Category: Apple Insider

Apple Pay

Apple Pay is an important part of Apple’s ecosystem and is offered during device setup. The prominence of the Apple Wallet and its features have gained antitrust attention before.

According to a report from Reuters, Illinois’ Consumers Co-op Credit Union and Iowa’s Affinity Credit Union and GreenState Credit Union are accusing Apple of antitrust practices with Apple Pay and have proposed a class action lawsuit. The lawsuit made it through U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White with little change, meaning Apple will have to face the charges in court.

The judge threw out a tying claim that accused Apple of requiring iPhone owners to use Apple Pay and forego other wallets. The lawsuit is focused on the prominence of Apple Pay on iPhone versus the customer choice found on Android.

“We are happy with this ruling,” Steve Berman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in an email. “There are billions at stake so getting by the motion (to dismiss) largely intact was huge for the class.”

The class action lawsuit uses the Sherman antitrust law as the basis for the proposal. It means the court must determine that Apple is enforcing a 100% monopoly over the domestic market for tap-and-pay wallets on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

The complaint alleges Apple’s conduct forces more than 4,000 banks and credit unions that use Apple Pay to pay at least $1 billion in excess fees. This harms the consumers by minimizing the incentive to make Apple Pay safer and easier to use — which would occur if Apple allowed wallet competition.

The report states that Apple sought a dismissal of the lawsuit and failed. The company said it charged “nominal” fees to smaller card issuers and that the plaintiffs ignored the “competitive reality” that consumers could pay with cash, card, or other means.

Center Stage on the Mac is exactly as it has been on the iPad. Should you choose to have it turned on, then when you’re on a video call and you reach out of frame for a coffee, the camera automatically moves.

Or rather, it appears to. While there have to be limits, as long as you’re in front of the camera somewhere, your video conferencing colleagues will see you right in the middle of their view.

They’ll see you center stage, in fact. Moving left or right, up or down, or having someone else join you in the shot will make the image automatically adjust itself to show the best framing.

If you have the right camera.

For Center Stage to work on macOS Sonoma, you must be using an Apple Silicon Mac and:

• A built-in camera (such as on a MacBook Pro)
• Continuity Camera with an iPhone 12 or later

Something that may trip you up is that there are Mac apps that can seemingly hide Center Stage controls.

Center Stage used to be part of Control Center, but it now belongs in a new menubar icon that groups together options such as portrait mode, or reactions. This new menubar icon changes to show you when your camera is in use, or just your microphone, and it’s this icon that can effectively be obstructed.

At present, just for one example, if you were to use a screen-recording app while on a video conferencing call, the yellow microphone or green camera icon may be replaced by a darker, less obvious one.

Nonetheless, the Center Stage controls will appear under this menubar icon when you are in a video call.

1. While on the video call, click the new menubar icon
2. Either click to turn on Center Stage, or
3. Click the arrow to the right of Center Stage for more options, if available

In macOS Ventura, Center Stage was an option you ticked in Control Center. Now you click Center Stage icon to toggle it on or off.

A lot of Center Stage capabilities depends on the camera you’re using so there will be differences. But in AppleInsider testing using an iPhone 13 Pro as the camera, macOS Sonoma gave more options than the same setup in macOS Ventura.

Specifically, two options. Clicking on the arrow to the right of Center Stage in the new menubar icon may show you a choice of cameras. If it does, a click will switch you between, say, Main and Wide Angle.

Click the arrow to the right of Center Stage to see more options, if available

Center Stage is as welcome on the Mac as it was on the iPad. It’s a shame that you can’t turn it on or off until you are actually on a call, though.

It would be good to be able to set yourself up just the way you want before the other person appears on the call. If it’s your call and you’re on Zoom, say, then you can start the meeting and adjust the settings before you let anyone else in.

But it would also be good to be able to use a keystroke or perhaps a Shortcut to change the settings instead of having to go through the menubar icon.

Apple’s FineWoven case

Apple has moved away from leather products in favor of a more sustainable FineWoven material. The suede-like cloth material falls short in several ways, as we covered in our review.

Apple sent out an internal memo to retail employees in response to customer complaints and questions, and it was seen by 9to5Mac. The memo didn’t offer much helpful information and repeated much of what was shared on Apple’s website.

“You may get questions from customers about the appearance of the new FineWoven material, how it wears over time, and how to care for it,” the memo stated. “You can let customers know the FineWoven material is made from a luxurious microtwill, with a soft yet durable suede-like texture.”

When asked about durability, employees should explain that cases “may look different and show wear over time as the fibers get compressed with normal use.” The memo adds that “some scratches may diminish over time.”

The memo also shares previously known information, like how MagSafe accessories may leave imprints and how to clean the material. Like other Apple products, Apple recommends wiping down the case with a damp, lint-free cloth.

FineWoven may have been a mistake as a case material, though time will tell if Apple abandons the option. It is yet to be seen how the material will endure as an Apple Watch band, which are now available to order.

Merging photo collections together

Throughout people’s lives, physical features tend to change and they may look slightly different than they previously did. Due to this, the Photos app may think it’s another person when it’s not.

While this is not game-changing, it’s annoying to have multiple albums of the same person. You may want to combine the albums to tidy up your Photos app and make it less cluttered.

Merging two albums of the same person is simple to do, and once you complete it, your Photos app will look more organized than before.

Merging two albums is as easy as dragging and dropping. Here’s how you can merge them efficiently.

1. Open the Photos app
2. Tap on Albums from the bottom menu
3. Scroll down until you see the People, Pets & Places section, and tap on the People & Pets collection
4. Find the two People or Pet collections you want to merge
5. Drag one collection over the other
6. Confirm that you want to merge them

Merging collections together via drag-and-drop

Once you confirm the merge, all the photos from one collection will go into the other. The collection will then take the name of the person you merged into.

