MacRumors

Today marks the 20th anniversary of Apple announcing the iMac G4. Unveiled on January 7, 2002, the iMac G4 featured a unique design with a flat-screen panel mounted on an adjustable arm and a hemisphere base housing the computer's internal components.

Nicknamed the Lamp or Sunflower, the iMac G4 was innovative for its time as an all-in-one computer with a flat screen that can be moved around freely.

"The new iMac ushers in the age of flat-screen computing for everyone. The CRT display is now officially dead," said Apple's former CEO Steve Jobs in a press release announcing the iMac G4. "And with its powerful G4 processor and SuperDrive, everyone can now affordably create and burn their own custom DVDs and CDs."

Key features of the iMac G4 included a 15-inch flat-screen LCD, 700 MHz or 800 MHz PowerPC G4 processor options, a SuperDrive built into the base for CD/DVDs, up to a 60GB hard drive, up to 1GB of RAM, two FireWire ports, and five USB ports. By the end of 2003, Apple had also released larger 17-inch and 20-inch display sizes.

In his 2002 review of the iMac G4 for Macworld, longtime Apple reporter Jason Snell described the computer as "nothing short of a triumph."

Facebook today announced a new "Privacy Center" section on its website on the desktop. This new area will offer users a "new place to learn more about our approach to privacy across our apps and technologies" and "provides helpful information about five common privacy topics," Meta announced today in a press release.

The new Privacy Center, rolling out to a small pool of Facebook users in the United States on the desktop, will offer five sections at launch with plans to expand over time.

The first section, Security, will offer easy access to common tools such as basic security settings and two-factor authentication. Sharing will provide quick access to settings over who can tag users in a post, post visibility, and more. Collection and Use will give users a quick glance at the type of data Meta collects about them and how it's used, respectively. The last section will provide settings regarding a user's ad preferences.

Meta says that Facebook's "Privacy Center" will continuously evolve and expand over time with "more modules and controls to help people understand our approach to privacy across our apps and technologies."

Today we're tracking a collection of discounts across Apple's M1 Mac lineup, including up to $100 off the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and iMac. These sales are all available on Amazon, with delivery dates averaging around mid-to-late January.

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.

Starting with the 256GB M1 Mac mini, this model is down to its lowest-ever price of $599.99, down from $699.00. This sale won't be reflected until you add the Mac mini to your cart and head to the checkout screen.

Secondly, Amazon has the 512GB M1 MacBook Air for $1,149.00, down from $1,249.00. At $100 off, this is a second-best price on this model of the MacBook Air, and it's only available in the Gold color option.

Lastly, Amazon is still offering the M1 iMac at $50 off in the Silver color this week. You can get the 7-core GPU/256GB 24-inch iMac for $1,249.00, down from $1,299.00, with an estimated delivery by January 19 for most places in the United States.

You can keep track of ongoing sales on Apple's iMac line by visiting our Best iMac Deals guide. There, we keep track of the best iMac offers from Amazon, Adorama, B&H Photo, and other retailers, so be sure to check back often if you're shopping for an iMac for the first time, or thinking of upgrading.

Apple today announced Collections and Time to Run for Apple Fitness+, as well as expanded Time to Walk and Artist Spotlight suites.

Collections are curated series of workouts and meditations from the Fitness+ library, providing users with a new way to get motivated, remain consistent, and make progress with their sessions. Fitness+ Collections include a suggested plan to help users make intentional training choices over a period of several days or weeks to reach their goals.

The following six Collections will be available at launch, providing a range of goals for users to strive to achieve:

• 30-Day Core Challenge
• Improve Your Posture with Pilates
• Perfect Your Yoga Balance Poses
• Run Your First 5K
• Strengthen Your Back, Stretch Your Hips
• Wind Down for a Better Bedtime

Time to Run is a new audio running experience, similar to Time to Walk, designed to help users become better and more consistent runners. Each episode of Time to Run is focused on a popular real-world running route in a notable or iconic location.

Fitness+ trainers, including Emily Fayette, Jamie-Ray Hartshorne, Sam Sanchez, and Scott Carvin, as well as Cory Wharton-Malcolm, a new running trainer on the team, will give users coaching tips and display relevant photos as they run, accompanied by energizing music. Each episode's Apple Music playlist has been curated to match the intensity, location, and coaching style of each run.

