Missed out on all the important Apple news of the week? Check out our weekly news roundup of the top Apple stories to know everything that happened in the world of Apple.
With the iPhone 13 launch fast approaching, more and more leaks surrounding the device surfaced, including its potential release date. Rumors surrounding the Apple Watch Series 7 getting a bigger casing also picked up the pace, with the company announcing several changes to the App Store to settle a lawsuit against it. Apple also launched a service program for the iPhone 12. Read below to know all the top Apple stories of the week.
iPhone 13 Release Date Leaks
A new this week claims that Apple will launch the iPhone 13 on September 17 and AirPods 3 on September 30. Presumably, Apple will put the iPhone 13 series up for pre-order on September 17 after first announcing them on September 14. Another iPhone 13 leak confirmed the naming scheme of the 2021 iPhones.
This week, a report from DigiTimes claimed that Apple could increase the iPhone 13 prices to compensate for the higher chip prices. This is because TSMC is hiking the prices of its fabrication nodes by as much as 20 percent for orders it will fulfill from December.
Apple to Change App Store Regulations After Settling Lawsuit
Apple announced several changes it would be making to the App Store after settling a lawsuit with small US developers who had sued it back in 2019. As a part of the settlement, Apple will also pay $100 million to small US developers.
Apple will allow developers to email and use other forms of communication to inform customers about alternative payment methods outside of the App Store. This will allow developers to bypass the App Store fees and also reach out to their customers directly. It will also allow developers to appeal against app rejections based on unfair treatment.
There are plenty of other changes that Apple has proposed for the App Store. The changes need to be approved by the judge overseeing the case before they are applied.
Apple Watch Series 7 Casing Size Leaks
Multiple Apple Watch Series 7 leaks from this week point to the smartwatch getting a bigger casing as a part of its flatter redesign. Leaks suggest the Apple Watch Series 7 will come in 41mm and 45mm casing size, up 1mm from the Apple Watch Series 6.
A Chinese clone of the Apple Watch Series 7 also gave us a glimpse at how its flat-edge design might look.
Apple Confirms It Scans iCloud Mail for CSAM Content
The controversy surrounding Apple’s CSAM scanning refuses to die down. To add fuel to the fire, Apple confirmed that it scans iCloud Mail attachments for CSAM content. The company has been doing this for quite some time, it was just that it was never communicated properly to users.
Another New One-Click iMessage Exploit Discovered
A new ‘FORCEDENTRY’ one-click iMessage exploit for the iPhone was reported this week. The exploit bypasses all the security measures Apple introduced in iOS 14.6 to patch a previous iMessage exploit. Apple did not confirm whether it has patched this exploit or not, though it did say that it has further beefed up the security measures in iOS 15.
iPhone 12 ‘No Sound’ Service Program Launched
Apple has launched a ‘No Sound’ service program for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro to replace the earpiece unit. The company notes that certain iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro units sold between October 2020 and April 2021 could experience sound issues with the receiver module while on calls. As a part of the service program, Apple will repair the affected iPhones for free.
Other Top Apple Stories This Week:
- Apple released the 1A291A firmware for the AirTags.
- Apple Watch crossed over 100 million active users worldwide.
- iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 Beta 7 were released with bug fixes and stability improvements.
- You can finally enable Picture-in-picture support in YouTube for iPhone.
- Google could pay Apple as much as $15 billion to remain the default search engine in Safari.
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