Latest Apple Updates and Innovations

The U.S. Justice Department and several states have filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, claiming the tech giant is monopolizing the smartphone market.

Specifically, the complaint claims Apple has stifled competition through a number of means, such as highly restrictive app store rules, excessive fees and keeping competitors at bay with its own technology that is not that competitive with products from other brands.

As for Apple, the company denied the charges in the lawsuit and said it would fight them in court.

“At Apple, we innovate every day to make technology people love – designing products that work seamlessly together, protect people’s privacy and security, and create a magical experience for our users,” the company said in its statement. “This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets.”

Ironically, when Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in 2007 he never envisioned that there would be any competitors. During his announcement, he stressed that the company had nailed down all the patents and that Apple’s product would be unique.

Apple filed suit when Google introduced the Android system but did not prevail in court. Even so, the current suit claims Apple’s dominance in the market is not good for consumers.

The charges

“Apple undermines apps, products, and services that would otherwise make users less reliant on the iPhone,” the Justice Department said in a statement. “Apple exercises its monopoly power to extract more money from consumers, developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses, and merchants.”

As an example, the Justice Department said iPhone users are able to send sharp, high-resolution photos and videos to other iPhone, but when the same messages are sent to an Android device they are grainy and take longer to send. When Apple changed how images were sent, the Justice Department said the improvements did not go far enough.

California one of the states filing suit

“Apple’s anticompetitive conduct intentionally leaves consumers bearing the cost of sky-high smartphone prices at a time when smartphones are now essential to so much of our day-to-day lives,” said California Attorney General Ron Bonta, one of the parties to the lawsuit. California’s economy thrives on entrepreneurship, serving as a driving force behind its innovation and growth. Consumers, innovation, and the competitive process — not Apple alone — should decide what options consumers should have.” 

The lawsuit alleges Apple violated Section Two of the Sherman Antitrust Act, which prohibits monopolization and attempted monopolization. Monopolization occurs when a single firm maintains a monopoly unlawfully, by using its control of the market to exclude rivals and harm competition. 

The complaint alleges that Apple protects its monopoly by delaying, degrading, or outright blocking technologies that would bring competition by decreasing barriers to switching to another smartphone. 

iPhone users have a new app at their disposal the next time they want to check the score of their favorite team’s game. 

Apple has released a new, free sports app, Apple Sports, that features real-time score updates, stats, and more. 

“We created Apple Sports to give sports fans what they want – an app that delivers incredibly fast access to scores and stats,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services. “Apple Sports is available for free in the App Store, and makes it easy for users to stay up to date with their favorite teams and leagues.”

What’s featured in the new app?

Apple Sports is currently available to download for free on all iPhones using iOS 17.2 or later. Apple is prioritizing simplicity and speed with the new app; its biggest goal is getting sports fans the information they want as quickly and easily as possible. 

Currently, the app will have score and stats updates for all professional leagues in-season, including: 

• MLS

• NBA

• NCAA Basketball (men’s and women’s)

• NHL

• Bundesliga

• LaLiga

• LigaMX

• Ligue 1

• Premier League

• Serie A

Fully customizable

In the upcoming seasons, iPhone users can expect to also get updates on: MLB, NFL, NCAAF, NWSL, and WNBA. 

Within the app, users will be able to customize their view based on their preferences. They’ll be able to follow their favorite leagues, teams, and tournaments, which puts all of the latest content for their favorites front and center. 

Apple Sports will also feature information on specific plays, lineup details, live betting odds – which can be turned off, and stats. Users will be able to get live play-by-play analysis, and get information on current and upcoming games. 

The app will also connect with other Apple apps, like News and and Apple TV, allowing users to easily navigate between all of them. 

iPhone users in the U.S., U.K., and Canada can download Apple Sports in the App Store now. 

If you thought you missed your chance to buy the latest Apple Watch, you're in luck. A court has ruled sales can resume, at least temporarily.

Apple was forced to pull its latest version of the Apple Watch, the Series 9 and the Ultra 2, from shelves after the International Trade Commission (ITC) claimed that the tech company violated a technology patent from Masimo, a medical device company. 

The dispute in question was over technology in the Apple Watch that’s used to measure users’ blood-oxygen levels. According to the ITC, Apple was violating a Masimo patent on pulse oximeters. 

This ban dates back to October 2023, when the ITC initially ruled that Apple was in violation of Masimo’s patent. At that point, the decision went to the Biden Administration, who decided to uphold the ITC’s ban. 

The ITC banned Apple from importing the latest versions of the Watch that contained this specific technology. While retailers could sell whatever they had on the shelves, new watches weren’t able to be shipped into the country. 

Watches are now available in the U.S. 

Now, the U.S. Court of Appeals has temporarily put a pause on the ban, allowing Apple to start reselling the Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches both in stores and online. 

While Apple might think this is a step in the right direction, the legal battle isn’t over. This most recent decision has put a pause on the import ban, but Apple is hopeful that the courts will rule in its favor for the long-term.

Apple has submitted a redesign of the Series 9 and Ultra 2, and the ITC has until January 12 to make a long-term decision on the future of the Watch. 

“Apple’s teams have worked tirelessly over many years to develop technology that empowers users with industry-leading health, wellness, and safety features and we are pleased the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has stayed the exclusion order while it considers our request to stay the order pending our full approval,” the company said in a statement. 

Over the past couple of years, location-tracking devices have found a home with people who want to keep tabs on where their keys are, their purse, their luggage, literally their everything.

Sometimes, those devices depend on crowdsourced finding networks and can wind up being misused for unwanted tracking of individuals, as Apple found out the hard way when people were using the company’s AirTags to stalk people.

Apple and Google aren’t typically two companies you’d see in bed with each other, but when they sense that there’s a planet full of consumers who are being tracked against their will, they’re coming together to do what they can to stop it.

The two companies have jointly submitted a first-of-its-kind proposal to help combat the misuse of Bluetooth location-tracking devices for unwanted tracking. The specification will allow Bluetooth location-tracking devices to be compatible with unauthorized tracking detection and alerts across iOS and Android platforms.

Others who have tracking devices – Samsung, Tile, Chipolo, eufy Security, and Pebblebee – have expressed their support, too. Together, the entire group can put together best practices and instructions for manufacturers, should they choose to build these capabilities into their products.

Covering every aspect possible

It’s evident that a lot of thought has gone into this idea. According to the specs, "Unwanted tracking detection can both detect and alert individuals that a location tracker separated from the owner's device is traveling with them, as well as provide means to find and disable the tracker."

It will also have technology that can identify the owner of a tracking device -- for example, an email address or a phone number -- as well as the serial number of the tracking device.

Another neat feature is that trackers will shift from a "near-owner" mode to a "separated" mode should the device no longer be near an owner's paired device for more than 30 minutes.

Now that the proposal has been submitted, interested parties are invited and encouraged to review and comment over the next three months. Following the comment period, Google and Apple will re-huddle to address the feedback the initiative received, then set about to implement what it learned about how unwanted tracking alerts will fit into future versions of Android and iOS. Their goal is to have that done by the end of this year.

Safety groups weigh-in

When Apple and Google initially pow-wowed this initiative, they decided that while getting feedback from manufacturers was vital, input from various safety and advocacy groups was equally important and also needed to be integrated into the development of the specification.

“Today’s release of a draft specification is a welcome step to confront harmful misuses of Bluetooth location trackers,” said Alexandra Reeve Givens, the Center for Democracy & Technology’s (CDT) president and CEO. 

“CDT continues to focus on ways to make these devices more detectable and reduce the likelihood that they will be used to track people. We commend Apple and Google for their partnership and dedication to developing a uniform solution to improve detectability. We look forward to the specification moving through the standardization process and to further engagement on ways to reduce the risk of Bluetooth location trackers being misused.”

Apple is offering its credit card holders a new way to increase their savings with a new high-yield savings account. 

The company announced that all Apple Card holders will be eligible to open a high-yield savings account with Goldman Sachs – which also comes with a 4.15% annual interest rate. That rate is more than 10 times the national average. According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), traditional savings accounts yield a 0.37% annual interest rate. 

“Savings helps our users get even more value out of their favorite Apple Card benefit – Daily Cash – while providing them with an easy way to save money every day,” said Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. “Our goal is to build tools that help users lead healthier financial lives, and building savings into Apple Card in Wallet enables them to spend, send, and save daily cash directly and seamlessly – all from one place.” 

No fees, no minimum balance requirements 

For current Apple Card holders, the option to open a savings account with Apple and Goldman Sachs will appear in the Wallet app. Once you click on your Apple Card, and then get into your Daily Cash, you’ll see the option to create an account. 

When the account is set up, all Daily Cash earned from purchases with your Apple Card will be automatically deposited into your new savings account. Users aren’t required to keep a minimum balance in the account, there are no fees associated with the account or any transactions, and there are no minimum deposit requirements. However, accounts do have a maximum balance – $250,000. 

While Daily Cash will be one source of deposits in the savings account, users can also add funds to their accounts by linking other bank accounts or transferring their Apple Cash to their savings accounts. The only banking functions that are unavailable with the Apple savings account are wire transfers and cash deposits. 

Account holders will be able to withdraw the funds from their savings accounts and deposit them into other bank accounts or into their Apple Cash cards. However, you are only able to transfer up to $20,000 from your account every seven days. 

Apple Card holders earn Daily Cash on every purchase made with their card, and there is no limit to how much Daily Cash you can earn. 

Shopping for a new iPhone just got easier. 

The tech company announced that shoppers will now be able to video chat with an Apple specialist from the comfort of their homes – or wherever they happen to be – to help guide them through the purchase of their next iPhone.

These video chats will be in real time and give Apple customers the chance to go through all of the different features, prices, phone carrier plans, and more of each iPhone model. 

“We’re constantly innovating to deliver an even more personalized experience for our customers, meeting them where they are to deliver the best of Apple,” said Karen Rasmussen, head of retail online at Apple. 

Consumers have more options

With the announcement of this new shopping feature, consumers now have another option to choose from when looking to buy a new iPhone – shopping in-store, shopping online, and now over video chat.

Specialists will be available to video chat from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time every day of the week. Unlike a regular video chat, the camera doesn’t work both ways. When connecting with an Apple Specialist, customers will be able to see their customer service rep and their screen, but the Apple Specialist won’t be able to see them. 

Consumers can join the video chat session with just about any question: deciding which device will best suit their lifestyles, deciding between colors, figuring out payment options, or gaining insight into their device trade-in options. 

Get ready for new prices in the App Store

Apple also announced that shoppers can expect to see some new prices in the App Store starting in May. 

While the changes are primarily targeted toward app developers, consumers will feel the effects. In the coming months, app developers will have the option to charge anywhere from $0.29 to $10,000 (with special permission from Apple) for their apps. The new updates will also allow for apps to be charged in $0.10 increments, and many apps will transition from $0.99 to $1.00. 

In making the change, Apple said it hopes to give creators more flexibility, while also creating more uniformity among the different countries and currencies that host and sell apps on the App Store. 

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, a restaurant chain based in Dallas, has settled a class-action suit by agreeing to pay $2.35 million to people impacted by a data security breach. In the breach, hackers were able to access customer’s payment card information.

The breach took place between April 2019 and late October 2020. Attorneys say the restaurant’s customers who paid with credit and debit cards during that time period are eligible to receive money and credit monitoring.

Affected consumers can submit a claim here. The deadline is April 23, 2023.

Conservice

Conservice, a utility management company, has agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle a class-action suit filed by a Maryland consumer. The suit charges, among other things, that the company collected debts from Maryland consumers without having a proper license.

Even though it isn’t a debt collection firm, Conservice provides that service for the utilities serving multi-family communities and other residential and commercial properties.

Under the terms of the settlement, class members can receive an equal share of the net settlement fund. Maryland residents can file a claim here.

Apple

The clock is ticking for affected Apple MacBook customers to file a claim for part of a $50 million settlement. The class-action suit, filed last year, claims that MacBook laptop computers sold between 2015 and 2019 were equipped with defective butterfly keyboards. It followed an initial suit filed in 2018.

The suit claims the defect resulted in "characters repeating unexpectedly; letters or characters not appearing; and/or the keys feeling "sticky" or not responding in a consistent manner."

Eligible class members will receive up to $395 but court documents say the payout will be awarded based on a tier system. More information is available on the MacBook settlement website.

A record year

It turns out that 2022 was a record year for class-action lawsuits and consumers who received compensation. The legal publication Duane Morris Class Action Review analyzed 635 class action judgments last year. It found the total value of the judgments was more than $63 billion.

One reason for the record amount is the settlements are getting larger. In the last year, there were 15 class action cases that produced $1 billion or more in settlements.

The new Apple iPhones (14, 14 Plus, and 14 Pro) have landed. Do they meet all the “magical,” “groundbreaking,” “innovative” superlatives that Apple promised? Does anyone really care?

ConsumerAffairs asked DealNews’ Consumer Analyst, Julie Ramhold, to give us her takeaway – from pricing to when the right time to buy is. Here’s what she had to say…

Lackluster interest pre-event

Headed into the event, a recent DealNews.com poll found that a slim 6.6% of readers planned to buy the new iPhone 14 the moment it dropped, but 70% said they probably wouldn’t buy it at all. Why is that?

“Technology has definitely improved over where it was several years ago, but the leaps from one generation to the next aren't necessarily anything groundbreaking anymore. Because of that, and the fact that phone carriers aren't subsidizing purchases anymore, many consumers are finding it easier and more affordable to just continue to use the model they already have as long as it's in good working condition,” Ramhold said.

“Many are trying to refrain from upgrading unless their device is seriously outdated (as in, no longer receiving security updates) or has been broken beyond repair as a new smartphone routinely costs closer and closer to $1,000 for many now.”

Pricing turned out to be a relief

No surprises here, Ramhold said, adding that the prices were right on target with what her team expected. 

“These are the starting prices we see with new gadgets released every year, and while it would be nice to see them start at lower prices, at least they aren't priced even higher. This is especially good considering the iPhone 14 will start at $799, and top out at $1,099 for the iPhone 14 Pro Max,” she said.” In her opinion, while the iPhones appear to be pricey, they’re not exorbitantly so.

What are the best times to purchase the latest Apple gadgets?

“Black Friday is often the best time of year to purchase new Apple devices, period,” is Ramhold’s opinion. From her experience, when a new generation of devices first comes out, the previous generation (iPhone 13) will typically see a permanent price cut and satisfy the desires of most iPhone lovers.

“But even so, Black Friday usually brings additional savings that are hard to beat and rarely pop up at other times of the year. I would say that occasionally in the summertime around back-to-school season, Apple itself will offer things like new MacBooks with a free pair of Beats headphones or something like that for those that may be headed off to college. However, even then, you may want to look elsewhere to find better deals on a new computer.”

However, for consumers who embrace the trade-off of “free” vs. “long-term contractual commitment,” they might find what AT&T is offering attractive. Beginning Friday, the carrier is offering the iPhone 14, Pro, and Plus for free, and the iPhone Pro Max for $99 -- a cool $1,000 -- off if they trade in an eligible smartphone, or sign up for a qualifying installment and a qualifying Unlimited plan.

About those previous generation phones

When asked for her tips on how consumers can save on previous generation phones, Ramhold offered these two points:

Shop around. Gotta get while you can, apparently, because Apple will only offer previous generation iPhones for so long. And you should be prepared to look elsewhere, including at stores like Target and websites like eBay where you may need to shop via third-party sellers to find good deals.

Consider refurbished. The rule of thumb for refurbished is that the older the model, the harder it may be to find a brand-new version of it.  So if you can find an unboxed older generation iPhone, you should grab it. Even "factory-refurbished" phones are good deals because while they’ve seen some action, it’s a safe bet that they were refurbished to the point where they might have nothing more than minor cosmetic issues. Otherwise, they should work like new. 

The important thing is to buy refurbished devices from reputable sellers who have good ratings, offer returns, etc. Ramhold suggested that platforms like eBay are sticklers when it comes to how sellers define “refurbished,” and it’s always smart to read those particulars.

“Test before you buy a refurbished model, if possible. If you're shopping in person, you should ask if you can see the device in action before you buy it. That is, ask to plug it in, turn it on, make sure there aren't any dead pixels and that it's actually charging before you walk out of the store with it,” are her recommendations.

“If the seller won't allow you to check the status of the item before buying it, consider it a red flag and walk out on the sale."

Where are the best places to buy the new Apple products?

From having tracked these new releases before, Ramhold says that more often than not, big box retailers like Target or Best Buy are ideal places to shop. “Even Amazon and Walmart can be worthwhile retailers to shop for the latest gadgets.”

Interestingly enough, though, she says that consumers should avoid buying directly from Apple online or at an Apple store. “Basically the biggest reason to not shop at Apple is that it rarely offers discounts –  in fact, it's notorious for not having a Black Friday sale. It may offer surface-level savings, but overall you're going to find better deals and potentially better perks by shopping elsewhere,” she concluded.

In the never-ending battle to keep threat actors at bay, Apple is bringing a new “lockdown” mode to its devices to protect certain users from highly targeted “mercenary spyware.”

Those keywords – “certain” and “mercenary” – carry a lot of weight in this rollout. Apple’s main goal for this new protection is having the backs of a small number of users who may be targeted by cyberattacks from private companies that develop state-sponsored spyware. The tech company said it is providing details about its $10 million grant to bolster research exposing such threats.

When it’s launched later this fall as part of software updates for Macs, iPads, and iPhones, Lockdown Mode will include built-in protections like blocking message attachments and disabling link previews. It will even go as far as blocking FaceTime calls if the user has not previously sent the initiator a call or request. Apple said it will also block wired connections with a computer or accessory when someone’s iPhone is locked.

“Apple makes the most secure mobile devices on the market. Lockdown Mode is a groundbreaking capability that reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting users from even the rarest, most sophisticated attacks,” said Ivan Krstić, Apple’s head of Security Engineering and Architecture. 

“While the vast majority of users will never be the victims of highly targeted cyberattacks, we will work tirelessly to protect the small number of users who are. That includes continuing to design defenses specifically for these users, as well as supporting researchers and organizations around the world doing critically important work in exposing mercenary companies that create these digital attacks.”