Time to Run will launch with three episodes: London, coached by Cory Wharton-Malcolm; Brooklyn, coached by Emily Fayette; and Miami Beach, coached by Sam Sanchez. In the following weeks, a new episode of Time to Run will be released every Monday.

Apple says that Time to Run can be experienced outside or inside on a treadmill, and for Apple Watch users who use a wheelchair, Time to Run becomes Time to Run or Push, providing the choice to start a run or an Outdoor Push Running Pace workout.

Apple Fitness+ Collections and Time to Run launch on January 10 for all Fitness+ subscribers. On the same day, Fitness+ will also debut the third season of Time to Walk, featuring guests such as Rebel Wilson, Bernice A. King, and Hasan Minhaj, as well as new Artist Spotlight workouts in the Fitness app, featuring music from Ed Sheeran, Pharrell Williams, Shakira, and the Beatles.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman was first to report that Apple was planning to launch a Time to Run feature back in August 2021.

Update, January 10th: "Time to Run" and Collections are now rolling out to Fitness+ subscribers in the Fitness app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.

A recurring iOS bug that makes Apple's Messages app send read receipts despite the setting being disabled appears to be on the upswing again, based on reports from users running iOS 15.

In iOS, with read receipts enabled (Settings -> Messages -> Send Read Receipts), the "Delivered" text that a person sees under an iMessage they have sent you turns to "Read" when you've viewed it in the conversation thread, so they know you've seen the message even if you've not responded. The setting syncs across all Apple devices signed into the same Apple ID.

Over the last few years there have been sporadic reports that Messages doesn't always observe the user setting, but according to Macworld's Glenn Fleishman, the bug appears to be rearing its head again, only this time for a larger number of users running the latest version of iOS 15.

Some people have found that restarting their device resolves the problem, at least temporarily, but no permanent fix has been discovered, suggesting Apple needs to change something about the way the function works in a future update to its mobile operating system. We'll update this article if we learn more.

The second-generation AirPods Pro are widely expected to launch in the second half of this year. In preparation for the launch, Apple's suppliers are getting ready for shipments of the new high-end AirPods, according to a new report from DigiTimes.

The new second-generation AirPods Pro are widely expected to feature a new design, improved audio, the ability to play back Apple Music lossless audio, and more. The new AirPods Pro are scheduled to launch this year — specifically in the second half of 2022. Ahead of the release, today's report said that suppliers are beginning to prepare for shipments of the new wireless earphones.

The latest information about the new AirPods Pro comes from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who recently reported they would feature a redesigned charging case that can emit an audible noise for use with Find My. With ‌Find My‌ integration, only AirPods themselves emit a sound when pinged by a user. With the new AirPods Pro, the case will have a speaker, allowing for a louder noise, making it easier to find.

MacRumors had previously received pictures depicting what a tipster claimed to be the case for the upcoming AirPods Pro. Those pictures show speaker holes and possible accessory attachments in the case itself. MacRumors cannot verify the accuracy of the images, but they do fall in line with new information shared by credible analyst ‌Ming-Chi Kuo‌.

Alongside a new case, the new AirPods Pro will also support playback of lossless ‌Apple Music‌ audio. Due to limitations in Bluetooth bandwidth, none of Apple's existing AirPods models can playback lossless audio from ‌Apple Music‌. In a recent interview, an executive for the company admitted that the limitations of Bluetooth are hindering the potential of the AirPods experience and said the team wants "more bandwidth" than what Bluetooth alone can provide.

To catch up on everything we expect from the second-generation AirPods Pro, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide.

Dropbox has finally begun testing a native version of its Mac app with Apple silicon support, following widespread criticism from customers and users who initially thought it had no plans to take advantage of the latest Macs powered by Apple's custom processors.

In October, official responses to comments on the Dropbox forums suggested Dropbox had no plans to add support for Apple silicon Macs to its Mac app, continuing to rely on Apple's Rosetta 2 technology to translate the Intel-based app on newer Mac machines. The forum thread received widespread criticism from irritated Mac users, eventually leading to the company's CEO stepping in to say that Dropbox would adopt native Apple silicon support in the first half of 2022.

