My iPhone 13 Won't Sing Me Awake [Updated]

Do you use music for the alarm on your iPhone instead of the awful alarms that are pre-installed? I mean, as alarms go they’re not awful. But I find alarms alarming, which is why I turn to tunes. Would you rather wake up to Zero7, or something that could just as easily be called “Klaxon”? 

Here’s my problem, though.

Okay - here’s one of my problems.

Since receiving my iPhone 13, my iPhone won’t play music to wake me up. I thought it might be because I had not downloaded the tune to my phone, but that didn’t do it either. I haven’t seen anything about this anywhere. I mean, I have in the past, but not tied to iPhone 13 specifically. Curious if anyone else is having this issue. Let me know: info@macosken.com.

Alarming Alarmgate: The Update

I’ve heard from a couple of “Mac OS Ken” listeners in response to my alarming alarm issue. One-and-a-half of them have had this problem. Serendipity Q wrote in, saying:

I have the same issue you mentioned about the iPhone alarm won’t play apple music even you downloaded that music.

Ken (no relation) wrote in to say:

…I bought an iPhone 13 on Friday and restored it from my iPhone XR directly. The alarm kept my customized ring tone, which happens to be “Up Around the Bend” by CCR. Quite effective, I might add. 

Thanks and keep up the good work!

Ken

Meanwhile Brendan wrote to say:

My fiancée was complaining that her alarm on her new iPhone 13 wouldn’t allow her to use music. The next morning or next, it worked. I dunno what changed. 

I’m helpful. You rock. 

Brendan

I dunno either, Brendan. I’ve tried a few different times with a few different song. Downloaded or streaming, nothing does the trick. As to Ken’s comment, I backed up from iCloud, rather than going from a local backup. 

Anyway, my alarm still wakes me. It’s doesn’t surprise and delight, though. It surprises and makes me pee a tiny bit.

Virtual Mail Bag: Tales from Pre-Orderpalooza

We talked Monday on “Mac OS Ken” about problems some folks had ordering iPhone 13 with Apple Card. For the first four-and-a-half-hours of pre-orders last Friday, Apple said, “Some Apple Card customers were not able to make iPhone Upgrade Program purchases.” I have since heard from a couple of people who hit that issue. 

Randy wrote in, saying:

I am in the iPhone annual upgrade program so had pre-registered and was approved for an upgrade to the 13Pro using my Apple Card on Thursday afternoon. But on Friday (…) my pre-registration was rejected because the card was not accepted. 

I generated a new number for my Apple Card and tried again. Same result. 

I started from scratch using my Visa and all was fine. My phone is coming on Friday. 

My only problem at this point is how to get Apple to stop reminding me that I still have time to complete my preregistration and order my new phone. 

Bob had an interesting (and sort of confusing) story:  

At 7 AM central time, I tried to complete my pre-order online and on the iPhone in the app. The app was first to respond.  I tried to pay with Apple Pay linked to a Citi Card. I got the error message indicating that something went wrong. I tried to complete it again using the same method (…) and I got the same error. Without any further interaction, the app suddenly switched to the confirmation screen saying that my purchase was approved. About an  hour later I got a confirmation email. I’ve gotten confirmation of delivery on Tuesday.

I did not have to switch payment methods and there was definitely a glitch in the software. Regardless I was able to order my blue iPhone 13 with a clear case after gnashing of teeth.

When Bob says he got confirmation of a Tuesday delivery, I assume he means for the clear case. My Marigold MagSafe silicone case was supposed to get here today. Then, Apple pulled a literal fast one. The case got here yesterday. Kind of amazed how much smaller the iPhone 13 will be than the iPhone 11 it’s replacing. 

Gonna be a long couple of days.

Once again, I find my attention focused on iPhone, kind of forgetting about iPad mini. Tom has not forgotten the fondle-slab. He wrote to me Monday, saying:

I was just checking out the shipping time on the iPad Mini that I ordered on Friday, I have an arrival date of 9/24, which is what I expected. I was just checking to see how long the wait time was for the model I ordered and was surprised to see it show a delivery date two days earlier (9/22)

I am happy for Tom’s pleasant surprise, though I can’t say I’m overly surprised. As I wrote back to Tom, “I thought it was odd last week that they said ‘next week,’ and not a particular date re: iPad mini.  Anyway - he should have his today, which is cool.

