing in a support document after Koch's tweet received nearly one million views. In a follow-up tweet, Koch said signing out of his Apple ID account under Settings → Users and Accounts → [Name] → iCloud and then signing back in led him to be prompted to accept the new iCloud terms and conditions directly on his Apple TV, with no other device needed.

Update February 10: Apple has pulled the support document for unknown reasons.

Apple today added refurbished iPad mini 6 and 2021 iPad Pro models to its online refurbished store, offering the tablets at a discounted price for the first time.

Pricing on the iPad mini 6 starts at $419 for the 64GB model, an $80 discount off of the original $499 starting price tag. Apple is offering multiple color options, with a 256GB model also available for $549, a $100 discount.

The ‌iPad mini‌ 6 initially came out in September 2021, and it features an edge-to-edge display and iPad Air-like design with Touch ID power button. It measures in at 7.9 inches and is Apple's smallest tablet option.

Pricing on the refurbished third-generation 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $639 for 128GB of storage, while pricing on the fifth-generation 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ starts at $889, also for 128GB of storage. Space Gray and Silver color options are available, and there are higher storage tiers and cellular ‌iPad Pro‌ models at discounted prices as well.

The 11-inch and 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ models that Apple added to the refurbished store today were initially introduced in 2021 and they feature prior-generation M1 chips. Apple in October 2022 refreshed the ‌iPad Pro‌ lineup, introducing M2 chips.

Supplies of the refurbished ‌iPad‌ models will shift over time as Apple adds new devices and as devices sell out, so those wanting a specific configuration or color may want to check back often.

Refurbished products from Apple are almost identical to new products, and are subject to a refurbishment process that includes full functionality testing. Refurbished products are eligible for AppleCare+ and have the same 14-day return period as new Apple devices.

(Thanks, Dave!)

It has been 30 years since popular puzzle game Myst first came out, and to celebrate the anniversary, developer Cyan today announced the launch of a new remastered "Myst Mobile" game that is available for the iPhone and the iPad.

As our sister site TouchArcade notes, there was a prior version of the original Myst game available for iOS devices all the way back in 2009, but this is an updated version that is free to download and play.

Myst can be played on devices that have an A12 chip or later, or an M1 or M2 chip. Cyan says that the game has been optimized for ‌M1‌ devices and runs supercharged on ‌M2‌ chips in particular, with graphics that rival console graphics. The game supports keyboards and trackpads, as well as gamepads.

All of Myst Island is accessible for no cost, and those who want to play more can unlock the Ages beyond Myst Island add-on for a one-time purchase of $14.99. There is a launch promotion right now that drops the price down to $9.99.

Myst Mobile can be downloaded from the App Store starting today. [Direct Link]

Repair site iFixit today tore apart the second-generation HomePod that Apple began selling last week, sharing a video teardown of the device and testing its repairability.

The ‌HomePod‌ 2 looks very similar to the original ‌HomePod‌, but Apple has given it a more repairable design that uses less adhesive. With the original ‌HomePod‌, iFixit had to resort to special cutting tools, but the new version does not have as much glue and it is easier to open it up.

There are no major surprises inside the ‌HomePod‌, with iFixit locating the S7 processor, LEDs that show through the display at the top, a large internal woofer, amplifier board, heat sink, power supply, and five tweeters.

The look at the woofer is interesting because iFixit is able to demonstrate just how much it's moving even when the volume isn't maxed out. With all of the audio components removed, the humidity and temperature sensor is visible at the bottom of the ‌HomePod‌. It is the exact same sensor that's in the HomePod mini.

Overall, iFixit said that the ‌HomePod‌ 2 was surprisingly easy to dismantle simply because Apple removed all of the excess adhesive. Those who want to repair their own HomePods should be able to do so.

Apple's App Store policies may be violating Japanese antitrust law, according to a new report from the Japan Fair Trade Commission (FTC) that was shared by Nikkei. Japanese regulators do not believe there is enough "competitive pressure" on Apple and Google as the two companies have a duopoly in mobile operating systems and dominate the app market.