Staying one step ahead

In a world where personal privacy seems to be challenged and cyberattacks happen on almost a daily basis, it can't be said that Apple is asleep at the wheel. Earlier this year, the company took steps to protect AirTag users from unwanted tracking.  

With this latest Lockdown add-on, Axios’ Ina Fried said Apple did itself another huge favor.

“Product design is all about tradeoffs, and tech companies are always trying to navigate them amid a cacophony of voices demanding they prioritize privacy, or security, or simplicity, or other concerns,” Fried commented in an email to readers.

“Apple deserves the plaudits for its effort to help users who fear high-end attacks. But it's also very much in the company's interest to protect its devices and be known as the ‘safer’ choice in the smartphone market.”

John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab, agrees.

"Lockdown Mode is [a] radical reduction of the threat surface of an iPhone,” he said in a tweet on Thursday. “Cannot overstate how big a change this is for Apple.”

The annual Apple developers conference saw a wide range of announced innovations this week, but one of the most significant may be the tech giant’s foray deeper into financial services.

The company announced that it is expanding its Apple Pay digital wallet to include a buy now, pay later (BNPL) function called Apple Pay Later. Annie Millerbernd, one of NerdWallet’s financial experts, says the company that is most known for the iPhone is moving deeper into financial services.

“Apple Pay Later will present heavy competition for existing BNPL brands because now every Apple Pay user can split up their payments without the help of a specific BNPL app,” Millerbernd said in an email to ConsumerAffairs. 

Familiar ecosystem

Apple Pay Later takes advantage of an ecosystem that is familiar to millions of consumers who won't have to learn how different BNPL platforms behave. They won’t have to guess about late fees or what happens if a purchased product is returned.

“If you have just one service helping you split payments and it’s the same one every time, you might be able to better understand the product,” Millerbernd said. “In a 2021 NerdWallet survey, one-third of BNPL users said they used this option to afford multiple items they wouldn’t have been able to get otherwise.” 

But there could be a downside to that. As we’ve recently reported, a growing number of BNPL users have fallen behind on payments, even to the extent of putting financial pressure on lenders.

“Given Apple Pay’s wide availability, there’s a good chance that more people will opt for BNPL and that could create a lot of headaches for those who struggle to keep track of their expenses,” Millerbernd said.

Stiff competition

Apple is taking on some pretty stiff competition that has had several years to accrue a head start. According to the Wall Street Journal, the five most popular app providers downloaded through Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store, including Affirm and Klarna, counted an estimated 7.5 million monthly active users in May. That’s a breathtaking 44% increase from a year earlier.

Apple says the Apple Pay Later function will be available wherever Apple Pay is accepted online or in-app through the Mastercard network. Apple said users will have the ability to spread out the cost of a purchase into four equal payments over six weeks. As a plus to users, Apple said there will be no fees or interest.

Do you have a broken Apple product and think you could fix it yourself? Apple’s Self Service Repair is finally available, so have it.

The company announced on Tuesday that genuine Apple parts, tools, and repair guides can now be purchased by U.S. customers who wish to do their own repairs. However, there may be limits to what consumers will be able to do.

While Apple’s new online store offers more than 200 individual parts and tools to complete repairs on iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone SE (3rd generation) lineups, Mac owners will have to wait a while. The company says repair options for those products will come later this year.

Apple device repair steps

Apple is trying to keep things as simple as possible, but there are a few steps everyone will have to take to perform their own self-service repair.

To start, a customer should first review the repair manual for the product they want to fix by visiting the company's support page. Note: You can’t skip this step. To purchase the genuine Apple parts and tools, you have to have the repair manual ID, which can only be found in the manual’s introduction.

Once that’s done, consumers can then visit the Apple Self Service Repair Store and order the necessary parts and tools.

“Every genuine Apple part is designed and engineered for each product, and goes through extensive testing to ensure the highest quality, safety, and reliability,” the company vowed. “The parts are the same ones — at the same price — as those available to Apple’s network of authorized repair providers.” The company added that as thanks for returning a replaced part for recycling, customers will receive a credit “for certain repairs.”

Apple hasn’t wasted any time following up on its promise to AirTag users that it has their back. In the company’s latest beta for its iOS 15.4 operating system, new anti-stalking alerts have been added to AirTags and other Find My accessories.

9to5Mac reports that users will now see a new message when setting up an AirTag. The message informs the user that the accessory is connected to their Apple ID, the data container where their personal data is kept.

Apple points out that stalking or tracking someone without their knowledge or consent is a crime in many regions of the world, and doing so with an AirTag will trigger law enforcement officials to respond.

There are also two additional upgrades that should make AirTag users a little more comfortable: for one, notification settings in the Find My app update now allow users to modify specific options for Find My and Tracking separately. Secondly, Apple is making it clearer exactly which type of accessory was detected moving with someone.

If these improvements sound like something you want ASAP, you’re probably going to have to wait until later this spring. For now, the iOS 15.4 update is in beta and only available to developers and public beta users. 

After receiving reports of people stalking others and engaging in unwanted tracking, Apple is proactively making efforts to modify its AirTag product.

The company admitted that it has “seen reports of bad actors attempting to misuse AirTag for malicious or criminal purposes.” By collaborating with safety groups and law enforcement agencies, the company has identified additional ways it can update AirTag safety warnings and help prevent further unwanted tracking.

“AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person’s property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products,” the company said in a statement. 

“Unwanted tracking has long been a societal problem, and we took this concern seriously in the design of AirTag. It’s why the Find My network is built with privacy in mind, uses end-to-end encryption, and why we innovated with the first-ever proactive system to alert you of unwanted tracking.”

What is being done

As far as working with law enforcement is concerned, the company said it can provide account details on who a certain AirTag is connected to if the company is subpoenaed or receives a valid request from law enforcement.

“We have successfully partnered with them on cases where information we provided has been used to trace an AirTag back to the perpetrator, who was then apprehended and charged,” Apple said.

As far as users are concerned, Apple said there are updates coming to both AirTag and its "Find My Network" tool. Forthcoming software updates will include the following: 

New privacy warnings during AirTag setup: Each and every user setting up their AirTag for the first time will see a message clearly stating that AirTag is meant to track their own belongings. There will be a stern warning that using AirTag to track people without consent is a crime in many regions around the world. The company will also warn any potential perpetrator that law enforcement can request identifying information about the owner of the AirTag.

Updated support documentation about safety: Apple has also updated its unwanted tracking support article on its website to communicate the safety features built into AirTag, AirPods, and Find My network accessories. AirTag users now have access to additional explanations and visuals of which Find My accessories may trigger an unwanted tracking alert. They'll also find updated information on what to do after receiving an alert, including instructions for disabling an AirTag, AirPods, or Find My network accessory. 

In that support article, Apple offers links to resources individuals can use if they feel their safety is at risk, like the National Network to End Domestic Violence and the National Center for Victims of Crime.

Future updates

Apple says it’s working on a series of updates that it plans to introduce later this year. Some of those updates include:

Precision Finding: This capability allows recipients of an unwanted tracking alert to locate an unknown AirTag with precision. 

Display alert with sound: This is designed to help in cases where the AirTag may be in a location where it is hard to hear, or if the AirTag speaker has been tampered with.

Refining unwanted tracking alert logic: “Our unwanted tracking alert system uses sophisticated logic to determine how we alert users,” Apple said. “We plan to update our unwanted tracking alert system to notify users earlier that an unknown AirTag or Find My network accessory may be traveling with them.”

Tuning AirTag’s sound: As things currently stand, iOS users who receive an unwanted tracking alert can play a sound to help them find an unknown AirTag. The company said it is working on adjusting the tone sequence to use more of the loudest tones to make an unknown AirTag easier to find.

Apple is handing out $1,000 holiday bonuses to its employees and announced that it will delay its full office reopening.

A letter that CEO Tim Cook sent to staff on Wednesday, which was obtained by The Verge, stated that the official date for returning to work is “yet to be determined.” Cook also took the opportunity in his letter to encourage Apple workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots.

“Our offices remain open and many of our colleagues are coming in regularly, including our teams in Greater China and elsewhere,” Cook wrote. “As we look forward to more of our teams being together again, we will continue to make decisions based on local conditions and will be sure to notify you at least four weeks before beginning the pilot.”

Rising cases and variants cause concern

The original plan was for Apple employees to return to work on February 1, 2022, but the rising number of coronavirus cases and the spread of the new Omicron variant caused concern. Apple closed three of its retail stores this week in response to growing COVID-19 infections and began requiring customers to mask up when they visit an Apple store. 

In his letter, Cook said that every Apple employee – including retail staffers – would be getting $1,000 in their next paycheck – minus tax and withholding. 

“These funds are intended to help you with your home workspace and can be used as you see fit,” Cook wrote. “Keep in mind that when you return to the office, you’ll be bringing your Apple-owned equipment back, so you should consider what you’ll want for your home workspace.”

Apple is offering a free repair to its customers after discovering that a “very small” percentage of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro devices may have sound issues stemming from a component that “might fail.” 

There are a handful of important caveats that the company requires for affected devices to qualify for the fix. They include:

1. The problem exists only on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro.

2. The program covers affected iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro devices for 2 years after the first retail sale of the unit. That “retail” caveat could be a sticking point, so make sure you have documentation of when the device was purchased.

3. The phones must have been manufactured between October 2020, and April 2021. ConsumerAffairs found these details on how you can determine your device’s manufacturing date.

The company noted that repairing a phone through this program does not extend the standard warranty coverage of the iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro.

What to look for and how to get service

Apple says the most evident factor that the phone may be eligible for a repair is if it doesn’t emit sound from the receiver when a user makes or receives calls. If that’s the case, then an Apple Retail Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider will service the device free of charge. 

If the iPhone owner doesn’t live close to an Apple Store or a service provider, they can call Apple Support to arrange to mail in the phone. As part of the process, the service provider will check the iPhone to make sure that it’s fully eligible for this program.

Apple asks that users back up their phones to iCloud or their computer before bringing or sending it in for a repair. If a backup is not performed, there is no guarantee that the device’s data will be preserved.

Apple says if someone’s iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro has any damage that impairs the ability to complete the repair -- such as a cracked screen -- then that issue will need to be resolved prior to the service. In some cases, there may be a cost associated with the additional repair.

You’re driving down the highway when your car skids off the road and into a ditch, knocking you unconscious. But help is on the way because your iPhone automatically dialed 911 to report the accident.

That’s the vision laid out in Apple documents reviewed by the Wall Street Journal. According to the documents, Apple plans to harness crash detection data built into Apple devices to detect car crashes. Apple engineers say it’s possible to do so by looking for a sudden increase in G-forces.

Industry analysts say it would be similar to the way Apple is able to detect hard falls by people carrying an iPhone or wearing an Apple Watch. The devices automatically dial 911 if the user doesn’t respond to an automatic query. In 2021, Apple added a new iPhone feature that analyzes how steady a user is walking and alerts them if it detects that they are about to fall.

No confirmation

Apple isn’t commenting on the report. Sources tell the Journal that Apple hasn’t decided on timing for adding the feature and could decide to table the project for a while. Privacy could be a complicating factor. Apple has built much of its public reputation around privacy, and it’s not clear how close monitoring of a user’s device would fit into that narrative.

Jarvia, of Los Angeles, gave Apple a 5-star review on ConsumerAffairs and likes the idea that the company is pushing the technology envelope. 

“While other cell phone manufacturers are making tremendous headway in this space, Apple continues to lead in innovation, technology, design, and practical functionality with its highly integrable iPhone lineup,” Jarvia wrote in a ConsumerAffairs review. “These phones are extremely user friendly, integrate and share data seamlessly across other Apple devices and take the guesswork out how to stay connected.”

Currently being tested

In tests of Apple’s crash-detecting technology, some users have anonymously shared data from their iPhones and Apple Watches. The company documents show that Apple devices have already detected more than 10 million vehicle accidents, with more than 50,000 calls to a 911 dispatcher.

Other devices currently monitor vehicle activity for signs of a crash. The first was General Motors’ OnStar, built into many GM models. Google provided a similar feature to its Pixel phone two years ago, and several apps do much the same thing.

Apple threw down the first gauntlet of the fall 2021 phone release challenge on Tuesday. The company introduced the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini, both featuring anticipated camera upgrades and extended battery lives at a lower price than expected.

Google is set to respond in early October with its Pixel 6 phone, equipped with similar features ​​and a new processor focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Should consumers buy the new iPhone?

Should you invest another $700 to $800 on a new phone and an extended service contract to pay for it? ConsumerAffairs did a survey of how tech writers feel about the new iPhone and there were mixed opinions.

Here’s how much love critics give the iPhone 13:

Not a giant leap over iPhone 12. Wired reviewers claim the iPhone 13’s changes are basically modest improvements. “The OLED displays are smoother, batteries last longer, and internal storage sizes are larger. So it's a lot like last year's iPhone, just nicer.”

Camera, camera, camera, camera. Apple may wax poetically about the camera upgrade, but in all honesty, the company says pretty much the same thing about its camera every time it releases a new iPhone.

A lot of attention is being given to the iPhone 13's new “Cinematic” technology that has the power to follow a subject and keep it in focus “so anyone can capture cinema-style moments, even if they aren’t a professional filmmaker,” says Apple.

Apple hired a top AI executive from Google to work on the new phone’s camera and, “partly as a result, its newer iPhone cameras have received higher ratings than the Pixel,” noted the New York Times’ Jack Nicas. But, at the end of the day, Nicas came away with this: the 13 is “better, but not by much.”

Is there that much of a difference between the 13 Pro Max and the 13 mini? If you decide to buy a new iPhone 13, the most important question to get answered is which model -- the Pro or the mini? “Notably, the ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ Max now have identical camera systems, a departure from the different cameras featured in the iPhone 12 Pro and the 12 Pro Max,” wrote MacRumors. “As usual, the ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ models have the best camera systems, while the more affordable ‌iPhone 13‌ models have step-down cameras that lack some of the Pro capabilities.”

Bring it, battery lovers! Other than the camera, the most anticipated upgrade for the iPhone 13 was probably the battery life. Since we eat, work, and sleep with our phones at our side, battery life can make a considerable difference. 

“Apple didn't share the size, but claims that the new battery along with iOS 15, the A15 chip and updated display adds two-and-a-half hours more battery life to the iPhone 13 compared to the iPhone 12,” said CNET. 

In its test, CNET came away with enough evidence to say that the iPhone 13 mini should get an hour-and-a-half more than the iPhone 12 mini. “That's a significant increase. The battery life on the iPhone 12 Mini was a compromise some people weren't willing to make. So it's exciting to see the new Mini get such a big bump in just a year.”

Who’s got the better phone -- Apple or Android? Apple fans tend to be die-hards and so are Android lovers. But, if someone were thinking about switching platforms, what should they consider?

“When compared to the Android competition, Apple isn’t doing much to outgun them on the hardware front,” reports TheVerge’s Sam Byford. “Apple is never going to have the flashiest hardware, but it’s made some welcome improvements in areas that make sense, and thankfully it hasn’t locked any features to the Max-sized iPhone. We’re looking forward to seeing the results — as well as those of looming competitors like the Pixel 6.”

On the day it planned to roll out its new iPhone, Apple instead has been stunned by the discovery that cyber attackers may have found a way to worm their way into an array of Apple-made products from the iPad to the Apple Watch.

The company is on the case, actively patching two vulnerabilities in its software that allows hackers to take command of its devices. An inventive bunch, those cyber thugs — Apple said that an attacker can actually trigger an iOS-run device to run deviant computer code, such as downloading a malicious program from the internet onto the user’s device. 

This is Apple's second major security flaw in as many months.

What to look for and what to fix

In PCMag’s coverage of the situation, one way an attack can happen comes via iMessage, where the attacker sends a mischievous PDF. Security analysts at Citizen Lab have concluded that the attackers use the vulnerability to spread the Pegasus — a particularly nasty spyware program — which can clandestinely take over an iPhone.

Not to be left out of the flaw circus, researchers at Citizen Lab also found that suspicious animated GIFs masquerading as Adobe PDFs are also able to exploit Apple’s flaw. Like Apple, this is also Adobe's second recent run-in with security issues — the first coming in mid-August when it found a vulnerability in its iOS and Windows versions of Photoshop.

Apple immediately released a system software update designed to patch the issue. The company is advising owners of Apple devices to update them immediately. 

Here is a list of the devices affected by the breach and links to the security update. You can also follow Apple’s suggested method for updating your device’s system software.

We’re coming up on Big Tech’s new release season, and the gadget swamis are already predicting big changes. At the top of the list is Apple, which is reportedly taking a big step forward in the photography department on its upcoming iPhone 13. 

The new tech offering will sport a big camera if leaked photos of the device are any indication. Among the predicted bells and whistles are a new six-element ultrawide lens with autofocus and a video Portrait mode. As part of its investigation, Bloomberg News found out about a new feature called Cinematic Video that will allow users to record video with portrait blurring effects. That feature may be new to Apple fans, but Samsung phone owners have had it for several years.

Google lovers aren’t being left out in the cold on the phone camera upgrade battle. The new Google 6 has a 50-megapixel camera sensor that gives users nearly five times the performance power as the Google Pixel 5.

How much camera power do we need?

One ConsumerAffairs reviewer -- Prakash from Richmond, Texas -- said their iPhone camera’s quality was “as good as it can be.” Nonetheless, the pixel war rages on. In fact, the camera technology being used on phones today is getting so good that it may soon make interchangeable lens cameras a thing of the past.

“Over the past few years, smartphone cameras in general have improved significantly. So much so in fact, that many people no longer see the need to carry or buy a dedicated camera,” contends Statista data journalist Felix Richter.

“While professionals and photo enthusiasts will (probably) always get better results using high-end cameras and lenses, modern smartphones take pictures that are easily sufficient for the demands of the average consumer.”