Thanks to everyone who wrote in. Remember - my inbox is always open: info@macosken.com. You can also leave me a voice mail: (716) 780-4080.

Pre-Orderpalooza: A Non-Exhaustive Look at Availability for iPhone 13 Line

As has become a tradition this time of year, I’ve gone through Apple’s site and checked how easy or difficult it would be to get the iPhone I’d want in Apple’s various SKUs.

As of Sunday night, a carrier-unlocked iPhone 13 Pro, Blue, 128GB shows delivery between 19 October and 26 October. The same was true for an iPhone 13 Pro Max with the same specs. One big difference there: I could opt to pick-up a pre-ordered iPhone 13 Pro Max with those specifications at my local Apple Store this Friday 24 September. 

On the iPhone 13 mini - Going Blue, 128GB, carrier unlocked yielded delivery between 8 October and 13 October. That one I could also pre-order and pick up this Friday at my local Apple Store. 

Finally, looking at a Blue, unlocked, 128GB iPhone 13 shows delivery between 5 October and 7 October. And - once again - that phone's available to pre-order and pick-up at my local Apple Store this Friday 24 September.

That said, a friend in L.A. was saying Friday that he couldn’t find Friday pick-up at any Apple Store in the City of Angels. So, they’re not all gone, but they’re not all over the place, either.

UPDATE 22 September:

I’ve run the same less than scientific, less than exhaustive check on the same phones as above. The mini appears to be a day or two “easier” to get, while the rest have slipped further into the future. Looking at the same specs as before:

• iPhone 13 Pro/Pro Max now shows delivery between 21 October and 28 October

• iPhone 13 mini currently show delivery between 8 October and 12 October

• iPhone 13 shows delivery between 11 October and 14 October

If those times leave you bummed, take heart. Each of those checks suggested I check in-store availability on Friday 24 September.

Apple Working on Fix for Macs That Suddenly Cannot Scan

If you’re having trouble scanning with your Mac - it’s not just you, and Apple’s apparently on it. iMore says Apple is working on a fix for Mac users who suddenly don't have permission to use their scanner. 

The problem - put simply - is that some people can’t scan. Put less simply, the piece has Apple saying:

When attempting to connect to your scanner and begin a scan, you might get a message that you do not have permission to open the application, followed by the name of your scanner driver. The message says to contact your computer or network administrator for assistance, or indicates that your Mac failed to open a connection to the device (-21345).

While the while the Mac-wielding world waits for a legit fix, Apple does have steps one can follow for a workaround:

1. Quit any apps that are open.

2. From the menu bar in the Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder.

3. Type /Library/Image Capture/Devices, then press Return.

4. In the window that opens, double-click the app named in the error message. It's the name of your scanner driver. Nothing should happen when you open it.

5. Close the window and open the app you were using to scan. A new scan should proceed normally. If you later choose to scan from a different app and get the same error, repeat these steps.

No word on when a less cumbersome fix will be out, according to iMore. 

Changes Coming for Apple Pay Cash

Here’s the text of an email sent to Apple Pay users on Thursday 5 August 2021:

We’ve made a couple of updates to Apple Cash.

• Starting today, you can use Instant Transfer with Mastercard debit cards in addition to Visa debit cards. Instant Transfer is the fastest way to transfer money from your Apple Cash balance to your bank account.2

• Beginning August 26, 2021, the cost to make an Instant Transfer will change to 1.5% of the transfer amount, with a minimum fee of $0.25 and a maximum fee of $15. The Apple Cash Terms & Conditions have been updated effective today, August 5, 2021, to reflect the new pricing.

• You can also transfer money to your bank account using ACH and receive it within 1 to 3 business days with no fee.

To make an Instant Transfer, go to your Apple Cash card in the Wallet app and tap (…). Tap Transfer to Bank, enter an amount, and select Instant Transfer.

