This week’s top stories: iOS 14 widgets go viral, iPhone 12 mini rumors, and more

In this week’s top stories: iOS 14 widgets go viral, Apple Watch Series 6 hands-on and impressions, fall 2020 iPad Pro rumors, and more. Read on for all of this week’s top stories.

iOS 14 debuted to the public on September 16, bringing a variety of new features to iPhone users such as the App Library and App Clips. Over the last week, however, home screen widgets have been the feature to go viral. You can read our full guide on how to give your iOS 14 home screen a custom aesthetic.

A rumor this week suggested that Apple will switch up the naming for the iPhone 12 lineup this year, introducing the iPhone 12 mini. This would be the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 model, while the other naming would be iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Over the last week, we also learned more about the Apple Watch Series 6. A teardown from iFixit revealed that the battery inside the Apple Watch Series 6 is actually slightly larger than the Series 5, with the 40mm size increasing by 8.5% and the 44mm increasing by 3.5%. Find more details from the iFixit teardown here.

For the first time ever, Apple’s Online Store debuted in India this week. This means that shoppers in India can now make purchases directly from Apple itself. Previously, shoppers in India were forced to exclusively on a network of channel partners like Apple Premium Resellers for sales and support. To learn more about how to purchase directly from Apple, a new “Ways To Buy” page is available. 

Finally, a new investor note from Ming-Chi Kuo this week indicated that Apple will release its first mini-LED product in Q4 of this year, and it’ll be a new iPad Pro. This would mark the second iPad Pro refresh of 2020, but the update in March was largely an iterative update with slight performance improvements and a new camera setup on the back. Theoretically, the fall 2020 iPad Pro update could bring the new A14 processor alongside the mini LED display technology, in time for the holiday shopping season.

iOS 14 |

• How to give your iOS 14 home screen a custom aesthetic with unique app icons
• Apple releases iOS 14.0.1 with bug fixes for widgets, default app settings, more
• Here’s how to use the new iPhone home screen widgets in iOS 14
• iOS 14: What do the orange and green dots in the status bar mean?
• iOS 14: How to use 10 of the most popular new iPhone and iPad features
• Apple releases first public beta of iOS 14.2
• iOS 14 Weather app includes real-time precipitation data, more
• iOS 14: How to customize your home screen widgets with Smart Stacks and Siri Suggestions
• How to use the Shortcuts app to automatically create custom iOS wallpapers
• iOS 14: How to use the new iPhone alarms
• Apple no longer signs iOS 13.7, blocking downgrades from iOS 14

iPhone |

• Report: New 5.4-inch iPhone to be called ‘iPhone 12 mini’
• New claimed photos of iPhone 12 braided cable

Apple Watch |

• First impressions of seamless Solo Loop Apple Watch band are good
• Apple Watch Series 5 vs. Series 6: Should you upgrade?
• Apple Watch Series 6 Diary: How I’m making my upgrade decision
• Apple Watch Series 6 Diary: Graphite hands-on and battery life tests
• Hands-on: Product (RED) Apple Watch Series 6 and the new Braided Solo Loop
• Bandbreite makes browsing watch bands more fun than Apple Watch Studio
• PSA: If you have an Apple Watch Sport Band, here’s a better approach to Solo Loop sizing

iPad and Mac |

• First Apple product with miniLED backlighting will be iPad Pro in Q4 – Kuo
• Logitech‘s new MX Anywhere 3 mouse for Mac looks like a great WFH companion
• Apple’s miniLED plans: 30-40% of iPads and 20-30% of MacBooks next year – Kuo

Top Apple stories, retail |

• COVID-19: Which Apple Stores have reopened?
• The Apple Store online is now available in India
• Today at Apple and Girls Who Code hosting virtual Sisterhood Story Sessions in October
• QR codes bring helpful context to the Apple Store experience

Apps |

• Hands-on: Widgetsmith brings ultra-customizable widgets to your iOS 14 home screen
• Launcher 5 lets you create custom iOS 14 widgets with different shortcuts
• TuneTrack app brings Spotify widget to your iOS 14 home screen
• Fantastical adds 12 home screen widgets for iOS 14, Scribble support on iPad, more
• iOS 14 widgets leads Pinterest to break its daily App Store download record
• Heart Analyzer for iPhone and Apple Watch adds iOS 14 widget, blood oxygen data, more
• All-new Outlook for Mac app coming in October with Big Sur-inspired design and more
• 1Password launches virtual credit card generator for safer online payments
• Marvis Pro brings custom Apple Music widgets to your iOS 14 home screen