The impact on the camera companies of the world has to be concerning. According to CIPA -- a Japan-based industry group that includes Olympus, Fuji, Sony, Panasonic, Canon, and Nikon -- worldwide camera shipments dropped by 93% between 2010 and 2020 and are on another downward trajectory in 2021, wiping out more than four decades of growth. Richter says the cause of that slide could come from only one place -- smartphones. 

“The steep decline was mainly driven by a drop-off in shipments of digital cameras with built-in lenses, the type that casual photographers used to rely on prior to the rise of smartphone photography,” he wrote.

A jury has decided against Apple in a patent dispute and awarded Optis Wireless Technology $300 million because it felt Apple used the company’s technology in its iPhones, iPads, and Watches without securing a license. 

It’s interesting to note that Optis doesn’t manufacture any actual products. In fact, it doesn’t appear to be in the mobile technology business at all. It describes itself as a “people data services and cloud software solutions” company that just happens to own the patents that are the cornerstone of this case. 

Those patents once belonged to Panasonic, LG, and Samsung before Optis purchased them. According to a report by Bloomberg, the lawsuit is built around technology that Optis claims is crucial to carrying out the 4G communications standard, a key component in Apple’s mobile devices. 

Apple vows to fight the award

Apple’s been down this road before. In 2019, the company paid Qualcomm over $4 billion as part of a settlement in another royalty dispute. Although the award to Optis is lower than a previous ruling because it is focused on damages only, Apple says it intends to appeal the ruling as a matter of principle.

In an email sent to The Verge, the tech giant said it values invention and respects intellectual property, but it called Optis out because the company “makes no products and its sole business is to sue companies using patents they accumulate.” 

“We will continue to defend against their attempts to extract unreasonable payments for patents they acquire,” Apple stated.

Apple thinks it has sufficient reason to lay blame at Optis feet for being lawsuit-happy. Not only does the company have a track record of suing others -- like Tesla and Huawei -- on similar grounds, but it is also pursuing Apple in the English High Court, where it’s seeking to establish a global royalty rate for its patents. As a result, Apple threatened to pull out of the United Kingdom if it was ordered by London judges to pay a “commercially unacceptable” amount.

Apple’s blueprint to scan iPhone users' photo libraries for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) has raised the ire of some of its own employees. According to a report from Reuters, Apple staff have begun using internal company Slack channels to post hundreds of messages that voice their concerns about the proposal.

Their biggest concern is that governments that have been known to use mobile phones to spy on people will employ the software for uses other than CSAM, like finding material they could use to censor or arrest people. 

Past security changes at Apple have also prompted concern among employees, but the volume and duration of the new debate are surprising, the workers said. Some posters worried that Apple is damaging its leading reputation for protecting privacy.

Employee opinions are mixed

The pushback by Apple employees may sound earth-shattering, but not everyone at the company is up in arms. Reuters said some employees have questioned their peers’ criticism in the Slack thread devoted to the photo-scanning feature. Others said Slack wasn't the proper place to hold discussions like this.

One integral workgroup at Apple -- the security team -- was staying away from the back-and-forth on Slack, but opinions vary. 

Some couched Apple’s effort as a rational response to pressure to get tough on illegal and illicit material. Others said they hoped the scanning tool would eventually lead to the development of better encryption tools for iCloud customers who want a more powerful layer of security.

Critical employees have outside support

Other privacy advocates have also expressed their concerns about Apple's proposed scanning tool. They claim Apple is softening its stance on privacy and that the company’s willingness to do these kinds of scans could potentially start a boulder rolling downhill that would allow governments to ask for more information in the future.

One group -- the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) -- says Apple’s proposed changes create new risks to children and all users while marking a significant departure from long-held privacy and security protocols.

"What Apple is showing with their announcement last week is that there are technical weaknesses that they are willing to build in," CDT project director Emma Llanso said in an interview. "It seems so out of step from everything that they had previously been saying and doing."

“Apple is replacing its industry-standard end-to-end encrypted messaging system with an infrastructure for surveillance and censorship, which will be vulnerable to abuse and scope-creep not only in the U.S., but around the world,” says Greg Nojeim, Co-Director of CDT’s Security & Surveillance Project. “Apple should abandon these changes and restore its users’ faith in the security and integrity of their data on Apple devices and services.”

Big Tech, say hello to Big Bipartisanship. A new across-the-aisle congressional bill has been drafted in an attempt to regulate how digital app stores are run.

​​U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN.), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Open App Markets Act -- a bill designed to “promote competition and reduce gatekeeper power in the app economy, increase choice, improve quality, and reduce costs for consumers.”

In the crosshairs are Apple and Google, the two biggest companies that the trio of legislators feel have gatekeeper control over the app market. The lawmakers say the control the companies have allows them to call all the shots and keep other app resellers picking up what scraps they can. Together, Apple and Google have 5.7 million apps that produced $110.9 billion in sales in 2020. 

“Big Tech giants are forcing their own app stores on users at the expense of innovative start-ups,” said Sen. Blackburn. “Apple and Google want to prevent developers and consumers from using third-party app stores that would threaten their bottom line. Their anticompetitive conduct is a direct affront to a free and fair marketplace. Senators Blumenthal, Klobuchar, and I are committed to ensuring U.S. consumers and small businesses are not punished by Big Tech dominance.”

Blumenthal said the legislation is intended to “tear down coercive anticompetitive walls in the app economy, giving consumers more choices and smaller startup tech companies a fighting chance.” He also said the bill will “give mobile users more control over their own devices.”

This will take a while

Keep in mind that this legislation has only been introduced. It still has to pass in the Senate and the House before finally getting President Biden’s signature. Given their historic sales trends, Google and Apple can sell a lot of apps before the act becomes law.

In the meantime, the companies have other app store issues to deal with. The European Union has been relentless in punishing Apple over issues with its App Store. In March, it launched an investigation over unfair App Store dominance. It followed that up with accusations in April that the company was breaking antitrust rules with its App Store policies. 

Google hasn’t had it any easier. In the U.S., the company was hit with an antitrust lawsuit filed by 37 states that claimed the Google Play Store is an illegal monopoly. Like Apple, it was also targeted by the E.U. earlier this summer for allegedly abusing its ad tech power.

With COVID-19 cases continuing to rise, Apple has decided to delay its workers’ return to offices. 

Last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook told workers that they would have to go into the office at least three days a week starting in early September. Cook reiterated at the time that he believes face-to-face collaboration plays a crucial role in driving innovation and results. 

"For all that we've been able to achieve while many of us have been separated, the truth is that there has been something essential missing from this past year: each other," Cook said in a June memo. "Video conference calling has narrowed the distance between us, to be sure, but there are things it simply cannot replicate."

On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that Apple is pushing back its deadline for the resumption of in-person work “by at least a month to October at the earliest.” Employees will reportedly be given a month’s notice before they’ll be required to return to offices. 

Some employees pushing back 

Apple’s decision to have employees come back to offices has faced criticism. On an internal Slack channel, thousands of “remote work advocates” began circulating a petition asking for the company to adopt a more flexible work-from-home policy. 

"We continue to be concerned that this one-size-fits-all solution is causing many of our colleagues to question their future at Apple," employees said in a letter last month. "With COVID-19 numbers rising again around the world, vaccines proving less effective against the delta variant, and the long-term effects of infection not well understood, it is too early to force those with concerns to come back to the office."

In response, company executives underscored their belief that “in-person collaboration is essential to our culture and our future.”

Chalk one up for consumer privacy. At its worldwide developer conference, Apple announced that it’s turning up the heat on tracking and targeting to allow more privacy for the end-user.

The upgrades will be part of Apple’s forthcoming system software -- iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and watchOS 8 -- which is scheduled to be released in the fall to coincide with the new iPhone models.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has been on a two-year privacy crusade and wants consumers to know that Apple takes its responsibility to safeguard user data seriously. He hopes the new upgrades will help illustrate that stance.

Changes for Apple, Android, and Windows users

While the privacy boost will generally be seen across the entire Apple product landscape, there are some specific places where consumers face privacy challenges.

FaceTime: FaceTime users have experienced privacy issues in the past, but Apple says that is coming to an end. Effective with the new system software, FaceTime calls will extend beyond Apple devices, with the ability to create a link from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and share it through Messages, Calendar, Mail, or third-party apps. 

The pro-user advantage here is that anyone can join a FaceTime call from their web browser, but it won’t be an Apple-only feature going forward. That change will now also include Android and Windows devices. Apple says FaceTime calls on the web will remain encrypted end-to-end to keep privacy from being compromised.

Siri: Apple is tightening the privacy on Siri -- but only on iPhone and iPad. In iOS 15, Siri’s on-device speech recognition will be processed entirely on iPhones by default, and the company says Siri’s performance should improve significantly. 

Mail: When it comes to Mail, Apple says the upgraded privacy protection will stop senders from learning whether an email has been opened. It will also hide IP addresses so senders can’t learn a user’s location or use it to build a profile on them. 

Apps: Want to know what app is on your trail? The forthcoming App Privacy Report contains an overview of how apps use the access that users have granted app developers when it comes to locations, photos, cameras, microphones, and contacts. The report will include information for the previous seven days of use and will also detail other domains that an app may have contacted.

Stopping sketchy behavior

What do privacy and security experts think about Apple’s move? Dr. Don Vaughn -- the Head of Product at Invisibly, a digital privacy ecosystem -- says he has mixed feelings.

"Apple's iOS 15 will certainly help stop some of the sketchy data collection practices that apps and websites use to make money off people's personal data,” he told ConsumerAffairs.

“However, Apple's scorched earth approach to data completely misses the opportunity to help people derive value from their own data. Rather than deleting data like browsing behavior, Invisibly believes people should be allowed to collect and license that data to earn money and personalize content."

With vaccination rates continuing to climb, Apple employees will soon have to go into the office at least three days a week. Apple CEO Tim Cook told workers that the change will go into effect in early September. 

"For all that we've been able to achieve while many of us have been separated, the truth is that there has been something essential missing from this past year: each other," Cook said in a memo seen by The Verge. "Video conference calling has narrowed the distance between us, to be sure, but there are things it simply cannot replicate."

Most employees will be asked to work in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and they will have the option of working remotely on Wednesdays and Fridays, according to the email. Teams that require in-person work will return to the office four to five days a week.

Apple employees will also have the opportunity to work remotely for up to two weeks a year, “to be closer to family and loved ones, find a change of scenery, manage unexpected travel, or a different reason all your own,” the memo said. Remote work requests will need approval from a manager. 

Returning to normal

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple was quick to allow employees to work remotely full-time. But before the pandemic, the company discouraged working from home. 

“There’s no replacement for face-to-face collaboration, but we have also learned a great deal about how we can get our work done outside of the office without sacrificing productivity or results,” Cook told staff last year. “When we’re on the other side of this pandemic, we will preserve everything that is great about Apple while incorporating the best of our transformations this year.”

In closing Wednesday’s letter to staff, Cook encouraged all employees to get vaccinated and said he was looking forward to the resumption of in-person work.

“For now, let me simply say that I look forward to seeing your faces,” he said. “I know I’m not alone in missing the hum of activity, the energy, creativity and collaboration of our in-person meetings and the sense of community we’ve all built.”

The European Commission has charged Apple with breaking competition rules in the EU with its App Store practices for music streaming. 

The decision comes roughly two years after an initial complaint from Spotify. In 2019, the music platform accused Apple of using its market dominance to stifle competition. The Commission now says it believes Apple has “dominant position in the market for the distribution of music streaming apps through its App Store” based on two rules it requires developers to abide by. 

The first rule is that developers must use Apple’s in-app purchase system, for which it charges a 30% cut. The second rule bars app developers from informing consumers of other purchasing options outside of apps. The Commission said the 30% cut has resulted in higher prices for consumers. 

“Most streaming providers passed this fee on to end users by raising prices,” the European Commission said. “Apple’s rules distort competition in the market for music streaming services by raising the costs of competing music streaming app developers. This in turn leads to higher prices for consumers for their in-app music subscriptions on iOS devices.” 

Initial charges as part of longer process

The Commission’s finding marks the first phase of its formal antitrust proceedings against Apple. The company has been given the opportunity to respond to the Commission’s list of objections within the next 12 weeks. 

If Apple is found guilty of violating EU rules, it could face a fine of up to $27 billion (10% of its annual revenue of $274.5 billion). The tech giant could also be required to change its App Store policies for developers. 

Spotify praised the Commission’s initial findings and called its objections “a critical step toward holding Apple accountable for its anticompetitive behavior, ensuring meaningful choice for all consumers and a level playing field for app developers.”

This case specifically involves the music streaming portion of Apple’s App Store, but the EU said there are other App Store practices that need to be examined. 

“This is not the last case we will have when it comes to the App Store,” European commissioner Margrethe Vestager said at a Friday press conference.

During a Senate antitrust hearing on Thursday, Apple’s Chief Compliance Officer Kyle Andeer was grilled on the company’s apparent inability to combat subscription scammers on its App Store. 

Apple has argued that one of its reasons for requiring developers to pay App Store commissions is that the money goes toward helping to keep scams from proliferating in the marketplace. However, developers have claimed that Apple still isn’t effectively keeping scams off its App Store. 

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) said it’s “trivially easy” to find predatory scam apps on the company’s platform, yet Apple still appears to be unable to locate them. Ossoff said these scam apps are drawing in big bucks, and Apple makes money every time a scammer takes money from a consumer. 

Highlighting Apple’s efforts

Andeer noted that Apple spends “hundreds of millions” each year curating the store and reviewing each app “for privacy, safety, security and performance.” 

“Unfortunately, security and fraud is a cat-and-mouse game. Any retailer will tell you that. And so we’re constantly working to improve,” Andeer said. He added that Apple is investing in more resources and technologies aimed at fighting scams.

He noted that the App Store rejects thousands of apps each year that it deems to be a risk to consumers. Without Apple’s efforts, he argued that the situation would be far worse. 

” … No one is perfect, but I think what we’ve shown over and over again that we do a better job than others,” he said. “I think the real risks of opening up the iPhone to sideloading or third-party app stores is that this problem will only multiply. If we look at other app stores out there, we look at other distribution platforms, it scares us.”

Profiting off of scam billing practices?

Ossoff then circled back to his question about the scam apps and whether Apple profits off of them. “Apple is making a cut on those abusive billing practices, are you not?” he asked.

Andeer replied that he didn’t believe that was the case and reiterated that Apple strives to fight issues quickly after they’re found. “If we find fraud — if we find a problem, we’re able to rectify that very quickly. And we do each and every day,” he said.

Ossoff then asked if Apple refunds 100% of the money it makes from scam billing practices. In his response, Andeer stressed that Apple works hard to make sure that customers who report a scam or file a complaint are made “whole” -- but he stopped short of saying that Apple refunds “all customers.” 

“Senator, that’s my understanding. There’s obviously a dedicated team here at Apple who works this each and every day. But my understanding is that we work hard to make sure the customer is in a whole position. That’s our focus at the end of the day. If we lose the trust of our customers, that’s going to hurt us,” he said.

‘Non-answers’

Developer Kosta Eleftheriou, who has drawn attention to the fact that Apple is making massive amounts of money from scams on its App Store, said Apple’s “non-answers” should “anger all of us.” 

“They did not offer any explanation for why it’s so easy for people like me to keep finding multimillion-dollar scams that have been going on unchecked on the App Store for years,” he told TechCrunch. “They also gave no clear answer to whether they’re responsible for fraudulent activity in their store.” 

“Apple appears to profit from these scams, instead of refunding all associated revenues back to affected users when they belatedly take some of these down. We’ve been letting Apple grade their own homework for over a decade. I urge the committee to get to the bottom of these questions, including Apple’s baffling decision years ago to remove the ability for users to flag suspicious apps on the App Store,” Eleftheriou said.

It’s been confirmed that both Google and Apple will be headed to Capitol Hill to take place in a Senate Judiciary Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights hearing on April 21. Companies don’t always like getting these kinds of invitations, and this one has the earmarks of a grilling.

In a letter to CEO Tim Cook, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said the committee has serious concerns about “competition issues” related to how Apple prices, distributes, and makes apps available to end users.

Klobuchar said in a statement that the hearing will delve into “whether Apple and Google are using their power as gatekeepers to charge high fees and impose restrictions that suppress competition in mobile applications and related markets, and both companies‘ participation in the hearing is necessary.” Of particular concern is Klobuchar’s perception that the companies “have the power to control how and if mobile app developers can reach app users, and ultimately, which apps become successful.”

It’s all about the Benjamins

App stores are quite the revenue spigot for Apple and Google. With a reported 1.96 million apps available for download in its App Store, the subsequent windfall for Apple is reported to be close to $500 billion. There’s also $72.3 billion made on in-app purchases, subscriptions, and premium apps. Comparatively, Google has an estimated 3.4 billion apps on its Play Store and makes about $40 billion in revenue from them. 

Much of that money comes from a 30 percent commission both companies have historically taken out of the gross receipts on an app sale. In late 2020, Epic Games -- the company behind Fortnite, one of the most popular games ever -- decided it would pick a fight. The company tried to circumvent Apple and Google’s app stores by encouraging users to pay it directly for add-ons. Epic’s hope was that the ploy would help it avoid Apple and Google’s fees and keep the extra money for itself.

That idea went nowhere fast. In response, Fortnite got kicked off both app stores. 

Let’s make a deal

Google and Apple will no doubt try to fend off the subcommittee’s ire by saying they recently reduced their benchmark 30 percent cut, reducing it to 15 percent -- albeit with caveats. In the olive branch that Apple offered, the fee reduction will apply only to developers that make under $1 million per year. After hitting a million, the rate goes back to 30 percent.

In Google’s offer, it said it would reduce its commission to 15 percent on the first $1 million a developer makes on Google Play each year. According to Google, its offer would make life better for 99 percent of Android developers, who should see a 50 percent reduction in fees.

If Europe is any indication

U.S. lawmakers may be taking their cue from their counterparts across the Atlantic. In Apple’s case, it will be heading to Capitol Hill with a fresh antitrust blemish courtesy of France, where it was slapped with a €1.1 billion fine, the country’s largest antitrust penalty ever. 

