Apple Pay Sparkasse, Commerzbank and Norisbank support has today been added in Germany… Sparkasse is an umbrella brand for more than 400 banks, most of which are nonprofits owned by local regions or charitable foundations. Macerkopf reports that support has been added for both Visa and Mastercard credit cards, but not yet for debit cards, which is promised for next year. Sparkasse customers have been waiting more than a year after Apple Pay was first launched in Germany....

Update: Apple has since informed us that the comment by a local representative was not an official statement and has been mistranslated from the Chinese by Caixan. The correct information is that the ability to add cards was being made available on a rolling basis throughout the day. With many Chinese iPhone owners reporting they they are unable to register for Apple Pay, an Apple spokesman representative has said the issues are due to too many people trying to sign-up a planned gradual rollout throughout the day....

We’ve been covering everything new in iOS 15.4 since the release of the first beta version in January, and Apple continues to add more features to its mobile operating system. In addition to enabling Face ID while wearing a mask and Universal Control, the update also lets Apple Podcasts users filter episodes by seasons, downloaded episodes, and more. Apple has quietly updated its Podcasts app in iOS 15.4 beta to include new filter options when browsing shows in your library or in the Apple Podcasts catalog....

Apple has continued to make steady progress on its new headquarters, and this week provided KQED News with a special “sneak peek” at the construction site. The news outlet has released several photos of some of the major structures on the upcoming campus, and has promised additional photos from the tour will be published later this month. Last week we got an drone’s-eye view of the progress, which gave us our first look at some of these buildings....

Apple has confirmed this evening that it is dropping out of SXSW this year. The company had planned to debut three new Apple TV+ originals at the festival this year, but those events have been canceled. Despite pressure to cancel the event, SXSW organizers announced that it will go on as planned. As detailed by CNN, officials explained at a press event this morning that there is “no evidence” closing South by Southwest would make the Austin community safer:...

[Update: The public beta version is also available for testers.] It’s been one week since the last developer beta, and Apple has just released the sixth developer beta preview. iOS 11 brings new features like drag-and-drop and a redesigned multitasking interface for iPad, a new customizable Control Center, and much more. iOS 11 beta 6 is currently only available to registered developers for now. Apple typically holds new public beta versions for a few days for major updates....

Apple today is officially releasing iOS 13.4 and iPadOS 13.4 to the public. This comes after an extended beta testing period for developer and public beta users over the last month and a half. What’s new in iOS 13.4? Read on to find out. Apple is also releasing iOS 12.4.6 for older iPhones and iPads today as well. tvOS 13.4 is also being released today. Trackpad support for iPad One of the tentpole features of iPadOS 13....

Following the release of iOS 16.1.2 to iPhone users on Wednesday, Apple released iOS 16.2 beta 4 to developers on Thursday. Along with iOS 16.2, Apple has also been testing new betas for watchOS 9.2, tvOS 16.2, and macOS Ventura 13.1. Read on as we detail what’s new in these updates. What’s new in iOS 16.2 beta iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 include some notable changes. The Freeform collaboration app is now available to iPad, iPhone, and Mac users....

Apple has officially released macOS 11.5 to the public today. The release comes after iOS 14.7 launched earlier this week. macOS 11.5 comes with a range of security and bug fixes as well as a fix for the Music app and an update for the Podcasts app. macOS 11.5 should be showing up soon on your Mac if it’s not already. Head to System Preferences > Software Update to see if it’s available....

Apple today quietly released an updated version of Safari for users running versions of macOS prior to macOS Big Sur 11. Safari 14.1.2 is now available for macOS Catalina and macOS Mojave with security improvements and bug fixes. The update follows the release of iOS 14.7 and watchOS 7.6, which were made available to the public earlier today. The final builds of macOS Big Sur 11.5 and iPadOS 14.7 are yet to be released....