Apple TV |

• Apple TV+ Guide: Here are all the Apple TV shows and movies available now
• Apple TV+ picks up its first Emmy, Billy Crudup awarded outstanding supporting actor for his role in The Morning Show

Top Apple stories, company |

• Epic, Spotify, Tile and more form Coalition for App Fairness
• Apple responds to antitrust pressure with App Store PR blitz

Subscribe to 9to5Mac’s YouTube channel for more videos.

This week’s top videos |

• Hands-on with the top 10 iOS 14 features for iPhone [Video]
• iPadOS 14 – 50+ Top Features and Changes! [Video

9to5Mac Daily |

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

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Apple ‘Let loose’ event recap: New iPads! – 9to5Mac Daily

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Sponsored by iMazing 3: The world's most trusted tool to manage Apple devices and transfer data from a Mac or PC. Redesigned for the future.  New episodes of 9to5Mac Daily are recorded every weekday. Subscribe to our podcast in Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast player to guarantee new episodes are delivered as soon as they’re available. Stories discussed in this episode: Apple event news hub and live blog: New iPads are here! Apple unveils M4: Its first chip made for AI from the ground up Apple announces new iPad Pro: OLED display, M4 chip, thinner redesigned chassis iPad Air 6: Redesigned model available in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes, landscape front camera, more Apple debuts Magic Keyboard for M4 iPad Pro with larger trackpad, function row, aluminum palm rest Apple Pencil Pro launches, with squeeze gesture, roll, FindMy Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Overcast RSS Spotify TuneIn Google Podcasts Subscribe to support Chance directly with 9to5Mac Daily Plus and unlock:  Ad-free versions of every episode Monthly bonus episodes  Catch up on 9to5Mac Daily episodes! Don’t miss out on our other daily podcasts: Quick Charge 9to5Toys Daily Share your thoughts! Drop us a line at happyhour@9to5mac.com. You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show. Also, connect with us in the official 9to5Mac Discord server with forums, chatrooms, and more!

1. Apple ‘Let loose’ event recap: New iPads! 08:10
2. Last-minute Apple event expectations, future iPhone rumors 06:33
3. AAPL Q2 earnings and AI promises 07:26
4. More changes in the EU for App Store and iPad 06:25
5. New ‘Repair State’ Mode in iOS 17.5, more 06:14

9to5Mac Watch Time |

Jeff Benjamin joins Zac Hall to give Apple Watch Series 3 and Series 5 an exit interview before new models are announced. 9to5Mac Watch Time is a podcast series hosted by Zac Hall. In this series, we talk to real people about how Apple Watch is affecting their lives.

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Week 6 – 9to5Mac Watch Time

This week on Watch Time join 9to5Mac's Zac Hall and Tempo developer Rahul Matta in the final episode of this podcast "season". 9to5Mac Watch Time is a podcast series hosted by Zac Hall. In this series, we talk to real people about how Apple Watch is affecting their lives. Subscribe now to catch up with each episode and automatically hear new episodes as soon as they’re released every two weeks: 🟣 Apple Podcasts | 🟠 Overcast | 🟢 Spotify Follow Zac Instagram @apollozac Twitter @apollozac SpaceExplored.com Follow Rahul Matta Twitter @rmatta Twitter @TempoLog Blog indie.sh Follow 9to5Mac Instagram @9to5mac Twitter @9to5mac Facebook YouTube.com/9to5Mac Listen & Subscribe Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast RSS Read More Toning down the Apple Watch: Tips and feature requests to avoid being overwhelmed Apple releases watchOS 7.4.1 with security improvements Apple Watch blood sugar and blood pressure measurement could be a step closer watchOS 7.4 brings iPhone mask unlock feature for Apple Watch Enjoy the podcast? Shop Apple at Amazon to support 9to5Mac Watch Time!

