2025-12-19 08:41:45
TikTok has agreed to sell its U.S. operations to an investment group that includes Oracle, Silver Lake, and UAE-based company MGX, reports Axios. The "TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC" that includes the three companies will own 45 percent of TikTok, while ByteDance will keep close to 20 percent. Existing investors will continue to hold the remaining shares.
The U.S. group will handle U.S. data protection and content moderation, while also maintaining algorithm security. It has been tasked with retraining the content recommendation algorithm on U.S. user data to "ensure the content feed is free from outside manipulation." Oracle will be in charge of auditing and validating compliance with National Security Terms.
The agreement states that the USDS Joint Venture will "operate as an independent entity" that has authority over U.S. data protection, while TikTok's global U.S. entities will manage global product interoperability along with e-commerce, advertising, and marketing.
With the sale, TikTok will be able to continue operating in the United States while complying with the 2024 Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. The act required TikTok parent company ByteDance to sell TikTok's U.S. operations to a non-Chinese company or be banned from operating in the United States.
TikTok was briefly banned in January, but Donald Trump signed an executive order granting an extension that brought it back. The ban has been extended multiple times since then to provide additional time for a deal to be established. The agreement is set to go into effect on January 22.
2025-12-19 07:44:25
Since the AirPods Pro 3 launched, there have been complaints from users who have noticed a static-like sound or a crackling issue when using the earbuds, particularly when Active Noise Cancellation is on but no media is playing. Users have also run into strange high-pitched whistling sounds that happen intermittently.
We shared the issues back in late October, and despite two subsequent firmware updates, the problems haven't been solved. Apple released AirPods Pro 3 firmware version 8B25 in November, and firmware version 8B30 on December 10.
Feedback from users who have installed the firmware updates indicate that the noise issues have not been addressed. Affected users are hearing static noises with Active Noise Cancellation on, sometimes with media playing and sometimes without. There have also been reports of problems with latency and sound syncing when watching videos.
Some AirPods Pro 3 users have had their AirPods replaced by Apple, but replacement earbuds have had the same issue, so it's not clear if there is a hardware fix for the problem.
Apple's latest firmware updates have not provided details on what's included, specifying only "bug fixes and other improvements."
This article, "AirPods Pro 3's Static and Noise Issues Haven't Been Resolved" first appeared on MacRumors.com
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2025-12-19 06:43:31
Epic Games is not going to bring Fortnite to iOS in Japan as promised because of the fees imposed by Apple's new App Store rules, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said on social media. Sweeney complained that Apple did not comply with Japan's Mobile Software Competition Act "honestly" and instead "launched another travesty of obstruction and lawbreaking in gross disrespect to the government and people of Japan."
Back in 2024 when the MSCA passed, Sweeney said that Epic would launch Fortnite in Japan in late 2025. He made the announcement before he was aware of how Apple planned to comply with the MSCA.
Sweeney accused Apple of charging "competition-crushing" junk fees, including a five percent fee on revenue from apps distributed through alternate app marketplaces. Epic Games would need to pay Apple a five percent fee on all revenue generated via game purchases made through an Epic Games Store in Japan, or 15 percent on digital purchases through a web link if the Fortnite app were to be distributed through the App Store.
Obviously, real competition won't happen, and consumers won't benefit, when Apple abuses its position between users and competitors to obstruct honest dealing between them. This is another sad day in the history of relationships between platform makers, developers, and consumers, and we will be raising our complaints with the Japanese Fair Trade Commission.
2025-12-19 05:31:06
Apple Maps no longer offers a Flyover feature that provides users with automated tours of notable landmarks in major cities. The Flyover option appears to have been nixed around when iOS 26 launched, but its removal went largely unnoticed.
Flyover city tours were introduced in 2014 with iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, using Flyover imagery to generate an aerial tour. Most cities with Flyover imagery supported the tour feature, but it may not have been used often since Apple was able to quietly discontinue it.
Flyover imagery has not been removed and over 350 cities continue to have 3D Flyover imagery that highlights landmarks, parks, important buildings, and more with a bird's-eye view.
Apple uses imagery collected with small military-grade planes that created detailed maps of buildings from above for Flyover. The feature is not available in some areas due to privacy and security concerns.
Flyover city tours used to be accessible by tapping on the Flyover icon when searching for a city, but that option has now been removed.
2025-12-19 04:05:56
macOS Tahoe introduced a bug that causes a Studio Display connected to a Mac to flicker every so often, and subsequent updates only seem to have made the issue worse.
Mac users with the Studio Display have been complaining about intermittent flickering since the update launched in September. There are also complaints from users who have other kinds of displays, so it might be a bug that is affecting more than one type of external monitor.
We have experienced this issue with a MacBook Pro running macOS Tahoe connected to a Studio Display, and the macOS Tahoe 26.1 and macOS Tahoe 26.2 updates haven't improved the situation at all. In fact, the flickering seems to be getting worse in recent days.
Flickering happens most often when switching between apps that feature stark white backgrounds, or scrolling through webpages on light backgrounds. Any app can cause the flickering, and sometimes it just seems to be random. When flickering occurs, it's typically a brief flicker, but the display can also flicker several times in a row for a few seconds at a time. Switching from dark content to light content can almost always trigger a flicker on affected machines.
It's not clear what is causing the issue, but given that multiple Studio Display owners are experiencing it, it's likely some kind of software issue that could be addressed with new Studio Display firmware rather than a hardware problem.
2025-12-19 03:27:10
Just a day after Apple announced alternative app marketplace support for iOS users in Japan, AltStore PAL has launched in the country.
iPhone users in Japan can download the alternative app marketplace from the AltStore website, and then use the AltStore to download apps without having to go through Apple's App Store. Prospective AltStore users need to be physically located in Japan, and have a Japanese App Store account. Devices also need to be running iOS 26.2 or later.
AltStore developer Riley Testut said that Apple did not provide a heads up about the App Store rule changes that went into effect yesterday, but the marketplace was able to launch within a few hours because it has been live in the European Union for months now.
To celebrate AltStore PAL's launch in Japan, users can get a month of free Patreon access with patron-exclusive features. AltStore is free to download, but the AltStore Patreon provides access to beta updates for the popular Delta game emulator.
Along with Delta, AltStore PAL offers several other apps created by independent developers, some of which have functionality that's not allowed in the standard App Store. Apps distributed through AltStore PAL are able to monetize through Patreon subscriptions.
Apple is allowing alternative app marketplaces to meet the requirements of the Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA) that went into effect on December 18. Marketplace apps are required to pay Apple a five percent Core Technology Commission.
Alternative app marketplaces require authorization from Apple to operate, and are able to distribute apps that have also been notarized by Apple. The notarization process checks for basic functionality and ensures that apps do not include malware, but marketplace apps are not subject to the same content requirements, and Apple has little content oversight.
