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Update: Now available. Following the release to developers yesterday, Apple will release the first public beta of iOS 12.3 today. The update will be available to those users enrolled in Apple’s public beta program. Apple will also release the first beta of watchOS 5.2.1 to developers today. In addition to the iOS 12.3 public beta release today, Apple will also likely release the first public beta of tvOS 12.3. This update includes the all-new TV app, as well as the new Apple TV Channels feature....

According to a new report from research firm Fiksu, which regularly tracks changes to App Store charts, Apple might be experimenting with new algorithms for iTunes and App Store rankings that incorporate user ratings. Apple previously only used the number of downloads and how fast an app was being downloaded in order to rank apps for its top charts, but Fisku thinks it has recently started incorporating user rankings: The report also notes that, in recent weeks, Apple appears to be updating App Store charts every three hours opposed to the 15 minute intervals it was using previously....

Although its original efforts are believed to have failed, Apple isn’t giving up on its goal to sell a streaming TV bundle. According to a new report from Recode, Apple is currently working towards selling consumers a “premium TV bundle” consisting of HBO, Showtime, and Starz. While many cable providers already offer such a package, they typically require users to sign up for a basic level of channels. Apple’s efforts, however, would allow a consumer to subscribe to just those three premium channels....

Apple Pay is now available from two dozen more banks and credit unions around the United States. Apple’s mobile payment service launched two years ago with hundreds of additional regional banks and credit unions added every few weeks. You can find the latest banks added below: BankLiberty CinFed Credit Union Cumberland County Federal Credit Union Denmark State Bank Family Security Credit Union Franklin Savings Bank Gates Chili Federal Credit Union Great River Federal Credit Union Greenfield Banking Company Heritage Community Credit Union Labette Bank Lake Trust Credit Union Michigan Educational Credit Union Natco Credit Union Neches Federal Credit Union Old Point National Bank Peach State Bank & Trust Pioneer Bank (both New Mexico and New York now) River City Bank Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution SELCO Community Credit Union Shell Federal Credit Union Shrewsbury Federal Credit Union The Mission Bank Since launching in the United States, Apple Pay has expanded to Canada, France, Russia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Mainland China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Singapore....

Today’s best deals include the first notable discount on Apple’s Pro Display XDR, iPhone essentials from Anker, and third-party Apple Watch Sport Bands from $5. Hit the jump for all that and more in today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break. Apple Pro Display XDR is $300 off Apple’s Pro Display XDR features a 6K resolution with extreme dynamic range, 1,000-nits of sustained brightness, and up to 1,600 when it peaks. Viewers stand to also benefit from full support for P3 wide color gamut and a 10-bit color depth....

UPDATE: Apple has also released public beta versions of iOS 11.4.1, tvOS 11.4.1 and macOS 10.13.6. While not a major update in any way, Apple is today releasing the fourth developer builds for iOS 11.4.1, tvOS 11.4.1 and macOS 10.13.6. Apple is also releasing the third watchOS 4.3.2 beta to developers. Being a bug fix update to the earlier release, we aren’t expecting any new user facing features. If you’re looking for some major changes, take a look at iOS 12, tvOS 12, watchOS 12, and macOS 10....

Just a week after the last version, Apple has released iOS 9.2 beta 4 to testers for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The first iOS 9.2 beta appeared alongside Xcode 7.2 beta in late October. We’ll dive into the latest beta and update with any changes we discover. Included in the release up to this point has been an improved Safari View Controller for web links you open within other apps, support for AT&T’s new NumberSync feature for using your iPhone number on other connected devices (although this has since been removed), and Arabic language support with Siri for the first time....

In addition to releasing iOS 7.1.2 today for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, Apple has just released OS X Mavericks 10.9.4 for Macs (direct combo update download link). The update brings various bug fixes, improvements, and security enhancements to the Mac: Fixes an issue that prevented some Macs from automatically connecting to known Wi-Fi networks Fixes issue causing the background or Apple logo to appear incorrectly on startup Improves the reliability of waking from sleep Includes Safari 7....

Swift is Apple’s programing language designed from the ground up and coinciding with the other software releases today, Apple has pushed version 4.1 of Swift to developers… Today, Apple is releasing Swift 4.1. The new update, albeit a small one, includes updates to the core language, new build options, and minor enhancements to Swift Package Manager and Foundation. Apple notes that code written in Swift 4.0 will be compatible with Swift 4....

