iOS 16 will automatically install security fixes

When iOS 16 arrives, iPhone owners won’t have to deal with full software installs for the latest security patches. Apple is launching a new feature with the mobile OS called Rapid Security Response, which enables the company to automatically apply security fixes to users’ devices in between its standard software updates. It’s one of the security features the tech giant has announced at WWDC this year, along with Safety Check that gives users a quick way to see which contacts have access to their location and calendar info. Safety Check will also show them the permissions used by every app on their device. 

As MacRumors notes, iOS 16 will add a new section under Automatic Updates in Settings called “Install System and Data Files.” When toggled on, users can get software fixes that aren’t tied with full updates, installed automatically and without them having to restart their phones or lift a finger altogether. It’s switched on by default upon upgrading to the new OS, so those who don’t want automatic installs will have to remember to toggle it off.

Apple’s iOS 16 brings a bunch of other new features to iPhones, including a more customizable lock screen, the ability to edit texts and the ability to use Face ID even when the device is in landscape mode. The public beta of the mobile platform will come out in July, though it’ll no longer support the iPhone 6S, 7 and the first-gen SE.

Follow all of the news from WWDC right here!

BioWare’s quality assurance testers form the first video game labor union in Canada

Bioware’s quality assurance testers working on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf have voted to form the first unionized workplace for the video game industry in Canada. The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401 applied to become the certified bargaining agent for Keywords Studios, the contracting company through which the testers are employed, back in April. Now, Kotaku says the election has resulted in a 16-0 vote in favor of unionization. Before working on the fourth major game in the Dragon Age franchise, they also supported the development of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition and Legacy of the Sith, an expansion for Star Wars: The Old Republic.

The testers, who work out of BioWare’s Edmonton office, started organizing after Keywords Studios announced that they’ll be required to return to office, whereas direct BioWare employees were give more options. Keywords took back its return-to-office order, but the testers told Kotaku that they’re working to prevent it from being reinstated and to get the company to increase their pay. At the moment, their base pay is around US$13 an hour, roughly equivalent to the area’s minimum wage. They argued that the amount they’re being paid isn’t commensurate with the skills needed for the job and that BioWare employees doing the same work are being paid a lot more.

The union that’s now representing the workers are expected to bargain with the studio’s bosses sometime this week. In an email the QA testers sent out, they wrote: “We are excited to move into bargaining with the employer and start towards a more equitable working situation.”

In the US, QA workers at Activision Blizzard studio Raven Software voted to unionize last month. That came after they went on strike following layoffs that affected 12 testers and after the studio split the remaining workers among various departments, perhaps in an effort to make unionization efforts hard to organize. Xbox head Phil Spencer announced that Microsoft will recognize the union after the tech giant’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is complete.

New York lawmakers pass bill limiting warehouse productivity quotas

The New York State Assembly has passed a bill that aims to limit productivity quotas in warehouses shortly after it was approved by the State Senate. Introduced by New York State Senator Jessica Ramos and Assembly Member Latoya Joyner back in April, the Warehouse Worker Protection Act takes aim at Amazon’s labor practices. Ramos and Joyner strengthened the language and expanded upon a similar bill in California that was signed into law back in 2021.

As CNBC notes, the legislation will require Amazon and any other company that operates warehouses to provide workers with documentation of their productivity quotas and to notify them of any changes. It can make the process easier for workers seeking changes in their workplace for health purposes, and it will require companies to go through an ergonomic assessment of all tasks workers need to accomplish. Companies could face penalties if the New York State Department of Labor finds them non-compliant. In addition, it would prohibit companies from implementing quotas that would prevent workers from taking meal and bathroom breaks. 

Amazon workers have long complained that the company’s internal system marks them as taking “time off task” when they take too long between scanning packages. That generates a warning that could lead to being fired. Ramos explained when they introduced the bill that productivity quotas prevent workers from complying with safety standards and contribute to rising injury rates in warehouses. The company consistently makes it on the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health’s list of most dangerous workplaces in the US. Heather MacDougall, Amazon’s workplace safety head, claimed at a recent event, however, that it’s a misconception that the company has quotas. “We do not,” she said.

The bill’s fate is now in the hands of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Activision Blizzard faces unfair labor practices complaint over staff unionization efforts

The Communications Workers of America has filed an unfair labor practices complaint against Activision Blizzard, accusing the company of retaliating against workers over their unionization efforts. If you’ll recall, the quality assurance workers at the Activision studio Raven Software announced their plans to unionize in January. That’s after Activision cut 12 of its QA contractors despite, according to a Washington Post report from January, Raven departmental management asking for those workers to be kept on. Workers at the studio went on strike following the event, demanding that all contractors be hired as full-time employees. 

