Apple iPhones might get contactless payment feature thanks to Canadian startup acquisition

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It might be easier for small business owners with iPhones to accept payments on their mobile devices. The company is reportedly working on a feature that integrates contactless payment into the iPhone. Apple has allegedly been working on the service since 2020 when it acquired Canadian startup Mobeewave, which is known for developing tech that turns a phone into a payment portal.

Mobeewave's technology only required an app and the phone's NFC to work. You just have to type in the amount you want to charge, and then the customer needs to tap their credit card on the back of the phone. Apple has declined to comment on Bloomberg's story, so it's unclear if the feature will work the same way on iPhones. 

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Next AirPods Pro tipped to get lossless audio support

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Whether wireless earbuds are ready for lossless audio support or not, Apple might be the first to try something out, at least according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Apple will reportedly launch the second-generation AirPods Pro with Apple Lossless (ALAC) audio support. But it isn't known if it'll support other lossless formats. It isn't clear how Apple will implement this, but Engadget speculates they might develop an aptX Lossless-style codec to make wireless ALAC possible. The launch is expected sometime in the fall, so plans might change.

Kuo said the AirPods Pro would also get a "new form factor design" and that it might get an AirTag-like feature for the charging case, allowing you to locate the missing accessory. 

Apple reportedly hires Meta's AR public relations head

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Apple has been rumoured to be working on an augmented reality headset. And the latest rumour about this project is it gets a new public relations head. According to Mark Gurman's Power On newsletter, Apple supposedly hired Meta's AR public relations lead, Andrea Schubert.

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iOS 16 will reportedly drop support for iPhone 6s & 6s Plus, 1st-gen iPhone SE

Source: 9to5Mac

It's still very early in the rumour cycle to verify any reports, but we wanted to share what you might expect from the next version of iOS. Online publication iPhoneSoft reported that Apple plans to drop a few iPhone devices from its support roster when the iOS 16 drops next year. The site got its information from someone running an internal seed, claiming the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, and original iPhone SE will no longer be supported. 

On the iPad side, iPadOS 16 will reportedly be incompatible with iPad mini 4, iPad Air 2, fifth-generation iPad, and 2015 iPad Pro models. If the report is accurate, it still demonstrates how long the company supports its older hardware. 

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