The cost change referred to by Apple would actually appear to be changes. Until 25 August, the cost to make an Instant Transfer stay at 1% of the transfer amount, with a minimum fee of $0.25 and a maximum fee of $10.

The "Mac OS Ken" Peanuts Gang

A couple of weeks ago, I asked “Mac OS Ken” listeners to check out the “Today at Apple” session on YouTube that taught people who to draw themselves as characters in the style of Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang. And here is what they sent!

From left to right: Bill, Sal, Bear, Merrill, Barry, Gregg, John, Jeff, Lisa, Vincent, Nupe, Ken (me), and Robert.

Thanks to everyone who participated! You truly rock!

“Ted Lasso” Takes Over Apple Homepage

This shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but it did. Apple.com has turned its landing page over to “Ted Lasso.” Heading to the site Thursday night to check the price on something, I was greeted by a sky blue page. That was soon filled with the words “Kindness Makes a Comeback.” After a few seconds those were gone, and Jason Sudeikis - Ted Lasso himself - happily wanders onto the screen and just smiled at me.

He’s probably smile at you, too. 

I have avoided hearing about the show as much as I could ahead of the second season. I do have one friend who’s already seen some of it - she says it’s great. And I did see a good line from CNET: “Ted Lasso season 2 review: If you were worried, don't be.” 

“Ted Lasso” starts its second season run today - Friday 23 July - on Apple TV+. 

Let’s Be Peanuts Characters!

Last week I told you that Apple had put a “Today at Apple” session on its YouTube channel, teaching people how to draw themselves as a character from Peanuts. I invited you to try it and send in your results because I wanted to see it. I also wanted to put them together into… something. 

I haven’t taken the time to do it yet myself, which means you still have time to do it and send me yours! 

Watch the “Today at Apple” session on YouTube, draw yourself as a Peanuts character, then send it to me - info@macosken.com. We’ll scare everyone else off the funny pages. 

Dilbert won’t know what hit him.

Apple Issues Last Minute Earth Day Apple Watch Challenge

Earth Day is tomorrow - 22 April, and Apple has waited until - seriously - almost the last minutes to issue this year’s Apple Watch Earth Day Challenge. I got a message on my watch at midnight my time on 21 April, saying:

Let’s get out and celebrate the planet on Earth Day, April 22. Do any workout for 30 minutes or more to earn this award. Record your time withe the Workout app or any app that adds workouts to Health.

Completing the challenge will get you the usual virtual medal - designated for 2021, of course. One assume there will be animated virtual stickers as well. 

Seriously - it’s almost like Apple almost forgot…

Fourth Betas of Apple Operating Systems Out to Public Testing Program

Thanks to Twitter’s @MacInteractive for the tip (and the art)

Tuesday on Mac OS Ken, I said that Apple had seeded fourth betas of iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, tvOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, macOS Big Sur 11.3, and HomePod 14.5 to developers. I also said you shouldn’t be surprised to find public betas available a day or two later. Well, my head hadn’t even hit the pillow Monday night/Tuesday morning before @macinteractive on Twitter let me know that - yeah. That happened. Double checking, MacRumors has updated all of its pieces [1, 2, 3, 4] about the operating systems, saying that the aforementioned betas are now out to Apple’s public beta program. If you’re not part of that and want to be, you can find more info at beta.apple.com. 

Survive the Attic: Apple's Creepy Collection of "Servant" Games

Apple’s launched another game tied to one if its TV shows, though this one’s much more low key. Last month, the Cupertino-company made an AR experience tied to “For All Mankind.” For the M. Night Shyamalan show “Servant,” they’ve gone much smaller. 

A friend got an email from a PR firm last night, letting her know about the game Survive the Attic. Meant for mobile browsers, the firm described the title as “an interactive experience bringing longstanding and new fans into the world of ‘Servant’ and filled with easter eggs, puzzles, and more.”

