Apple has settled a case with a 21-year-old student after she sent her iPhone to a repair facility in 2016 only to find that employees had uploaded personal explicit images and videos to her Facebook account from the phone during the repair process. The student had sent in her iPhone to Apple to get repaired. The invasion of privacy ultimately took place at a repair center in California, run by Pegatron, an Apple contractor....

Wow, that was fast. Hit this link! UPDATE 1: Aw, snap! Although the page to this link advertises the March 7 Apple Special Event, the clip streamed is from a previous event. In addition, the page is not linked to the Apple Events section of Apple’s website. Either these things take time to propagate…or someone is having their last day at Apple, Inc. UPDATE 2: The event stream is live now....

In the first high-profile iMessage App Store rejection we’ve seen, the developer of the Phoneys sticker pack says Apple has reached out with bad news: the company will pull the app in a week if it is not significantly changed. Phoneys (currently) features stickers that look like iMessage bubbles, effectively allowing users to replace messages from their friends with some funny alternative text. The app hit #1 Top Paid in the iMessage App Store....

Apple has released the first watchOS 3.2.3 beta for Apple Watch. The update is currently only available to registered developers for testing. watchOS 3.2.3 follows ones day after the release of watchOS 3.2.2 for all users which was previously only available in beta. Both updates focus on bug fixes and performance improvements. watchOS 3.2.3 is only available to registered developers. Apple features a public beta program for iOS and macOS while watchOS and tvOS are developer only....

After releasing iTunes 12.1 in January adding a Notification Center widget for OS X Yosemite users on the Mac, Apple has released a minor update to iTunes 12.1 specifically for Windows users. According to the release notes, iTunes 12.1.1 addresses an issue that caused audio playback to glitch while also improving syncing between Outlook and iPhones and iPads. Apple also says the update “improves compatibility with screen readers.” The latest version is rolling out now so iTunes users on Windows should be able to update soon....

Apple has released the second public beta version of iOS 10.2 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Previously only available to registered developers for testing, iOS 10.2 beta includes several upcoming features like a preview of the new TV app, Unicode 9.0 emoji, iPhone 7 wallpapers, and new camera features. Apple’s public beta program is free to participate in unlike its paid developer program. iOS 10.2 will be released to everyone likely next month, and the public beta allows more users to test pre-release versions of the software update before it’s finalized....

Following Apple’s special event on Tuesday, the company announced that it will finally release iOS 15.4, watchOS 8.5, tvOS 15.4, and macOS Monterey 12.3 to all users next week. iOS 15.4 has been available for developers as a beta release since earlier this year, and it brings multiple new features. For instance, the update enables Face ID while wearing a mask, as well as new Emojis, improvements to iCloud Keychain, and a new voice for American Siri....

According to a new report from the Financial Times, Apple is expected to bundle the Beats Music streaming service with an upcoming version of iOS next year. The report comes amid rumors that Apple is planning to rebrand the Beats Music subscription service for a potential relaunch around February, although FT has added that the bundling is expected “as early as March.” Apple, of course, acquired the Jimmy Iovine and Dr Dre-founded subscription music service alongside the Beats headphones and speaker line earlier this year as part of a $3 billion acquisition....

Apple’s website listed the refreshed Mac Pro as “new” after the opening keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference yesterday, but complaints from critics, including an ex-Apple engineer, likely spurred the company to remove the alerting icon. Former Apple engineer and current Google employee Andy Hertzfeld expressed his disappointment in the new Mac Pro through a Google+ post this morning. He said the high-end desktop “seems like it’s stuck in time in 2010” and only received an “inconsequential processor clock bump....

From 9to5Toys.com: Best Buy has the iPod nano 16GB (8th Gen – Latest Model) for $140 shipped or the open-box from $122 shipped. Walmart is essentially matching that price with a slightly wider color selection while retailers like Toys R Us and Target have it listed up at $150. As for the iPod shuffle 2GB (6th Gen – Latest Model), Best Buy has all color options at $50 shipped with an open-box price starting at $43 shipped....

