Apple Seeds Second Beta of Upcoming watchOS 5.1.3 Update to Developers

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Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 5.1.3 update to developers, a little over a week after seeding the first beta and nearly two weeks after releasing watchOS 5.1.2.

Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software update.


To install the update, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the iPhone.

As a minor 5.1.x update, watchOS 5.1.3 likely focuses on addressing issues that weren't able to be fixed with watchOS 5.1.2. No new changes were found in the first beta of watchOS 5.1.3, but we'll update this post if we find new features in the second beta.

The prior watchOS 5.1.2 update introduced the long-awaited ECG feature for the Apple Watch Series 4, allowing Apple Watch owners to take single-lead electrocardiograms to detect atrial fibrillation, which can be a sign of serious health problems.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 5

Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

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Apple Changes App Store Rules to Allow Users to Gift In-App Purchases to Friends and Family

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Apple today made a tweak to its App Store Review Guidelines, allowing developers to implement a new feature that will let iOS users purchase in-app content as a gift.

Right now, iOS users can purchase paid apps as gifts for other iOS users, but there's no way to purchase in-app content as a gift. As more and more apps work on a free-to-try or subscription basis with various content only available through an in-app purchase, this change to the in-app purchase rules makes sense.

The new in-app purchase gifting rule is outlined in Apple's updated App Store Review Guidelines.

Before the change: "Apps should not directly or indirectly enable gifting of in-app purchase content, features, or consumable items to others."

After the change: "Apps may enable gifting of items that are eligible for in-app purchase to others. Such gifts may only be refunded to the original purchaser and may not be exchanged."

It's not entirely clear how gifting an in-app purchase will be handled, but Apple may be planning to add new in-app purchase gifting options to its App Store interface. Apple may soon send more information about the in-app purchase gifting change to developers.


Right now, to gift a paid app to a person, a user needs to open up the App Store, tap on the three dots icon next to an app's price, and choose the "Gift App..." option. This brings up an interface for sending an App Store credit for a specific app to a contact via email.

Tags: App Store, App Store Review Guidelines

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Some 2017 10.5-Inch and 12.9-Inch iPad Pro Displays Suffering From Bright Spot Above Home Button

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Some 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models that were originally released in 2017 appear to be suffering from a display issue that causes a bright spot to appear right above the Home button on affected models.

The issue was outlined on the MacRumors forums, with complaints first popping up back in April 2018. MacRumors reader marmiteturkey explains the problem:

I have an approx 1in spot on my iPad Pro screen which is brighter than the rest of the screen - it's unevenly lit. The spot is about 2in above the home button, and although it has soft edges, I'm anal about my gadgets, and the difference in brightness could be described as 'minor', it's clearly there. It looks a bit like a pressure spot or similar. I always keep it in a case with a screen protector and the Smart Keyboard, so it's well looked-after.

According to iPad Pro users who have the problem, it appears to be an issue with uneven backlighting in that area. MacRumors can confirm the problem, as we have a 10.5-inch iPad Pro on hand that appears to be experiencing the same issue outlined on the forums.


Customers have been complaining of the problem for months now, though it continues to be unclear how many iPad Pro models may be impacted by the issue. It is not known if a similar issue will impact the new 11 and 12.9-inch 2018 iPad Pro models, as these devices are too new and the problem appears to surface after several months of usage.

Multiple users who were affected with the bright spot on their screens have been able to take their iPad Pro models to Apple for a replacement, but users who are no longer under Apple's one-year warranty or AppleCare+ have not had luck getting a free replacement device.

Out of warranty, Apple is asking customers to pay the display replacement fee, priced at $449 for the 10.5-inch iPad Pro and $599 for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro

Buyer's Guide: 11" iPad Pro (Buy Now), 12.9" iPad Pro (Buy Now)

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Apple Highlights Holiday-Themed Photos Shot on iPhone XR and XS

Apple Seeds New iOS 12.1.3 Beta to Developers

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Apple today seeded a new beta of an upcoming iOS 12.1.3 update to developers, just a few days releasing iOS 12.1.2, an update that focused on bug fixes for the eSIM feature and changed certain iPhone features in China after a Chinese court found that some iPhones infringe on Qualcomm patents.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.1.3 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.


The iOS 12.1.3 beta actually includes the same content that was destined for the iOS 12.1.2 beta, and it appears to be labeled as a second beta rather than a first beta. When Apple released iOS 12.1.2, it featured a build number of 16C101, while the first iOS 12.1.2 beta released for developers had a later 16D build number.

Apple appears to have tweaked iOS 12.1.2 to include some emergency bug fixes and the aforementioned software changes in China, rushing the update out and pushing content originally planned for iOS 12.1.2 to iOS 12.1.3 instead.

Apple was forced to push iOS 12.1.2 out earlier than expected after a Chinese court decided on December 10 that Apple's iPhone 6s through iPhone X infringed on two Qualcomm patents related to resizing and reformatting photos for wallpaper and the app switcher.

The court enacted a preliminary sales ban on the iPhone, leading Apple to make tweaks to the iOS software in China. Apple changed the way apps close when you swipe up on an open app from the app switcher, and it tweaked the share sheet interaction for setting contact and wallpaper images.

Apple has not stopped selling its iPhones in China, despite protests from Qualcomm, and it has said that it is in compliance with the court's preliminary order.

iOS 12.1.3 will mark the fourth update to iOS 12. We don't yet know what features are included, and no major changes were found in the original iOS 12.1.2 beta that was the precursor to iOS 12.1.3. As a 12.x.x update, iOS 12.1.3 likely focuses on minor changes, bug fixes, and operating system tweaks.

If we find anything new in the iOS 12.1.3 beta, we'll update this post.

Related Roundup: iOS 12

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Apple Seeds Second Beta of Upcoming tvOS 12.1.2 to Developers

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Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 12.1.2 update to developers for testing purposes, a little over one week after seeding the first tvOS 12.1.2 beta.

Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 12.1.2 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode.


tvOS updates have historically been minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements rather than outward-facing changes. Apple unfortunately provides little to no information on what's included in tvOS updates, so we may not discover anything new after installing the new beta.

Though we don't often know what's included in tvOS updates, we share when new software is available so developers and public beta testers are able to download it upon release.

If there are noticeable changes in the second tvOS 12.1.2 beta, we'll update this post with details.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 12

Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Caution)

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Apple Seeds Second Beta of macOS Mojave 10.14.3 Update to Developers

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Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming macOS Mojave 10.14.3 update to developers, a little over a week after releasing the first beta and two weeks since the launch of macOS Mojave 10.14.2.

The new macOS High Sierra 10.14.3 beta can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after the proper profile has been installed from Apple's Developer Center.


We don't yet know what improvements the third update to macOS Mojave will bring, but it is likely to include bug fixes and performance improvements for issues that weren't able to be addressed in the macOS 10.14.2 update.

No new features were found in the first beta of macOS 10.14.3, but if we find anything new in the second beta, we'll update this post.

Related Roundup: macOS Mojave

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