As expected, Apple has released OS X 10.10 Yosemite Developer Preview 4. It is available via the Mac App Store Software Update tab for developers running earlier versions of Yosemite. Apple has also released a revamped iTunes 12 to developers (full gallery here). Previous updates previously brought various design tweaks and feature enhancements, and Preview 4 is likely to do the same thing. Yosemite launches this fall with updated Mail, Messages, and Calendar apps, in addition to a system-wide redesign and improved integration with iOS Devices....

According to sources, Apple is planning a major new addition to their Apple Store Genius Bars; an addition that will change the way the company handles Genius Bar support. When an iOS device user comes to the Genius Bar with advanced hardware issues that are deemed unrepairable via software, these users commonly find Apple willing to replace their device with a working unit. With users typically keeping so much important content on their devices like contacts, calendars, text message conversations, media data, apps, application content, and more; the need for device backups is critical....

As it originally announced back in July, Apple has confirmed that it plans to release Swift 3.1 sometime during the Spring of 2017. Following the Swift 3.1 release, focus will shift to Swift 4. Swift 3.1 is intended to be released in the spring of 2017. Swift 3.1 is slated to be source compatible with Swift 3.0, with improvements focusing on a additive enhancements to the core language, improvements to the Swift Package Manager, Swift on Linux, and general quality improvements....

Apple has just released iOS 11 to the public, for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users. The major update brings a variety of new features including a redesigned Control Center, a brand-new App Store, the new Files app, Do Not Disturb While Driving, a new Lock Screen / Cover Sheet experience, and much more. iOS 11 is also a major focus for iPad with new ways to share data and multitask with Drag and Drop, upgraded Split View and a whole new Dock....

Apple has released iOS 12.5.1 for older iPhones and iPads today, roughly one month after the release of iOS 12.5. The update includes bug fixes for the COVID-19 exposure notification feature. Apple rolled out iOS 12.5 to older iPhones and iPads last month, bringing support for COVID-19 exposure notifications. This was a major change as it expands contact tracing to iPhones that don’t support iOS 14, including devices like the massively popular iPhone 6 series....

Following Monday’s release of iOS 14.5 to the public, Apple is pushing ahead with beta testing of iOS 14.6 and iPadOS 14.6. The company is now rolling out the second beta of these updates to developers, coming just over a week after beta 1 was released to developers and public beta users. Update: iOS 14.6 beta 2 is also now rolling out to public beta users as well. Today’s new release of the iOS 14....

Apple this evening has pushed a small update to its developer software Xcode. The update bumps the app to version 7.2.1, following the initial release of version 7.2 late last year. Xcode 7.2.1 carries the build number 7C1002 and includes a handful of under-the-hood fixes and improvements. Apple says that a variety of bugs have been fixed with this evening’s Xcode update. Hiccups relating to the command line and debugger have been fixed, while the certificate used to developer Wallet passes, Safari Push Notifications, and Safari Extensions has also been updated....

Bose headphones and audio products could soon get the boot from Apple retail stores, according to a report from MacRumors citing “a reliable source.” While Apple’s acquisition of Beats would seem like the obvious reason behind replacing the many Bose headphones and speakers currently used with iOS and Mac demo units, the report also claims that Apple will be removing Bose products from store shelves in addition to the demo units....

A nice overview on the state of Apple’s Worldwide Video division was published by the New York Times, including a recap of what we know and a few new tidbits. With 12 projects currently in the works, the paper says Apple is targeting a launch somewhere around the summer of next year, as soon as March 2019. The original content group comprises about 40 staff spanning adult dramas, children’s TV, Latin America and European content....

Clothing retailer Kohl’s has become the first business to offer support for using store credit cards with Apple Pay. Kohl’s, which is the second largest U.S. department store behind Macy’s, has long been a participating store for accepting the mobile payment service, and now Kohl’s Charge card users can add the store credit card to the Wallet app in iOS 9 on iPhone and iPad and watchOS 2 on Apple Watch....

Update: Apple has posted an official press release detailing the new organ donor options in iOS 10 Health. Apple will allow users to sign up for organ, eye and tissue donor registry via Donate Life America. The registrations are sent to the National Donate Life Registry — the interface will surface as part of Health’s Medical ID feature. Apple will promote organ donation with its newest mobile operating system, iOS 10, when it ships in the fall....