This week’s top stories: iOS 14 widgets go viral, iPhone 12 mini rumors, and more

In this week’s top stories: iOS 14 widgets go viral, Apple Watch Series 6 hands-on and impressions, fall 2020 iPad Pro rumors, and more. Read on for all of this week’s top stories.

iOS 14 debuted to the public on September 16, bringing a variety of new features to iPhone users such as the App Library and App Clips. Over the last week, however, home screen widgets have been the feature to go viral. You can read our full guide on how to give your iOS 14 home screen a custom aesthetic.

A rumor this week suggested that Apple will switch up the naming for the iPhone 12 lineup this year, introducing the iPhone 12 mini. This would be the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 model, while the other naming would be iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Over the last week, we also learned more about the Apple Watch Series 6. A teardown from iFixit revealed that the battery inside the Apple Watch Series 6 is actually slightly larger than the Series 5, with the 40mm size increasing by 8.5% and the 44mm increasing by 3.5%. Find more details from the iFixit teardown here.

For the first time ever, Apple’s Online Store debuted in India this week. This means that shoppers in India can now make purchases directly from Apple itself. Previously, shoppers in India were forced to exclusively on a network of channel partners like Apple Premium Resellers for sales and support. To learn more about how to purchase directly from Apple, a new “Ways To Buy” page is available. 

Finally, a new investor note from Ming-Chi Kuo this week indicated that Apple will release its first mini-LED product in Q4 of this year, and it’ll be a new iPad Pro. This would mark the second iPad Pro refresh of 2020, but the update in March was largely an iterative update with slight performance improvements and a new camera setup on the back. Theoretically, the fall 2020 iPad Pro update could bring the new A14 processor alongside the mini LED display technology, in time for the holiday shopping season.

iOS 14 |

• How to give your iOS 14 home screen a custom aesthetic with unique app icons
• Apple releases iOS 14.0.1 with bug fixes for widgets, default app settings, more
• Here’s how to use the new iPhone home screen widgets in iOS 14
• iOS 14: What do the orange and green dots in the status bar mean?
• iOS 14: How to use 10 of the most popular new iPhone and iPad features
• Apple releases first public beta of iOS 14.2
• iOS 14 Weather app includes real-time precipitation data, more
• iOS 14: How to customize your home screen widgets with Smart Stacks and Siri Suggestions
• How to use the Shortcuts app to automatically create custom iOS wallpapers
• iOS 14: How to use the new iPhone alarms
• Apple no longer signs iOS 13.7, blocking downgrades from iOS 14

iPhone |

• Report: New 5.4-inch iPhone to be called ‘iPhone 12 mini’
• New claimed photos of iPhone 12 braided cable

Apple Watch |

• First impressions of seamless Solo Loop Apple Watch band are good
• Apple Watch Series 5 vs. Series 6: Should you upgrade?
• Apple Watch Series 6 Diary: How I’m making my upgrade decision
• Apple Watch Series 6 Diary: Graphite hands-on and battery life tests
• Hands-on: Product (RED) Apple Watch Series 6 and the new Braided Solo Loop
• Bandbreite makes browsing watch bands more fun than Apple Watch Studio
• PSA: If you have an Apple Watch Sport Band, here’s a better approach to Solo Loop sizing

iPad and Mac |

• First Apple product with miniLED backlighting will be iPad Pro in Q4 – Kuo
• Logitech‘s new MX Anywhere 3 mouse for Mac looks like a great WFH companion
• Apple’s miniLED plans: 30-40% of iPads and 20-30% of MacBooks next year – Kuo

Top Apple stories, retail |

• COVID-19: Which Apple Stores have reopened?
• The Apple Store online is now available in India
• Today at Apple and Girls Who Code hosting virtual Sisterhood Story Sessions in October
• QR codes bring helpful context to the Apple Store experience

Apps |

• Hands-on: Widgetsmith brings ultra-customizable widgets to your iOS 14 home screen
• Launcher 5 lets you create custom iOS 14 widgets with different shortcuts
• TuneTrack app brings Spotify widget to your iOS 14 home screen
• Fantastical adds 12 home screen widgets for iOS 14, Scribble support on iPad, more
• iOS 14 widgets leads Pinterest to break its daily App Store download record
• Heart Analyzer for iPhone and Apple Watch adds iOS 14 widget, blood oxygen data, more
• All-new Outlook for Mac app coming in October with Big Sur-inspired design and more
• 1Password launches virtual credit card generator for safer online payments
• Marvis Pro brings custom Apple Music widgets to your iOS 14 home screen