Apple is rolling out the third watchOS 3.2.2 beta for developer testing on Apple Watch. The update likely includes bug fixes and security improvements ahead of a more feature-packed watchOS 4 announcement later this year. watchOS 3.2 for Apple Watch brought new features including Theater Mode which mutes alerts and disables raise-to-wake plus SiriKit so third-party apps can work with Siri. The latest Apple Watch software update also includes new watch face colors including Nike custom colors, although previous developer betas have not yet included these....

Update: Apple has also released the fifth developer beta of watchOS 6 today. Apple today is releasing the fourth public beta of iOS 13 to users. The update comes following the release of developer beta five yesterday, and the release of the third public beta two weeks ago. Apple is also releasing iPadOS 13 public beta 4 and tvOS 13 beta 4 today. iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 developer beta five included several notable changes....

Digitimes has a mixed track record of reliability with regard to Apple rumors, but its latest report gels with expectations. The report claims Apple is preparing new 13 inch and 15 inch MacBooks to launch in the summer, by July. Although the publication does not say this, it indicates that new MacBook Pros are on the horizon perhaps debuting at WWDC, Apple’s developer conference. Given Intel’s CPU roadmap, Apple laptops featuring the new Skylake processors are due....

With iOS 9, Apple revealed that its Maps service would begin to support transit directions. The service supports buses, trains, subways, and ferries and will be available in 10 cities at launch later this year. One big question, however, centered around where Apple was obtaining its transit data from. Now, Apple has updated its Apple Maps Acknowledgements webpage with a breakdown of where transit data from each city is coming (via Apple Maps Marketing)....

Sums done by Moody’s Investment Services (via Bloomberg) confirm reports that Apple’s approach of borrowing the $100b needed to fund its stock buy-back and dividend plans will result in massive tax savings, estimated at $9.2B … Apple’s $17B bond issue set a new corporate record. Interest in the bonds continued after the sale was completed, with MarketWatch reporting unprecedented levels of trading in Apple bonds in the 48 hours after issue....

Contrary to many assumptions being posted this morning, Apple Music doesn’t allow you to stream the entire iTunes library – just most of it. As The Verge notes, The Beatles are among the exceptions. While consumers have been making the switch from download to streaming for some time now, artists and music labels alike have viewed streaming services with some suspicion, unsure how revenues would compare to traditional sales. Taylor Swift famously pulled her entire catalog from Spotify, saying that the free tier devalued music....

Just days away from Apple’s September 7th iPhone event, users are beginning to see personalized music mixes appear within Apple Music. Originally shown on stage at the this year’s WWDC by Bozoma Saint John, Apple Music subscribers on iOS 10 and macOS will soon be able to listen to music playlists custom tailored to their tastes and interests. As Spotify’s Discover Weekly has gained traction and attention from users looking to discover new music, Apple Music’s personalized playlists may just be the competitive push it needs....

While Apple has been trying hard to push Apple Pay in China, offering a range of discounts and rewards, it doesn’t appear to have met with much success to date. Its market share in the country has been described by iResearch as ‘negligible.’ One big reason for that is the popularity of WeChat Pay, and Apple has now given in to the inevitable and started accepting the payment service for local App Store purchases …...

Apple is continuing to expand the reach of its Apple TV+ content. In addition to various book partnerships, Apple is also opening a pop-up in New York to promote its “Helpsters” live-action puppet series. Update: This is actually the set and filming location for the show. This was spotted by Parker Ortolani on Twitter. The pop-up, located at 220 W 16 St, is free of Apple branding aside from a “Watch on Apple TV” badge on the window....

We told you in December that Apple was being fined $1.2 million by Italian anti-trust authorities for “misleading consumers” with AppleCare warranties. At the time, the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato claimed Apple was failing to properly inform consumers of a two-year guarantee mandatory by Italian Consumer Code and European Union law. In response, Apple placed a prominent link on its Italian online store today that translates to “Communication to protect consumers” and links to a PDF of the antitrust decision by L’Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato....