Apple Employees Testing Apple Arcade Ahead of Launch

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Apple Arcade, Apple's upcoming subscription-based gaming service, was first introduced in March and is set to launch this fall.

Ahead of the upcoming launch, Apple has debuted an early access program for its employees, with screenshots and details shared by 9to5Mac this morning. Apple employees are able to access Apple Arcade for $0.49 per month, with a one month free trial available.


Apple Arcade games will be available on the Mac, iOS App Store, and Apple TV, with the screenshots shared today sourced from the Mac App Store. The Apple Arcade tab in Apple's App Stores will feature a selection of highlighted games and different game categories.

Many of the games in development for Apple Arcade have been previously announced, but here are a few Apple is highlighting, along with their descriptions:

Way of the Turtle: "Play as two curious turtles lost on a cursed island in the middle of nowhere. Obtain shells containing special powers such as dash and attack to defeat enemies and overcome different challenges."

Down in Bermuda: "Adventurous aviator Milton left his loving wife and daughter to voyage across the Atlantic on the journey of a lifetime."

Hot Lava: "Hot Lava transports you back to your childhood imagination. Relive those moments of excitement, joy and chaos. Run, jump, climb and surf in first person across nostalgia-packed environments flooded with hot molten lava."

According to 9to5Mac, most of the games right now are still in-development builds, and other titles available to employees include "Sneaky Sasquatch", "Kings of the Castle", "Frogger in Toy Town" and "Lame Game 2."


Apple hasn't shared details on what Apple Arcade will be priced at when it debuts, but it looks like there may be a one-month free trial available for those who would like to try it out.

Apple has said there will be somewhere around 100 games at launch, with no ads and no additional in-app purchases. A single subscription will also allow for up to six family members to access games.

There's no word on when Apple Arcade will launch, but the internal employee test is set to end when iOS 13 launches, so that could potentially be when Apple Arcade will be made available.

For more on Apple Arcade, make sure to check out our Apple Arcade guide.

Tag: Apple Arcade

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New Ceramic and Titanium Apple Watch Models Uncovered in watchOS 6 Beta

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New leaked assets from the watchOS 6 beta suggest Apple plans to launch new ceramic and titanium Apple Watch models as early as next month.


Discovered by iHelpBR, the assets belong to the initial Apple Watch setup screen animation, which resembles the rear design of the watch including the model type and the words "Designed by Apple in California."

The firmware assets clearly reference a 44mm titanium case and a 44mm ceramic case. iHelpBR has also found analogous assets for the 40mm size Apple Watch model.

Back in February, respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted Apple would introduce a "new ceramic casing design" to its Apple Watch line-up, and these assets do appear to back up that claim.

Apple introduced "Edition" models with the Apple Watch Series 2 that were made from ceramic. Prices started at $1,299, which it continued offering when the Series 3 Apple Watches came out, but Apple discontinued the Edition models when the Series 4 launched last year.

Current Apple Watch models do have a ceramic back, but the assets indicate Apple will revisit a new high end ceramic model in 2019. And it looks like we can also expect an entirely new titanium model – a material perhaps currently in favor at Apple following work on its just-released titanium Apple Card.

Apple Watch Series 2 ceramic model in white
It's not clear if the titanium casing will replace stainless steel or become an additional option. Another unanswered question is whether these materials will be exclusive to a new Apple Watch Series 5, or also be offered as extra case material options for existing models.

According to the latest prediction from Kuo, Japan Display will supply the OLED displays for new Apple Watch Series 5 models slated to launch in the second half of 2019. Beyond that, we know very little about what to expect about the Series 5.

Apple is expected to unveil its new iPhone lineup on September 10, so it's likely these Apple Watch models will be unveiled during the same event.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 5, watchOS 6

Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)

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Top Stories: 'iPhone 11 Pro' Rumors, iOS 13 Beta 7, Apple Card Hands-On

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We're just a few weeks away from the unveiling of this year's iPhone lineup as well as the official release of iOS 13 and Apple's other new operating system versions, and we're continuing to hear hardware rumors as Apple tidies up its software.

Apple Card continues to roll out to more users in the U.S., while there's a new controversy over Apple preventing users of its latest iPhones with batteries replaced outside of authorized sales channels from seeing battery health information. As always, read on for a full recap of the biggest stories from this week.

'iPhone 11 Pro' Rumored to Be Name of High-End 2019 iPhone

Apple is widely expected to unveil a trio of new iPhones next month, and ahead of time, an anonymous Twitter account with a proven track record has suggested that at least one of the models will have "Pro" within its name, such as "iPhone Pro" or "iPhone 11 Pro."


This year's iPhone lineup is expected to include two higher-end 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch OLED models and one lower-end 6.1-inch LCD model. Rumored features include triple-lens rear cameras on the higher-end models, larger batteries, two-way charging of AirPods, and more.

Read our 2019 iPhones roundup for a recap of all rumors to date.

Apple Releases iOS 13 Beta 7

Apple has seeded the seventh betas of iOS 13 and iPadOS to developers for testing. As usual, we are highlighting any new features and changes that we discover in the latest betas.


Apple has also seeded the seventh developer betas of watchOS 6 and tvOS 13. Corresponding public betas, excluding watchOS, have also been released.

Hands-On With Apple Card

In a YouTube video this week, we highlighted the Apple Card sign up process, how it works, what it looks like, and how the titanium card feels in person for those who haven't yet had a chance to sign up.


