MacRumors

One of the Wallet features introduced in iOS 15 was support for home keys, which will let users add digital keys for compatible HomeKit door locks to the Wallet app on their iPhone and Apple Watch. With the system, users can take advantage of NFC connectivity to quickly unlock their home by simply bringing their device close to the lock.

Schlage today is introducing the Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt, which is the first smart lock in North America to support Apple's home key system.

The Encode Plus operates as a traditional ‌HomeKit‌ deadbolt, working over Wi-Fi without the need for a separate hub to integrate with the Home app across Apple's platforms. As part of the ‌HomeKit‌ setup process, however, you're also offered the option of adding a home key for the lock in the Wallet app.

With Apple's home key system, you won't need to unlock your ‌iPhone‌ or Apple Watch in order to unlock your door, and it supports Power Reserve so it will continue to function for up to five hours after your ‌iPhone‌ runs out of battery.

It is also a traditional keypad deadbolt with physical key backup, so there are multiple options for unlocking your door. Up to 100 access codes can be created to distribute to users who may need access to your home, and the codes can be scheduled to be valid only at certain times or revoked if no longer needed.

In addition to ‌HomeKit‌ and Apple home key support, the Encode Plus also features Google Assistant and Alexa support.

The Encode Plus will be priced at $299.99 and will launch this spring. It will be available in two versions, a more traditional Camelot style and a more modern Century style, with both styles available in several color options.

If you live in the United Kingdom, there's a good chance you enjoyed yesterday's first official bank holiday of the year with your feet up. But if all you'd done was rely on the Calendar app on your iPhone, you may never have even known you were due a day off. That's because a persistent bug that has plagued the app for months still prevents Apple's UK bank holidays subscription option from populating the calendar view for 2022.

Based on the number of complaints online, many iPhone users in the UK have been aware of this issue for some time, but with 2022 now upon us, that number has risen exponentially. Apple surely knows there's a problem with its UK Holidays subscription webcal, but until it does something about it, here's an alternative way to get the full list of dates for England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland booked into your calendar in a few quick steps.

• Monday, January 3 - New Year's Day
• Friday, April 15 - Good Friday
• Monday, April 18 - Easter Monday
• Monday, May 2 - May Day
• Thursday, June 2 - Spring bank holiday
• Friday, June 3 - Platinum Jubilee bank holiday
• Monday, August 29 - Summer bank holiday
• Monday, December 26 - Boxing Day
• Tuesday, December 27 - Christmas Day (substitute)

The above public holidays list is the official one for England and Wales for 2022 provided by the UK government, which helpfully provides Apple users with its own ICS calendar files that can be imported into the iPhone calendar app. Follow the steps to import the one that applies to your country into your calendar now.

1. Tap the England and Wales link on your iPhone or iPad. (Scotland holidays link, Northern Ireland holidays link.) Alternately, paste it into Safari's address bar and hit Enter. If you're asked to open the page in Calendar, tap Open.
2. Tap Subscribe. You can give the calendar subscription a recognizable name (and color if you want), then add it to your iCloud or iPhone account.
3. Tap Add.

After that, the months in your chosen calendar should now be populated with all the bank holidays you're already looking forward to in the year ahead.

Update: As noted by MacRumors readers, this is also an issue in Spain, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, and several other countries. Given that it might be a worldwide issue, Apple could have a fix coming in a future update.

As of January 4, 2022, all classic BlackBerry smartphones running versions of BlackBerry OS will no longer work for calls, text messages, data, and emergency functionality, essentially making them unusable.

BlackBerry announced the news in September 2020 as part of a broader company shift to focus on enterprise security and solutions. "As another milestone in the BlackBerry journey, we will be taking steps to decommission the legacy services for BlackBerry 7.1 OS and earlier, BlackBerry 10 software, BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 and earlier versions, with an end of life or termination date of January 4, 2022," the company said at the time.

BlackBerry was once a titan of the smartphone industry, but that changed after Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007 and upended the market. A decade after the ‌iPhone‌ launched, BlackBerry's smartphone market share was effectively wiped out.

BlackBerry made a few attempts to reenter the smartphone market over the years by selling Android-based smartphones rather than those running its own operating system. Those devices failed to reach mainstream adoption, however, leading BlackBerry to announce that the company would focus on cybersecurity software for enterprise customers instead of making hardware.

For customers still using classic BlackBerry smartphones, the company is providing some information on how the January 4 decommission may impact you and steps you can take to prepare.