The European Union (EU) is also on Apple’s case. Last summer, it launched its own antitrust investigation against the company. Spotify has also lodged a complaint with the EU regarding the App Store’s rules on competition in music streaming and e-books/audiobooks.

"Mobile applications have fundamentally changed the way we access content. Apple sets the rules for the distribution of apps to users of iPhones and iPads,” claimed Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of EU competition policy. “It appears that Apple obtained a ‘gatekeeper’ role when it comes to the distribution of apps and content to users of Apple's popular devices. We need to ensure that Apple's rules do not distort competition in markets where Apple is competing with other app developers.”

Apple has released an update that it says contains “important” fixes for several of its most popular devices. 

The company says all iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch users should install iOS 14.4.1 right away, as the update patches a “memory corruption issue” in WebKit -- the browser engine that powers Safari and third-party browsers on iOS. 

To researchers’ knowledge, the bugs haven’t yet been exploited. To mitigate future cybersecurity risks, Apple says “all users” should promptly install the update.

“This update provides important security updates and is recommended for all users.” Apple instructs users to visit the Apple security webpage for more details, which has now been updated to include information on iOS 14.41,” the company said in the release notes. 

Users can install the update by going to the Settings app in their iPhone and choosing “Software Update.” The update is available for iPhone 6s and later, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation).

Apple has partnered with Common Sense Media to launch curated collections of podcasts for children and families. 

Four collections of podcasts geared towards kids are available starting today. The first four collections include: podcasts recommended by kids, mysteries and dramas, story-driven shows that “transport kids into a world of imagination,” and Common Sense Media’s “all-time favorite” picks. 

Apple said it plans to update its podcasts listings for kids on a monthly basis. Future collections will be grouped by popularity and pertinent themes, such as Back to School and Women’s History Months. The shows will come from Tinkercast, American Public Media, WNYC Studios, Rebel Girls, and Nickelodeon, among others. 

Common Sense will provide age group recommendations for the podcasts. 

Apple’s collaboration with Common Sense comes amid ongoing competition between Spotify and Apple. Unlike Spotify, Apple hasn’t corralled kid-oriented content into separate apps and experiences. 

The company’s partnership with Common Sense coincides with a pandemic-driven increase in the popularity of podcasts suitable for children. Starting today, users can find the podcasts suggestions on Apple Podcasts’ main homepage carousel. 

The European Union (EU) is reportedly readying formal charges against Apple related to concerns of anti-competitive behavior on its App Store, as well as its music streaming service Apple Music. 

Citing sources familiar with the matter, the Financial Times reported Thursday that the EU plans to argue that Apple restricted music streaming services other than its own Apple Music, giving the tech giant an unfair advantage over competitors and reducing consumers’ options. 

The charges come two years after Spotify accused Apple of using its App Store policies and market dominance to stifle competition. Spotify said Apple’s practice of charging a 30 percent tax on in-app purchases forced rival streaming services to compete with Apple Music.

“In recent years, Apple has introduced rules to the App Store that purposely limit choice and stifle innovation at the expense of the user experience—essentially acting as both a player and referee to deliberately disadvantage other app developers,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek wrote in 2019. “After trying unsuccessfully to resolve the issues directly with Apple, we’re now requesting that the EC take action to ensure fair competition.”

The U.K. is also currently investigating Apple’s terms and conditions for app developers. The probe will focus on whether Apple’s terms and conditions are unfair and whether they violate the U.K.’s competition laws. 

"Millions of us use apps every day to check the weather, play a game or order a takeaway," Andrea Coscelli, chief executive of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the U.K.’s competition regulator, said in a statement. "So, complaints that Apple is using its market position to set terms which are unfair or may restrict competition and choice – potentially causing customers to lose out when buying and using apps – warrant careful scrutiny."

For the first time since last March, all Apple Stores in the U.S. are open for business. It’s a sign of growing confidence that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is fading in the rearview mirror.

Apple has confirmed that all 270 stores are open daily in some capacity, either for appointment shopping or for curbside pickup. Houston-area stores were the last to reopen on Monday.

All Apple stores closed in mid-March 2020 as the pandemic began to reach critical mass in the U.S. Apple had some experience on the subject since it closed all of its stores in China in the middle of February 2020.

Over the last 12 months, Apple has mostly followed local COVID-19 guidelines, closing stores when local officials imposed restrictions on businesses and mandated other mitigation measures. 

Apple stores in the U.S. remained closed throughout April of last year but slowly began to reopen in early May. It closed stores again when cases began to spike in the fall.

Employees served customers from home

As the virus began to sweep across the country last year, Apple launched a unique program in which it closed physical locations and asked employees to work from home. 

“If your store is closed, please sign up for Retail at Home,” Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of retail and people told staffers in July. “Please talk to your manager, because we really need to make sure that we shift our teams to greet our customers remotely in this time. We may need to be working remotely for some period of time.”

The industry site 9to5 Mac reports Apple stores have had a rough 12 months. With the on-again, off-again store openings 2020 also subjected the stores to looting and vandalism during urban unrest, an intense heatwave and wildfire smoke in many parts of California, and a need for extra security protection on Election Day and Inauguration Day.

The latest setback was the frigid winter storm that socked Texas last month, delaying store reopenings in several cities.

As the pandemic wears on, Apple is testing a new way to let iPhone users unlock their phones without having to remove their face mask in public. 

The company is testing a new iOS 14.5 feature that allows people to get past their device’s face recognition security tool if they are also wearing an unlocked Apple Watch. 

“iPhone can use your Apple Watch to unlock when Face ID detects a face with a mask,” Apple said. “Your Apple Watch must be nearby, on your wrist, unlocked, and protected by a passcode.” 

Consumers must opt in

Users will be able to opt into the feature by going into "Settings" and then navigating to "Face ID & Passcode.” Once enabled, mask-wearers with an unlocked Apple Watch can look at their iPhone and the phone will be unlocked. Users will hear a buzz when the device has successfully been unlocked, and they can also re-lock their iPhone from their Apple Watch.

This is the second update that Apple has introduced to address changing consumer needs during the pandemic. Last spring, the tech giant released iOS 13.5 and made it easier to skip the Face ID prompt while wearing a mask by automatically displaying the passcode entry screen.

The latest version of iOS 14.5 is currently being beta tested by the public.

Apple has put out a warning saying that iPhones could interfere with pacemakers, Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDs), and other medical devices. 

In a notice published on the company’s support page over the weekend, Apple said iPhones contain magnets and radios that emit electromagnetic fields -- and implanted medical devices contain sensors that could interact with these magnets and radios.

“IPhone contains magnets as well as components and radios that emit electromagnetic fields. All MagSafe accessories (each sold separately) also contain magnets — and MagSafe Charger and MagSafe Duo Charger contain radios. These magnets and electromagnetic fields might interfere with medical devices,” Apple said.

Avoiding potential interactions

The company said all four iPhone 12 models have more magnets inside than older models. However, the new iPhones are “not expected to pose a greater risk of magnetic interference to medical devices than prior iPhone models.”

To ensure the efficacy of implanted medical devices, Apple recommends keeping iPhones and MagSafe charging docks a “safe distance” away. The company defined a “safe distance” as more than six inches apart, or 15 inches apart when it is wirelessly charging. 

"Consult your physician and medical device manufacturer for information specific to your medical device and whether you need to maintain a safe distance of separation between your medical device and iPhone or any MagSafe accessories," Apple said. 

The company added that consumers who feel like their iPhone 12 or MagSafe charger is interfering with their medical device should stop using them.

Apple has announced that it will be offering two-hour shipping on items in its stores for a limited time. The company said the new service, which costs $5, is available “in most metros.” 

"With convenient delivery and pickup methods, Apple is making it easier and safer to get the products you want," Apple said on its website.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, deliveries will be contactless. Drivers can also ask for verbal confirmation that the customer received the item instead of having them sign for it. 

Adapting to the pandemic

This isn’t the first time Apple has modified its operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, the tech giant said its reopened stores would have “Express” windows outdoors where customers could pick up orders or get items repaired.

Apple says its new delivery option is available for “eligible in-stock items.” 

Consumers who don’t need an item within two hours can choose the company’s free next-day delivery option, which is available for any in-stock Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, or Apple Watch. The company notes that customers can get free two-day delivery on “almost everything else.” 

Apple is launching new “App Privacy” labels in the App Store with the aim of providing greater transparency about its app privacy practices. 

The company announced its plan to add these privacy “nutrition labels” back in June at WWDC. At the time, Apple said it wanted to better inform consumers about the privacy practices of apps on the App Store. 

The App Privacy labels give iOS users up-to-date information on each app’s privacy practices. Apple said the summaries of privacy practices are meant "to help you decide if it works for you."

Three categories

Labels are broken into three data collection categories: “data used to track you,” “data linked to you,” and “data not linked to you.”

“Data linked to you” refers to any data that can be used to identify a user. An app would have this type of data in cases where the user supplied their name, age, or other information when creating a profile on an app. Apps will also have “data linked to you” if they collect specific information about you, such as your birthday or previous work history.

“Data not linked to you” refers to diagnostic data, such as location data or browsing history, collected by an app but not able to be tied to the user.

“Data used to track you” means that user or device data was linked and collected from an app, website, or advertising profile. This category also refers to device and user data shared by the app with data brokers. 

“A transparent overview of an app’s privacy practices is key to building trust with potential users,” the company said. “Developers now have the opportunity to detail their app’s privacy practices right in the App Store for users to review, including the types of data the apps might collect, whether that data is shared with third parties, and the option for users to opt out.”

‘Personal data’ definition

Apple has also updated its privacy policy, making it easier to read and giving users a clearer picture of what Apple considers personal data. 

“At Apple, we believe strongly in fundamental privacy rights — and that those fundamental rights should not differ depending on where you live in the world. Thatʼs why we treat any data that relates to an identified or identifiable individual or that is linked or linkable to them by Apple as ‘personal data,’ no matter where the individual lives,” the company said. 

“This means that data that directly identifies you — such as your name — is personal data, and also data that does not directly identify you, but that can reasonably be used to identify you — such as the serial number of your device — is personal data.” 

Apple has agreed to pay $113 million to settle lawsuits stemming from the battery throttling scandal, better known as “batterygate.” 

In 2017, a barrage of customers accused Apple of deliberately slowing the speed of older iPhones. Apple said the feature was designed to protect and extend the lifespan of aging devices, but customers contended that Apple was in the wrong because it didn’t state upfront that it would slow the speed of older models.

To make amends, Apple offered $29 battery replacements and tweaked its settings to make its battery-management practices more clear to users -- but that didn’t stop the lawsuits from pouring in. The company agreed to a $500 million class action settlement earlier this year, and now it has agreed to a second settlement. 

The tech giant will pay an additional $113 million as part of a settlement with 34 states. In this suit, state attorneys general argued that Apple concealed the battery-throttling feature from iPhone owners knowing that it could profit off of consumers who thought they needed to buy an entirely new iPhone rather than just a new battery.

“Big Tech must stop manipulating consumers and tell them the whole truth about their practices and products,” Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said in a statement. “I’m committed to holding these goliath technology companies to account if they conceal the truth from their users.”

Apple has not admitted wrongdoing, and the settlement doesn’t require it to do so. 

Apple has begun accepting orders for its new iPhone 12 models, as well as its HomePod Mini smart speaker. 

The company’s iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini are set to become available in stores November 13, but Apple announced on Friday that it has started accepting preorders for the devices. Apple’s new smart speaker, which will hit shelves on November 16, is also available to order for $99. 

Apple traditionally rolls out new iPhones in September, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays. This year, the tech giant held an event in October to let consumers know what new models were on the way. 

The new iPhone 12 Pro Max, which boasts the largest display ever on an iPhone at 6.7 inches, starts at $1,099. Compared to the iPhone 12 Pro, Apple says the Pro Max offers better low-light camera performance. 

The iPhone 12 Mini packs in many of the same features consumers will find on the regular iPhone 12, but in a “thinner, lighter” package. Prices for this option start at $699.

Both of the new models are expected to be in short supply due to manufacturing issues linked to the pandemic. Quick pre-order sellouts are expected. 

If an iPhone 12 happens to be on your holiday gift list, it might be a good idea to order it as soon as possible. Apple may be facing a shortage of a key chip for the device, according to published reports.

Bloomberg News quotes insiders who say the tech giant is having trouble getting access to enough computer chips that manage the iPhone’s power usage. That shortage, they say, could make it harder for Apple to meet the demand for the recently released device.

Apple introduced the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini last month, both offering 5G speed and an array of technology upgrades. Both devices are available for pre-ordering on Friday. The phones feature the A14 Bionic chip -- “the fastest chip in a smartphone” -- an advanced dual-camera system, and a Super Retina XDR display with the Ceramic Shield front cover that the company claims will increase drop performance by four times. 

iPhone 12 models also introduced MagSafe, which the company says offers high-powered wireless charging and an “all-new ecosystem” of Apple-made and third-party accessories that attach to the new iPhones.

Priority delivery

Bloomberg’s sources tell the news agency that Apple has been told it will get priority delivery of the power-managing chips from its suppliers. Unfortunately, the entire industry has faced a periodic shortage of all types of microchips because the pandemic has slowed production and snarled supply chains.

When Apple reported quarterly earnings in October, CEO Tim Cook warned investors that Apple, along with the rest of the industry, was running up against supply constraints that were posing challenges to production. 

At the time, he did not mention a type of computer chip that is in short supply. He said the issue was also providing headwinds for the production of other Apple devices. Cook said it is hard to estimate how long the supply problems might last.

According to Bloomberg, Apple secures most of its iPhone chips from Texas Instruments and Qualcomm. It says Apple designed the power-management chip in-house.

Apple has announced that it is aware of "sound issues" on some AirPods Pro, so it has launched a free service program to replace faulty earphones.

On a support page created Friday, the company said that a “small percentage” of consumers have experienced crackling or static sounds while using their earphones or have found that they offer ineffective active noise-cancellation. 

Apple said the affected units were manufactured before October 2020.

The tech giant has launched an AirPods Pro exchange program that will allow consumers to replace faulty AirPods Pro at no cost. However, Apple says the devices must have one of the following flaws:

• Crackling or static sounds that increase in loud environments, with exercise or while talking on the phone; or

• Active Noise Cancellation not working as expected, such as a loss of bass sound, or an increase in background sounds, such as street or airplane noise.

According to MacRumors, ‌AirPods Pro‌ users first began reporting sound issues in April. Most users complained about the issues listed above.

With the Department of Justice (DOJ) suing Google for allegedly abusing its market dominance in Search, there is a new report that Apple might be seeing a good opportunity possibly left lying in Google’s wake.

According to a report from The Financial Times (FT), Apple has been in the shadows developing its own search technology for iPhones just in case regulators decide that the $8-12 billion Google pays Apple each year to guarantee its search engine is installed as a default search tool is overarching. 

The DOJ is going hard at Google, calling the company a “monopolist.” The Department previously levied antitrust actions against AT&T in 1974 and Microsoft in 1998. The DOJ says its end game this time is to “restore the role of competition and open the door to the next wave of innovation -- this time in vital digital markets.”

It started with one barely noticeable shift

iPhone users might not have noticed a change in what takes place when they type a query into the search window on iPhones using the latest Apple software (iOS 14), but Apple has reconfigured the default search results to be theirs and not Google’s. Taking a cue from Google’s auto-complete function, Apple’s now mimics that too. 

In short, if the DOJ blocks the partnership, Apple could be ready to do its own thing. The Financial Times writes that search marketing gurus have noticed that Apple’s “Applebot” -- a web crawler that databases online content such as news -- has become more active recently. 

However, Applebot has been criticized in the past for its poor functionality and “sloppy programming” -- something that Apple would have to make sure has improved and gives users a level of functionality they have experienced using Google search.

Apple has announced that it will open up more “Express” stores to make it easier for consumers to pick up orders amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reports. 

At “Express” locations, consumers will see a wall built in front of the main Apple store with sales counters protected by plexiglass. Customers can quickly pick up an order they placed online or speak with an Apple associate behind the glass for in-person service. 

The retailer started testing the store format last month in California, calling it “a swifter way for us to serve customers.” 

“It allows us to maintain all the appropriate social distancing and maintain all of our health protocols within our stores,” retail SVP Deirdre O’Brien told Reuters.

Apple has now opened 20 Express stores across the U.S. and Europe and plans to have more than 50 Express locations by the end of October. The launch of the new format coincides with the launch of the company’s new iPhone 12 and 12 Pro, as well as the holiday season. 

The retailer’s past efforts to keep customers safe during the pandemic have included temporarily closing all of its retail stores outside of China. Apple has reopened most of its stores in recent months, although some have temporarily closed again due to spikes in COVID-19 cases. A list of the stores currently open can be found on Apple’s website. 

As forecast, Apple’s new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini have made their debut, and they pack quite a punch. At the top of the list of upgrades is 5G speed. 

But Apple knows that speed alone won’t be reason enough for consumers to pick up the new device. Its competitors, like Samsung, are already producing 5G phones to keep up with quickly expanding 5G networks. To get as far ahead of the competition as possible, Apple is also adding the A14 Bionic chip -- “the fastest chip in a smartphone” -- an advanced dual-camera system, and a Super Retina XDR display with the Ceramic Shield front cover which it claims will increase drop performance by four times. 

iPhone 12 models also introduce MagSafe, which the company says offers high-powered wireless charging and an “all-new ecosystem” of Apple-made and third-party accessories that attach to the new iPhones.

Pricing and Availability

All of these new bells and whistles don’t come cheap. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini will be available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB models starting at $799 and $699, respectively. Consumers can also go the monthly route for $22.87 a month for the iPhone 12 and $18.70 for the iPhone mini. If consumers have another device to trade in, the total price could drop to $549 and $449, respectively.

Pre-orders for the iPhone 12 begin Friday, October 16, with availability beginning Friday, October 23. The iPhone 12 mini will be available for pre-order beginning Friday, November 6, and will appear in stores beginning Friday, November 13.

Other features

On top of the upgrades in speed, camera, etc., here’s other iPhone features ConsumerAffairs found that might be of interest: 

• Color: The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini come in five aluminum finishes, including blue, green, black, white, and red.