Now, one week into the new year, Dropbox is seemingly fulfilling its promise. Dropbox has told MacRumors that it has begun testing native Apple silicon support with a small batch of its Mac user base and that it plans to offer all users who run the beta of its Mac app native Apple silicon support by the end of January.

Compared to apps specifically optimized and tested for Apple silicon, Intel-based apps on new Mac machines occasionally run slower, make little use of Apple silicon's performance gains and power efficiency, and may not function correctly. While Apple's Rosetta 2 technology works for most users, apps for Apple silicon typically run better, are more power-efficient, and more likely to provide a better user experience than Intel-based apps on newer Mac laptops and desktops.

Dropbox does not have the best reputation amongst Mac users for being friendly to system resources and is often criticized for being a memory hog and battery drain. On newer Macs, such as the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, Dropbox with native Apple silicon support should allay some of that criticism, as it should run smoother and be less demanding.

Dropbox's poor performance on Mac has pushed some users to move to third-party clients that support Dropbox syncing. With Dropbox planning to give all of its beta users access to its native Apple silicon app by the end of the month, an official rollout can be expected shortly after and well within the first half of 2022, as previously promised by the company's CEO.

Apple's former Director of Mac System Architecture Jeff Wilcox this week announced that he has left Apple to take on a new role at Intel. As noted on LinkedIn (via Tom's Hardware), Wilcox was part of Apple's M1 team and he had a key role in the transition from Intel chips to Apple silicon.

Wilcox's profile says that he "led the transition" for all Macs to Apple silicon, and prior to that, he developed the SoC and system architecture for the T2 coprocessor used in Intel Macs.

Director of the Mac System Architecture team that included all system architecture, signal integrity and power integrity for Mac systems. Led the transition for all Macs to Apple Silicon beginning with M1 chip, and developed the SoC and system architecture behind the T2 coprocessor before that.

When Wilcox announced his departure from Apple in December, he said that he was pursuing a new opportunity and that he was proud of what he had accomplished at Apple.

After an amazing eight years I have decided to leave Apple and pursue another opportunity. It has been an incredible ride and I could not be prouder of all we accomplished during my time there, culminating in the Apple Silicon transition with the M1, M1 Pro and M1 Max SOCs and systems. I will dearly miss all of my Apple colleagues and friends, but I am looking forward to the next journey which will start at the first of the year.

Wilcox spent eight years working at Apple, and as of this week, he is the Design Engineering Group CTO at Intel. Wilcox says that he will be responsible for the architecture of all SoCs for all Intel client segments. Prior to working for Apple, Wilcox was at Intel where he served as a principal engineer on PC chipsets, and prior to that, he worked at Magnum Semiconductor and Nvidia.

The Apple silicon team is led by Johny Srouji, Apple's vice president of hardware technologies, and it's not clear if Wilcox's departure will have much impact on the development of Apple silicon chips going forward. Apple is well into its Apple silicon transition and is expected to complete it in 2022 with the launch of new Mac Pro and iMac Pro machines that use Apple silicon chips.

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger in October said that he hopes to win back Apple's business in the future by creating "a better chip" than Apple can make. He also said that he is planning to ensure that Intel's products are "better than theirs," and that Intel has a more open and "vibrant" ecosystem. "I'm going to fight hard to win Tim's business in this area," he said.

Intel earlier this week introduced a new Core i9 processor designed for laptops, and the company has claimed that it is faster than Apple's M1 Max chip used in the 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.

Apple CEO Tim Cook's earnings totaled $98.7 million in base salary, stock, and other compensation, according to a statement that Apple filed with the SEC today.

Cook earned a $3 million base salary, and he was provided with stock award of $82,347,835. This stock award is RSUs that will vest over time, and it includes $44.8 million in performance-based stock awards and $37.5 million in time-based stock awards. None of this stock has vested as of yet.

Cook also had more than 5 million shares vest in 2021, netting him a total of $754 million. Because these were granted in earlier years, the $754 million does not count as part of his 2021 compensation package.