Netgear today announced the launch of its latest Nighthawk router, the Nighthawk RAXE300 Tri-Band WiFi 6E, which offers the 6GHz band for WiFi 6E-compatible devices.

The RAXE300 offers up to eight WiFi streams and supports Gigabit+ WiFi speeds up to 7.8Gb/s in homes that are up to 2,500 square feet. Six antennas are included for improved signal strength and coverage, and there's a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port for Gigabit+ connectivity. Five additional Gigabit Ethernet ports are available for wired connections to other smart home devices.

The 6GHz WiFi band is only available on the newest devices, so it is less congested and is able to provide faster connectivity speeds with low latency. Apple devices do not yet support WiFi 6E, but Apple is expected to adopt it in the near future, perhaps as soon as this year.

This is Netgear's third WiFi 6E router, and it joins the pricier Nighthawk RAXE500 and the Orbi Quad-Band Mesh WiFi 6E System. The RAXE300 will be available in the first quarter of 2022 and it will be priced at $400.

Netgear is also announcing the launch of the Netgear Game Booster, a new service that provide Orbi users with the same tools that are normally limited to the Nighthawk ProGaming routers. Orbi owners will be able to enhance network performance and minimize lag by identifying and selecting the fastest game servers, as well as prioritizing network bandwidth to gaming devices and applications.

Withings today announced the launch of a new smart scale, the Body Scan, which is designed to track all kinds of health-related metrics. It monitors segmental body composition, weight, heart rate, and vascular age, plus it can assess nerve activity and heart rhythm using a 6-lead ECG.

Body Scan features a tempered glass platform with a retractable handle. It is equipped with four weight sensors and 14 ITP electrodes, along with four stainless steel electrodes in the handle for the ECG and body composition analysis functionality. A built-in battery lasts for a year before needing to be recharged, and health metrics are displayed on a 3.2-inch color LCD screen.

According to Withings, the Body Scan scale is able to provide precise weight measurements in addition to using multi-frequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis to measure overall body composition, providing readings on whole-body fat, water percentage, visceral fat, muscle mass, bone mass, and extra cellular and intracellular water. It's also able to provide readings for body parts that include the torso, arms, and legs.

The Body Scan is able to track sweat gland activity in the feet and it will offer a daily assessment of small nerve activity, plus it can determine vascular age through cardiovascular measurements to give users an idea of their arterial health. For the ECG function, Body Scan can detect arrhythmias using two electrodes located on each side of the handle and one in the base of the scale.

Withings is pairing the Body Scan's health monitoring features with access to coaching, clinical specialists, and holistic plans to reach health goals through the Withings health and wellness programs, with a three-month free subscription included.

Withings is planning to launch the Body Scan scale in the second half of 2022 following FDA clearance. It will be priced at $299.95.

Accessory maker Targus today announced that its Cypress Hero EcoSmart Backpack with built-in support for Apple's Find My app will be available in spring or summer 2022 for a suggested price of $149.99 in the United States.

The backpack is equipped with a small tracking module that allows the backpack's location to be tracked in the Find My app on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch without needing to use an AirTag. Based on an image shown on the CES website, it appears the backpack will support Precision Finding, which allows users with an iPhone 11 or newer to see the exact distance and direction to the backpack with audible, visual, and haptic feedback. Apple opened up the U1 chip to third-party accessories last year.

Targus said the built-in tracker is "highly integrated" into the backpack, whereas an AirTag could be taken out of the backpack and tossed away if stolen. The backpack comes with a replaceable battery for the tracker that is rechargeable via USB.

If the backpack is separated from its owner but outside of Bluetooth range, there is still a chance that the crowdsourced Find My network can help track it down. If another iPhone user happens to walk by the backpack, for example, their iPhone can detect Bluetooth signals from the backpack and relay the location back to its owner anonymously.

Targus said the backpack has a padded compartment that can hold up to a 16-inch MacBook Pro, and several other compartments and pockets for additional devices and personal items. The backpack is made with some recycled materials.

This story was originally published in November and has been updated with new information.

Scosche today announced the launch of a number of new products in its MagicMount product lineup, along with other MagSafe-compatible accessories like wireless chargers and speakers.

The MagicMount Pro Charge5 mounts from Scosche are compatible with Apple's MagSafe iPhones, which includes the iPhone 12 and ‌iPhone‌ 13 models. Scosche promises a strong hold, but it's worth noting that these are not using Apple's ‌MagSafe‌ protocol and are limited to 7.5W wireless charging.