• Extended battery life: Apple claims that its new Smart Data mode should extend battery life by “intelligently assessing 5G needs and balancing data usage, speed, and power in real time.”

• More responsive: People who use their phones for things like video games and streaming are a good target for the iPhone 12. Apple promises higher quality streaming and more responsive gaming capabilities, as well as real-time interactivity within apps.

• More resistant: For the clumsy among us, Apple has come to the rescue. Both new iPhone 12 models have water resistance up to approximately 20 feet for up to 30 minutes. The company says they are also durable enough to withstand everyday spills from drinks like coffee and soda.

• iOS 14: The cherry on top might be the newest Apple operating system -- iOS 14 -- that’s built into the iPhone 12. The latest system software offers new ways to customize the Home Screen and a new App Library that automatically organizes all of a user’s apps into one simple, easy-to-navigate view. “iOS 14 also brings new ways to discover and use apps with App Clips, powerful updates for staying connected in Messages, greener ways to explore cities with Maps, and enhanced privacy features for even more transparency and control,” the company promised.

Extra perks

To sweeten the deal, Apple has a number of bonuses it’s going to pass along to iPhone buyers. Those include:

• One year of Apple TV+ for free and three months of Apple Arcade for free. (Note: this is a limited time offer.)

• U.S. customers get 3 percent cash back when they buy directly from Apple using an Apple credit card. If they choose Apple Card Monthly Installments, they can pay over time and interest-free.

• Every person who buys an iPhone from Apple will also be offered a free Online Personal Session with an Apple Specialist. This professional can help users get comfortable with their new device and show off some of the cool things it can do. 

Not to be outdone by Walmart, Amazon, or Target’s special single-day promotions, Apple has jumped on the bandwagon with a “speed” event of its own on Tuesday, October 13.

Analysts -- or should we say people who know how to interpret Apple’s teaser campaigns -- believe the company’s invitation to the event, which included the phrase “Hi, Speed,” likely means the company is going to unveil its long-awaited iPhone 12 with 5G service.

This year’s release date is later than usual for iPhones. Apple usually rolls out new devices in mid-September, but company executives had cautioned investors that new models likely wouldn’t be available until October. 

What’s to expect in the way of new iPhones

If you’re an Apple person, here’s what you can start dreaming about:

Size: MacRumors says it’s placing its bets on four iPhones in three different sizes -- the most affordable being the ‌iPhone 12‌, which will come in 5.4, and 6.1-inch size options. If the 5.4-inch version makes the party, it will be the smallest ‌iPhone‌ that Apple has released in a while, and word has it that it could even be called the "‌iPhone 12‌ mini." 

For iPhone lovers who think that size matters when it comes to phones, MacRumors expects there to be a 6.1-inch iPhone 12‌ Pro and a 6.7-inch ‌iPhone 12‌ Pro Max, the largest display size that Apple has ever offered.

Camera: To stay ahead of the photography curve, it’s also expected that the new iPhones will have upgraded camera technology, featuring scanner technology that was introduced in the recent iPad Pro release.

Audio: Apple watchers say it’s possible that the company will also release new AirPods with over-ear wireless headphones and tags so users can find lost items using wireless pings.

Speed: Another copy-and-paste inclusion from the latest iPad Pro may be quicker 5-nanometer A14 chips, which should boost the phone’s performance and prowess.

Missing in action: iPhone users have been slowly weaned off accessories that Apple used to bundle with every iPhone. Two of those are the power adapter and earbuds. “Because 5G technology is expensive, Apple is planning to eliminate the power adapter and earbuds that traditionally come with an ‌iPhone‌, instead offering a separate power adapter for purchase,” MacRumors Juli Clover forecasted.

“A braided Lightning to USB-C cable could be included, however, and the power adapter rumor has been all but confirmed by the Series 6 Apple Watches, which were also shipped without a power adapter.”

Apple has filed a lawsuit against a former recycling partner, claiming it was double-dipping by not only getting paid to disassemble Apple products, but by also reselling more than 100,000 of them on the consumer market. 

In an internal audit of more than a half-million Apple iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches, Apple discovered that 18 percent of those devices (103,845 all told) were still accessing the internet via various cellular networks -- and that number could be even higher because of all the devices that are accessing the web via Wi-Fi.

In a statement given to The Verge, Apple said that products “sent for recycling are no longer adequate to sell to consumers and if they are rebuilt with counterfeit parts they could cause serious safety issues, including electrical or battery defects.”

The company on the wrong end of the stick in this situation is GEEP Canada, now owned by Quantum Lifecycle, a company that claims it recycles electronics “the right way” for big-name companies like Apple, Dell, HP, IBM, Acer, Asus, Lenovo, Samsung, and more.

Apple is filing suit against GEEP for a minimum of $31 million Canadian dollars (roughly $23.4 million U.S.)

Thousands of pounds of devices

In Apple’s lawsuit, it claims that GEEP actually confirmed that nearly 12,000 pounds of Apple devices lift GEEP’s premises without being destroyed, according to coverage of the situation by The Logic (via AppleInsider). 

GEEP doesn’t deny there was a theft, but it places the blame squarely on the shoulders of three employees who filched the devices on their own for their own personal gain. Apple’s not buying that story, insisting that those employees were actually senior management at the recycling company.

Apple Mac owners who want to use their computers to stream Netflix 4K, ultra high definition (UHD) content might be in for a rude awakening. Reports indicate that when Apple’s next system software is released -- macOS Big Sur -- Netflix will only stream in 4K to Macs that have a T2 security chip. Apple has not confirmed a release date for Big Sur, but it’s widely believed that it will be available sometime this fall.

Apple started producing Macs with the T2 chip in 2018. The basic list of the models that have the chip built in are:

• iMac introduced in 2020

• iMac Pro

• Mac Pro introduced in 2019

• Mac mini introduced in 2018

• MacBook Air introduced in 2018 or later

• MacBook Pro introduced in 2018 or later

If your Mac was purchased in the last two years but isn't on that list, Apple has an easy method to find out if your device has the T2 chip.

Two other small caveats are that you can only stream 4K content through Apple’s Safari browser. Other browsers -- Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox -- apparently will limit you to 720p on a Mac. 

Additionally, only Netflix Premium subscribers will reportedly have to worry about the conundrum since 4K content is only available on that subscription level. If you are on that plan and still experience issues, ConsumerAffairs found this list of FAQs and workarounds on Netflix’ site.

Why is this happening?

The simplest explanation ConsumerAffairs could find for this situation is that the T2 chip has the ability to process High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) twice as fast as its predecessor, the T1 chip. 

Consumers can expect more devices and services to be HEVC-ready -- traditional TVs, cable, satellite, fiber, tablets, and smartphones. HEVC is so well-loved that it won a Primetime Emmy Engineering Award in 2017 for having a significant effect on television technology.

Netflix does offer 4K streams in its Premium plan. With high definition becoming a bigger thing, video lovers can expect to see more content in that format and from favored streaming services like YouTube.

Is your iPhone or Apple Watch’s battery life not what you think it should be, or is its GPS app not recording locations during activities like you expect it to?

You’re not alone. MacRumours reports that a good number of online support threads are complaining about the same things.

Most of the complaints say that when an Apple Watch user records, say, a workout on their device, but with their ‌iPhone‌ at home, the Activity app only shows the starting point of the workout. Some users have also griped about a battery issue for Apple Watch devices running system watchOS 7 and ‌iPhone‌ ‌iOS 14. 

The potential symptoms

• Battery drain: Increased or what the user thinks is excessive battery drain on the ‌iPhone‌ and/or Apple Watch.

• Apps won’t launch or load data: Health-related apps like Activity and Heart Rate fail to launch or load data on the Apple Watch and/or on the ‌iPhone‌.

• Workout route maps: Missing in the Fitness app on ‌iPhone‌ for earlier GPS-enabled workouts connected to your Apple Watch.

• Inaccurate data storage volume: The Health app or Fitness app shows what a user might consider to be an inaccurate amount of data storage on the ‌iPhone‌ and/or the Apple Watch.

• Sound level data missing: The environmental sound levels data or the headphone audio levels data from Apple Watch is missing in the Health app on ‌iPhone‌.

Apple’s recommendations 

The support threads were ripe with fixes, but Apple has suggested the following advice if a user is experiencing two or more of the symptoms listed above: 

• Unpair the Apple Watch;

• Do a backup of both the ‌iPhone‌ and Apple Watch;

• Then, erase all content and settings on both devices and restore from the backup. 

Apple provides steps to accomplish these tasks in this support document published Thursday.

Here’s one you don’t come across every day. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has reversed an earlier judgment in Apple’s favor and says the tech giant has to pay store employees in California for the time they spent waiting for their bags to be checked by security officers at the close of each shift.

The five-year old case began when a cadre of California-based Apple store employees filed a class action lawsuit against the company. They argued that under a state wage order, the company is required to pay employees for bag checks for the simple fact that the company wields control over the employees in that situation. 

Workers said that there were some workdays where they had to twiddle their thumbs for 45 minutes for a manager or security officer to show up and do a bag search.

Comply or else

The Apple policy that the employees were fighting against is one they first ran into in 2009 when they first became Apple store employees. 

In that policy, Apple didn’t mince words, saying that “failure to comply with this policy may lead to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.”

Apple tried its best to dispute the claims, contending that its policy wasn’t a one-size-fits-all procedure because some class members “did not bring bags or devices to work,” “were never required to participate in checks,” or “worked in stores with remote break rooms where they stored their belongings.” It also disputed whether the policy was enforced through discipline.

The appeals court ruled that, yes, those points might be disputable if this was a single worker vs. Apple, but it didn’t hold water as to class-wide relief.

App developers will now have a bigger voice on the Apple App Store platform. The company announced on Monday that it is rolling out an appeals process that will allow developers to dispute whether their apps violate Apple’s guidelines. 

The new process, which was first announced by the company at an annual conference back in June, may represent a big shift for developers. In an update on its site, Apple indicated that it will be streamlining how it addresses certain issues and taking suggestions about how it can improve its platform.

“For apps that are already on the App Store, bug fixes will no longer be delayed over guideline violations except for those related to legal issues. You’ll instead be able to address guideline violations in your next submission,” the company told developers. 

“In addition to appealing decisions about whether an app violates guidelines, you can suggest changes to the guidelines. We also encourage you to submit your App Store and Apple development platform suggestions so we can continue to improve experiences for the developer community.”

Repair shops more plentiful

This isn’t the only change that Apple has made recently. Earlier this month, the company announced that it would be authorizing more repair shops to work on devices like iPhones and Mac computers. 

The move followed many years in which Apple and those same repair shops butted heads about the latter’s right to repair the company’s devices. Critics accused the company of providing preferential treatment of brands like Best Buy by demanding outrageous commitments in terms of repair volume.

Apple is expanding a major portion of its repair program. On Monday, the company announced that its existing repair arrangement that allows independent repair shops to work on iPhones is now going to include Mac computers, as well.

While the company didn’t come right out and say it, COVID-19 had to have a play in the decision. When a consumer goes to Apple’s repair site, they’re confronted with a heads-up that “Apple support options are currently limited. Thank you for your patience and understanding.” 

Only last month, Apple announced plans to convert retail staff to online assistance in the face of the pandemic.

No more playing favorites

In Reuter’s reporting of the shift, Apple’s recasting of how repairs are handled comes after many years of complaints from right-to-repair groups that had criticized the company for playing favorites with companies like Best Buy. 

The biggest beef from those groups whas that Apple provided genuine parts and training manuals to them and completely cut others out of the picture. Another major complaint -- especially from smaller shops -- was that Apple’s repair authorization program demanded a commitment to a certain volume of repairs that they’d have a hard time honoring.

Apple’s strict standards didn’t stop others from pretending to be Apple-authorized, though. If a consumer is looking to replace a battery in their MacBook Pro and searches for “repair my Mac near me,” they’d be hit with a number of repair shops that say they can offer that service. 

However, when ConsumerAffairs checked out some of those shops, many didn’t show up in Apple’s database of Authorized Service Providers and Independent Repair Providers.

Hopefully, all that will change soon. With the enhancement of its independent repair program, Apple will begin distributing parts and providing free training courses to independent repair shops, giving them all the tools they need to perform out-of-warranty work.

Apple won a tax battle against the European Union on Wednesday and subsequently will not have to pay 13 billion euros ($14.9 billion) in back taxes to Ireland. 

The European Commission concluded in 2016 that the Irish government had given Apple an unfair tax advantage and set out to have the money recovered. However, the EU’s General Court said Wednesday that the Commission "did not succeed in showing the requisite legal standard" to prove its conclusion. 

“The Commission didn’t succeed in showing to the requisite legal standard that there was an advantage for the purposes of Article 107(1) TFEU (a law against anticompetitive government subsidies that undermine the competitiveness of the European Union internal market),” the court said.

Conclusion annulled 

Apple said it was pleased with the court’s decision. 

“We thank the General Court for their time and consideration of the facts. We are pleased they have annulled the Commission’s case,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.

Margrethe Vestager, the Commission’s executive Vice President, said the Commission would "study the judgement and reflect on possible next steps.” 

“Today’s judgment by the General Court annuls the Commission’s August 2016 decision that Ireland granted illegal state aid to Apple through selective tax breaks,” Vestager said. “The Commission stands fully behind the objective that all companies should pay their fair share of tax.”

Apple, Ireland, and the commission have two months to decide whether to appeal the ruling. 

First, Microsoft announced it was shuttering its retail stores thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Apple is closing more of its stores and asking retail staffers to work from home rather than put them -- and customers -- at risk.

According to a Bloomberg report, Apple believes its previous intention to return staffers back to physical locations is no longer practical and that those working remotely should plan on continuing in that fashion until 2021. The company had already closed 100 of its 271 U.S. outlets.

“If your store is closed, please sign up for Retail at Home,” Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of retail and people told staffers in a video, according to Bloomberg. “Please talk to your manager, because we really need to make sure that we shift our teams to greet our customers remotely in this time. We may need to be working remotely for some period of time.”

Switching roles

Consumers have had to incorporate more tech into their lives because of the coronavirus, both in working remotely and keeping their school-aged children virtually connected to school. That shift has created what O’Brien termed “significant wait times” -- an immense problem for Apple because “people are really dependent upon their devices, especially right now.” 

Apple is confident it can meet that demand. Given that its retail workers are already good at helping customers out in-store, the company feels that changing over to an online role won’t be a stumbling block for either them or the consumer.

Apple reportedly told company employees in a memo that a full return to company offices isn’t likely to happen before the end of the year. However, it’s possible some workers who can’t work remotely -- like hardware developers and repair techs -- may be given the all-clear to return under rules that “significantly limit total occupancy.”

Apple announced on Monday that its upcoming iOS 14, which is set to launch this fall, will include a number of new privacy features. 

At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, which was online-only due to the coronavirus crisis, the tech giant said iOS 14 will include new protections against user tracking on apps and websites. 

The new software will feature indicators that let users know when an app is using their microphone or camera. If either is activated, users’ iPhones will show an orange dot in the upper right corner of the screen.

"All of our product work is grounded in a set of privacy principles," said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering. 

New labels for app permissions 

Apple has also integrated new labels for app permissions. Users will see how much data an app requests before downloading it, as well as what developers plan to do with their data. Under iOS 14, app developers must self-report whether the information they will collect falls under the category of "Data Linked To You" and "Data Used to Track You." 

"For food, you have nutrition labels," said Erik Neuenschwander, Apple's user privacy manager. "So we thought it would be great to have something similar for apps. We're going to require each developer to self-report their practices."

With this feature, users can choose to grant permissions for a day, when in use, or forever. 

CarKey function

Apple also revealed that iOS 14 will allow some users to unlock their car using a functionality called CarKey. Those with vehicles that support the new feature will be able to pair their phone with their car and use the device to unlock and start it. 

For the feature, near-field communication (NFC) will be used to securely communicate with a user’s car. The information collected for this functionality will be stored in the same place that Apple stores credit card information in iPhones, meaning it’s protected by Face ID or Touch ID and Apple won’t know when a user locks or unlocks their car. 

Federighi said car keys have “been around for over 100 years but they've become big, bulky and ripe for reimagining.” The new digital key will first be available for the 2021 BMW 5 Series, and Apple plans to expand it to other car models after that. 

On Tuesday, the European Commission announced that it will launch two new antitrust probes: one into Apple’s App Store rules and another into Apple’s “Apple Pay” platform. 

The watchdog group said the investigations will focus on determining whether Apple’s rules for app developers on the distribution of apps via the App Store violate EU competition rules. 

Apple charges companies that put their apps on the app store 30 percent from in-app purchases and 30 percent on subscriptions for the first year. Companies are then charged 15 percent from there on out. EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said it appears that Apple “obtained a ‘gatekeeper’ role when it comes to the distribution of apps and content to users of Apple’s popular devices.” 

Ensuring compliance with competition rules

Spotify, one of Apple’s competitors, has taken issue with Apple’s policies in recent years, saying in a March 2019 complaint that the tech giant deliberately limits consumer choice and stifles innovation. 

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said Apple essentially acts “as both a player and referee to deliberately disadvantage other app developers.” A complaint on the matter was also lodged by Kobo, an e-reader company that competes with Apple Books.  

Vestager said the EU is looking to ensure that Apple’s rules don’t “distort competition in markets where Apple is competing with other app developers, for example with its music streaming service Apple Music or with Apple Books.” 

Apple Pay investigation

In an effort to ensure Apple isn’t breaching EU competition rules through its Apple Pay service, the group will be looking into Apple’s terms and conditions for integrating Apple Pay in apps and websites, the company’s limitation of access to NFC technology, and alleged refusals of access to Apple Pay. 

“It appears that Apple sets the conditions on how Apple Pay should be used in merchants’ apps and websites,” Vestager said. “It also reserves the ‘tap and go’ functionality of iPhones to Apple Pay. It is important that Apple’s measures do not deny consumers the benefits of new payment technologies, including better choice, quality, innovation and competitive prices.”