In addition to the $3 million salary and $82 million stock grant, Cook received $12 million as non-equity incentive plan compensation and $1,386,559 in "Other" compensation. Other compensation includes a $23,077 vacation payout, $630,630 in security expenses, and $712,488 in personal air travel. Apple requires Cook to use a private airplane for security reasons.

In 2020, Cook earned a total of $14.8 million, not counting stock awards that vested during that time period. Cook's net worth has climbed to more than $1 billion since 2020, and it may soon exceed that based on the stock awards he's recently been provided with.

Other Apple executives such as Luca Maestri, Kate Adams, Jeff Williams, and Deirdre O'Brien received compensation ranging from $26 million to $27 million.

Apple's annual shareholders meeting is set to take place Friday, March 4 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Apple said today in an SEC filing. Shareholders meetings are normally held in person at Apple Park, but this year's meeting, like last year's, will take place virtually and will be open to a greater number of shareholders because there are no space restrictions.

Those who want to attend, vote, and submit questions during the annual meeting can visit the shareholders website and enter a 16-digit code included in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials provided to shareholders. Apple states online access will open approximately 15 minutes before the start of the meeting, but questions can be submitted in advance through March 3, 2022 at 8:59 p.m. Pacific.

Apple says that even those who are attending the meeting should vote in advance online, by mail, or by phone. Items of business will include re-electing the Board of Directors, ratifying Ernst & Young LLP as Apple's public accounting firm, approving executive compensation, approving the 2022 employee stock plan, and voting on shareholder proposals.

Shareholder meetings are not particularly interesting to the general public because Apple executives don't often share details about Apple products, but in the past, there have been limited comments on Apple services and software. Apple in 2021, for example, provided some vague statements on upcoming products, offered some color on how Apple chooses companies to acquire, and talked about navigating the pandemic.

The Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple's annual five-day-long conference to announce updates to its major operating systems, services, and sometimes hardware, is five months away. At this year's conference, we expect Apple to announce iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16.

iOS is Apple's most important operating system as it runs on the iPhone and shares many features with the iPad that runs iPadOS. Every year as WWDC gets closer, speculation brews over what new features and changes the next version of iOS will include. While it is one of several operating system updates that gets announced, it's undoubtedly the most anticipated one.

With iOS 15, Apple refined the experience by adding new system-wide features, such as Live Text and Translation. iOS 15 also expanded on Do Not Disturb with Focus modes and completely redid the notification experience. iOS 15 alongside macOS Monterey also introduced SharePlay to FaceTime, allowing friends and family to watch movies, listen to music, and play games together over a call.

A year prior, with iOS 14, Apple looked to further redesign the core iOS experience by introducing completely new widgets and placing widgets on the Home Screen. iOS 14 also introduced App Library, an automatic way for iOS to categorize users' apps. iOS 14 also brought with it a smaller Siri and call banner UI and new features to the Messages app, like pinned conversations.

Looking back two years, iOS 13 introduced dark mode to iOS. It was also the year Apple officially recognized the ‌iPad‌ as its unique platform and introduced iPadOS. iOS 13 also included updates to Maps, Photos, Reminders, CarPlay, AR, and more.

The current design of iOS was introduced with iOS 7, which was and has remained the most significant overall redesign of the iOS experience since its introduction. While Apple has continued to refine the design and the experience of its core apps, the design language has largely remained the same.

One fan-made concept that has garnered over a million views has envisioned iOS 16 redesigning the lock screen experience while also bringing Split Screen capabilities to the iPhone. With iOS 16 around six months away, Apple's software teams are likely still firming up plans for the next update and often may look to the community for ideas and inspiration.

So, with that spirit, we want to hear from the MacRumors community on what new features and changes you'd like to see in iOS 16? Let us know down in the comments and keep up with everything we’re hearing about iOS 16 in our dedicated roundup!

The upcoming 2022 iPhone SE will gain 5G technology and an updated A-series chip, but it will not feature major design changes, leaker Dylandkt said today, echoing many of the previous iPhone SE rumors we've heard.