I think I called it a game, though that’s not quite right. The press release says:

Survive the Attic consists of a series of 10 puzzles, each with a 60 second time limit. While it starts out simple, the challenge increases the further you go. Each puzzle is based on show elements & mysteries in Servant, both seasons one and two.

I didn’t watch enough of “Servant” for any of the callbacks to mean anything to me. I will say though, “Survive the Attic” has the same level of creepiness that kept me from watching the rest of the show, so… if the show’s your cup of tea, you might like the collection of games as well. Or if you haven’t seen the show, and like casual games with a touch of the macabre, it’s online now. One point of frustration: Being a browser-based game, if you mess up, you have to start over. 

You can check it out for yourself at apple.co/survive-the-attic.

A Slightly Bungled "Apple One" Premier

A weird bit of weirdness for Apple One subscribers on Monday. MacRumors ran a piece saying that a lot of people’s subscriptions to Apple’s various bundles had been cancelled. According to the report:

Apple One includes a 30-day free trial for any services that customers did not already subscribe to individually, and that trial period [ended Monday] for those who signed up for Apple One on its first day of availability. Following the end of the trial period, however, some customers [were] seeing their Apple One subscription listed as expired and/or have been billed individually for services like Apple TV+ and Apple Music that should be rolled into Apple One.

Personally, I experienced a variation on that theme. In the middle of the night Monday I got a notification from my Apple payment method, letting me know that Apple had refunded me $29.95. When I checked my subscriptions - sure enough, I was not subscribed to Apple One Premier. Funny thing though: While I was also not subscribed to Apple Music, Apple News Plus, or iCloud Storage, all of those services were still working for me. Rather than subscribing to Apple One again, I decided to wait it out and see what happened. Glad I did. I got charged the $29.95 while writing Tuesday’s Mac OS Ken. My subscriptions now include Apple One Premier with the next billing scheduled for 30 December. 

We’ll see what happens. 

How Hard is HomePod mini to Get?

It’s worth remembering, as much as you might like Apple, you can get their gear from other places. I woke Monday to a message from NosillaCast’s Allison Sheridan. It said:

I heard you mention that the black HomePod mini is hard to get before Christmas so I checked BestBuy and it turns out it is easily available:

That was accompanied by a screenshot of an order page that showed it should ship by 16 December. I emphasize should. Following her lead, here’s what I found online:

BestBuy says Space Gray HomePod mini pick-up should be available in 2-3 Weeks. As I pointed out before, one ordered yesterday should ship by Wednesday 16 December, according to the site. White should have pick-up available in nine-days. It should ship by Wednesday 9 December.

Target lists HomePod mini as “Coming Soon.”

Walmart doesn’t list the mini at all. They do have HomePod listed, but it’s listed as “Out of Stock” 

Amazon does not list HomePod mini, which is funny. 

B&H Photo might be your friend on this one. That site has preorders starting today -  Tuesday 1 December - at 8AM Eastern. No idea what availability will be like, though. 

Finally, if you’re determined to order one from Apple, ordering a Space Gray HomePod mini today will see it at your place between 30 December and 8 January. Interestingly, White is currently harder to get. Order that today and it’ll be in your hands between 7 January and 15 January. 

I shared most of that with Allison, and she came back and said, “Best Buy now has free same-day delivery for some areas…” 

So… I guess keep hunting if you want instant gratification with the chance of no gratification… otherwise, order now and fingers crossed. 

Or be patient.

A Look at Waits for Latest Apple Hardware

Apple opened orders for three new products last Friday. 72-hours later, some are harder to get than others. Apple Insider ran a report midday Friday saying that shipping times had already slipped for iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro max and HomePod mini. I can tell you, most of what they said for the U.S. is no longer accurate, though I did that thing I usually do - looked at the devices I would order as a sort of example case. 

As of Sunday evening - iPhone 12 Pro Max - Pacific Blue, 128GB, unlocked was showing delivery between 1 December - 8 December. Get the same phone with AT&T as your carrier, and you can still have it this Friday 13 November. Choose Sprint and you’re looking at 25 November - 1 December. Same date range for T-Mobile - not surprising since they're the same company now. And finally, going Verizon goes back to this week - people who pulled the trigger on the same model Sunday evening would be staring into their giant new phones this Friday 13 November. 