There's a 360-degree adjustable head to allow the ‌iPhone‌ to be used in portrait or landscape mode, and all mounts come with a car adapter for charging and a 20W USB-C charging port for when faster charging is needed.

Though designed for ‌MagSafe‌ iPhones, the MagicMount Pro Charge5 mounts can also be used with older iPhones by attaching the included MagicPlate magnet. Scosche's MagicMount Pro Charge5 can be purchased in four options: Window/Dash, Dash/Vent, Telescoping, and Cup Holder, with a launch planned for spring 2022 at a $64.99 price point. There are also less expensive MagicMount Pro ‌MagSafe‌ options at $44.99.

Scosche is also introducing MagSafe-compatible speakers and wireless chargers. The $40 BoomCanMS Portable is a small, Bluetooth-enabled speaker that's designed to adhere to the back of a ‌MagSafe‌ ‌iPhone‌. The ‌MagSafe‌ technology doesn't add anything for sound, but it does keep the speaker from becoming lost and it also doubles as a kickstand.

The larger $130 BoomBottle Magnetic Portable Speaker allows the ‌iPhone‌ to be attached to the top for easy access to streaming music, hands-free calls, and more. Both new speakers are set to launch later in 2022.

For those who already have a ‌MagSafe‌ Charger from Apple, Scosche is introducing the BaseLynx MS, which is designed to integrate with the BaseLynx system for multi-device charging. The BaseLynx MS accommodates a ‌MagSafe‌ Charger and allows for charging in an upright position, and because it's using Apple's own technology, it charges at the full 15W (12W for the ‌iPhone‌ 12 and 13 mini models).

The BaseLynx MS Wireless Stand for ‌MagSafe‌ Charger is set to launch in spring 2022 for $50.

Oral-B today as part of CES 2022 announced its latest smart toothbrush, the iO10 with iOSense, which builds upon the original iO toothbrush released in 2020.

A key new feature of the iO10 is real-time oral health coaching built directly into the toothbrush's charging base, allowing you to monitor your brushing time, pressure, and coverage without needing to take your iPhone into the bathroom. Your brushing data then syncs to the Oral-B app for greater insights into your brushing habits.

The rechargeable electric toothbrush features seven different cleaning modes for a personalized clean, including Daily Clean, Sensitive, Super Sensitive, Intense, Whiten, Gum Care, and Tongue Clean. A built-in pressure sensor helps keep your gums healthy and protected by displaying a red light when you are brushing too hard and a green light when you are brushing just right, according to Oral-B.

Oral-B did not reveal pricing or a release date for the iO10, but customers can sign up on a waitlist to be notified when the toothbrush becomes available. The previous-generation iO toothbrush retails for around $299.99 in the United States.

Oral-B also unveiled more affordable iO4 and iO5 electric toothbrushes that will each be priced under $100. The toothbrushes will have familiar iO technology, but with fewer cleaning modes and no oral health coaching built into the charging base. Each toothbrush will display a rainbow celebration light after brushing for two minutes, and the iO5 will provide users with real-time brushing tracking and coaching via the Oral-B app.

The iO4 and iO5 will be available in the United States in 2022 in a range of colors, including quite white, matte black, blush pink, icy blue, and lavender. A specific release date was not provided, and there doesn't appear to be a waitlist for these toothbrushes.

Apple briefly became the world's first $3 trillion company today based on market capitalization, which is the total value of all of the company's outstanding shares. The milestone came after Apple's stock price rose over 40% in the last year.

The impressive feat, which Apple achieved when its stock price reached the $182.86 mark during intraday trading, came just over 16 months after Apple became a $2 trillion company and less than three and a half years after Apple reached the $1 trillion mark.

Update: Apple's market cap was slightly below the $3 trillion mark again as of the stock market closing at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Apple has reported strong earnings results since the start of the pandemic, as its products and services have been in high demand as more people work, learn, and connect with others from home. The company's revenue is forecasted to top $118 billion in the current quarter, surpassing its all-time quarterly record of $111.4 billion set a year ago.

In a memo shared with staff when Apple hit the $1 trillion mark in 2018, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the achievement was "not the most important measure of our success," adding that "financial returns are simply the result of Apple's innovation, putting our products and customers first, and always staying true to our values."

"Hitting $3 trillion is another historical moment for Apple as the company continues to prove the doubters wrong with the renaissance of growth story playing out in Cupertino," said analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush, which has a $200 price target for AAPL.

