Apple has overhauled its list of compatible HomeKit accessories with a major update this month. Apple now details accessories by category rather than brand and provides a much more comprehensive list with external links and availability status. You can find the newly updated site at apple.com/ios/home/accessories where Apple lists each supported HomeKit category so far: lights, switches, outlets, thermostats, windows, fans, air conditioners, sensors, security, locks, cameras, doorbells, garage doors, bridges, and ranger extenders....

Apple Pay has now notched up ten countries as it goes live in Russia today. The country joins Australia, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland, the UK and U.S. in supporting Apple’s mobile wallet service. The launch was marked on Apple’s Russian website, though the company has yet to update the Apple Pay availability page of its U.S. site. Support in Russia is currently limited to one bank and one card type …...

A new Apple patent published today by the United States Patent and Trademark office (via AppleInsider) could show some of Apple’s future plans for bringing iOS to the car through its partnership with various car manufacturers. Earlier this year at WWDC, Apple showed off its new iOS in the Car feature that will bring enhanced iOS integration for apps such as Maps and Siri to select vehicles sometime next year. Today, Apple describes how it could also be doing some work on the touch panels that will control these new in-car features....

With the iPhone 6 bending controversy heating up and Apple PR masterfully debunking the non-issue earlier today, it should come as no surprise that Apple does a lot of durability testing on its new devices before shipping. However, the team responsible for that testing– Apple’s Product Design Structural Analysis team for iPhone and iPod– needs some help. Today the company posted a job listing seeking engineers to stress test new iPhones and iPods just as it responded to the controversy saying the problem was “extremely rare” during normal everyday use....

Apple is highlighting four artists who create with Apple Pencil on iPad Pro as the Urban Sketchers groups turns 10. Urban Sketchers is made up of artists around the world who meet in cities to draw on-location. The illustration above was created by the aptly named Rob Sketcherman of Hong Kong who has drawn exclusively with the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil since it was released in 2015. Apple is also featuring the work of Don Low of Singapore, Omar Jamarillo of Berlin, and Uma Kelkar of San Francisco who each create with iPad:...

Apple has quietly updated its CarPlay microsite which explains the feature to add CBS News Radio to its growing list of apps it grants CarPlay support to, but a bigger change also appears on the CarPlay site this morning. Apple is no longer promising CarPlay support from any automobile manufacturer this year as it has done since its debut in March. While there has been no shortage of CarPlay demoes and availability announcements, actually getting your hands on a model with CarPlay thus far has proven almost impossible....

Two weeks after seeding OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 3 to developers, Apple has made Preview 4 available via Software Update on the Mac App Store. If you find anything new, you can let us know at tips@9to5mac.com. We’ll update this post with a running list of changes. Changes below: – New installation screen: – LinkedIn quick posting to Connections via Notification Center: – Subtle new Time Machine icon while taking a backup (Thanks, Frank!...

Apple this evening has removed a handful of apps from the App Store that install root certificates of their own. By installing their own root certificate, the app developers could theoretically gain access to encrypted traffic from users. Among some of the apps being removed are a select number of ad blockers. The ad blockers that have been removed are ones that block content both in Safari and in other apps....

Update: Bloomberg reports Apple has now won an order granting its request for Google to provide more information about its process of turning over documents in an ongoing lawsuit with Samsung: Bloomberg reports that Apple has requested Google turn over documents related to Android’s source code in an ongoing patent-infringement lawsuit with Samsung in California. According to the report, Apple took issue with Google’s process of turning over requested pretrial documents claiming Google is “improperly withholding information” and that Android “provides much of the accused functionality” in the infringement claims related to several of Samsung’s Galaxy products:...

Apple has updated its Research app for iPhone and Apple Watch with a few notable additions today. With Apple Research version 1.1.2, the app now supports AirPods Pro for the Apple Hearing Study and more. Apple launched the Apple Research app last November, allowing users in the US to enroll in three health studies: Women’s Health, Heart and Movement, and the Hearing Study. Today’s update for the Apple Research app includes AirPods Pro support for the Hearing Study....

