Apple has released iOS 17 beta 6 and iPadOS 17 beta 6 to iPhone and iPad users wnerolled in the developer beta testing programs.

Usually Apple will release a developer beta build first, and is soon followed by a matching build as public beta. iOS 17 beta 6 is build 21A5312c, which also matches iPadOS 17 beta 6.

Generally beta system software is best reserved for advanced users, but any curious user can proceed to install iOS 17 beta onto their iPhone or iPadOS 17 beta onto their iPad by signing up for the free Apple developer program, or they can use the public beta channels as well. The only real requirement is to have an iPhone that supports iOS 17, and being comfortable with beta system software and the quirks that come along with a beta release.

Separately, Apple has released new beta builds for watchOS 10 beta 6, tvOS beta 6, and HomePod, but curiously absent at the moment is MacOS Sonoma beta 6, which did not get released concurrently.

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Staying safe online with your Apple devices is an ongoing effort, and it’s important to keep yourself vigilant and informed about potential threats and risks. While the Mac, iPhone, and iPad, are generally much more secure than their competitor counterparts, that doesn’t mean you should be completely oblivious to risks to your personal information, logins, privacy, and general security.

We’re going to walk through six important tips to remember for when you’re online with your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, to help to insure your and your devices safety.

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Amazon is discounting all of Apple’s wildly popular AirPods wireless earbuds, knocking $29.99 off the price of the AirPods 3, $50 off AirPods Pro 2nd gen, and $30 off AirPods 2.

Let’s check out the deals:

AirPods 3 for $139.99 (from $169 retail)

AirPods 3 feature a Lightning charging case, spatial audio, sweat and water resistance, up to 30 hours of battery life, the ability to answer and end phone calls, Hey Siri support, and more.

• Get AirPods 3 for $139.99 (discounted from $169)

AirPods Pro 2nd gen for $199 (from $249 retail)

AirPods Pro 2nd generation are Apple’s most advanced wireless earbuds, with active noice canceling, Adaptive Transparency, spatial audio, a MagSafe charging case, Hey Siri support, customizable fit, touch controls for adjusting volume and play/pause capabilities, water resistance, and more.

• AirPods Pro 2nd gen for $199 (discounted from $249)

AirPods 2 for $99 (from $129 retail)

The AirPods 2 feature a lightning charging case, 24 hours of battery life, easy setup, and Hey Siri support, and remain an excellent choice if you do not need the more advanced features or water resistance available on the other models.

• AirPods 2nd generation for $99 (discounted from $129)

FTC: OSXDaily is an affiliate partner with Amazon, meaning if you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment which goes towards keeping the site running.

iPad 9th Generation for Just $249 (discounted from $329)

If you’re in the market for a cheap iPad, Amazon is selling the 9th generation iPad for just $249, a whopping $80 discount from retail price.

iPad 9th generation features an A13 CPU, 10.2″ Retina display, 64GB storage, 12MP camera on the front, 8MP camera on the back, Touch ID with Home button, and is available in Space Gray and Silver color options.

• Get the iPad 9th generation for $249 (final price in cart during checkout, discounted from $329)

Remember, you must add the iPad 9th gen to your cart and go to checkout to see the final discounted price of $249.

These iPads are excellent choices for more casual iPad users, for kids, grandparents, friends, or just about anyone who wants an iPad but doesn’t want to pay the hefty prices of the iPad Pro, iPad Air, or iPad mini models (or even the 10th gen iPad, which is wildly overpriced in my humble opinion).

M1 iPad Air for $499 (discounted from $599)

If you’re more of a power iPad user, or you simply want a more powerful device with the latest industrial design, you can also get the iPad Air M1 at $100 off for just $499 from Amazon.

• Get iPad Air M1 for $499 (discounted from $599)

The iPad Air 5th generation features the speedy and power efficient M1 chip, a 10.9″ Liquid Retina Display, 64GB of storage, Wi-Fi 6, 12MP front camera and 12MP back camera, Touch ID on the side power button, and has the snazzy newer modern industrial design language that matches the iPad Pro line. One huge benefit to the M1 iPad Air too is that it’s compatible with the iPad Magic Keyboard, which is easily the best accessory available for any iPad, as it turns the iPad into a laptop with a great keyboard and trackpad as well.

As is typical with Amazon, prices and stock changes frequently, so if you see something you’re interested in, grab it for the discounted price, and enjoy!

FTC: OSXDaily is an affiliate partner with Amazon, meaning if you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment which goes towards keeping the site running.

If you’re seeking out a very unique hobby project or weekend endeavor, perhaps you’d be interested in building a tiny working Macintosh out of a RaspberryPi?

Nobody said it would be easy, but if you’re adventurous, dedicated, and patient enough, you can follow a set of instructions to build your very own Tiny Mac out of a Raspberry Pi 4 and some 3D printed components to make your own miniaturized original Macintosh enclosure.