Third-generation iPhone SE rumors have been confusing for the last couple of years because some of the information pointed toward a major redesign with an iPhone 11-style look with no Touch ID home button and reduced bezels, but rumors were apparently describing two separate devices.

In addition to the 2022 iPhone SE, which will look like an iPhone 8 just like the 2020 model, Apple is working on a future iPhone SE that will do away with the Home button in favor of an all-display design for Apple's most affordable iPhone option.

According to ‌Dylandkt‌, Apple is developing an iPhone SE that's "similar to the XR/11" but with a "slightly smaller screen size." This device is expected to be released in 2024.

Display analyst Ross Young has also suggested that Apple is working on a 2024 iPhone SE with a 5.7 to 6.1-inch display and a hole-punch camera, which Apple is expected to adopt for the "Pro" iPhone lineup in 2022.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said back in 2019 that Apple was working on an "iPhone SE Plus" with a full-screen design, no Face ID, and a ‌Touch ID‌ fingerprint sensor built into the power button on the side of the device. This iPhone SE never materialized, but it's possible Kuo was talking about the future technology Apple plans to introduce in 2024.

Apple is experimenting with multiple foldable iPhone prototypes, according to leaker Dylandkt, but a foldable iPhone may not be coming in the near future because Apple still has concerns over foldable display technology and the market for foldable smartphones.

In a tweet thread, ‌Dylandkt‌ said that Apple is working on a possible future device, but that foldable display technology is not advanced enough and there are still too many "compromises" to deal with.

Apple is also reportedly concerned about whether foldable smartphones will continue to be popular with consumers or will become obsolete in the coming years.

Before releasing a foldable iPhone, Apple wants to be sure that a foldable design isn't a "regression from the current form factor of the iPhone," which could indeed happen if there are issues with display longevity and quality because of the folding functionality. ‌Dylandkt‌'s comments suggest that Apple is continuing to take a wait and see approach to foldable smartphone technology, but some other rumors have indicated that Apple could release a foldable iPhone as soon as 2023.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in May 2021 that Apple is developing a foldable iPhone with an 8-inch flexible OLED QHD+ display that's set to be released in 2023. Display analyst Ross Young in December said that Apple would not release a foldable iPhone until 2023 "at the earliest," with 2024 being a more likely target date. Bloomberg in early 2021 said that Apple had started "early work" on an iPhone with a foldable display, indicating that there are a few years of development left.

Foldable iPhone rumors have been circulating since 2016, and we've previously heard reports about various prototypes that Apple is testing. Samsung has allegedly provided foldable display samples to Apple for testing purposes, but development has not yet expanded beyond a display.

At least one of Apple's foldable iPhone prototypes is said to feature two separate display panels connected with a hinge, a departure from single-display designs that Samsung has introduced. Another has been described as a foldable iPhone with a clamshell design similar to the Galaxy Z Flip.

Samsung has been releasing foldable smartphones for years now, and other Android manufacturers have also embraced foldable technology. Smartphones with foldable displays continuing to face issues with durability and build quality, and they also have high price tags that far exceed the cost of standard smartphones.

The 2020 64GB Wi-Fi iPad Air has dropped back down to $539.00 today on Amazon, from $599.00. This sale is only available in the Silver color option, and Amazon estimates that it will take about a week for the tablet to be delivered.

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.

This is a second-best price on this version of the 10.9-inch iPad Air, but we haven't seen record low prices (or many deals at all) on the tablet since early September 2021. For those interested, this is still a solid deal and worth checking out before it disappears again.

There are a few other noteworthy iPad deals happening on Amazon this week. You can get the 10.2-inch iPad (256GB Wi-Fi) for $449.00, down from $479.00. The iPad mini 6 (64BG cellular) is on sale for $629.98, down from $649.00. Both of these sales are lowest-ever prices.

For even more iPad deals, head to our full Best Deals guide for iPad. In that guide we track the best discounts online for iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro.

Tech YouTuber Unbox Therapy recently shared a video looking at reputed dummies of Samsung's forthcoming Galaxy S22 lineup, corroborating earlier leaks that suggest it will again consist of three sizes to compete directly with Apple's latest devices, the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13/Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max models.