The EU reserves the right to shut down tech services and charge U.S. tech firms 10 percent of their annual revenues. Separately, the Commission is planning to file an antitrust charge against Amazon in the coming weeks for allegedly using data from third-party sellers to directly compete against them.

Apple Stores were impacted by looting and protests stemming from the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and have subsequently been closed. 

Now, those who looted or purchased stolen iPhones are finding that they don’t work; in fact, they may even be tracked by Apple or U.S. authorities. The problem could affect consumers who purchase second-hand iPhones in the coming months. 

Those with devices that were allegedly looted from Apple stores found that they had been automatically disbaled and displayed messages like, “Please return to Apple Walnut Street. This device has been disabled and is being tracked. Local authorities will be alerted.” 

Apple’s mission

Apple has used special OS images on demo devices in the past, as well as a software “kill switch” that disables them when they go out of range of the store’s Wi-Fi. 

Company CEO Tim Cook said in a memo to employees that “there is a pain deeply etched in the soul of our nation and in the hearts of millions. To stand together, we must stand up for one another, and recognize the fear, hurt, and outrage rightly provoked by the senseless killing of George Floyd and a much longer history of racism.”

Cook added that “at Apple, our mission has and always will be to create technology that empowers people to change the world for the better. We’ve always drawn strength from our diversity, welcomed people from every walk of life to our stores around the world, and strived to build an Apple that is inclusive of everyone.”

For now, Apple hasn’t said when it plans to reopen its stores. 

Apple has agreed to pay $18 million to settle a 2017 lawsuit accusing it of deliberately breaking FaceTime in iOS 6 in order to get users to upgrade to iOS 7.

The suit claimed the company disabled FaceTime on the iPhone 4 and 4S in an effort to trim costs. Due to a 2012 patent dispute, Apple was previously relying on third-party servers for its peer-to-peer method of direct connection, which cost it millions of dollars. 

Apple eventually created new peer-to-peer technology and released it in iOS 7. Plaintiffs in the case claimed Apple’s motive in “breaking” FaceTime was to cut costs, since it would no longer need to support users who did not upgrade to iOS 7. 

‘We broke iOS 6’

Apple claimed in the suit that a bug caused a compatibility issue. According to AppleInsider, an Apple engineering manager said in an email chain: 

"Hey, guys. I'm looking at the Akamai contract for next year. I understand we did something in April around iOS 6 to reduce relay utilization.” 

Another engineer said, "It was a big user of relay bandwidth. We broke iOS 6, and the only way to get FaceTime working again is to upgrade to iOS 7."

Apple has agreed to pay $18 million to settle the case, however a majority of the money will go towards attorney fees and expenses, according to Law360. Class action members will only get $3 per affected device.

Without a formal unveiling event, Apple announced on Wednesday that it’s launching a new, more affordable iPhone. 

The second-generation iPhone SE looks practically identical to the 2017 iPhone 8, but it’s set to cost $399 compared to its predecessor’s $449 starting price. The new device also features a suite of new features, including a more powerful processor and screen enhancements.

In an announcement, Apple called the new device its “most affordable” yet and outlined several features consumers can expect to find. 

“The new iPhone SE is powered by the Apple-designed A13 Bionic, the fastest chip in a smartphone, to handle the most demanding tasks,” the company said. “iPhone SE also features the best single-camera system ever in an iPhone, which unlocks the benefits of computational photography including Portrait mode, and is designed to withstand the elements with dust and water resistance.” 

Camera upgrades

Apple’s A13 processor helps the new iPhone SE take “amazing photos with Smart HDR, stunning portraits with Portrait mode including all six Portrait Lighting effects,” Apple said. “And with QuickTake, users can easily transition to video recording without switching out of Photos mode.” 

Features carried over from the iPhone 8 include wireless charging, a physical home button with Touch ID instead of facial recognition, and IP67 water and dust resistance. 

The $399 base model comes with 64 GB of storage; the mid-level model comes with 128 GB of storage and costs $449, and the top tier model comes with 256 GB of storage and costs $549. Consumers who purchase the new device are also eligible for a free year of Apple TV+.

“The first iPhone SE was a hit with many customers who loved its unique combination of small size, high-end performance and affordable price; the new second-generation iPhone SE builds on that great idea and improves on it in every way,” Phil Schiller, Apple’s vice president for worldwide marketing, said in a release.

Online pre-orders for the new device will begin on Friday, and consumers can receive them as early as April 24. The new phone is available in black, white, and red color schemes.

Apple should be breathing a little easier today. It appears that the company has allayed the fears of the Senate Finance Committee -- the group that sets national health policy -- regarding the committee’s concerns over the tech giant’s COVID-19-related website and app.

In Apple’s original announcement, it underlined that it will collect "some information" to help improve the site, but it stumbled by not identifying exactly what that information would include.

That faux pas caught the Committee’s eye, and when it started poring over Apple’s announcement, more questions came to light. To get those answers, it spared no time in going straight to the top of Apple’s org chart. 

“While we acknowledge Apple’s statements regarding user privacy and that the questionnaire tools ‘do not require a sign-in or association with a user’s Apple ID, and users’ individual responses will not be sent to Apple or any government organization,’ we are nonetheless concerned for the safety and security of Americans’ private health data,” Sens. Menendez, Blumenthal, Harris and Booker wrote to Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook.

Concerns and answers

Triggering the Senators’ concerns were several things, including:

1. Is Apple’s screening site and app governed under the terms of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)?

2. What personal data is Apple going to retain?

3. Will Apple promise that it will not share or sell any of the data gathered?

4. What cybersecurity safeguards does Apple have to secure the personal data?

5. Will the website be accessible to those with disabilities?

Regarding HIPPA 

As a quick background, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) supervises the stream of healthcare information and guarantees how personally identifiable information is maintained and shared.

In Apple senior government affairs director Timothy Powderly’s response to the Senate, he stated that the company’s tools are not covered by the health privacy law HIPAA -- specifically the governance of HIPAA regarding when a company can disclose data to a third party. Powderly went on to say that there aren’t any third parties involved in collecting the information, since “data (is) entered into the website and app directly by users.”

Retention of personal data

Reminding the Committee that it does not currently collect any information entered into the website and app by individuals, Apple responded that its COVID-19 resources are no exception.

“Guided by this principle, Apple currently collects only the information necessary to support the operation of the COVID-19 website and app, such as users’ usage of the tool and app; this information does not include information entered by individuals,” wrote Powderly.

“Apple only retains this information for so long as is necessary to support the operation of the COVID-19 website and app. Information no longer needed is deleted or rendered permanently unrecoverable in accordance with industry standards.”

Will Apple commit to refraining from sharing or selling the data collected on the website and app to third parties?

There was no pussyfooting from Apple here. 

“Yes, no data collected from either the website or app will ever be sold to third parties,” Powderly said.

How Apple will protect the user data

Apple’s answer was a little technical, but its bottom line response was that the company has developed layers of “technical and administrative safeguards” to protect data as it’s being transported. It has also restricted access to that data to authorized personnel only.

Accessibility of the website to those with disabilities

Again, the answer was another straightforward “yes” from Powderly. 

“Apple’s COVID-19 app and website support features such as Apple’s VoiceOver technology, a screen reader which describes exactly what’s happening on the screen of an Apple device so that individuals can navigate just by listening, as well as Switch Control and Voice Control, which support individuals with physical motor limitations to use devices without touch,” he wrote.

Some Apple stores that were shuttered to combat the spread of coronavirus may reopen in the first half of April, according to a Bloomberg report. 

“We will reopen our stores on a staggered basis,” Apple’s retail chief Deirdre O’Brien wrote in a memo seen by Bloomberg News. “At this time, we anticipate some stores may be able to open in the first half of April depending on the conditions in their community. We will provide updates for each store as soon as specific dates are established.” 

In mid-March, Apple stores outside of Greater China closed “until further notice” in response to a dramatic surge in the number of coronavirus cases worldwide. 

O’Brien said Apple would be extending “flexible” remote work plans to its team members through at least April 5. 

“In all our offices outside of Greater China, we are extending flexible work arrangements for all team members -- outside of those whose work requires them to be onsite -- through at least April 5, which will then be reevaluated weekly depending on your location,” O’Brien said in the note to employees. 

Apple’s retail chief said the company is “putting the health of our teams, customers, and communities first.” Apple is also reportedly donating nine million face masks to U.S. healthcare facilities. 

Apple is quickly learning not to mess with France. On Monday, French antitrust officials ordered the tech company to pay a fine of €1.1 billion euros ($1.23 billion) for what France considers anti-competitive practices.

The new fine comes only weeks after France fined Apple €25 million for its iPhone slowdown fiasco.

Creating cartels

The French Competition Authority -- Autorité de la concurrence -- claimed that Apple’s offense was the creation of cartels within its distribution network and the abuse of economic dependence on its “Premium” independent resellers. Those wholesalers are Tech Data and Ingram Micro, which were also fined €76.1 million ($79.68 million) and €62.9 million ($69.99 million), respectively, for their role in the cartel practices.

“During this case, the Authority deciphered the very specific practices that had been implemented by Apple for the distribution of its products in France (excluding iPhones), such as the iPad,” Isabelle de Silva, President of the French Competition Authority, wrote.

“First, Apple and its two wholesalers agreed not to compete and prevent distributors from competing with each other, thereby sterilizing the wholesale market for Apple products. Secondly, so-called Premium distributors could not safely carry out promotions or lower prices, which led to an alignment of retail prices between Apple's integrated distributors and independent Premium distributors.”

The war of words begins

The message the Authority sent certainly had to get Big Tech’s attention. The fine Apple was slapped with is the highest penalty ever imposed on a company doing business in France. 

“Apple had committed an abuse of economic dependence on its premium retailers, a practice which the Authority considers to be particularly serious,” de Silva said.

“The French Competition Authority’s decision is disheartening,” an Apple spokesperson told CNBC. “It relates to practices from over a decade ago and discards 30 years of legal precedent that all companies in France rely on with an order that will cause chaos for companies across all industries. We strongly disagree with them and plan to appeal.”

With an eye towards the safety of children and the curtailment of spamming and offensive content, Apple put developers on notice that it’s going to be taking a hard line on which apps it will let in its app store going forward.

The company says it won’t only be rejecting apps over their content; it will also be looking to crack down on the triggers that developers build into apps that, for example, steal user data or cheat the system in any way.

“When people install an app from the App Store, they want to feel confident that it’s safe to do so -- that the app doesn’t contain upsetting or offensive content, won’t damage their device, and isn’t likely to cause physical harm from its use,” Apple told its developers in its updated App Store Review Guidelines. “If you’re looking to shock and offend people, the App Store isn’t the right place for your app.” 

Some of the more high-profile changes include the ability for apps to now use notifications for ads, stricter rules for dating and fortune-telling apps, and a new rule that allows Apple to reject apps that help users evade law enforcement.

Nope -- not in our App Store

Apple's new app screening raises the bar on the following:

Kid-oriented apps

Upfront and center, Apple tells developers that any app must comply with laws like the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), and any other applicable regulations or laws. 

“We have lots of kids downloading lots of apps,” Apple said. “Parental controls work great to protect kids, but you have to do your part too. So know that we’re keeping an eye out for the kids.”

In Apple’s new law of the land, an app can only ask for birthdate and parental contact information as a way of complying with these statutes and nothing else. If a developer builds an app that asks for personal information, they better be ready to prove that the need for those details also complies with those privacy statutes.

Apple is also putting the squeeze on a developer’s dream of cashing in on kids, Going forward, it is banning third-party analytics or third-party advertising from child-oriented apps. 

Objectionable content

In its new guidelines, Apple says that apps on its platform “should not include content that is offensive, insensitive, upsetting, intended to disgust, in exceptionally poor taste, or just plain creepy.”

The company goes on to lay it out in no uncertain terms: “realistic portrayals of people or animals being killed, maimed, tortured, or abused … Depictions that encourage illegal or reckless use of weapons and dangerous objects, or facilitate the purchase of firearms or ammunition … Inflammatory religious commentary” are all forbidden.

User-generated content

Any app that depends on user-generated content or social networking services has to have “a method for filtering objectionable material from being posted to the app; a mechanism to report offensive content and timely responses to concerns; the ability to block abusive users from the service; published contact information so users can easily reach (the developer).”

Spamming

What would an app be without some kind of spam, right? Well, Apple app users are about to find out. 

Going forward, app developers are required to get customer consent and build in an opt-out feature that permits users to turn off those pesky push notification ads. 

If you don’t like it, go somewhere else

“The guiding principle of the App Store is simple - we want to provide a safe experience for users to get apps and a great opportunity for all developers to be successful,” was how Apple laid out the future for app developers. The company didn’t pull any punches about how firm its new stand is, either.

“We do this by offering a highly curated App Store where every app is reviewed by experts and an editorial team helps users discover new apps every day. For everything else there is always the open Internet. If the App Store model and guidelines are not best for your app or business idea that’s okay, we provide Safari for a great web experience too.”

Apple has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit over its brief policy of slowing down data streams for older iPhone models.

The suit was filed in 2017 after Apple released an operating system update that slowed older iPhone models to prevent them from prematurely using up battery power and shutting down. It mostly affected the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, and SE devices.

The company will pay between $310 million and $500 million to settle the case. Class members will receive anywhere from $25 to $500 under the terms of the settlement.

At the end of 2017, Apple apologized to owners of older iPhones and announced a price reduction on replacement batteries after being charged with purposefully slowing down older iPhone models. Critics charged the company of not-so-subtly pushing consumers to upgrade their older iPhones.

Apple insisted that was not the case.

“We have never — and would never — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades,” the company said in a December 2017 statement. “Our goal has always been to create products that our customers love, and making iPhones last as long as possible is an important part of that.”

Older phones couldn’t handle new functions

At the time, Apple said the latest version of its operating system had so many enhanced functions that it was taxing on older models. Apple said it slowed them down to avoid draining their batteries and prevent unexpected shutdowns.

In settling the case, Apple denied doing anything wrong and agreed to settle the case to avoid further legal costs. Under the terms of the settlement, members of the class will each get $25 for each iPhone they owned at the time. That amount, however, may be adjusted depending on attorney’s fees.

“The amount per device covered under the settlement could be increased to a maximum of $500 apiece depending on the number of iPhones identified as eligible under the agreement,” the settlement says.

Both sides have asked the court to establish Angeion Group as the settlement administrator. As of now, there are no instructions for class members to enter claims.

Pay up, mon frere. Three years after it was discovered that Apple was purposely slowing down older versions of its iPhones, possibly in hopes of prodding consumers toward buying a newer model, France’s overseer of consumer affairs has fined the company €25 million ($27,342,875 U.S.) as a result of its own investigation. Apple has agreed to fork over the entire amount.

The General Directorate for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) announced the fine on Friday. 

While Apple has already asked consumers for their forgiveness and promises it’ll be more informative going forward, its planned obsolescence still leaves it vulnerable to governmental investigations both at home and abroad. In Italy, Apple was fined 5 million euros ($5,468,575 U.S.) for the phone slowdown and another 5 million for neglecting to give customers necessary information about how to ensure the health of an iPhone battery or how to replace it. 

A quick refresher

In case you missed it, the basics of the blunder is that iPhone owners were not informed that the updates of the iOS operating system (10.2.1 and 11.2) they installed would, in all likelihood, slow down their iPhone thanks to a dynamic power management device that came with those updates, especially if the device’s batteries were old. Apple has apparently learned its lesson and gone one step further by extending the life of its devices’ batteries.

Adding insult to misery, iPhone users couldn’t roll their operating software back to an earlier version that didn’t have the new feature.

With consumers having less and less time to take care of interruptions that upset their normal schedules, it looks like Apple is coming to the rescue by offering on-site repair for iPhone owners who can’t find the time to visit a repair shop or Apple store, much less send their phone in to be fixed.

As reported by MacRumors, Apple is trying out its new on-site service in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. Consumers in those markets should see that option when they visit Apple's Support site.

Research conducted by ConsumerAffairs and MacRumors suggests that the service is provided by Go Tech Services. The company is an Apple-authorized service provider and is not directly governed by the tech giant -- much like the relationship between Geek Squad and Best Buy. Findings suggest that Go Tech is a new service offered by SquareTrade, an Allstate company.

Can everything on my iPhone be repaired on a house call?

There’s no official word from Apple or Go Tech on what can be repaired at a customer’s home or office. MacRumors reports that a cracked iPhone display could be fixed but not a battery replacement.

And price? There’s no official word on that either, but MacRumors reports that “an on-site visit fee may be charged in addition to the provider's standard repair cost.”

Apple has promised to fix a vulnerability in one of the new parental control features released Tuesday in iOS 13.3. 

A feature called Communication Limits is supposed to prevent kids from communicating with people not in their contacts unless a parent enters a security passcode, but the safety feature can easily be bypassed if contacts aren’t stored in iCloud, according to a CNBC report. 

“Communication Limits does not work as advertised if contacts are not stored to iCloud by default,” CNBC found. 

After tapping on an incoming text from an unknown number, CNBC discovered that a "Restricted Contact" page appeared. However, the page could be bypassed by tapping on an “Add Contact” option. Selecting the option would give kids the ability to communicate with the person behind the number in question. 

In a statement, Apple said the issue “only occurs on devices set up with a non-standard configuration, and a workaround is available.” It added that it’s “working on a complete fix and will release it in an upcoming software update.” 

While Apple works on a fix, users can ensure the feature works properly by forcing contacts to sync with iCloud. This can be done by going into settings, navigating down to "Contacts," choosing "Default Account,” and changing it to iCloud. Alternatively, parents can set the device to “Downtime” mode to prevent kids from adding any new contacts. 

Apple has confirmed an issue causing the entry-level 13-inch 2019 MacBook Pro model to shut down randomly while there is still battery power remaining.

Users reported on the MacRumors forum that the device shuts down unexpectedly when its battery life falls to about 25-50 percent. In order to reboot the machine, it has to be connected to its charger. 

Apple has confirmed the issue and published a support document describing how to navigate the issue if it occurs. 