Apple will look to build upon its success in 2022, with a wide range of products rumored to launch, including at least five new Macs, a redesigned iPad Pro with support for wireless charging, a rugged version of the Apple Watch, second-generation AirPods Pro, an AR/VR headset focused on gaming, content consumption, and communications, and more.

Samsung today introduced a number of new features that are coming to its 2022 TV sets, including a new Gaming Hub that will allow Samsung Smart TVs to compete with built-in services like Apple Arcade as well as various consoles.

The Samsung Gaming Hub is a new Tizen-powered "discovery platform" that's meant to allow Samsung TV owners to play console-quality games through integration with streaming services. Samsung is partnering with NVIDIA and Google, and the upcoming service will support GeForce NOW, Stadia, and PC game streaming service Utomik.

Samsung's Hub is designed to offer an extensive library of games, which will be accessible on select 2022 Samsung Smart TV models that have the hardware to support them. Samsung and Apple are not direct competitors in the TV hardware market as Apple does not have its own TV, but the new gaming service has the potential to make Samsung TV software more appealing than set-top box alternatives like the Apple TV. Samsung will also be able to better compete with LG, which said in November that it would integrate streaming game services into its TV sets.

Apple offers the ‌Apple Arcade‌ gaming subscription service on the ‌Apple TV‌ as well as an App Store for playing independent mobile games on the ‌Apple TV‌, with support for third-party controllers from companies like Sony and Microsoft. Apple cannot compete when it comes to console-level gaming, though there have been rumors of an Apple TV with a more powerful processor that focuses more on gaming, but it's not clear if such a product is going to materialize.

Samsung's gaming service will also facilitate easy access to YouTube for game discovery and to watch YouTube streamers playing games, and there are also plans to integrate with additional streaming services.

Along with the Gaming Hub, Samsung's upcoming 2022 TV models also have other notable functionality. There's an integrated NFT Platform app that's designed to allow users to discover, purchase, and trade digital artwork through supported Micro LED, Neo QLED, and The Frame television sets.

NFTs are non-fungible (aka unique) tokens meant to represent digital items, and the format is used to share one-of-a-kind works of art, images, songs, and more. For those into NFTs, Samsung's TV sets will allow them to be purchased and shown off.

Other 2022 Samsung TV features include improved picture and sound quality, additional screen size options up to 110 inches, faster processors, HDR10+ gaming support, watch together integration, smart calibration, and more.

Lighting company Sengled today announced the launch of several new smart lighting products, including Wi-Fi Video-Sync TV Light Strips, Wi-Fi Outdoor String Lights, and the Wi-Fi Portable Lamp.

The WiFi TV Light Strips are designed to extend what's showing on the television set to the wall behind it for a more immersive entertainment experience. The lights are designed to react to content from streaming services, gaming systems, and more, with the colors on different areas of the screen matched to sections of the LED strips.

Sengled's new Wi-Fi Outdoor String Light is designed for outdoor patios, gardens, and similar spaces, offering up 48 feet of bulbs. Each light bulb can be customized to a different color, with millions of color combinations available.

The Wi-Fi Portable Lamp features a rechargeable internal battery and it can be moved to wherever lighting is needed, making it perfect for power outages, outdoor camping, and similar situations. The Portable Lamp offers different color effects, dimming, and options like flickering candlelight.

Later this year, Sengled also intends to introduce a Wi-Fi LED Essential Oil Diffuser Light, a Smart Health Monitoring Light, and Zigbee Window, Door, and Motion sensors. Sengled's Zigbee products are HomeKit-compatible, but the devices outlined in this article do not work with HomeKit.

Sengled's TV Light Strips, Outdoor String Lights, and Wi-Fi Portable Lamp are set to launch in the second quarter of 2022. The TV Light Strips will be priced at $120, the String Lights will be priced starting at $80, and the Wi-Fi Portable Lamp will be priced starting at $60.

Accessory maker Hyper today announced the release of a new turntable dock for the 24-inch iMac featuring a 360-degree swivel mechanism, making it easy to turn the screen towards a customer or coworker in an office or adjust your view on a video call.

The dock, nominated for a CES 2022 Innovation Award, also features a built-in SSD enclosure (M.2 SATA/NVMe) with a simple push-to-release mechanism and support for up to 2TB of storage, along with nine connectivity options, including one HDMI port, SD and microSD card slots, one USB-C port, four USB-A ports, and power in.

Priced at $199.99, the dock is available in a silver and white finish and will be available to order on Hyper's website starting today.