Japanese regulators want Apple and Google to allow users to choose third-party payment methods for apps and services, rather than forcing them to use the built-in purchase options in the ‌App Store‌ and Play Store. Google allows for third-party payment options for apps as of 2022, as does Apple in a very limited number of countries that have passed legislation calling for alternate payments.

The FTC suggested that app store commission rates between 15 and 30 percent could be an abuse of a dominant bargaining position. Apple in response said that a commission-based model was the best way to encourage development, while Google said that most developers are charged rates of 15 percent or less.

The two companies were also accused of manipulating search rankings to favor their own apps over competitors, which they denied.

The Japan FTC is calling for further regulation to suppress anti-competitive behavior, and said that it plans to work with the government council on digital competition on new laws. FTC head Ryota Inaba told Nikkei that the group will "respond strictly to any behavior found to violate antitrust law."

Today's report suggests that Japan could force Apple into accepting third-party payment options, something that it already does in South Korea after the country passed a law banning app store operators from forcing developers to use their billing systems. Apple has a similar allowance for dating apps in the Netherlands, allowing them to accept alternative payment methods after a dispute with the country's Authority for Consumers and Markets.

In Europe, 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, functionality expected as soon as iOS 17.

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's original HomePod became available to customers five years ago today. Over the years, the smart speaker faced several setbacks, including a delayed launch, poor reviews of Siri, reports of lackluster sales, and even a temporary discontinuation.

Apple first announced the HomePod at WWDC 2017 and planned to release the speaker in December of that year. However, the HomePod was ultimately delayed and ended up launching February 9, 2018, but only in the U.S., U.K., and Australia. Availability expanded to additional countries later that year, but the rollout was slow.

"HomePod is a magical new music experience from Apple," said Apple's former marketing chief Phil Schiller, in a February 2018 press release about the launch. "It brings advanced audio technologies like beam-forming tweeters, a high-excursion woofer and automatic spatial awareness, together with the entire Apple Music catalog and the latest Siri intelligence, in a simple, beautiful design that is so much fun to use."

The original HomePod received rave reviews for its sound quality, but opinions about Siri were far less favorable, as Apple's voice assistant had several shortcomings at the time. On the HomePod, Siri could not set multiple timers, lacked multi-user support, could not directly make and receive phone calls, could not answer as many questions as Amazon's Alexa or Google's Assistant, and had other limitations. Apple added many of these features to the HomePod with software updates over the following months and years.

While the HomePod's feature set gradually improved, multiple reports indicated that the speaker had lackluster sales and limited market share. Apple gave the HomePod a very rare price cut from $349 to $299 in April 2019 in an attempt to spur sales, but the device never became a runaway success and Apple ultimately discontinued it in March 2021 to focus its attention on the smaller HomePod mini that had launched four months earlier.

"HomePod mini has been a hit since its debut last fall, offering customers amazing sound, an intelligent assistant, and smart home control all for just $99," Apple explained at the time. "We are focusing our efforts on HomePod mini."

After the HomePod was discontinued, a niche market emerged for the speaker that resulted in the device fetching high resale prices on eBay.

Last month, Apple reversed course by introducing the second-generation HomePod with a virtually identical design as the original. The new HomePod has a larger backlit touch surface, five tweeters instead of seven, four microphones instead of six, an S7 chip instead of an A8 chip, a U1 chip for handing off music from an iPhone, and a new temperature and humidity sensor. The speaker launched last week and remains priced at $299.

Apple said it had "heard more interest than ever for the acoustics of a richer larger speaker," leading to the HomePod's return. Many reviewers said the new HomePod sounds largely the same as the original, and Siri has improved over the years, but it remains to be seen if the speaker will be any more successful than its predecessor.

