This week's news was dominated by Black Friday deals that started popping up early in the week and will continue into next week, so make sure to check out our coverage to find the best prices on gear for Apple fans.
Other popular stories this week include Apple revealing that it's pushed back the launch of digital IDs in the wallet app to early 2022, and Tim Cook discussing Apple. Read on for more information.
Black Friday deals on Apple products.
Black Friday is unofficially the start of the holiday shopping season with many discounts on Apple products. We've rounded up the sales on the Apple products. Check out our Black Friday deals round up.
Customers can receive a free Apple gift card with the purchase of select products during Apple's annual four-day shopping event on Black Friday through Cyber Monday in the United States and several other countries.
The feature for adding your driver's license to your phone was delayed.
The upcoming watchOS 8 feature that will allow you to add your driver's license or state ID to your phone has been delayed.
The feature will only be available in the U.S., with Apple having previously announced the first states that will support it. The story covers everything we know about Apple's digital ID feature.
Thanks to the Emoji change, the iMessage reactions will no longer annoy you.
Thanks to a recent change in the Messages app that displays the reactions as "emoji", it will be possible for users on the other side of the world to see a heart or thumbs up properly.
Prior to the change, iMessage reactions would appear as a text message on the phone, which was confusing and repetitive.
Tim Cook talks about Apple's new do-it-yourself repair program.
Apple recently announced a new self-service repair program that will provide customers with access to Apple genuine parts, tools, and manuals for completing their own repairs of select devices, starting with iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models early next year.
Apple's self-service repair program will include repair instructions on the Apple Support website and an online parts and tools store for customers that will be operated by a third party.
In an interview with KTLA's Rich DeMuro, Apple CEO Tim Cook talked about the self-service repair program.
There is a lack of native support for the HomePod.
Several customers are on the verge of canceling their subscriptions and moving to alternative platforms, such as Apple Music, because of the lack of native HomePod support for the streaming music service.
Since 2020, Apple has allowed third-party streaming music services to support the HomePod, but it is not possible for users to play music from their HomePod without opening the app.
The NSO Group is being sued by Apple over state-sponsored cyber crime.
Apple filed a lawsuit against NSO Group to hold it accountable for state-sponsored spyware targeting Apple users. Apple is giving $10 million to organizations that are researching and advocating for cybersurveillance.
Apple said it is notifying a small number of users that it may have been targeted. Apple has shared a document detailing how it will notify users.
The MacRumors Newsletter is published.
It's a great way to get a small recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big picture view, and we publish an email newsletter every week highlighting the top Apple stories.
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