Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the ‌AirPods 4‌ and ‌AirPods 4‌ with ANC.

It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we’ll update this article should we find out. Apple has been beta testing the updated firmware since late January.

Apple has been fined $162M by France’s competition regulator for the way App Tracking Transparency is implemented, stating that this is an abuse of the company’s powers.

This bizarre ruling follows a complaint by a group of trade associations representing advertisers who are no longer able to access user data to serve personalized ads …

App Tracking Transparency

Apple offers a way for advertisers to track the apps we use in order to target personalized advertising. Personalized ads are far more valuable than generic ads, so developers who offer ad-supported apps will make more ad revenue if they collect this user data.

Last week, I read Sarah Wynn-Williams’ Careless People and was reminded of Carl Jung’s Everyman archetype — someone who fears being left out, and often compromises their morals in order to belong. Chapter after chapter, Wynn-Williams details the extraordinary recklessness of Meta’s most senior leadership as the company transformed Facebook from a social media platform to the world’s most influential political tool.

I worked at Facebook, now Meta, for three years, leading policy from one of its regional offices, and witnessed some of the leadership practices that Wynn-Williams describes, though our tenures did not overlap. What struck me is that what isn’t included in Careless People is more telling than what is.

Apple has officially released watchOS 11.4 for the Apple Watch.

This update includes new features, improvements, and bug fixes, including:
● Matter-compatible robot vacuum cleaners can be added to the Home app as well as used in scenes, automations, or simply say ”Siri, clean the living room.”
● An option to allow Sleep Wake Up alarm to break through Silent Mode
● An issue where face selection may become unresponsive when switching faces

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:
https://support.apple.com/100100