Apple Music is the official sponsor of the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show taking place this Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Rihanna will be the headline singer at the show, and Apple is heavily promoting her upcoming performance.

At 9 a.m. Pacific Time, Apple Music Radio's Nadeska Alexis will interview Rihanna. A live stream is available in the Apple Music app.

Apple has also shared an iPhone wallpaper and Apple Watch face with Rihanna that can be downloaded in the Shazam app on a screen that pops up or by searching for Rihanna and tapping her concert page, but it is not appearing for all users. There are also new #AppleMusic and #AppleMusicHalftime hashflags with a pink Apple logo on Twitter.

Apple shared more ways that Rihanna fans can experience and celebrate her performance across Apple Music in a press release last month.

The Super Bowl kicks off at 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time on Sunday.

(Thanks, Chris Weaver!)

Verizon today has Apple's HomePod mini for $84.99 in all five colors, down from $99.99. As with all Verizon discounts, you don't need to be a Verizon Wireless customer to get this sale, and the retailer is offering free two day shipping.

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

At $15 off, this is the best price we've seen on the HomePod mini so far in 2023. Overall, it's a second-best price on the smart speaker, following a discount to $79.99 from various retailers back in November.

Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup. We track the best deals on HomePod every week too, so be sure to bookmark our guide if you're on the hunt for solid HomePod discounts.

Apple's senior director of iPhone product design Richard Dinh recently spoke with The Sydney Morning Herald's Tim Biggs about the design of the standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, including internal changes that simplify repairs.

iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are equipped with a removable back glass panel for easier repairs, making them the first models that can be opened from both the front and back sides of the device since the iPhone 4S. The change does not extend to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, which can still only be opened from the front side.

This new structural design with a central aluminum frame "helps to dissipate more heat across the entire surface more consistently," and the ability to access the logic board from either side of the device results in "improved repairability," according to Dinh.

iFixit's Kyle Wiens last year said the iPhone 14 represents "the most substantial iPhone redesign" since the iPhone X given the increased repairability. He added that the changes are "such a big deal that it should have been Apple's big announcement—the iPhone has been redesigned from the inside out to make it easier to repair."

Dinh also touched on Apple's approach to designing the standard iPhone models, noting that the company does not have any strict formula.

"We don't always follow a recipe, as much as maybe our customers would like to predict what we're going to go do next, but it always starts with the customer experience," he said, adding that "sometimes we do draw from the Pros because they're just incredible" and "sometimes we go do something different."

Popular old-school BitTorrent client Transmission is today celebrating its fourth major release, with a huge list of changes accompanying the update, including native Apple silicon support.

With Transmission 4, the client is no longer an Intel app that runs on Macs with M1 or M2 chips via Rosetta. It's now a universal binary, so it now runs natively on all Macs.

There are some UI design changes to match the latest version of macOS, and the developers have modernized the code by migrating from C90 to modern C++. Resource efficiency has also been improved, so the app now uses less memory and fewer CPU cycles.

New feature highlights include support for using BitTorrent v2 torrents and hybrid torrents, users can now set "default" trackers that can be used to announce all public torrents, and an option to omit potentially-identifying information (e.g. User-Agent and date created) when creating new torrents has been added.

Elsewhere, newly added seeds can now start immediately and verify pieces on demand, instead of needing a full verify before seeding can begin, and the web client has been rewritten to support mobile use. When creating new torrents, users can also now specify the piece size, and IPv6 blocklists are now supported.

"Transmission on macOS is a truly native and polished experience," reads the client's website. "This isn't some cross-platform app that treats macOS as an afterthought. With a sleek and simple interface, Transmission meets or exceeds Apple UI standards while using native features.

Transmission has one of the lowest memory and resource footprints of any major BitTorrent client. Its light overhead is one reason why it is so well suited for home NAS and media servers. Having been used by Western Digital, Zyxel and Belkin, Transmission gives truly impressive performance on almost any compatible hardware."