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Some Mac users have discovered a seemingly random device called “openthread.thread.home.arpa” in the Network section of Finder, which is where you see other available network computers and devices.

Curiously, if you click on “openthread.thread.home.arpa” to try and connect to it or interact with it, you will find that generally nothing happens.

So, what is openthread.thread.home.arpa in the Network section of MacOS? Is this something to worry about, is it a normal device, and what is its purpose? Don’t stress, because that’s exactly what we’re going to dive into here, so that you can understand what openthread.thread.home.arpa is if you happen to see it on your Mac.

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Some Mac users have discovered an alarming message when using macOS Sonoma that says “Unknown is capturing your screen”, appearing in the users menu bar. The “Unknown is capturing your screen” message is not actionable, and typically it appears for a few seconds and then vanishes, making it more concerning.

What’s going on that is causing the “Unknown is capturing your screen” message to appear on the Mac, and what can be done about it? Let’s take a look.

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The M1 MacBook Air is a very popular laptop, and Amazon continues to offer the base model at a whopping $250 discount off the retail price of $999, bringing the sale price to just $749.99.

Featuring a speedy and power efficient M1 processor, 13″ Retina display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, FaceTime HD camera, Touch ID, and a backlit keyboard, you can get the $749.99 price in any available color, including Gold, Space Gray, and Silver.

• M1 MacBook Air 13″ – 8GB RAM / 256GB SSD for $749.99 (any color, discounted from $999)

Apple continues to sell the M1 MacBook Air too, but at the full $999 price… if you’re shopping for a MacBook Air why pay more than you need to?

And if MacBook Air isn’t what you’re looking for, you can always check out other great Apple deals at Amazon.com.

And separately…

Amazon is also offering a nice 10% discount on a 4 pack of AirTag personal trackers, which you can put on everything from luggage, backpacks, even pets (though the latter is informal and not recommended by Apple, many people do it).

• AirTags 4 pack for $88.99 (10% discount, from $99)

OSXDaily is an affiliate partner with Amazon, meaning if you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment which goes towards keeping the site running.

Some iPhone and iPad users who are running the iOS 17 beta and iPadOS 17 beta may occasionally encounter an error when attempting to update their system software. The error message appears on the Software Update screen of Settings and usually says something like “Unable to Check for Update – An error occurred while checking for a software update.” You’ll then have an option to “Try Again”, which often does nothing and simply shows the same error message.

If you experience the “Unable to Check for Update” error when trying to update iOS 17 or ipadOS 17 beta, read along and you should have it fixed in no time.

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Amazon is back with some amazing Mac deals, this time on the latest MacBook Pro product line. You can get up to a $300 discount on the M2 Pro in 14″, and $250 off the 16″ model in a variety of configurations.

14″ MacBook Pro with M2 Pro Chip – Up to $300 Off

The base model 14″ MacBook Pro with M2 Pro chip features a 10‑core CPU and 16‑core GPU, 14.2″ Liquid Retina XDR Display, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD storage and is available for $250 off the retail price, whereas the upgraded model features a 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD and is $300 off retail.

• 14″ MacBook Pro w/ M2 Pro – 16 GB / 512 GB – $1749 (from $1999)
• 14″ MacBook Pro w/ M2 Pro – 16 GB / 1 TB – $2199 (from $2499)

16″ MacBook Pro with M2 Pro Chip – $250 Off

The base model 16″ MacBook Pro with M2 Pro chip features a 12-core CPU, 19-core GPU, 16.2″ Liquid Retina XDR display, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, and is available for $250 off the retail price, whereas the upgraded model features 1TB of storage.

• 16″ MacBook Pro w/ M2 Pro – 16GB / 512GB – $2249 (from $2499)
• 16″ MacBook Pro w/ M2 Pro – 16GB / 1TB – $2449 (Reduced from $2699)

You can also save $250 on the upgraded 16″ MacBook Pro with M2 Max chip that features a 12-core CPU and a whopping 38-core GPU, with 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD, available for $3249, down from the $3499 retail price.

Stock changes quickly at Amazon, so if you’re shopping for a new ultra-powerful MacBook Pro model, then jump on a deal you like.

Stepping away from Macs for a moment, Amazon is continuing to offer a fantastic deal on AirPods Pro 2nd generation wireless earbuds as well, available at $199, taking $50 off the retail price of $249:

• AirPods Pro 2nd generation for $199 (down from $249)

AirPods Pro 2nd gen are water resistant, have active noise cancelling, personalized spatial audio, a MagSafe charging case, custom fit, and so much more. These are fantastic wireless Bluetooth headphones for your iPhone, Mac, iPad, Android, or nearly any other device you’re interested in using them with.

FTC: OSXDaily is an affiliate partner with Amazon, meaning if you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment which goes towards keeping the site running.

Apple has issued the third public beta versions of iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and MacOS Sonoma, to users who are participating in the public beta program for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

iOS 17 public beta 3 and iPadOS 17 public beta 3 share the same build number, 21A5303d, as the 5th developer beta.

