Your weekly look at the world of smartphones and mobile technology, this is the Phone Buzz on Friday 14th May 2021.

This Week’s Top Story

• With the release of iOS 14.5, Apple switched on extra privacy controls that forced apps to specifically ask for opt-in permission to track a user’s behaviour, typically used to track and target users for advertising purposes. Since then, reports suggest that only four percent of users have given permission (Apple Insider).

Apple Headlines

• Of course the iPhone 13 camera is going to improve on the iPhone 12 camera – no doubt in a way that only Apple can deliver – but there’s something else changing. It’s going to make the back of the phone bigger (Forbes).
• Staying with security, a recently published patent looks at techniques Apple could use within its secure enclave to allow for multiple users biometric details to not only be stored, but to be used with group permissions set by the owner. Something that may be nice on a phone, but for iPads in a shared environment such as school it could be a deal maker (Apple Insider).
• Apple is expected to use its own 5G modems from 2023, according to noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Currently Apple uses modems from Qualcomm, but like much of the hardware stack it will be looking to bring the design and technology in-house (9to5Mac).
• With the new M1 powered iMacs arriving to consumers next week – and presumably review units are with the usual suspects right now – it should come as no surprise that benchmarks have leaked. The macOS desktop are over 50 percent faster than the M1 powered MacBooks, no doubt due to better thermal efficiency (MacRumors).
• Meanwhile the Mac platform is having a really good quarter, with Strategy Analytics reporting 94 percent growth in the quarter compared to 81 percent for overall PC shipments (Strategy Analytics).
• Apple’s new AirTags have been jailbroken this week, with the proof of concept pointing the firmware’s server name not towards Apple’s own servers but a certain song by Rick Astley (Sophos’ Naked Security blog).
• This week’s note from the Epic vs Apple trial comes from Adi Robertson, looking at the logical problems in Apple needing to show how iOS is both an open platform and one that has to be locked down (The Verge).
• In a complete coincidence, Apple’s newsroom has a press release on how the App Store has stopped over $1.5 billion of possibly fraudulent transactions. John Gruber notes the … curious timing (Daring Fireball).

Android Headlines

• New renders have revealed the design of the upcoming Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro from Google, with the handsets sporting a very Galaxy-esque central punch-out for the selfie camera, a triple-tone colour design, and a potential Pixel smartwatch (Android Authority).
• Samsung has integrated a number of ‘hardware-based cryptocurrency wallets’ into it’s Blockchain Wallet app, including the popular range of Ledger Nano devices. It’s now even easier to manage your crypto cash on your smartphone (SamMobile).
• Following Qualcomm’s security last week, Samsung has confirmed that it has patches for all Samsung devices, stating that “devices with an Android Security Patch Level of April 1, 2021 or later will be considered protected from these vulnerabilities”(Samsung).
• Xiaomi has been removed from the US Entities list. Inclusion on this list restricts US companies from having any dealings with the listed companies. The removal the Chinese company from the list could prompt more US investment into Xiaomi (Bloomberg).
• Priced at £199 here in the UK, the recently launched Realme 8 5G obviously comes with the speedy cellular connectivity, but also a 90Hz refreshing screen. Jon Mundy reviews the new handset (Trusted Reviews).
• While the Poco X3 NFC draws attention to the close range connectivity technology, the real win is the 120Hz refreshing screen, as the GSM Arena team find out in their review (GSM Arena).
• ZTE has been out of the flagship handset game for some time, but that’s going to change before the end of May with the the launch of the Axon 30 Ultra (XDA Developers).
• Lots of Huawei P50 shots and renders leaking this week, and the Chinese flagship is looking good on the hardware front, although as always the lack of Google Play support will limit its appeal in certain markets. Hadlee Simons rounds up all the details on the new flagship (Android Authority).

And Finally…

• The cliché that the British always talk about the weather appears to carry through to the smartphone. OnePlus has analysed over 130,000 pictures shared through its Find Your True Colors project and found that the weather is the most pictured colour by the Brits (OnePlus).

Ewan Spence

Ewan is the editor at Phone Buzz News. For over 30 years he has been covering the worlds of media and technology, from the early days of the first smartphone through to their essential role in today's society.