Apple TV |

• Apple TV+ Guide: Here are all the Apple TV shows and movies available now
• Apple TV+ picks up its first Emmy, Billy Crudup awarded outstanding supporting actor for his role in The Morning Show

Top Apple stories, company |

• Epic, Spotify, Tile and more form Coalition for App Fairness
• Apple responds to antitrust pressure with App Store PR blitz

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This week’s top videos |

• Hands-on with the top 10 iOS 14 features for iPhone [Video]
• iPadOS 14 – 50+ Top Features and Changes! [Video

9to5Mac Daily |

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

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Fitness+ expansion, Apple and Google team up – 9to5Mac Daily

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Sponsored by Backblaze: Give yourself the gift of peace of mind. Till the end of the month, 9to5Mac listeners get 30% off with code 9to5Xmas.  New episodes of 9to5Mac Daily are recorded every weekday. Subscribe to our podcast in Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast player to guarantee new episodes are delivered as soon as they’re available. Stories discussed in this episode: iPhone 16 tops Q3 sales as Apple claims 5 best-selling spots Apple and Google team up to make iPhone and Android switching easier Apple Silicon chief Johny Srouji reportedly commits to staying at Apple for now Apple announces biggest Fitness+ expansion ever with help from AI Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts Overcast RSS Spotify TuneIn Google Podcasts Subscribe to support Chance directly with 9to5Mac Daily Plus and unlock: Ad-free versions of every episode Bonus content Catch up on 9to5Mac Daily episodes! Don’t miss out on our other daily podcasts: Quick Charge 9to5Toys Daily Share your thoughts! Drop us a line at happyhour@9to5mac.com. You can also rate us in Apple Podcasts or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.

1. Fitness+ expansion, Apple and Google team up 07:24
2. Apple’s chip exec considers leaving, iPhone rumors 07:28
3. More Apple executive drama 07:03
4. Apple’s design VP leaves for Meta 06:56
5. iOS 26.1 goes wide, more 06:12

9to5Mac Watch Time |

Jeff Benjamin joins Zac Hall to give Apple Watch Series 3 and Series 5 an exit interview before new models are announced. 9to5Mac Watch Time is a podcast series hosted by Zac Hall. In this series, we talk to real people about how Apple Watch is affecting their lives.

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Week 6 – 9to5Mac Watch Time

This week on Watch Time join 9to5Mac's Zac Hall and Tempo developer Rahul Matta in the final episode of this podcast "season". 9to5Mac Watch Time is a podcast series hosted by Zac Hall. In this series, we talk to real people about how Apple Watch is affecting their lives. Subscribe now to catch up with each episode and automatically hear new episodes as soon as they’re released every two weeks: 🟣 Apple Podcasts | 🟠 Overcast | 🟢 Spotify Follow Zac Instagram @apollozac Twitter @apollozac SpaceExplored.com Follow Rahul Matta Twitter @rmatta Twitter @TempoLog Blog indie.sh Follow 9to5Mac Instagram @9to5mac Twitter @9to5mac Facebook YouTube.com/9to5Mac Listen & Subscribe Apple Podcasts Spotify Overcast RSS Read More Toning down the Apple Watch: Tips and feature requests to avoid being overwhelmed Apple releases watchOS 7.4.1 with security improvements Apple Watch blood sugar and blood pressure measurement could be a step closer watchOS 7.4 brings iPhone mask unlock feature for Apple Watch Enjoy the podcast? Shop Apple at Amazon to support 9to5Mac Watch Time!