Now, changing from Pacific Blue does change availability - at least for the unlocked phones. Graphite, 128, unlocked 12 Pro Max shows a shipping range of 25 November through 1 December. You get the same date range for Silver, though Gold looks to be nearly as popular as Pacific Blue at this point. As of Sunday evening - iPhone 12 Pro Max - Gold, 128GB, unlocked was showing delivery between 1 December - 8 December.

Turning to the mini and, again, doing my less than exhaustive check - Looking at locked or unlocked, 64GB or 128GB, Blue or (Product)RED models - those configurations ordered Sunday evening in the states would have your teeny-tiny phone in your suddenly gargantuan seeming hands this Friday 13 November. I didn't do the checks of various carriers on those, because... I didn't. 

With fewer configurations from which to choose, sizing up HomePod mini availability is easier. Trying to buy a Space Gray model Sunday evening would have you listening sometime between 2 December and 10 December. That's pushed out a day from Friday afternoon when the range had already slipped from 1 December through 8 December. And God bless it, people are finally settling for the white HomePod mini. When I checked Friday afternoon, ship times were still in the first-round range of 17 November through 20 November. As of Sunday evening, that had moved a bit. Leading into today, white HomePod minis were showing a shipping range between 24 November and 3 December.

While I’ve not ventured into the Online Stores for other countries, another piece from Apple Insider had some crazy sounding wait times for HomePod mini on Friday afternoon. They saw the same thing I did for the U.S. on Friday - a 2-3 wait time for Space Gray and no wait for White. The wait for Space Gray was a bit longer in other countries, clocking 3-4 weeks in the UK, Canada, and France. The craziest wait, though, was in Germany. On Friday afternoon, “a newly-ordered Space Gray HomePod mini [would] not arrive for between 6 and 7 weeks.” That wasn’t the crazy wait. The crazy wait was for the white one, which had a wait time of 7-8 weeks.

HD Disney Films from Apple Officially Upgraded to 4K HDR

I know we saw this happening in dribs and drabs, but Apple’s made it official. The Cupertino-company sent out emails this week letting users know that the HD Disney movies they’ve bought from Apple have been upgraded to 4K HDR. According to the email I received:

Whether you bought them on iTunes or the Apple TV app, your HD Disney movies have been visually enhanced to 4K HDR at no extra charge.

When they say “Disney,” they mean all of it. The art at the top of the email features films from Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, and - of course - Disney films from Disney. 

Reminder: Apple “Hi, Speed” Event Set for 1PM EDT/10AM PDT

Apple’s “Hi, Speed” event is set for 1PM Eastern/10AM Pacific/7AM in Hawaii? Might as well stay up for that. Lots of ways to watch - the easiest being YouTube. Apple will stream the event on its channel there. Of course, there’s Apple’s own Events page. You can also watch it stream through the Apple TV app, Shortly after the thing’s done, Apple will make it available as a video podcast through Apple Podcasts. Twitters will Tweet about it. Bloggers will blog about it. I’m going live on my YouTube channel to talk about it - I’ll do that at 6:30PM Eastern/3:30PM Pacific - you tube dot com - slash - ken ray. In a Few Minutes starts again Wednesday hitting the highs and lows. And - of course - will hit those in a more newsy fashion on Wednesday’s Mac OS Ken.

Dumbing Down a Smart Feature

A story from the “careful what you wish for” file. Remember how excited people were for AirPods that switched automatically from one Apple device to another? It seems that some are over that. A piece from Cult of Mac says, “Sometimes the feature is useful, but other times it’s really frustrating.”

While earbuds smart enough to know what you want to listen to and switch to that automatically sounds like a great idea, they’re not actually smart enough to know what you want, working instead on a sort of “if this, then that.” 