1. Week 6 46:48
2. With guest Sigmund Judge 42:59
3. Week 5 52:45
4. Week 4 57:20
5. Week 3 56:40

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Beats Solo Buds, surprising iPad Pro specs, and iOS 18 rumors – 9to5Mac Happy Hour

Benjamin and Chance assess the final iPad rumors ahead of next week’s ‘Let Loose’ event. Beats launches an incredibly compelling new addition to their headphones lineup, the Beats Solo Buds. At the same time, Apple fails to acknowledge what happened with people getting locked out of their Apple IDs over the weekend, in the same week as it releases a statement promising to fix an issue with iPhone alarms.  And in Happy Hour Plus, Benjamin and Chance discuss what podcast client they currently use and why, and how their listening habits reflect their app preferences. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join. Sponsored by Ladder: Go to Ladderlife.com/HappyHour today to see if you’re instantly approved. Sponsored by Incogni: Limit public access to your private information, mitigate the risks of identity theft, and keep your data from being sold. Use code “happyhour” at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: incogni.com/happyhour Sponsored by Kolide by 1Password, the device trust solution that ensures that if a device isn’t secure, it can’t access your apps. Close the Zero Trust access gap for Okta. Learn more or watch the demo. Hosts Chance Miller @ChanceHMiller on Twitter @chancehmiller@mastodon.social @ChanceHMiller on Instagram @ChanceHMiller on Threads Benjamin Mayo @bzamayo on Twitter @bzamayo@mastodon.social @bzamayo on Threads Subscribe, Rate, and Review Apple Podcasts Overcast Spotify 9to5Mac Happy Hour Plus Introducing 9to5Mac Happy Hour Plus! Support Benjamin and Chance directly with Happy Hour Plus! 9to5Mac Happy Hour Plus includes:  Ad-free versions of every episode  Pre- and post-show content Monthly bonus episodes Join for $5 per month or $50 a year at 9to5mac.com/join.  Feedback Submit #Ask9to5Mac questions on Twitter, Mastodon, or Threads Email us feedback and questions to happyhour@9to5mac.com Links Beats Solo 4 hands-on: the most iconic Beats headphones just got better Apple debuts new Beats Solo Buds with 18-hour battery life for $79 Apple's Beats Pill speaker could be about to make a comeback Apple users are being locked out of their Apple IDs with no explanation Apple working on fix for bug causing iPhone alarms to not play sounds iOS 18 rumor: These new AI features are coming to Safari EU will force Apple to add app sideloading, alternative browser engine support to iPad Report: iOS 18 to update many of the built-in apps, home screen updates, 'modular' design tweaks Gurman: New iPad Pro may actually be powered by the M4 chip, touting AI features M4 iPad Pro: Will Apple put a brand new chip in its next iPad? New Apple Pencil to include haptic feedback and new gestures

1. Beats Solo Buds, surprising iPad Pro specs, and iOS 18 rumors 59:52
2. iPad Apple event announced, FineWoven winding down, Apple TV FIFA deal 01:16:56
3. iOS 17.5 beta 2, M4 Mac schedule, Humane Pin reviews 57:58
4. iOS 18 rumors, game emulators in the App Store, Vision Pro camera access 47:25
5. Apple home robots, Spatial Personas on Vision Pro, iOS 17.5 beta 58:38

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Stacktrace has moved! – Stacktrace

As we've mentioned in the last episode, the Stacktrace podcast is no longer a part of the 9to5Mac network. If you're seeing this entry in your podcast player, then you probably need to unfollow Stacktrace and follow the podcast again. Start by unfollowing the show in your podcast player, then just search for "Stacktrace" and follow the show again. You'll notice that the updated show has a new artwork and that episode 179 has already been released there. To learn more about how to listen to Stacktrace, check out our new website. Thanks for listening!

1. Stacktrace has moved! 01:00
2. 178: “Let’s try something new” 01:03:25
3. 177: “The stand is included!” 01:09:24
4. 176: “Extra Keynote Poker” 01:19:00
5. 175: “A Bluetooth fanboy” 54:35

Apple @ Work Podcast |

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Layers and layers of security – Apple @ Work

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1. Layers and layers of security 23:48
2. Security and productivity in the age of AI 29:54
3. Configuration Profile surgery 28:27
4. Dongles need not apply 25:44
5. The iPad's legacy 36:30

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