Now removed but since re-uploaded by others, the video pretty much confirms earlier reports that Samsung's flagship S22 and S22 Plus smartphones will sport a glossy design that retains the rounded Contour Cut Camera housing seen in the S21 and S21 Plus, while the S22 Ultra will boast a new, more rectangular Galaxy Note-style design with rear cameras that are flush with the case, and a matte finish.

According to a leaked spec sheet, the S22 will have a slightly more compact 6.1-inch display than its predecessor (6.2 inches), while the S22 Plus is expected to come in at 6.55-inches (previously 6.7-inches). Both are said to include triple-lens camera arrays featuring a 50-megapixel main camera alongside ultra-wide and telephoto lenses. (Apple plans to add a 48-megapixel camera lens to this year's iPhone 14, followed by a periscope lens in 2023, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.)

Taking things up a notch, the more squared-off S22 Ultra is expected to come with four embedded cameras, including a primary 108-megapixel sensor with a Super Clear lens, which should provide reduced glare and reflections in shots, along with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide, 10-megapixel 3x telephoto, and 10-megapixel 10x periscope lens. Unlike the S21 Ultra, this year's model is also expected to come with an S Pen stylus holder built into the side.

Last year, after initially mocking Apple for not including a charger with the iPhone 12, Samsung followed its rival's lead and didn't include a charger with the Galaxy S21 series. The same is expected to apply with the S22 lineup, although Samsung is rumored to be upping the charging speed of the S22 Ultra with a separate 45W USB-C power adapter, up from the 25W maximum supported by the previous generation model.

Samsung typically announces its latest flagship smartphone lineup to rival Apple's iPhones in January or February, but there's been no confirmation of a media event yet, and given the global chip shortage and other supply-limiting factors, Samsung could well opt for a later launch this year.

iPhone 14 Pro models will feature a pill-shaped camera cutout at the top of the display, with the notch removed, according to tweets shared by leaker @dylandkt, who has proven to be a reliable source of Apple-related rumors over the last year or so. To accommodate this change, the leaker said Face ID hardware will be moved under the display.

While it has been widely reported that iPhone 14 Pro models will not have a notch by reputable sources like analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, this is the first time we've heard about the possibility of a pill-shaped camera cutout at the top of the display instead of a circular hole-punch cutout that was originally rumored.

Face ID moving under the display has likewise been rumored previously by display industry consultant Ross Young, who has proven to be a reliable source of display-related information for future Apple products. Last year, for example, Young accurately claimed that the new iPad mini would feature an 8.3-inch display with the home button removed.

In a tweet, @dylandkt said he has been assured that Face ID's reliability will not be negatively affected by the under-display change.

Apple is rumored to be planning a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max for release in September of this year. The lineup is also expected to include a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 and a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max, and as of now it appears that these models will continue to have a notch, with a pill-shaped camera cutout limited to Pro models.

Last year, @dylandkt shared accurate information about products like the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro before they were released.

Apple's AirPods Max headphones in new condition are down to $399.99 on Woot today, from $549.00. This sale price is only available in Pink, and you'll need to log into your Amazon Prime account on Woot to see the deal.

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

This is now the all-time best price we've ever tracked on the AirPods Max, beating the previous low price by about $50. Woot provides free standard shipping for Amazon Prime members, and the headphones are brand new and come with a one year Apple limited warranty.

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.

Update: Woot has sold out of the AirPods Max.

WhatsApp is testing a helpful new feature on iOS that displays profile pictures in system notifications when users receive new messages from chats and groups.

First spotted by app specialist WABetaInfo, the first new feature for the platform in 2022 uses APIs in iOS 15 to add the WhatsApp profile images to notifications in top-screen banners and in the Notification Center when users receive a message.

WhatsApp on Android has been able to display the profile pictures in system notifications for some time, so this change brings parity to the app across both platforms.

If you don't see the profile pictures in your notifications yet, that's because WhatsApp is first making the change for beta testers so they can report bugs, before the feature is rolled out to millions of users on iOS devices worldwide.

The last update to WhatsApp came in December, and was a privacy change to prevent people on the messaging platform from viewing the "Last Seen" status of users whom they have never chatted with.