In its complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board, the CWA accused the company of violating federal law by terminating those QA workers. The group also pointed out that Activision reorganized the studio by disbanding the QA team and embedding testers in other departments just mere days after they requested union recognition. In addition, Activision Blizzard allegedly withheld pays and benefits in April in response to the workers’ unionization efforts. 

According to previous reports, the company also actively and strongly discouraged workers from voting to unionize. Union organizer Jessica Gonzalez revealed on Twitter back in January that Activision VP of QA Chris Arends posted a message on a locked Slack channel diminishing the benefits of unionization. “A union doesn’t do anything to help us produce world-class games, and the bargaining process is not typically quick, often reduces flexibility, and can be adversarial and lead to negative publicity,” Arends wrote. 

A piece by The Washington Postalso said that company leadership held town meetings to dissuade workers from organizing and sent out emails with a message that says “Please vote no.” Those efforts had failed, and CWA won the election to unionize at Raven with a vote of 19 to 3. Xbox head Phil Spencer reportedly said before the vote that he would recognize a Raven union once Microsoft’s acquisition of the developer is complete.

Game Workers Alliance/CWA organizing committee members Erin Hall, Lau Nebel-Malone and Marie Carroll said:

“The reorganization and withholding of pay raises and other benefits and the company’s failure to rehire laid off QA testers were clearly attempts by Activision to intimidate us and interfere with our union election in violation of the National Labor Relations Act.”

Meanwhile, an Activision spokesperson disputed the allegations in a statement sent to Bloomberg:

“We respect and believe in the right of all employees to decide whether or not to support or vote for a union, and retaliation of any kind is not tolerated.”

As the news organization notes, complaints filed with the NLRB are investigation by regional offices. In case they’re found to have merit and aren’t settled, they can be prosecuted by the agency’s general counsel.

Update, 6/6/22, 10AM ET: This story has been updated with additional citations for the claim that Activision Blizzard cut 12 QA contractors despite Raven departmental leadership requesting to keep those contractors employed.

Square will support Apple’s Tap to Pay on iPhones later this year

Soon, sellers using Square’s Point of Sale app can accept payments with only an iPhone. The mobile payment company has announced that it’s working with Apple to enable the feature within its application and will launch the service to the public later this year. It will provide sellers with an easy-to-use payment solution, since they’ll no longer need to use Square’s add-on devices and terminals. All customers need to do is to tap their credit cards, debit cards or phones with digital wallets such as Apple Pay on the seller’s iPhone. It does require sellers to have an iPhone XS or later device, but there’d be no extra expenses on hardware if they already have one.

When Apple introduced Tap to Pay in February, it was seen as a product that could disrupt the business of companies like Square. The tech giant promised back then, however, that it will “work closely with leading payment platforms and app developers across the payments and commerce industry,” and it looks like Square is part of that list. Apple was testing the feature at its visitor center in Cupertino as recently as last month, allowing staff members to accept payment using the method.

While the general public won’t have access to the feature for a while, Square has opened an Early Access Program to give select sellers the chance to try it out. The company has a sign up page on its website where sellers can submit their details to learn more about it. 

The 44mm Apple Watch SE falls back to a low of $229

You can now grab a 44mm Apple Watch SE for $229 from Amazon. The smartwatch has been on sale a few times for around that much before, but it has mostly been for the smaller 40mm variant. This deal is for the bigger GPS version of the Watch SE, specifically for the model with the silver case. It’s the lowest price we’ve seen for the smartwatch, which typically goes for $309, and is a fantastic deal if you’ve been looking to buy the device.

Buy Apple Watch SE [GPS 44mm] Smart Watch at Amazon – $229

We gave the Apple Watch SE a score of 88 in our review and praised it for being an excellent starter smartwatch. It’s light and feels like a high-end machine on your wrist, and it has a crisp and bright OLED Retina display. The device also served as an introduction to Apple’s Solo Loop continuous straps that don’t come with buckles and clasps. We found it comfortable to use when we tested it out, but since the strap can’t be adjusted, you’ll have to make sure to get the perfect size for you. 

If you want a newer model and don’t mind paying more for a smartwatch, however, you can also grab an Apple Watch Series 7 model at a discount. The 41mm version is currently on sale for $329, while its larger 45mm sibling is selling for $70 less at $359. That’s a record—low price for the 41mm Watch Series 7, which typically sells for $399.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Cruise can now charge for fully driverless rides in San Francisco

GM’s Cruise has received the first ever driverless deployment permit issued by the California Public Utilities Commission. That means the company can now charge for the robotaxi rides, ones with no safety driver behind the wheel, it gives to members of the public. Cruise has secured permission (PDF) to operate its paid passenger service at a max speed of 30 mph on select streets of San Francisco from 10PM to 6AM. 

The company is expected to have 30 electric vehicles in its fleet, offering its ride-hailing passengers paid rides. Those cars aren’t allowed to operate on highways, however, or during times of heavy fog and rain. In its announcement, the company said it will begin rolling out fared rides gradually, including to areas not currently covered by its permit. 