Apple Card began rolling out earlier this month to a limited number of users who signed up to be notified, with a wider launch to follow later this month. Apple has shared details on how Apple Card applications are evaluated.

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2019 iPhones Might Not Have 'iPhone' Branding on the Back

This year's iPhones won't have "iPhone" branding on the back of the devices, according to a long list of leaks from an alleged Foxconn employee.


On a Chinese Q&A website, the person also claimed that at least one of the new iPhones will be available in an all-new dark green color with a matte appearance, in line with a few previous rumors.

This information has not been confirmed and could certainly be faked, so this falls into the "sketchy rumor" category for now.

Triple-Lens Rear Cameras Rumored for Next iPad Pro Range, Dual-Lens for New Entry-Level iPad

In addition to the iPhone, a report this week claimed that Apple plans to add a triple-lens rear camera to the next 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models.


Meanwhile, the rumored 10.2-inch iPad is said to feature a dual-lens rear camera array like the iPhone XS series. This model is expected to succeed the low-cost 9.7-inch iPad in Apple's tablet lineup.

Reports are conflicting about whether the next iPad Pro models will be released in the fall, like last year, or in spring 2020.

Apple on iPhone Battery Locking Issue: We Want to Make Sure Battery Replacement is Done Properly

Apple has confirmed that it introduced a feature last year on the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR that notifies customers if iOS is unable to verify that a new, genuine battery was installed by a certified technician following repair.


While repair website iFixit described the feature as a "dormant software lock," Apple has responded by saying "we take the safety of our customers very seriously and want to make sure any battery replacement is done properly." Apple also says the notification does not impact the ability to use an iPhone after an unauthorized repair.

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Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!


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App Developers Claim Apple's iOS 13 Location Tracking Changes Are Anti-Competitive

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Apple in iOS 13 made changes to the way location tracking permissions work, and there's no longer an option for apps to ask to "Always Allow" location tracking.

Instead, Apple allows users to select "Allow While Using the App," "Allow Once," or "Don't Allow," which some app creators have taken offense to. The leaders of seven companies that make apps for iOS devices banded together to write an email to Apple CEO Tim Cook to speak out about the changes, with the details shared by The Information.

There's no longer an "Always Allow" option on privacy popups in iOS 13 for enabling permanent location access
The companies that wrote to Cook are upset that there's no longer a readily available "Always Allow" option. Users can still turn on "Always Allow" in the Privacy section of the Settings app, but it's not available by default and requires additional steps.

As an example, Zenly, a location tracking app owned by Snap, needs to have location tracking on permanently to function. Since there's no option to turn on "Always Allow," Zenly has to have a clunky secondary display screen that instructs users to open up the Privacy settings on their iPhones to change the location setting. This makes consumers more aware of apps that are tracking them continually, but it is an extra step that app developers must contend with.

Apps that want continual location data must instruct customers to enable it in the Settings app
According to the companies who wrote to Cook, the changes could potentially lead users to think their apps are broken unless they're "savvy enough" tweak Privacy settings. These are the companies whose leaders wrote to Cook about the privacy changes:

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• Tile - Makes tracking devices for wallets, keys, and other objects.
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• Arity - A company owned by Allstate that developers technology for measuring driver risk.
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• Life360 - An app for sharing location with family and friends.
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• Zenly - A location sharing app owned by Snap.
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• Zendrive - A company that makes driver assessment apps.
• 
  
• Twenty - A social networking app for finding friends nearby.
• 
  
• Happn - A dating app.
• 
  

The app creators suggested Apple create a two-step process that would let users grant apps access to locations as a solution, but it's not clear if Apple has plans to implement changes.

The companies were also concerned about changes Apple is making to a VoIP feature designed to let apps run in the background to listen for calls, but that was being abused for other tracking purposes. Apple doesn't plan to let developers use Apple's PushKit API for anything beyond voice calls in iOS 13.

While the companies admit that apps used this feature for tracking user location and for gathering data, they claim the change will hurt important app features. As an example, Life360 reportedly uses the feature to access a user's location to dispatch emergency services when a customer is involved in a car accident.

The email ends by pointing out that Apple's own apps do not need to get user permission to access user location, such as for Find My, which is built into the iPhone as a way to keep track of iOS and macOS devices.

"Like you, we are committed to ensuring that privacy is a top priority, but are concerned that the current implementation will create user confusion that actually undermines this goal," the e-mail to Cook reads. "The changes also have the added effect of removing critical geolocation functionality while simultaneously not applying to Apple's own apps, some of which compete with the products we develop."

In response to questions about the email, an Apple spokesperson told The Information that Apple's goal is to make the App Store a safe, trusted source for apps and to give its users the best products and ecosystem in the world.

We take responsibility for ensuring that apps are held to a high standard for privacy, security and content because nothing is more important than maintaining the trust of our users. Users trust Apple--and that trust is critical to how we operate a fair, competitive store for developer app distribution. Any changes we make to hardware, software or system level apps is in service to the user, their privacy and providing them the best products and ecosystem in the world.

In addition, Apple said that it is working with some of the companies that signed the email to find alternative methods for features that are being obsoleted, such as background tracking for purposes other than voice calls.

Apple also says that while system apps like Find My don't need to make location tracking requests from users, some Apple apps distributed through the App Store will abide by Apple's processes for requesting user permission to access location information. The full report with additional details can be read over at The Information.

Tag: App Store

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