Apple announced a new scheme that will allow independent repair shops to offer official servicing of iPhones that are out of warranty. The new Independent Repair Provider Program gives small repair businesses access to the same Apple-genuine parts, training, and resources as Apple authorized service providers. The company said it trialed the initiative at 20 stores across North America, Europe, and Asia. It is today launching the program for the United States and will announce further regions in the future....

iTunes may be struggling a little when it comes to video content, but Apple Music has helped U.S. audio streaming hit a record high of 7.5B weekly streams. The stat was achieved in March, according to Nielsen’s mid-year report on the music industry … Nielsen reports that on-demand audio streaming climbed 62.4% year-on-year. Notable artists cited in the report are Lady Gaga, who saw a dramatic spike in sales after headlining the Super Bowl, Future – who hit the number one slot with with two different albums in successive weeks – and Drake....

. Apple hired Sally Cole as the Director of Employee Communications last month. Cole comes from cross-town rival Google, where she served as the Director of Internal Communications for almost six years. The Scarsdale native has a B.A. in history from Yale and a J.D./M.B.A. from nearby Stanford University, from which both companies hire liberally. As someone intimately familiar with Internal Communications at Google, Cole’s experience could prove very valuable at Apple....

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has finally issued a permanent injunction regarding the Apple vs. Epic Games case, which began in August 2020 after Fortnite was removed from the App Store. However, although Apple has been required to allow alternative payment methods in the App Store, the company will not be forced to let Epic Games bring back Fortnite or other apps to its platforms. According to Judge Rogers, the termination of Epic’s App Store account is considered valid, as the game company in fact would have violated Apple’s terms and policies....

App Store developer FutureTap just revealed that they have received their first crash report from an iOS 5 device. This means that Apple is currently field-testing their next-generation mobile operating system that runs on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch with applications from the iOS App Store. The application apparently crashed in iOS 5 due to the MKUserLocationBreadCrumb. Developer Will Strafach (Chronic) let us know that this API relates to the iOS maps and location functionality....

Apple this week quietly started selling iPhone 12 mini for the first time in its US Refurbished Store. This means that customers can now buy an iPhone 12 mini that looks as good as a new one at a $100 discount compared to the retail price. Some iPhone 12 models were already available in the Apple Refurbished Store, such as the iPhone 12 Pro, but this is the first time that refurbished models of the iPhone 12 mini lineup are available there....

Today’s special iPhone 12 event can already be replayed on Apple’s website and on the company’s official YouTube channel, as well as videos of new products. Apple announced four new iPhone models during its October 2020 event, including iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone Pro Max. The company also introduced HomePod mini, in addition to some other new accessories. This was Apple’s third online event following WWDC 2020 in June and Apple’s September event, as the press was unable to attend the event in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic....

As is tradition, the Apple Online Store has gone offline ahead of iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 pre-orders. Pre-orders are slated to begin at 12:01AM PT/3:01AM ET, so expect the store to come back online sometime around then… Apple has been preparing shoppers for the iPhone Xs and Apple Watch Series 4 pre-order experience since its event at Steve Jobs Theater wrapped up. Since yesterday, customers have been able to get pre-approved for the iPhone Upgrade Program, add their desired order to their ‘Favorites’ and more....

Since its launch last summer, people have been calling for Apple’s streaming music service Beats 1 to offer up more unique content like live streams of concerts and listening parties. At long last, it appears as if that request is coming to fruition. The Apple Music Snapchat account has recently been promoting a Beats 1-sponsored concert by popular band ‘The 1975,’ whose new album comes out this Friday. The concert was confirmed on Twitter by the band and will be streamed live on Apple Music this Thursday, February 25th at 9AM PT/12PM ET....

Apple Pay continues to pick up new banks and credit unions every few weeks — and most recently new countries with Poland and Norway. These are the latest new banks and credit unions added in the US, Japan, and Spain that let you pay with iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac… In the United States: 4Front Credit Union Carolina Foothills Federal Credit Union Crossroads Bank Dacotah Bank Downriver Community Federal Credit Union Emery Federal Credit Union Farmers and Merchants Bank First State Bank First State Bank (NE) Gallup Federal Credit Union Houston Metropolitan Federal Credit Union Howard Bank Iowa State Bank Luso Federal Credit Union Prairie State Bank & Trust PS Bank The City National Bank of Taylor TLC Community Credit Union Tri Counties Bank In Japan, Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos is no longer limited to just MUFG Visa and Mastercard and UFJ JCB cards....