MacOS Sonoma public beta 3 shares the same build of 23A5312d as the 5th dev beta release too.

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Apple has released iOS 17 beta 5 for users who are participating in the developer beta program for iPhone system software. Typically a new dev beta is released and is soon followed by the same build as a public beta, in this the beta 5 build is 21A5303d.

Technically speaking, any user can install iOS 17 beta onto their iPhone by signing up for the free Apple dev program, or by joining the public beta program. The only real requirement is to have an iOS 17 compatible iPhone, and tolerance for running beta system software.

Separately, Apple has also released beta updates for MacOS Sonoma beta 5, iPadOS 17 beta 5, watchOS 10 beta 5, and tvOS 17 beta 5.

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Apple has released MacOS Sonoma beta 5 to users who are enrolled in the developer beta testing program for Mac system software. Typically a developer beta version rolls out first and is soon followed by the same build available to public beta testers. MacOS Sonoma beta 5 carries the build number of 23A5312d.

From a technical standpoint, any Mac user can join the free Apple developer beta program and install MacOS Sonoma beta, similar to how any user can join the public beta.

Separately, Apple has also released iOS 17 beta 5 for iPhone, iPadOS 17 beta 5 for iPad, watchOS 10 beta 5 for Apple Watch, and tvOS 17 beta 5 for Apple TV.

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Apple has released iPadOS 17 beta 5 to users participating in the iPad developer beta program. Typically the new dev beta build is released first, and is followed soon after by the same build as a public beta.

Technically speaking, any adventurous user can install iPadOS 17 developer beta onto their iPad right now by joining the free Apple Developer program. Similarly, any user can join the public beta program as well.

Separately, new betas are also available for iOS 17 beta 5, MacOS Sonoma beta 5, watchOS 10 beta 5, and tvOS 17 beta 5.

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MacOS Sonoma is the upcoming new Mac operating system that features a return of desktop widgets, new screen savers, new video conferencing features for FaceTime, Safari Profiles support, privacy locked Private Browsing mode in Safari, new Messages capabilities, autofill support for PDFs, improved autocorrect with text completion prediction, Game Mode, and much more.

If you’re excited about MacOS Sonoma 14, you may be wondering if you can run the new operating system on your Mac, and if your Mac is compatible with MacOS Sonoma. Let’s check out the official list of supported Macs for MacOS Sonoma, so you can determine if your computer will run the new operating system.

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Amazon has done it again, offering a record low price for the brand new 15″ MacBook Air M2 by taking $200 off the retail price, with the base model starting at just $1099. You can also get the upgraded 512GB SSD model at a $200 discount in select colors too. What a deal!

The base model MacBook Air 15″ features the excellent M2 chip, 15.3″ Liquid Retina display, 1080p camera, MagSafe Charger, two USB-C / Thunderbolt ports, Touch ID, backlit keyboard, and fantastic battery life.

M2 MacBook Air 15″ base model with 256 GB storage and 8 GB RAM:

• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 256GB – Starlight – $1099 (from $1299)
• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 256GB – Midnight – $1099 (from $1299)
• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 256GB – Space Gray – $1099 (from $1299)
• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 256GB – Silver – $1099 (Reduced from $1299)

The upgraded model with 512 GB storage and 8 GB RAM is also available for $200 off in select colors:

• 15″ MacBook Air M2 – 256GB – Starlight – $1299 (from $1499)

As is typical with Amazon, stock on hand changes quickly, so if you’re looking to get a great deal on a MacBook Air 15″ model, move quickly.

Separately, Amazon is also offering a fantastic deal on AirPods Pro 2nd generation wireless earbuds, taking $50 off the retail price:

• AirPods Pro 2nd generation for $199 (down from $249)

AirPods Pro 2nd gen are water resistant, have active noise cancelling, personalized spatial audio, a MagSafe charging case, custom fit, and so much more. These are fantastic wireless Bluetooth headphones for your iPhone, Mac, iPad, Android, or nearly any other device you’re interested in using them with.

FTC: OSXDaily is an affiliate partner with Amazon, meaning if you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment which goes towards keeping the site running.

If you’re new to the Mac, or new to Zoom, you may want to know how you can download and install Zoom on the Mac. Like many things, the process is pretty easy once you learn how, but you’d be forgiven for being confused if you go to the Zoom homepage and don’t find it to be obvious.

Zoom is an ultra popular virtual meeting platform used around the globe for everything from work, government, education, social, personal, and so much more, so let’s get to it and learn how you can download and install Zoom to get Zoom running on your Mac.

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If you’re an iPhone user you may have received a message at some point in time and noticed that underneath the message content, a little note says “Sent with Siri”. You might be wondering what that means, and why the Sent with Siri message appears, and perhaps you’re wondering if your messages have the same notice too.

Let’s explain what “Sent with Siri” messages mean, and how you can send messages yourself with that badge attached as well.

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