According to the developers, the open source, volunteer-based project is much more responsive to bug reports and code submissions than it has been in the past, with over 350 new community commits contributing to the release of Transmission 4.

Transmission 4 is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux, and can be downloaded for free from the Transmission website.

iPhone 14 Pro models feature a telephoto camera lens with 3x optical zoom, allowing users to take close-up photos of far-away objects without compromising quality.

Such telephoto features are limited to Apple's Pro models, but thanks the latest update to popular third-party camera app Halide, users with non-Pro iPhones can now also get in on the action.

Halide 2.11 comes with a new feature called Neural Telephoto, which adds virtual lenses to the app's interface that enhance details in shots by applying the same machine-learning that powers Halide's macro mode.

Normally, when you use digital zoom to enlarge an image area, the number of megapixels decrease, which lowers the quality of the image, resulting in blurry, jagged shots with visible pixels.

Neural Telephoto takes these shots and enhances them with its machine-learning system, providing much better results at a virtual 2x zoom, according to the app's developers.

Neural Telephoto shots are zoomed and enhanced using machine learning in HEIC and JPEG, but the feature also captures unedited, non-zoomed full RAW files. By default, Halide shoots in RAW and JPEG mode, which provides users with an unaltered RAW file along with a zoomed and enhanced JPEG file.

The feature is available now as a free update for all existing users. For new users, the Halide app is priced at $2.99 per month or $11.99 per year, or $49.99 as a one-time purchase.

Google today announced that its Maps app will support Live Activities in the coming months, providing iPhone users with access to turn-by-turn directions on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Live Activities integration will allow users to receive real-time ETAs and directions for driving, biking, walking, public transit, and other forms of navigation via Google Maps, without having to unlock their iPhone and open the app.

Introduced with iOS 16, Live Activities are essentially live notifications on the Lock Screen that make it easier to stay on top of real-time events, such as a sports game or a food delivery order. Live Activities also integrate with the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models, providing at-a-glance information at the top of the screen. Users can long press the Dynamic Island to open an expanded view with additional information.

Apple Maps has supported Live Activities since iOS 16 was released, while third-party apps have been able to support the feature since iOS 16.1.

Google has yet to share a screenshot showing what its Live Activity will look like.

Apple is hiring Carol Surface as its new chief people officer, with Surface set to report directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook, reports Bloomberg. Apple head of retail Deirdre O'Brien had been handling the "people" role, but Apple has now made a dedicated hire and has removed the duties from O'Brien.

While O'Brien will continue to be Apple's retail chief, Surface will lead the People team, which is known as Human Resources at most companies. That team at Apple is designed to help Apple connect with and care for its employees, handling talent development, recruiting, employee relations, benefits, compensation, inclusion and diversity, Apple University, and more.

Apple is hiring Surface from Medtronic, where she currently serves as Chief Human Resources Officer. She has been with Medtronic for over nine years, and also worked at Best Buy and Pepsi. Surface is set to start at Apple in March.

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.

Netflix today announced an expansion of its crackdown on password sharing, with the streaming service putting a stop to multi-household account use in Canada, New Zealand, Spain, and Portugal.

In these countries, people who share an account with those who do not live with them will need to pay for an "extra member." Prices are as follows:

• Canada - $7.99 CAD
• New Zealand - $7.99 NZD
• Portugal - 3.99 euros
• Spain - 5.99 euros

Prices are per person, with up to two additional people able to be added to an existing Netflix Standard or Premium plan. The extra price will provide each person with a profile, personalized recommendations, login, and password. Alternatively, people who share a Netflix account with someone outside of their household at the current time can transfer a profile to a separate paid Netflix account.

Netflix will require customers to set up a primary location, ensuring that anyone who lives in the household can use the Netflix account. Netflix says it will still be possible for subscribers to watch content while traveling, however. The Netflix website has little information on how travel works, and Netflix did not provide details when requested. Part of the process of blocking account sharing requires users to set a Primary Location, and in Canada, Netflix says that for people who have second homes or travel frequently to another location, the Netflix app must be opened on a mobile device while connected to the Wi-Fi network at the Primary Location once per month.