Hyper also announced what it claims is the world's first Thunderbolt 4 hub with an integrated 100-watt GaN power supply. The hub features one Thunderbolt 4 upstream port for connecting to and charging Thunderbolt-equipped computers like Macs, while three Thunderbolt 4 downstream ports provide up to 40 Gbps of total bandwidth and support for connecting dual 4K displays at 60Hz or a single 8K display at 30Hz.

"Up to now, Thunderbolt 4 hubs included a large external power brick often larger than the hub itself," said Hyper president Daniel Chin. "By integrating the latest GaN technology into HyperDrive, Hyper has eliminated the large power brick and come up with a single hub and charger device for improved portability and a cleaner workspace aesthetic."

With support for USB-C Power Delivery, the hub also provides up to 96W of pass-through charging to the host computer, which is suitable for the 14-inch MacBook Pro.

Pricing and availability for the hub was not disclosed, with customers able to sign up on Hyper's website to be notified when more information is available.

At least one iPhone 15 model launched in 2023 will feature a periscope camera system, allowing for increased optical zoom, according to analyst Jeff Pu.

With a periscope system, light entering the telephoto lens on the back of the iPhone would be reflected by an angled mirror towards the camera's image sensor. The change in direction in which the light travels would allow for Apple to fit a longer telephoto setup inside the iPhone, enabling users to zoom in further without any blurriness.

Rumors about the iPhone getting a periscope lens have been circulating since early 2020, with reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo the first to mention the possibility. Kuo initially said that a periscope lens would be an iPhone 14 Pro feature, but it is now looking like we'll have to wait until the iPhone 15 Pro next year.

There are already some Android smartphones with periscope lenses, including Samsung's Galaxy S21 Ultra and Huawei's P40 Pro+. Both of those devices feature up to 10x optical zoom, and with the addition of a periscope lens, the iPhone 15 Pro could follow suit. In the meantime, iPhone 13 Pro models are limited to 3x optical zoom.

Amazon today has returned the Apple Watch Series 7 to its record low price that we saw over the holidays, dropping the 41mm GPS Green Aluminum model with a Clover Sport Band to $339.00, down from $399.00. This $60 off sale remains the lowest price we've tracked on any model of the Series 7.

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 this point, Amazon doesn't have any significant discounts on any other models of the Apple Watch Series 7. For the 41mm GPS Green Aluminum Apple Watch, this version is shipped and sold by Amazon and it's in stock today.

In another sale happening on Amazon this week, you can save $5 on an AirTag one pack. The accessory is available for $24.00, down from $29.00. Shipping estimates have slipped into late January on the AirTag, but you can still order today to lock in the $5 off deal.

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

Apple is gifting engineers and staffers who worked on the M1 chip a unique t-shirt to commemorate the end of the first year of the Mac's transition to Apple Silicon, according to an image shared on Twitter by an Apple engineer.

Andy Boretto, who works at Apple as a senior software engineer, tweeted an image of a special t-shirt with the ‌M1‌ chip and its accompanying glow, alongside a card from Apple that reads, "Every so often, something comes along that changes everything. Congratulations and thank you for helping make Apple ‌M1‌ possible!"

Boretto noted that December 31, 2021, was the "last day of the year special delivery" and that he is proud to have worked on Apple's transition to Intel and now Apple silicon.

Apple announced its transition to Apple silicon in June 2020 and released ‌M1‌, the first Apple silicon chip, in November of that year. Apple has said the transition will take a total of two years to complete. This past October, the company added progress to its transition by introducing the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, the first high-end chips designed for the Mac.

In 2022, Apple is expected to release a redesigned MacBook Air with M2, a larger Apple silicon iMac, a high-end Mac mini, and a new Mac Pro.

Smart home company Eve Systems today announced the launch of two new HomeKit-enabled products, the Eve Outdoor Cam and the Eve MotionBlinds.

The Eve Outdoor Cam is a floodlight cam that works with HomeKit Secure Video, with 10 days of storage available with an iCloud+ subscription, which is priced starting at $0.99 per month. Thanks to ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌, the Eve Outdoor Cam is privacy focused and access is fully encrypted regardless of whether you're viewing the camera footage locally or remotely using a home hub (the Apple TV or the HomePod).

Eve Outdoor Cam features a matte black metal frame and an opaque white glass for the light component, with IP55 water and dust resistance. It is equipped with a 1080p camera with a 157 degree field of view, and it can be mounted to the wall with a three-axis hinge. Infrared night vision is available, and it supports two-way communication with the built-in microphone and speaker.