Similar to the Complete My Album feature that debuted on iTunes in the summer of 2009, Apple today launched a similar offering for television shows aptly named “Complete My Season Pass”. As you know, iTunes Season Pass lets users buy an entire television show season and have individual episodes automatically downloaded up to 24 hours after they air on the tube. So, let’s say you previously purchased individual episodes of Desperate Housewives and now want to upgrade to the entire season, but without having to re-purchase the episodes you already own....

With Apple stepping into the home automation arena by way of offering closer device integration through its new HomeKit API announced alongside iOS 8, just about every appliance in the home is potential for being refreshed and gaining deeper connectivity with our iPhones and iPads. Honeywell, a launch partner for Apple’s new home automation development tools, is today announcing its new Lyric smart thermostat to compete against similar offerings from competitors like the now Google-owned Nest....

Apple today issued a significant update to its iTunes U application for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The application focuses on enhancements for both teachers and students, and the application was first announced by Apple last week alongside the new Back to School retail initiatives. Here’s what is new for students: • The new iTunes U makes it simple for students participating in private courses to pose questions on the course or any post or assignment • Other students in the class can jump into the discussion and ask more questions or provide answers • Teachers and students can keep up with the conversation when they receive push notifications as the discussion progresses...

Apple made its public betas available for iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 back in July and we’ve been eagerly awaiting the macOS Big Sur public. Now it’s available giving anyone the ability to test out the all-new design, widgets, Safari experience, and much more. macOS Big Sur includes a big refresh to the UI that’s inspired by iOS. Other new features include Control Center, Safari improvements, new Messages app features like pinned messages, customizable widgets, and much more....

Apple’s update to its augmented reality Quick Look feature to let retailers sell their products and more right within the AR experience is starting to roll out from major brands like Home Depot, Wayfair, Bang & Olufsen, and more. Reported by TechCrunch, not only can companies use the new Quick Look button allows customers to make purchases via Apple Pay, they can also send a user to a support chat, or a number of other options....

Apple Music Live continues its concert streaming following its Harry Styles and Lil Durk performances. Mary J. Blige is next; however, her stream on Apple Music will not be live. Dubbed the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Blige is performing live in New York’s United Palace on July 13. Fans of the artist who are 16 years or older and are located in New York can register online for a free ticket....

Apple today added over 20 additional banks and credit unions to its list of those that officially support Apple Pay. The new additions follow over 20 added a couple of weeks back for users in the U.S. and China. Today’s update includes 23 banks and credit unions in total for the US, and brings support for HSBC in Australia with both MasterCard and Visa credit cards supported. Apple typically adds support for new banks and credit unions every 2-3 weeks and keeps track of supported institutions for all regions where Apple Pay is available on its website....

Apple Pay has provided a solution to a problem that has beset online share trading for individuals: how to quickly and safely transfer money to their broker. That was tricky before for two reasons, explains brokerage firm TD Ameritrade, the first to accept fund transfer by Apple Pay … Reuters reports that the first problem was being forced to choose between speed and complexity. Debit cards provide both speed and simplicity, but create fraud risks....

Apple has published an iOS 6 and fifth-generation iPod touch version of its iPod touch user guide to iBooks. The user guide goes over the important software and hardware details of the new iPod touch and its new operating system. The new version of the iPod touch has begun preparing to ship to customers who have pre-ordered, but the new devices have yet to show up in retail stores. However, a recent report claimed that the new iPod touch would be made available on October 9th, the publishing date of the user guide....

Apple is preparing to release a new version of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5 to end-users in the coming days, according to a source. The Mac operating system update has already been supplied to Apple employees. The new version is referred to as a “Supplement Update” to 10.8.5, and will be available via Software Update in the Mac App Store… The original OS X 10.8.5 release arrived earlier this month, and it included improvements to Mail, WiFi connectivity, and screensaver functionality....