There is also another way you can merge two albums via the person’s name. Here’s how to complete it.

1. Find one of the collections of the person you want to merge
2. Tap on Add Name at the top
3. Type in the same name as the other collection
4. Confirm the name change and the two albums will merge into one collection

Merging collections via renaming

No matter which way you decide to merge the two collections, both will provide you with the same outcome of eliminating multiple collections based on one person.

If you accidentally merge the wrong people, you must go into the collection and manually select the photos that should not be there. This is how you remove them.

1. Tap on Select in the upper right of the screen
2. Select the image(s) of the person that shouldn’t be in the collection
3. Tap on the three dots in the lower right of the screen
4. Select “These are Not [Person’s Name]”

Removing unwanted people from a collection

Once you select that these photos are not who the collection is dedicated to, the photos will automatically be taken out of it.

No matter who it is, merging two collections that consist of the same people or pet will clean up your Photos app and make it a little more organized.

You can pick up the latest AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C at Amazon.com and BestBuy.com for $199.99, reflecting a $50 price cut off the regular $249 price.

Whether you’re looking for lossless audio for the upcoming Apple Vision Pro or simply want the convenience of a USB-C charging port, this 2023 release matches the $199 price we’ve been seeing on what is now the last-gen model with a Lightning charging port.

If you’re looking for the best Apple Watch deal on the new Ultra 2, Amazon also has a double-digit discount going on, bringing the cost down to $779 on select styles.

The AppleInsider Price Guide is home to hundreds of additional markdowns on Apple hardware. Here are a few of our favorite picks:

iPhone 15 Pro

Scammers attempt to sell fake iPhones by using convincing replicated device packaging. Apple has added a new invisible watermarking system in an attempt to eliminate this practice.

A leaker known as Majin Bu on X shared a video initially posted on Weibo by user @Pengnone. The video shows someone shining a UV light on the iPhone 15 box to reveal watermarks and a QR code that helps verify device authenticity.

There is some concern that scammers will be able to replicate this watermark. It seems the QR code may be what makes this system more secure since it likely contains a system-verifiable code that scammers won’t easily copy.

Customers buying from big retailers won’t need to worry about device authenticity. However, the resale market and smaller vendors have more opportunities for scams.

When in doubt, check the device serial number and ensure it matches what’s on the box. Also, check the box for problems or manipulation that might signify a scam.

The iPhone 15 lineup is available for pre-order and arrives in-store Friday, September 22. Many device configurations have already sold out, so scammers will likely be active during the big release day.

iPhone 15 Pro Max Telephoto camera

Apple’s philosophy behind the iPhone camera and the app that controls it is simple — get out of the way. The company has designed its app and camera functionality to remain uncluttered and straightforward while providing just enough control for enthusiasts.

Two Apple executives detail the thoughts behind iPhone 15 camera features and the camera app in an interview with PetaPixel. Jon McCormack, Vice President of Camera Software Engineering, and Maxime Veron, Senior Director of iPhone Product Marketing, provide some insight.

“It really is, in my mind, all about allowing people to go chase their vision and this goes from the harried parent of a toddler where their vision is, ‘can I get my kid in frame as they take their first step’ all the way through to a pro or a creative who has got a very specific artistic vision in mind and want to get there as quickly as possible,” McCormack says. “Behind the big red button the thing you’re worrying about is the frame and the moment because honestly, that’s the most inspiring part of any photograph or any video.”

Most iPhone users just want great photos and videos with a button press, without all the fuss of individual settings. More is available in the app and settings but doesn’t take up precious viewfinder space.

The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have multiple focal lengths users can choose by tapping the 1x button in the camera app. This selection isn’t just a simple crop but something designed with neural networks controlling many aspects at capture to optimize for that setting.

iPhone Camera app Cinematic Video controls

Focal length selection is limited to photo modes and won’t show up in video. This is due to the nature of photo processing versus video.

“When you’re shooting [photos], we gather a bunch of data to let you keep shooting and then sort of keep processing in the background, so we have more time and this is just something we can’t do in video,” McCormack explains.

The executive also details how exposure is chosen when filming with ProRes Log.

“We go for a middle-ground exposure,” McCormack says. “When you go into log, there’s no tone mapping so you can have much more precise control over what your exposure is.”

Speaking of ProRes video, videographers can use the USB 3.0 speeds to shoot ProRes directly to an external SSD. However, there are some limitations to this.

Apple only allows direct recording to an external SSD when using ProRes. Other formats will record directly to the iPhone’s storage and will require transfer off later or a lengthy iCloud sync.

The 4K 60Hz ProRes video setting is only available when external storage is connected.

Apple set 24MP HEIF as the new default camera output for multiple reasons. Not only is it an efficient file size, but it offers more control while processing images.

High resolution and contrast from the 48MP sensor

“You get a little bit more dynamic range in the 24-megapixel photos,” McCormack explains. “Because when shooting at 24-megapixels, we shoot 12 high and 12 low — we actually shoot multiple of those — and we pick and then merge.”

When shooting a 48MP image, the iPhone has to rely on an extended dynamic range algorithm instead, providing less exposure data. So, the dynamic range should be wider in 24MP images.

Apple’s approach to building the Camera app keeps the UI simple and distraction-free. Users can open the app, tap the shutter, and know they are getting the best photo at that moment without hassle.

“Our approach to computational photography and videography is really, really unique,” Veron adds. “For the vast majority of our customers, we just aim to process everything in the background so that the process is invisible and out of the way so that people can take great photos and videos and capture beautiful, true-to-life moments in one click.”

Anyone who wants more control, like a focus slider or video waveform, can look to third-party apps. Apple expects anyone looking for more control or settings have a solution in the App Store.