What to do

The company says users should connect their laptop to a power adapter once its battery percentage drops to less than 90 percent. After that, users are advised to quit all open applications and let the device go into sleep mode for a minimum of eight hours. 

“Close your computer's lid, which puts your Mac in to sleep mode. Let your Mac charge for at least 8 hours,” Apple writes. “After 8 hours, update to the latest version of macOS.” 

The tech giant says users should contact Apple if the issue persists after updating to the latest version of macOS, as servicing might be needed. 

Apple’s acknowledgment of the problem affecting some 2019 MacBook Pro devices follows other user reports of glitches impacting devices. Apple currently offers a keyboard servicing program for MacBook users and a battery replacement program for certain MacBook Pros.

Apple has responded to questions raised as part of an antitrust probe launched in September. Lawmakers previously sent a letter to Apple officials asking, among other things, for the company to shed light on how much revenue it has generated from product repair services since 2009.

Kyle Andeer, the company's vice president for Corporate Law, produced Apple’s responses to the Antitrust Committee. Andeer said the annual costs of providing repair services has “exceeded the revenue generated by repairs.” 

The tech giant has previously been accused of making it difficult for users to get Apple devices fixed by making them go to its own stores or authorized repair centers and then charging high rates to fix faulty devices. 

Repair service questions

Asked if the move was a way for Apple to “elbow out competition and extend its monopoly into the market for repairs,” the company said no. Andeer said Apple’s goal is to “achieve a safe and reliable repair for our customers, whether that repair is done by Apple or a service provider designated by Apple.” 

To that end, the company doesn’t allow independent repair stores to access its spare parts and repair manuals. He said it’s “not feasible to split products into its component parts without significant risk of damage to those components.”

“Apple has spent time and money to make Apple devices incredibly user friendly—but they are still complex, very technical machines,” Andeer said. “And there are a number of factors that go into achieving the goal of ensuring repairs on these complex devices are safe and reliable.” 

Andeer noted that Apple has set out to make user repairs easier to obtain in recent months by partnering with Best Buy to offer user repair services at many of the retailer’s stores. The company has also established a new system to verify independent third-parties. 

Default browser questions

In response to a question regarding why Apple doesn’t allow iPhone users to assign a third-party browser as their default choice and whether that move is anti-competitive, Andeer pointed to security and privacy reasons. He said Safari is “an essential part of iPhone’s functionality.” 

“Safari is one of the apps that Apple believes defines the core user experience on iOS, with industry-leading security and privacy features,” Andeer said. “Safari is an ‘operating system app,’ like the Phone, Camera and iMessage, which are designed to work together.” 

In the company response, Andeer noted that there are many apps that compete with Apple’s services, such as web browsing, maps, music, and video. Overall, Apple argued that all of its policies are in the best interest of users and that it doesn’t engage in anti-competitive behaviors. 

On Monday, Apple released another iOS 13 update that fixes several additional issues that cropped up in iOS 13, which was released in September.

Version 13.2.3 includes a fix for an issue that stopped search from working in the Mail, Files, and Notes apps. It also addresses a problem that could prevent apps from downloading content while running in the background. Another bug that prevented quotes from earlier messages from appearing in threads has also been remedied. 

The latest update was rolled out just a few weeks after Apple released its last iOS 13 update. The previous update, iOS 13.2.2, addressed an issue that caused apps running in the background on the iPhone and ‌iPad‌ to unexpectedly quit, prompting some users to complain they were losing unsaved work or their spot in a video.

In its change log, Apple says the update includes the following fixes:

• Fixes an issue where system search and search within Mail, Files, and Notes might not work.

• Addresses an issue where photos, links, and other attachments might not display in the Messages details view.

• Fixes an issue that could prevent apps from downloading content in the background.

• Resolves issues that may prevent Mail from fetching new messages, and fail to include and quote original message content in Exchange accounts.

Consumers can access the latest update by going to Settings > General > Software update.

Two tech entrepreneurs say that the new Apple Card appears to have a gender bias when it comes to assigning credit limits.

David Heinemeier Hansson and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak both say they received several times the credit limit than their wives when they applied for the new credit card. 

Hansson, who developed the web-application framework Ruby on Rails, said he and his wife file a joint tax return and that she has a better credit score than he does. Yet when they were approved for the card, he said his credit limit was 20 times higher than his wife’s.

Both men reported the discrepancy on Twitter, blaming the algorithm used by Apple and Goldman Sachs to screen applicants.

New York will investigate

In the wake of these complaints, the New York Department of Financial Services has launched an investigation. Goldman Sachs has declined to say whether it has had any discussions with either of the two tech titans who publicly expressed their concerns.

Apple and Goldman Sachs rolled out the new credit card in August, making it available to all iPhone customers. The card is designed to be used in tandem with the Wallet app on the iPhone. At the time of its launch, Apple said it wanted the card to be a tool to help consumers better manage their money.

The Apple Card is like many regular credit cards. It doesn’t have an annual fee, and it offers 3 percent cash back on Apple purchases and 1 percent on all other purchases. It got a rather lukewarm reception from personal finance experts who noted that most cards don’t currently charge an annual fee, and some offer rewards as generous or more than what the Apple Card pays.

The focus of the controversy is the algorithm used to approve applicants and assign them a credit limit. Reuters quotes a spokeswoman for the New York Department of Financial Services as saying the agency will investigate to determine whether the discrepancy violates state law.

She said the law is designed to make sure all consumers are treated the same and that even unintentional discrimination on the part of a computer algorithm could be a violation.

During an earnings call with analysts this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook signaled that the company is open to the idea of launching a subscription-style model for paying for iPhones, CNBC reported.

“We are cognizant that there are lots of users out there that want sort of a recurring payment like that and the receipt of new products on some sort of standard kind of basis and we are committed to make that easier to do than perhaps it is today,” Cook said. 

During the call, Cook said Apple sees subscriptions as a major growth area and pointed out that it’s already catering to customers who want to bundle services.

“In terms of hardware as a service or as a bundle, if you will, there are customers today that essentially view the hardware like that because they’re on upgrade plans and so forth. So, to some degree, that exists today,” Cook said in response to a question on the matter from analyst Toni Sacconagi. 

Laying the foundation

CNBC noted that Apple has been “laying the groundwork” for a subscription model for its iPhones for years.

In 2015, the company began allowing its users to pay off their iPhones on a monthly basis. The tech giant also offers an iPhone Upgrade Program, which includes an AppleCare warranty and an option to upgrade to the latest iPhone once the user has paid a minimum of 12 monthly installments for the older model of the device. 

Additionally, Apple currently offers trade-ins, which enable consumers to sell their older iPhone back to Apple in order to receive a discount on a newer model.

“We also continued to see great results from our trade-in program with more than five times the iPhone trade-in volume we had a year ago,” Apple CFO Luca Maestri said. 

Paying with Apple Card

Cook announced on the call that Apple is also set to launch a program that lets consumers buy an iPhone with their Apple Card and pay no interest on the sum for two years.

“I am very pleased to announce today that later this year, we are adding another great feature to Apple Card,” Cook said on the call. “Customers will be able to purchase their new iPhone and pay for it over it over 24 months with zero interest. And they will continue to enjoy all the benefits of Apple Card, including 3% cash back on the total cost of their iPhone with absolutely no fees and the ability to simply manage their payments right in the Apple Wallet app on iPhone.”

The Apple executive added that “one of the things we are doing is trying to make it simpler and simpler for people to get on these sort of monthly financing kind of things.” 

Apple is urging all iPhone 5 owners to update their device to the latest software within the next few days or risk losing core online features, including web browsing, email, and more. 

In full-screen alerts on the devices of affected owners, as well as in a support document on its website, the tech giant advised iPhone 5 owners to update to iOS 10.3.4 before 12AM UTC on November 3 in order to “maintain accurate GPS location and to continue to use functions that rely on correct date and time including App Store, iCloud, email, and web browsing.” 

Apple added that the update requirement stems from a GPS time rollover issue that began affecting GPS-enabled products from other manufacturers on April 6 of this year. 

Users who don’t update their device by the specified date will no longer be able to get over-the-air software updates or use iCloud backup, so they will need to connect to a computer to restore. 

To verify that a device is up to date, users can tap on Settings and then on Software Update. 

Problems reported among new iPhone owners

Apple's warning to iPhone 5 owners comes on the heels of user complaints from those who downloaded the company's iOS 13.1.2 update for their newer iPhone, iPad, and iPod. 

While the software update was supposed to fix a number of issues, users complained of issues ranging from battery drain, call dropping, and web pages shutting down for no apparent reason. 

“This 13.1.2 version is a disaster,” posted one Facebook user. “[It] has ruined the ease of correcting text character by character. Have had to reboot twice to attempt to correct.” Singing to the choir of disgruntled users, another wrote “Apple iOS 13.1.2 downloaded, and I regret it. Very little seems to work right.” 

Users who hadn't yet installed the update were urged to hold off on downloading it, while those who had already downloaded it were left simply to wait for Apple to roll out a fix for the issues.

The much-ballyhooed new iPhone isn’t turning out to be the Apple of the consumer’s eye -- especially those who’ve downloaded the phone’s new software, iOS13.1.2.

While Apple’s pitch that “iOS 13 and iPadOS make your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch more powerful, personal, and protected than ever,” reports are pouring in from consumers who are experiencing some powerfully and personally bad issues instead.

The issues run the gamut, ranging from battery drain -- a problem that was supposed to be fixed months ago -- to incessant call dropping, to shutting down internet pages for no apparent reason.

“This 13.1.2 version is a disaster,” posted one Facebook user. “[It] has ruined the ease of correcting text character by character. Have had to reboot twice to attempt to correct.” Singing to the choir of disgruntled users, another wrote “Apple iOS 13.1.2 downloaded, and I regret it. Very little seems to work right.” 

The fix is NOT in

Apple’s software update was meant to fix several issues. Some of these include: 

• An issue where the camera on their iPhone camera may not function as it normally does

• Problems with the flashlight 

• For those who use iCloud Backup, the repair of a bug where the progress bar might show that the backup is still in progress even though the backup was already finished.

• And, for consumers who use their iPhone while driving, an issue where the Bluetooth connection might mysteriously disconnect

If you’re someone caught up in Apple’s promises not matching your device’s performance, it may be smart just to stop where you are and let Apple get its act together before updating your system.

“So while I’d love to advise iPhone owners to upgrade to iOS 13 for all the great secret features Apple has hidden, this is easily trumped by the priority of having a working handset afterwards,” suggests Forbes consumer tech reporter, Gordon Kelly. “That’s also to say nothing of iOS mysteriously downgrading your accessories and making your repairs come back to haunt you.”

But what about those who have already installed the update? The answer, though unsatisfying, may be to just grin and bear it. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t offer a way to automatically revert to an older version of the system software.

Many consumers might want an iPhone, but the price tag can be prohibitive for some people. To fill this market niche, the tech giant will reportedly introduce a budget iPhone next year that would retail for $399.

Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF Securities who covers Apple, reported over the weekend that the new iPhone, despite its low price, will have the same processor as the recently released iPhone 11, which sells for between $699 and $1,099.

Kuo says the new phone will be called the iPhone SE2, and it will have a similar design to the iPhone 8. That means it can use some of that model’s parts but will feature an upgraded processor and camera. 

Apple has yet to comment on the report. MacRumors describes Kuo as a credible source when it comes to Apple.

“His research notes often provide a solid look at Apple's future plans and while he is not always correct, his predictions on future Apple products are accurate enough to make him one of the most reliable sources for Apple rumors,” the website says.

Aimed at the iPhone 6?

While Apple sells some previous iPhone models at low prices, those devices feature older technology. For example, the iPhone 6 models do not run the latest iPhone operating system, IOS 13.

A $400 phone featuring an improved camera and the latest processor could well be a game-changer when it comes to competing with lower-priced phones.

In a note to clients, Kuo predicted the new iPhone could prove attractive to consumers still using iPhone 6 models who have been reluctant to upgrade because of cost. Kuo says as many as 200 million consumers could still be using those older devices.

Kuo says the fact that the iPhone 6 models can’t run the latest operating system may create a “more urgent replacement demand.”

Apple introduced the iPhone 11 series last month, with three new models featuring improved cameras and a new processor. At the same time, it cut the price of the iPhone 8 to $449 and the iPhone 8 Plus to $549.

Apple has launched a repair program for iPhone 6s and 6s Plus devices after discovering that some of the handsets may not start up due to a “component that may fail.”

In a recent blog post, the company took responsibility for the issue and noted that it only affects a small number of devices manufactured within a specific time frame. 

“Apple has determined that certain iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus devices may not power on due to a component that may fail,” the company wrote. “This issue only affects devices within a limited serial number range that were manufactured between October 2018 to August 2019.”

Affected consumers can bring in their device for a free repair at any Apple Store or Authorized Service Provider. Alternatively, faulty devices can be sent through a mail-in service.

Consumers can find out if they’re eligible for the free repair program by entering their phone’s serial number on the program page. 

The program is only open to users for two years after the device was purchased. In its announcement of the program, Apple notes that “no other iPhone models are part of this program.”

Apple also said it will issue a refund to any owner of an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus device who already paid to have the problem fixed. Users can contact Apple to request a refund by visiting this link.

Apple’s most recent iPhone update, iOS 13, includes a tool to help consumers minimize the number of unwanted calls they receive. The tech giant’s new “Silence Unknown Callers” option lets iPhone users send any call straight to voicemail if it isn’t from a number found in their contact list.

Users who have updated to iOS 13 can activate the feature by opening Settings, tapping “Phone,” navigating down to “Silence Unknown Callers,” and toggling the button to “On.” 

Enabling the feature will stop unknown calls from coming through, meaning users won’t have to manually hit “decline” when they see a likely robocall coming in. Missed call notifications will still pop up after Apple sends the call to voicemail, and the number that called will still show up in the recent call log.

Apple warns that some calls -- such as those from a medical office or any other establishment that isn’t in a phone’s contact list -- may also be thwarted by the feature. In that case, users can head to the “Voicemail” tab in the Phone app and listen to or read the transcript of the voicemail and decide whether the person should be called back. 

Robocall numbers still elevated

During the month of September, consumers received 4.5 billion robocalls. While that number is down 5.2 percent from August and 13.5 percent from the all-time high in March of 5.2 billion robocalls, YouMail CEO Alex Quilici says robocall numbers for 2019 are still frustratingly high. 

"Happily, September had a meaningful but unsurprising decline in robocall volume, as it was a shorter month than August and included the Labor Day holiday weekend," the executive said in a statement last week. "While that's still good news, the tougher news is that we received over 43.3 billion calls in the first 9 months of the year, and we are still on pace to wind up with nearly 60 billion calls to U.S. consumers this year."

Federal regulators are aware that consumers are fed up with robocalls and continue to push for the integration of tools to fight spam callers. The FCC has urged phone companies to adopt new standards to combat robocalls, and AT&T, Verizon, and other carriers have announced new spam call-filtering tools in an effort to appease both regulators and frustrated consumers.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced in July that it upgraded its Do Not Call (DNC) initiative to make its interactive robocall data site easier for consumers to use.

“The page allows consumers to search the data interactively, for example, by clicking on a specific state or county. The information will be updated quarterly,” the FTC wrote.

With wearable wellness tech on a meteoric rise -- currently at 825.9 million users and growing by close to 10 percent each year -- consumers are going to see more and more marriages of convenience between health insurers and tech companies. 

Enter Devoted Health, a start-up insurer focused on the private Medicare plan market. CNBC reports that Devoted Health will become the first health insurer with private Medicare plans to offer a discounted Apple Watch as a benefit.

For some, the Apple Watch is already a lifesaver -- literally. And thanks to a wearable’s capability of tracking, analyzing, and, soon, sharing health information with physicians, it’s a product primed to move from trend to essential.

“In various parts of the country, there are local examples of organizations dramatically improving healthcare outcomes and bringing down costs,” said Bill Frist, a medical doctor, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, and member of Devoted’s board. "What makes Devoted so exciting is that they have the team, operating model, technology, and capital to scale this kind of performance nationwide."

And when Frist says Devoted has the capital, he’s serious. Already ponying up with $300 million is Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm whose portfolio holdings have included Skype, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

The win-win

The Apple-Devoted Health partnership has the potential for both companies to reap some rewards. 

For Apple, the move can put it further ahead of FitBit in the fitness wearables race. For Devoted Health, it allows the company to start claiming its original goal of becoming “a new model of health care: a tech-enabled ‘payvidor’” -- a healthcare company that has the technology infrastructure to evolve quickly. 

Medtech nuances that Devoted already has in play are tele-visits for urgent care and arranging for transportation to and from medical appointments.

Devoted has the game to themselves -- for now

ConsumerAffairs reached out to Mindy Payne Farnsley, a benefits specialist with Preferred Benefits, who confirmed that Devoted seems to be the leading -- and only -- dog in this race at the moment.

“As far as Medicare, I am not seeing anyone jumping on the train yet with certain devices on the Medicare side,” Farnsley told ConsumerAffairs. 

“Humana does incorporate their Go 365 Wellness program on their Medicare Advantage Plans that does allow the member to track their activity and be rewarded for it like they do on commercial group side. I hope to see more carriers jump on board with these type of programs in the future. Apple does a deal with Aetna but again it is only the commercial group side.”

Two weeks after unveiling three new iPhone models, Apple is advising iPhone 11 users not to go to third-party technicians for display repairs. 

The company said iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max users need to ensure their device gets fixed using genuine parts. Failure to go to a service provider or technician that hasn’t been vetted by Apple could result in incorrect color calibration, multi-touch issues, ambient light sensor problems, or other issues. 

“Additionally, repairs that don't properly replace screws or cowlings might leave behind loose parts that could damage the battery, cause overheating, or result in injury,” Apple said in a statement on its website.

Apple said iPhone 11 users who replace their screens with an aftermarket component will see a message that reads, "Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple display." The message will remain on the lock screen for four days. After that, it can be found under the “About” section in “Settings.” The warning will not affect the ability to use the iPhone or its display.