A Cruise spokesperson told TechCrunch:

“In the coming months, we’ll expand our operating domain, our hours of operation and our ability to charge members of the public for driverless rides until we have fared rides 24/7 across the entire city.”

The company first received permission to offer passengers free robotaxi rides almost exactly a year ago and opened fully driverless ride-hailing to the public this February. In March, the CPUC gave Cruise (and Waymo) permission to start charging their passengers, but only for rides with a safety driver behind the wheel. Now, Cruise can charge customers even if there’s nobody else onboard. The company called this development a “major milestone for the shared mission of the AV industry to improve life in [the] cities.” It will also use this opportunity to gather data for the development of the project’s future phases.

‘Street Fighter 6’ arrives in 2023 with new modes and real-time commentary

A few months after confirming the existence of Street Fighter 6, Capcom has revealed that the upcoming entry to the fighting franchise will come out in 2023 for the PS 5, PS 4, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Like the company promised in its initial teaser, the game will include Luke, a key DLC character for Street Fighter V, as well as fan favorites Ryu and Chun-Li. The video game developer previously described Luke as “a key player in the future of Street Fighter” who would help expand its world. 

Capcom is using its own RE Engine to develop the fighting game, and it says that gives it the capability to make sure finer details shine through, such as the look of individual muscles tensing up. The company also used the RE Engine to for its other popular titles, including Resident Evil Village, Devil May Cry 5 and Monster Hunter: Rise.

One of the features debuting with the title is Real Time Commentary, which will provide easy-to-understand explanations about gameplay for your matches. These commentaries will be voiced by notable Fighting Game Community commentators, starting with Jeremy “Vicious” Lopez and Aru, and they’ll support subtitles in 13 languages.

It will also feature modes from previous entries, along with two new ones called World Tour and Battle Hub. In addition, Capcom is introducing Modern Control Type with Street Fighter 6 to make special moves easier to execute: It will allow you to perform special attacks simply by pressing the button for it along with directional input.

The company has yet to announce an exact release date for it, but you can watch a trailer for the game above.

Chipotle now accepts cryptocurrency payments

You can now reportedly pay for your burritos and tacos with Bitcoin and other digital currencies, in case you don’t mind spending your coins directly instead of going through exchanges first. Flexa has announced that the Mexican fast food chain can now accept digital payments through its platform. The option is apparently available at all Chipotle locations in the US, and you can use it so long as you have a Flexa-enabled wallet app, such as Gemini and SPEDN. You simply have to fire up your app, choose Chipotle and show your phone at the cashier.

With this update, Chipotle joins the list of famous food chains that accept cryptocurrency as payment, including Starbucks and Subway. Other retailers and stores, such as Nordstrom have also started taking digital coin payments in recent years. For a while, you could even buy a Tesla with Bitcoin in the US, though the automaker ended up suspending the method, citing environmental concerns. One of the biggest issues surrounding digital currencies is how much energy they consume and how big their impact is on the environment. 

Chipotle has yet to issue an official statement about the payment option — we’ve reached out to the company for confirmation — but Flexa says it’s giving everyone 10 percent off their next purchase at the restaurant until June 30th. There’s a one transaction limit, though, and the max discount you can get is $10.

Update: Jun 2nd, 9:33am ET. Chipotle sent over a statement from Curt Garner, Chief Technology Officer, which says that the chain is “constantly exploring innovation that will enhance our guest experience, and that includes now accepting digital currency payments with Flexa in Chipotle’s U.S. restaurants.” 

Google is scrapping Assistant’s ability to set location-based reminders

For people who know it exists, the ability to set location-based reminders is one of Google Assistant’s most useful features. It lets them specify a location, so that they can get an alert when they arrive wherever it is — for instance, a user can say “Remind me to call [name of their friend] in NYC,” and Assistant will send them a notification when they step foot in the city. The bad news for those who rely on the feature to remind them to get certain things from the grocery store or to fill up their car tanks when they pass by a gas station is that it’ll soon no longer exist. In the Assistant Help page, Google added a line that says: “The option to create reminders for a certain location is going away soon.”

The company trailed behind Apple and Amazon in introducing the feature and first announced the ability to set location-based reminders via Google Home devices in 2018. As 9to5Google notes, Google has only just started notifying users who set reminders with a location attached that the feature is getting axed. It didn’t say why, though, and only recommended setting reminders at a certain time or setting routines for a location instead. For the latter, users will be able to prompt Assistant to perform a series of tasks triggered based on where they are. 

Google doesn’t have a concrete date for the feature’s removal, but 9to5Google says it could be part of the company’s efforts to make way for the long-awaited “Memory” upgrade for Assistant. It’s meant to transform the voice assistant into a handy organizer, letting users save content, images, reminders and other items in one place that has a smart search function.