1. Week 6 46:48
2. With guest Sigmund Judge 42:59
3. Week 5 52:45
4. Week 4 57:20
5. Week 3 56:40

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Two key Apple executives depart, App Store dealings, and Apple Music Replay 2025 – 9to5Mac Happy Hour

Benjamin and Chance react to the departure of not one, but two, key Apple executives this week with the news that John Giannandrea is retiring as SVP of AI, and design VP Alan Dye is leaving for a new job at Meta. Also, Apple finally agrees a deal with Tencent over commission for mini apps in WeChat, India tries to pre-install a state security app on iPhones, and the new Apple Music Replay launches.  And in Happy Hour Plus, an analytics report claims baseball games drive more subscribers to Apple TV than its original series. Subscribe at 9to5mac.com/join.  Sponsored by Narwal: Narwal is officially launching their Cyber Monday discounts, offering the record-low prices of its entire lineup up to 49% off. Sponsored by Hydrow: Train smarter, not longer. The Hydrow rowing machine delivers the best results, in just 20 minutes a day. Use code HAPPYHOUR to save up to $600 at hydrow.com. Sponsored by Square: Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at square.com/go/happyhour. Sponsored by Aura Frames: The best digital picture frames. Get $35 off the best selling Carver Mat Frames with code HAPPYHOUR at on.auraframes.com/HAPPYHOUR. Hosts Chance Miller @chancemiller.me on Bluesky @chancehmiller@mastodon.social @ChanceHMiller on Instagram @ChanceHMiller on Threads Benjamin Mayo @bzamayo on Twitter @bzamayo@mastodon.social @bzamayo on Threads Subscribe, Rate, and Review Apple Podcasts Overcast Spotify 9to5Mac Happy Hour Plus Subscribe to 9to5Mac Happy Hour Plus! Support Benjamin and Chance directly with Happy Hour Plus! 9to5Mac Happy Hour Plus includes:  Ad-free versions of every episode  Pre- and post-show content Bonus episodes Join for $5 per month or $50 a year at 9to5mac.com/join.  Feedback Submit #Ask9to5Mac questions on Twitter, Mastodon, or Threads Email us feedback and questions to happyhour@9to5mac.com Links John Giannandrea leaving Apple following AI strategy miss Apple design boss Alan Dye departing for Meta Gruber: Apple employees 'giddy' about Alan Dye’s departure Tencent to apply for Apple's new App Store Mini Apps Partner Program Apple launches Mini Apps Partner Program for developers India orders Apple to pre-instal a state security app on iPhones Apple to refuse Indian government order to pre-install state security app on iPhones India says users may delete mandatory state-owned ‘security’ app After Apple refusal, India makes U-turn on mandatory iPhone app Apple Music Replay 2025 personal listening recap is ready to explore and share Spotify Wrapped arrives with a new party feature Pluribus is Apple TV's biggest drama series launch ever Apple TV’s top 10 list that drove signups reveals big surprises

1. Two key Apple executives depart, App Store dealings, and Apple Music Replay 2025 01:10:48
2. Apple Black Friday, AirDrop on Android, macOS Tahoe thoughts  01:07:46
3. Slide Over improvements in iPadOS 26.2, Tesla CarPlay, Tim Cook retiring rumors 01:05:03
4. iPhone Pocket, iOS 26.2 beta 2, and the iPhone Air’s future 55:56
5. iOS 26.2 new features, App Store on web, Gemini Siri deal confirmed 54:56

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Stacktrace has moved! – Stacktrace

As we've mentioned in the last episode, the Stacktrace podcast is no longer a part of the 9to5Mac network. If you're seeing this entry in your podcast player, then you probably need to unfollow Stacktrace and follow the podcast again. Start by unfollowing the show in your podcast player, then just search for "Stacktrace" and follow the show again. You'll notice that the updated show has a new artwork and that episode 179 has already been released there. To learn more about how to listen to Stacktrace, check out our new website. Thanks for listening!

1. Stacktrace has moved! 01:00
2. 178: “Let’s try something new” 01:03:25
3. 177: “The stand is included!” 01:09:24
4. 176: “Extra Keynote Poker” 01:19:00
5. 175: “A Bluetooth fanboy” 54:35

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The impact of AI on Apple IT departments – Apple @ Work

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1. The impact of AI on Apple IT departments 22:22
2. What's driving 1Password's $400M ARR momentum? 18:40
3. How the agentic browser changes the game for IT 25:48
4. State of the union for passkeys 26:08
5. SupportApp 3.0 makes remote Mac support even easier 36:04

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