As some subreddits continue blackouts to protest Reddit's plans to charge high prices for its API, Reddit has informed the moderators of those subreddits that it has plans to replace resistant moderation teams to keep spaces "open and accessible to users." In a comment shared by r/Apple moderator @aaronp613, Reddit cited its Moderator Code of Conduct and said that it has a duty to keep communities "relied upon by thousands or even millions of users" operational. Mods who do not agree to reopen subreddits that have gone private will be removed.If a moderator team unanimously decides to stop moderating, we will invite new, active moderators to keep these spaces open and accessible to users. If there is no consensus, but…

Apple today opened its new store in Battersea, South West London – the second to feature the company's overhauled retail store design after the Tysons Corner revamp last month. Apple Battersea is the 40th Apple Store in the UK and it is located inside the redeveloped Battersea Power Station on the Ground Floor in Turbine Hall A. The building is a decommissioned coal-fired power station, regarded as an iconic landmark owing to its Art Deco fittings and status as one of the world's largest brick constructions. The store is positioned around four original brick piers from the 1930s, with exposed steel supports on the ceiling. The walls feature an overlaid oak framework of shelving and a revamped fixture set, defining…

With iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura last year, Apple introduced Lockdown Mode, an optional security setting designed to protect the "very small number" of users who may be at risk of "highly targeted cyberattacks" from companies developing state-sponsored spyware, such as journalists, activists, and government employees. Starting with iOS 17 and watchOS 10, enabling Lockdown Mode on an iPhone also turns on Lockdown Mode on a paired Apple Watch. Apple says Lockdown Mode provides an "extreme" level of security, with strict limitations on apps, websites, and features. At launch, Lockdown Mode included the following protections:In the Messages app, most message attachment types other than images are blocked, and some features like link previews are unavailable. Incoming FaceTime calls…

Apple’s brand-new London store, Apple Battersea, is now open at the iconic and newly redeveloped Battersea Power Station. Apple Battersea David Phelan for Forbes: There are now 40 Apple Stores in the U.K. The first was in London’s Regent Street, and this one is in south London, in the redeveloped Battersea Power Station. It opened at 4PM London time today. Battersea Power Station is now headquarters for Apple’s U.K. staff as well, in five floors of spectacularly designed offices in the building. The retail store sits inside as well, and has the distinctive inviting glass frontage Apple favors. [T]here are live performances outside the store from today through Sunday, with local artists including JGrrey and Kwaye. MacDailyNews Take: Congrats, London!…

Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after the release of the second betas. Registered developers can opt in to the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to Software Update, tapping on the “Beta Updates” option and toggling on the iOS 16 Developer Beta. Note that an Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta. iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 lay the groundwork for iMessage Contact Key Verification. It is meant to let Apple device owners verify that they are messaging with the people they intend to message rather than a malicious entity…

Image: Epic Games Today, Epic is releasing a new tool designed to capture an actor’s facial performance using a device as simple as an iPhone and apply it to a hyperrealistic “MetaHuman” in the Unreal Engine in “minutes.” The feature, dubbed MetaHuman Animator, was detailed at the Game Developers Conference in March but is now available for developers to try out for themselves. Epic has also released a new video today produced by one of its internal teams to show what the tool is capable of. While Epic’s short film shows off some impressively subtle facial animation, the big benefit the company is emphasizing is the speed with which MetaHuman Animator produces results. “The animation is produced locally using GPU…