Users can receive notifications when motion is detected, and through ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌, the camera can detect people, animals, vehicles, and package deliveries for tailored alerts.

Alongside the Eve Outdoor Cam, Eve is also debuting the Eve MotionBlinds in partnership with window coverings company Coulisse. MotionBlinds are HomeKit-connected roller shades that offer easy setup and Thread connectivity for better responsiveness and reliability than other smart blind solutions.

The MotionBlinds are equipped with a rechargeable battery powered motor, and they support on-device schedules for precise control over positioning throughout the day. Eve says that the MotionBlinds use direct communication without cloud dependency for privacy purposes, with all data stored on the blinds themselves.

In addition to offering smart connectivity, the MotionBlinds also have a manual control feature and are able to be lowered with a simple pull.

The Eve Outdoor Cam will be available on April 5, 2022 from Eve and Amazon. It will be priced at $249.95. The Eve MotionBlinds are available starting today from Coulisse resellers, with details available on the Eve website.

Siri appears to have lost the ability to carry out requests to rate songs played in the Apple Music app in iOS 15 and later, based on user reports and tests conducted by MacRumors.

When listening to a song from your music library on iPhone and iPad, it used to be possible to ask ‌Siri‌ to "rate this song five [or whatever number] stars," and the virtual assistant would do so without fuss.

This ability to rate songs in the ‌Apple Music‌ app with ‌Siri‌ was introduced way back in iOS 8. Listeners usually rely on the function to give songs in their library a rating when they're listening handsfree via CarPlay, exercising while wearing AirPods, or making smart playlists based on ratings.

Yet reports on Reddit, Apple Support Communities, and the MacRumors forums suggest that the function is not available in iOS 15 or iOS 15.1, and has remained out of action in the latest iOS 15.2 point release, issued in December. Instead of carrying out the request, ‌Siri‌ responds with "I'm Sorry, I'm afraid I can't do that," or some variation thereof.

It's unclear if this is an intended change by Apple, or an intermittent server-side problem that has arisen since the release of iOS 15, but it's worth noting that iOS 15 and iOS 15.2 both made functional changes to ‌Siri‌, in relation to ‌Apple Music‌ interoperability and more generally at the system level.

In iOS 15, Apple made changes to ‌Siri‌ so that some requests are handled without an internet connection, for faster query recognition when doing things like opening apps and setting alarms and timers. Then, in iOS 15.2, the company introduced a new Apple Music Voice Plan that exclusively relies on ‌Siri‌ for music playback and user interaction.

Whether either of these changes are behind ‌Siri‌'s inability to rate songs on request is unknown at this time, but we've reached out to Apple for more information and will pass on any clarifying details if we do hear back.

Verizon and T-Mobile have discontinued their iPad rebate program in partnership with Apple following widespread customer complaints that the program was ineffective, flawed, and rarely worked as intended.

In recent weeks, complaints from customers have emerged across social media regarding Verizon's and T-Mobile's rebate programs. If it worked according to plan, the program would give customers up to a $200 rebate when purchasing a cellular ‌iPad‌ and activating through Verizon and T-Mobile. Unfortunately, customers have faced a subpar experience with the program, often reporting being denied for the rebate for unclear reasons.

The complaints have been amplified by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who has in the past criticized the carriers for the ineffectiveness of similar programs for the iPhone 13.

There have been several complaints regarding the ‌iPad‌ program (1, 2, 3). Nevertheless, at the start of December, a Verizon spokesperson told Bloomberg that the ‌iPad‌ rebate program was running "as it should for eligible Verizon customers."

Things have now clearly changed as Apple has scrapped all references of the program with Verizon and T-Mobile from its website, including the purchase pages for its range of iPads.

Verizon and T-Mobile initiated the program following the launch of the updated iPad Pro in April. Still, the program was previously available on all cellular ‌iPad‌ models, including the new iPad mini and baseline ninth-generation ‌iPad‌.

Update: A T-Mobile spokesperson has issued a statement to MacRumors saying that the ‌iPad‌ rebate program in partnership with Apple was a limited time offer that started in April 2021 following the launch of the new 11-inch and 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌. The spokesperson added T-Mobile is always looking to give its customers the "best deals on devices."

The iPad rebate with Apple was a limited time offer that has been in market since April 2021 and ended December 31. We're always looking for opportunities to give our customers the best deals on devices.

A Verizon spokesperson also confirmed to MacRumors that the offer was set to end on December 31.