“If you need to replace your iPhone display, it's important for certified technicians who use genuine Apple display parts to repair it,” the company said. “Only technicians who have completed Apple service training and who use Apple genuine parts and tools should replace iPhone displays.” 

Apple has announced its 2019 product upgrade with three new iPhone models, an always-on watch display, and a popularly priced streaming service.

The new devices are the iPhone 11, the iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. Upgrades include a brighter display and a new triple-camera system with a “pro-level camera experience” and an expanded lens range. Apple says the changes will deliver huge improvements to low-light photography and allow production of high-quality action videos.

In addition to those changes, the company says the new iPhones will be more powerful than the previous generations and have improved battery life.

The iPhone 11 will sell for $699, $50 less than the model it is replacing. The 11 Pro will go for $999 and the 11 Pro Max will cost $1,099. All three models are scheduled to ship on September 20.

Price cut on the iPhone 8

At the same time, Apple has lowered the price of some of its older devices. Both the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are getting a $100 price cut, selling between $449 and $549. It’s also discontinuing the Xs and XS Max models.

Improvements to the Apple Watch are also getting some attention. The Apple Watch Series 5 introduces an Always-On Retina display that never goes into sleep mode. Other upgrades include a built-in compass to current elevation feature and international emergency calling that connects users with emergency services in more than 150 countries.

“We’ve seen Apple Watch have a meaningful impact on our customers’ lives and we’re excited to deliver even more capabilities with Apple Watch Series 5 and watchOS 6,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “The seamless integration of new hardware and software delivers an enhanced experience that makes it even easier to stay active and connected to the people and information users care about.”

Apple TV +

Apple also served notice that it’s stepping up its game in the streaming wars, positioning Apple TV + to take on the likes of Netflix and Hulu. The service will launch November 1, offering original programming for $4.99 a month. As an added bonus, consumers who purchase an Apple device will get a one-year subscription to the service at no charge.

Offerings include “The Morning Show,” “Dickinson,” “See,” “For All Mankind” and “The Elephant Queen.” The service will be available on the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod Touch, Mac, and other platforms, including online at tv.apple.com.

It’s not a proven axiom in Big Tech, but Apple, for one, is hoping that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

That ounce is a tweak Apple’s made to its App Store’s algorithm so, by design, fewer of its own, self-produced apps would crowd the top search results.

And the pound? There’s no guarantee Apple’s move will carry that much weight, but the company is about to enter a slate of antitrust investigations, so any move to separate “anti” from “trust” couldn’t hurt.

Getting to the top of the charts

The App Store changes were brought to light by the New York Times when its reporters presented new research about App Store search result rankings to Apple.

That research -- which was fueled by search term tracking done by SensorTower -- showed that Apple’s own apps ranked first in 735 of roughly 60,000 search terms tracked. “Most of the tracked searches were obscure, but Apple’s apps ranked first for many of the popular queries,” the Times wrote. 

“For instance, for most of June and July, Apple apps were the top result for these search terms: books, music, news, magazines, podcasts, video, TV, movies, sports, card, gift, money, credit, debit, fitness, people, friends, time, notes, docs, files, cloud, storage, message, home, store, mail, maps, traffic, stocks and weather.”

When the Times handed over its research, Apple owned up to the changes. Well -- sort of owned up.

Apple executives Eddy Cue and Philip Schiller -- both at the top of the App Store food chain -- refuted any possible allegation that Apple’s algorithm gave precedence to its own apps. Rather, their position was that Apple-owned apps typically rank higher than others simply because their apps are a) more popular; and, b) typically a closer match to broad search terms. For example, if someone searched for a “photo” app, Apple’s “iPhoto” app might rise to the top organically.

“There’s nothing about the way we run search in the App Store that’s designed or intended to drive Apple’s downloads of our own apps,” Schiller told the Times. “We’ll present results based on what we think the user wants.”

Why the tweak?

As the Times turned up the heat, Schiller held steadfast to his position, but Cue admitted the situation was “improved.”

Was Cue’s admission related to the accusation that Apple built in some sway for itself in the App Store? We may never know, but what we do know is that Apple’s antitrust defense team has a lot on their plate with consumer-oriented cases regarding the App Store monopoly, iPhone prices, and antitrust claims from its peers. Any angle they can work to soften the blow could work in the company’s favor.

Apple says it will now provide independent repair shops -- even small ones -- with parts, tools, training, and diagnostics to service out-of-warranty Apple products.

It’s a departure from past policies that have limited repair work to Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASP). Apple said it’s taking the initiative to make it easier for its customers to get service when they need it and in the most convenient way.

“When a repair is needed, a customer should have confidence the repair is done right,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “We believe the safest and most reliable repair is one handled by a trained technician using genuine parts that have been properly engineered and rigorously tested.”

At the same time, Apple said it is continuing to invest in its global network of over 5,000 AASPs that have carried out the bulk of Apple out-of-warranty repair and maintenance work. 

Best Buy partnership

The tech giant has moved slowly toward expanding consumers’ options for repair and maintenance. In June, the company announced it was adding Best Buy to its list of repair partners. Up to 1,000 Best Buy locations were designated as Apple repair centers.

As part of that deal, Apple said it would train and certify 7,600 Best Buy Geek Squad employees to work on Apple products.

With this latest move, Apple expects to significantly increase the number of locations where its customers can receive out-of-warranty service. Independent shops can get on the list by having an Apple-certified technician who can perform the repairs. It says technicians can earn certified status by going through a free Apple training course.

Apple says the program will start first in the U.S. and will be expanded to other countries at a later date.

Reports surfaced on Tuesday that Apple has paused the rollout of technology that would allow people to send text messages to other iPhones (not other platforms like Android, though) when those users are off-the-grid -- meaning without cell service. 

For people who find themselves in remote locations like ski slopes or hiking in the mountains, the upsides of the technology could have been a game-changer in locating someone who’s lost or needs help.

According to The Information, Apple and Intel were collaborating on the technology, with plans to integrate Intel’s chips into future iPhones. The original patent Apple applied for details technology that functions something like a walkie-talkie in which the messaging between the phones would be transmitted via a 900MHz radio spectrum. 

There was no reason -- like a security flaw -- given as to why the project was scrapped. However, The Information said that the person at Apple who was championing the technology had left the company. It’s also possible that Apple’s recent squabble with Qualcomm could have been a factor.

Apple Watch wearers who like the watch’s version of the walkie-talkie feature will be happy to know that that version isn’t going away. However, it does require a Wi-Fi or cellular connection, which the scrapped version didn’t.

Two of the three iPhones Apple is expected to debut next month will be “Pro” phones, featuring an emphasis on the device’s camera performance, according to a Bloomberg report. 

The phones will boast a new triple-lens camera system, which combines wide angle, telephoto, and ultra-wide lenses. The publication says the upcoming “Pro” models will take the place of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. 

The iPhone 11 Pro software will enable it to take three images at once and merge them into higher-resolution pictures “rivaling some traditional cameras.” The device’s low-light camera performance will also be enhanced.  

Upgraded functions

In addition to the new “Pro” models, the tech giant will reportedly unveil a successor to last year’s iPhone XR. A second rear camera will be added to the device, which will equip it with the ability to shoot in enhanced portrait mode and zoom in further without the quality of the shot being impacted. A change to Face ID, “multi angle” sensor hardware, is also expected to be announced in a few weeks. 

“The phones will include a new multi-angle Face ID sensor that captures a wider field of view so that users can unlock the handsets more easily – even when the devices are flat on a table,” Bloomberg reported. 

Aesthetically, Bloomberg says “at least some colors” of the devices will feature a new matte finish. The devices will also be more durable, thanks to enhanced shatter protection and water resistance. The publication also claims Apple is likely to release new AirPods and a smaller, less expensive HomePod smart speaker as early as next year. 

Apple’s annual iPhone announcement event, which has been held in September for the past four years, is expected to take place on Tuesday, September 10 this year.

Apple has temporarily pulled the plug on a program that let its employees listen to Siri voice recordings. The practice was called “grading,” and it was intended to help boost Siri’s speech recognition accuracy and quality. 

Apple said it listened to less than one percent of Siri voice conversations and that the recordings were anonymous. Nonetheless, the tech giant has decided to suspend the program in the wake of a recent Guardian report which found that Apple contractors “regularly hear confidential details” on Siri recordings. 

Apple told the publication that its goal in letting staffers listen to some conversations was to “help Siri and dictation … understand you better and recognize what you say.” The article sparked a wave of criticism, which has now resulted in Apple suspending the program while it decides how to proceed. 

“We are committed to delivering a great Siri experience while protecting user privacy. While we conduct a thorough review, we are suspending Siri grading globally,” an Apple spokesperson told TechCrunch. 

In an upcoming software update, Apple will give users the ability to opt out of participating in the company’s grading program. 

In a note to investors over the weekend, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple will offer 5G support on all three models of its 2020 iPhones. The move is intended to help the tech giant compete with Android, which is adding 5G support to its lower-cost Android smartphones.

Earlier this summer, Kuo said he believed two of the three upcoming iPhones would support 5G. The analyst now says Apple will add 5G support to all the new devices. 

Kuo said Apple's recent acquisition of Intel's smartphone modem chip business bolstered its resources for developing iPhones with 5G capabilities. However, the company doesn’t plan to drop Qualcomm technology in favor of using its own in-house 5G chip until 2021, according to Reuters.

“Apple has more resource for developing the 5G iPhone after the acquisition of Intel baseband business, ” Kuo said in a note seen by MacRumors. “We expect that the prices of 5G Android smartphones will decline to $249–349 USD in 2H20.” 

“Consumers will think that 5G is the necessary function” by the time they are launched, he added. “Therefore, iPhone models which will be sold at higher prices have to support 5G for winning more subsidies from mobile operators and consumers' purchase intention.” 

All three versions of the 2020 iPhone will likely support both the mmWave and sub-6GHz versions of 5G. Meanwhile, Android phones will only support sub-6GHz. 

Apple’s notoriously problematic butterfly keyboard will be phased out this year, MacRumors reports. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the tech giant will introduce a scissor-switch keyboard design starting with its 16-inch MacBook Pro. 

The company unveiled its butterfly keyboard in 2015, advertising it as being “refined for greater comfort and responsiveness” compared to its standard “scissor” design. However, users began noticing that the keyboards tended to malfunction after being exposed to dirt or dust.

Apple acknowledged the issue and tried to fix the problem by introducing several changes, including adding a silicone barrier to keep dust from getting behind keys and using “new materials” in the keyboards’ switch mechanism to improve reliability. 

The tech giant launched a repair program for users who were still experiencing problems, but now it appears that the company is looking to scrap the troublesome keyboard design altogether. 

The new scissor keyboard won’t be as prone to failure from heat, dust, and other small particulates, Kuo said in a previous note to investors seen by MacRumors. Enhanced durability will come by way of glass fibers to reinforce the keys. While it will be thicker than the butterfly keyboard, Kuo believes most users won’t be able to feel the difference.

It is expected to be found on the new MacBook Pro, which will most likely launch in September. Other laptops will get the updated keyboard in 2020. 

Apple has allowed OurPact, one of the parental control apps pulled from its App Store earlier this year, back on its app marketplace. 

The New York Times reported in February that Apple pulled or limited the reach of 11 of the 17 most popular screen time monitoring and parental control apps from its App Store without warning developers. 

The apps that were kicked off relied on Mobile Device Management (MDM) technology to track and manage users’ screen time. They were also similar to Apple’s “ScreenTime” tool, which gives parents control over an iPhone’s usage. 

OurPact allowed back 

Affected developers accused the company of engaging in anticompetitive practices by clearing out rival screen time management apps, but Apple defended its move by saying privacy concerns were at the heart of the matter.  

“Contrary to what The New York Times reported over the weekend, this isn’t a matter of competition. It’s a matter of security,” Apple said in a statement.

“These apps were using an enterprise technology that provided them access to kids’ highly sensitive personal data,” an Apple spokeswoman told the Times. “We do not think it is O.K. for any apps to help data companies track or optimize advertising of kids.”

In response to Apple’s decision, OurPact published a statement in which it noted that MDM only allows it to collect “very limited but standard anonymized” data for crash reports. 

"They yanked us out of the blue with no warning," OurPact CEO Amir Moussavian told the Times in February. "They are systematically killing the industry."

Several months later, OurPact has been reinstated to Apple’s App Store and given approval to use MDM. The former is thanks to Apple’s recent introduction of less stringent App Store restrictions related to the use of MDM and Virtual Private Network tools. 

"We take this as a positive sign that Apple is working in cooperation with us,” an OurPact spokesperson said. “They realize device management solutions belong not only in the business world and in the classroom but in a family environment."

It remains to be seen whether other parental control apps that were pulled will be allowed to return to the App Store in the wake of Apple’s revision to its review guidelines. 

Apple is offering free repairs for 2018 MacBook Airs after finding that a “very small number” of current generation, 13-inch MacBook Airs are having logic board problems, 9to5Mac reports. Logic board issues could prevent the computer from turning on.

The company has emailed owners of MacBook Air computers with serial numbers known to be impacted by the issue to let them know that a free repair is available at any Apple Store or authorized service center. Customers who want to know if their device is among those impacted by the flaw can also take their computer to those locations. 

The free repair offer will last for four years. 

9to5Mac notes that Apple hasn’t provided many details about the logic board issue, other than saying that it has to do with “power.” The publication notes that some users found that they weren’t able to boot up their 2018 MacBook Air at all when the device first launched.

The logic board issue is the latest of several MacBook flaws to be announced in recent months. Just a few days ago, Apple recalled some older MacBook Pro models over a battery issue that caused overheating. Prior to that, the company introduced a repair program for owners of MacBooks with defective butterfly keyboards.  

Among the laundry list of nuances and updates Apple unveiled at its WWDC 2019 earlier this month, one was Sign In with Apple, a privacy-oriented feature allowing users to use their Apple ID to log into third-party apps and websites.

The idea of a “single sign-on” isn’t anything new. As a matter of fact, more than a million sites integrate the OpenID protocol, counting Google, Amazon.com, Microsoft, and PayPal among its customer base -- but not Apple.

The benefits for single sign-ons are many -- like reducing password fatigue to saving time not having to re-enter passwords for the same ID -- but, according to one industry organization, it could pose potential security issues when used with other single sign-on mechanisms. 

Here’s the rub

Apple probably didn’t expect any problems when it decided to veer away from the Open ID blueprint and create its own version, but one has reared its ugly head.

The OpenID Foundation (OIDF), a non-profit organization whose primary goal is standardizing the technology and keeping all its implementers on the same page, says that Apple’s version of the technology could possibly put its users’ security and privacy at risk.

In a letter to Apple, OIDF praised Apple's authentication feature for having "largely adopted" OpenID Connect. But after that pat on the back, the tone of the letter changed. 

“The current set of differences between OpenID Connect and Sign In with Apple reduces the places where users can use Sign In with Apple and exposes them to greater security and privacy risks,” cautioned ODIF’s Nat Sakimura.

OIDF didn’t leave Apple twisting in the wind, however. Its team put together a checklist of recommended code modifications Apple could employ to close any gaps between Sign In with Apple and OpenID Connect. 

Should you use Sign In with Apple?

For the moment, the next step is open-ended and sitting on Apple’s desk. As you might expect, Apple has rigorously defended Sign In with Apple, and there’s no guarantee that the company will respond to OIDF’s clarion call.

Nonetheless, if a consumer decides to use Sign In with Apple, they’re promised, for one thing, that Apple won't use the tool to track internet activity, a plus that the company says it has over Google and Facebook’s single log-in widgets.

Another consumer plum is that if a user decides not to share their personal information, any site or app that requests the consumer’s email will instead be given a unique, Apple-generated email address that those messages will be forwarded to, in essence masking their true identity.

"The concept of being able to sign in without using a real email address is a step in the right direction for consumers,” was the take of Ray Walsh, data privacy expert at ProPrivacy.com, and part of an expert panel Engadget asked for its consumer take on the situation. 

“Being able to sign in without sharing a real email address removes one crucial bit of data from those services' hands. However, web services still get to collect other crucial data from users when they visit their sites -- which can still be used to track them. When you visit a website, that service automatically receives your IP address; this is an extremely valuable tracking tool. Thus, Sign in with Apple is only removing one small piece of trackable data from the equation."

Dana Simberkoff -- chief risk, privacy, and information security officer at AvePoint -- explained that the feature could be good for both Apple and consumers.: "If it's done right, not only [is it] a win for Apple but also a win for consumers that may be able to take advantage of a more privacy-centric sign-in option,” she said.

Florian Schaub, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Information, agrees that the consumer comes out a winner with Apple’s single sign-on process. "The ability to easily generate random email addresses and Apple handling the management of those credentials will make it much easier for consumers to protect their personal information when interacting with mobile apps and online services,” he said.

“It's interesting to see Apple take on the well-established single sign-on offerings by Google, Facebook and others but with a focus on making it easier for people to protect their privacy. It will of course require you to trust Apple to stay true to its promise and not track or analyze with which services you have accounts and how often you log in to those."

In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Apple said the Trump administration’s proposed tariffs on Chinese goods could result in “a reduction of Apple’s U.S. economic contribution.” The company said the new round of tariffs could also have an impact on its global competitiveness.

“The Chinese producers we compete with in global markets do not have a significant presence in the U.S. market, and so would not be impacted by U.S. tariffs. Neither would our other major non-U.S. competitors. A U.S. tariff would, therefore, tilt the playing field in favor of our global competitors,” the letter said.

The letter was filed during the seven-day public comment period for proposed tariffs on about $300 billion in Chinese goods. Apple, which is expected to launch its new iPhones in September, says the tariffs in question would impact almost all of its devices, including the iPhone, MacBook, AirPods, and Apple Watch.

"We urge the US government not to impose tariffs on these products," the company said.

If the tariffs go into effect, Apple is considering moving between 15 and 30 percent of its hardware production out of China to avoid them, the Nikkei Asian Review reported.

China’s top technology company Huawei has also been feeling the effects of the Trump administration’s trade talks. Earlier this week, the company warned investors that its smartphone shipments could fall by 40 million to 60 million as a result of America’s trade dispute with China.