This digest compiles the latest from Apple Insider.
Today’s Apple Insider Roundup
Jason Johnson discusses his new startup, Doma Home on HomeKit Insider
On this week’s episode of the HomeKit Insider podcast, August co-founder Jason Johnson joins to talk about his new startup.
Guest this week on the podcast is Jason Johnson. He’s most known for co-founding the August smart security company with famed designer Yves Behar.
August helped Apple create the lock spec for what was then HomeKit. Eventually, August was purchased by Yale/Assa Abloy, where Johnson assisted in moving August software onto millions of Yale locks globally.
Apple Car Key support appears imminent for Toyota vehicles
Apple appears to be preparing Apple Car Key support for Toyota vehicles, based on evidence found in Apple’s backend systems.
Toyota might soon let drivers unlock and start compatible vehicles with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The company hasn’t made a public announcement yet, though.
Apple Car Key, introduced in 2022, stores a digital car key in the Wallet app. It uses NFC to communicate with supported vehicles.
UK wants iPhones to require age verification for any nude images
After it blocked adult sites, the UK government is reportedly about to ask Apple and Google to prevent any explicit images without device age verification.
It is already possible for parents to safeguard their children by restricting their access to age-inappropriate material on iPhone. But now according to the Financial Times, the UK wants smartphone users to have to verify their age in just the same way it now requires verification for adult websites.
If the report is correct, the aim would be to encourage Apple and Google to do this, rather than directly require it. Reportedly, the UK government considered mandating nudity-detecting algorithms, but for now is going to ask the companies to consider it.
All-screen display for 20th anniversary iPhone gets closer to production
Apple’s 20th anniversary iPhone will have a bezel-less design thanks to a four-sided bending OLED panel, with LG Display pushing to perfect manufacturing processes for the 2027 model.
The 2027 update to the iPhone will mark its 20th anniversary, and will be a big deal for Apple to celebrate. That means creating a model with a stand-out design, which is widely believed to be bezel-free.
According to industry sources of DealSite, while Apple is working with both LG Display and Samsung Display on the screen, LG Display is actively pursuing orders for equipment to manufacture it. By contrast, Samsung Display is said to be a bit more cautious on the matter.
Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible
Facebook Messenger for macOS departs the desktop
The Facebook Messenger desktop app for macOS is being axed on December 15, forcing Mac users into using the web version, for better or worse.
On October 15, Facebook revealed it was killing off support for its desktop Messenger apps, both for Mac and Windows. It gave a 60-day warning that the app would be no more, with it ceasing to work on December 15.
At the time, Facebook had already pulled the app from the Mac App Store, preventing new downloads while still allowing existing installations to work.
Apple's M4 MacBook Air with 24GB RAM plunges to $899 with free 2-day shipping
A $300 last-minute holiday discount on Apple’s M4 MacBook Air with 24GB of RAM is in effect today, bringing the cost of the laptop down to $899 with delivery by Christmas.
B&H Photo is pulling out all the stops with its last-minute holiday sale, and we’re following a steep $300 price drop on Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air in Midnight. This M4 model with a 10-core GPU has a bump up to 24GB of RAM, along with 256GB of storage.
Buy M4 MacBook Air 24GB for $899
End of today’s Apple Insider roundup.