For members with second homes or who travel frequently, open the Netflix app on your mobile device(s) while connected to the Wi-Fi network at your primary location once a month and then when you arrive at the second location.

This suggests Netflix will require monthly checkins at a Primary Location for the streaming service to be accessible if you are not at home.

According to Netflix, more than 100 million households are sharing accounts, which impacts its "ability to invest in great new TV and films." The company says that a Netflix account is "intended for one household," a rule that the company first started enforcing last year.

Netflix has already been testing restrictions for multi-household account access in several countries in Latin America, and it said in a Q4 earnings results release that it plans to enforce rules against password sharing more broadly in 2023.

Password sharing rules will be enforced through IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity. So far, Netflix has not made any announcements in the United States, but the company is well aware that it will not be a "universally popular move," as it said it is anticipating "a bit of a cancel reaction" as the crackdown continues. Given that pricing for an additional person is $7.99 in New Zealand and Canada, Netflix could eventually implement a similar add-on price in the United States.

While the Netflix terms of service have never explicitly allowed for multi-household password sharing, Netflix looked the other way for so long that implementing fees for offering account access to friends and family is likely to upset some subscribers.

Netflix's plan pricing also doesn't help, as subscribers pay for watching on multiple devices. With the Premium plan, for example, Netflix provides Ultra HD 4K streaming and support for watching on four devices simultaneously, now with the caveat that everyone watching has to be in the same home.

iOS 16.3 appears to be impacting the iCloud Backup feature for some people who have upgraded to the new software, based on complaints on the MacRumors forums and the Apple Support communities.

Impacted users have seen automatic ‌iCloud‌ Backup disabled, and attempting to turn on automatic backups results in the following message: "An unknown error occurred. Please try again later." With the error message, the "Back Up This iPhone" toggle under Settings > Apple ID > ‌iCloud‌ remains deactivated.

iPhone owners who are experiencing this problem seem to still be able to manually activate an ‌iCloud‌ backup, but an iOS 16.3 bug appears to be preventing the setting from functioning as expected.

Some users were able to fix the problem by turning on two-factor authentication, leading to speculation that Apple is attempting to force people into using the extra authentication layer, but that does not seem to be the case. Two-factor authentication has not solved the problem for all users, and some people with two-factor authentication initially enabled have also had the same error. From one impacted user on the Apple Support Communities:

Same problem for me - iOS 16.3 on an iPhone and iPad - 2factor is turned on and have tried logging out and in of Apple ID and rebooting.

MacRumors reader GBstoic also complained that ‌iCloud‌ backup was not initially working after installing iOS 16.3, but that two devices were ultimately able to automatically backup even with the backup toggle turned off and no two-factor authentication enabled, suggesting an underlying error.

Two of my iOS 16.3 devices automatically backed up to iCloud when being charged today. This is despite the back up to iCloud option being turned off and me being unable to turn it on. Not sure that 2FA is the problem after all.

Multiple reports have indicated that some devices are continuing to back up even with the error message, but that is not the case for all users, so there could be multiple issues that are impacting ‌iCloud‌. While most reports are from iPhone owners, this is also a problem that is affecting the iPad as well, and all of the devices that are experiencing issues are running iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3.

Despite speculation that Apple is attempting to force people into using two-factor authentication, there does not appear to be actual evidence that this is the case. The error message is vaguely worded, and if Apple was requiring two-factor authentication for ‌iCloud‌ Backup functionality, there would likely be a much more specific message providing an explanation.

It appears that this is an iOS 16.3 bug that will be addressed in a future update. For now, those impacted can do manual backups to keep their data safe.

Apple is working on an iOS 16.3.1 update that could include a fix for the ‌iCloud‌ issues, but there is no word yet on when that software update might be released.