“So,” says the Cult, “if you find that the feature is more of a frustration than a blessing, you’ll want to disable it and return to switching manually.” Here’s how to to it, per the Cult:

Disable automatic device switching for AirPods

1. Connect your AirPods or AirPods Pro to iPhone.

2. Open the Settings app.

3. Tap Bluetooth.

4. Find your AirPods in the list of connected devices, then tap the i button.

5. Tap Connect to This iPhone.

6. Change this setting to When Last Connected to This iPhone.

“Unfortunately,” the piece says, “you’ll need to disable automatic switching on all Apple devices running iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 (and macOS Big Sur when it rolls out later), so repeat these steps on your iPad, too.” Do that, though, and you’ll once again have earbuds that are probably just smart enough.

Welcome to Blunderdome

What a clusterthing Wednesday’s hearing was. “Historic,” some called it, and - sure. The CEOs of four of the biggest tech companies around, together - virtually - on Capitol Hill, testifying before the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee is historic. Sadly, armed with both hands a map, members of congress couldn’t find the gravitas. Some seem to have an obstinate misunderstanding of technology while others really wanted to talk about other things. I joked on “In a Few Minutes” earlier this week that the CEOs were appearing before the House Subcommittee on we hate you right now because it benefits us politically to do so. Turns out I wasn’t joking. This was meant to be a sort of crescendo after months and months of investigation by the subcommittee.

Participants in Student U.N. are better prepared and take their duties more seriously. Cards drawn randomly from a question deck would have given us greater insight. 

Now - that was my impression from the parts I saw. I want to say I saw the last two rounds of questions, though I did catch the opening statements from the CEOs because C-SPAN reran those during a short recess taken by the committee. I thought I might go back and watch the whole thing later. Then, I didn’t. 

About Absher

There was one thing Cook said during his appearance on Capitol Hill Wednesday that I found very disappointing. One of the representatives asked Cook about the removal of a number of Parental Control apps from the App Store around the same time Screen Time was introduced. Cook said the third-party apps were removed because they were misusing Apple’s Mobile Device Management (MDM) program. Those apps, he said, were removed for the safety of the children. 

I have no problem with that. The guys I work with at SecureMac dislike those third-party apps because who knows who those third-parties are? The controls given to them - in the opinion of more than a couple security professionals - leave children vulnerable in whole new ways. In fact, handing over those controls - in some ways - makes them more vulnerable, depending on the third-parties in question. 

Whichever representative it was then turned Cook’s attention to Absher - an app put out by the Saudi government. This was a big story in early 2019. Developed for or by the government of Saudi Arabia, Engadget said at the time:

The mobile software lets Saudi men control and track travel permissions for women and migrant workers, leading to an outcry that Google and Apple were promoting "sixteenth century tyranny.”

When the story was big, Tim Cook was asked about it. Here are the first two lines of a piece from Apple Insider in February of last year:

Apple CEO Tim Cook has promised his company will "take a look" at Absher, a Saudi government app with a feature letting men control the travel of their wives and daughters.

"I haven't heard about it," Cook said in an NPR interview (…). "But obviously we'll take a look at it if that's the case."

The representative questioning Cook about Absher is under the impression that it uses the same MDM program as the banned Parental Controls apps. She wanted to know why it was allowed to stay in the App Store while the other apps were removed.  

Cook said he didn’t know about the Saudi app, but that he would look into it. Which is starting to sound familiar. 

Apple Running Virtual Art Sessions for High School Kids in Chicago

Sentrock has pioneered an iconic street art brand that speaks to empowerment and community growth.

Apple’s running virtual art sessions for kinds in Chicago. MacRumors says:

Apple will host free online art sessions for high school students in Chicago next week as part of its continuing “Today at Apple” virtual event series.

Putting the call out to area high schoolers, Apple says:

From July 27–31, join Sentrock Studio and Young Chicago Authors with Today at Apple for a week of free virtual art sessions for students ages 14–18. Each day you'll go behind the scenes with a lineup of Chicago's most influential creators to find inspiration in their studios, learn illustration tips and techniques, and make artwork inspired by their visual styles. Bring your imagination and whatever you have to draw on.

Sessions will run over Webex from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 PM local time. Click here for more info and registration.