Apple’s iCloud Private Relay, designed to protect paid iCloud users from online trackers, is currently experiencing outages that are impacting users in major markets. These outages have been reported in Europe, India, Japan, and the United States since Thursday, causing disruptions in accessing web services and apps that rely on internet connectivity. Users have been facing restrictions in accessing the web through the Safari browser and encountering internet connectivity issues with installed apps as a result of these sporadic outages.
The System Status web page from Apple has confirmed the ongoing outage of iCloud Private Relay and stated that the service may be slow or unavailable for some users. Launched in 2021 exclusively for iCloud+ subscribers, iCloud Private Relay encrypts traffic passing through customer devices to protect Apple users from online trackers. By sending requests through two separate internet relays, the DNS service aims to prevent web trackers and internet service providers from profiling users by combining their IP addresses, locations, and browsing activities. Apple collaborated with Cloudflare in 2020 to develop the Oblivious DNS-over-HTTPS protocol used in this service.
If you are affected by the current outage of iCloud Private Relay, you can temporarily disable the service by navigating to Settings > Profile > iCloud > Private Relay on your device. Despite requests for comment, Apple has not responded to inquiries regarding the ongoing issues with iCloud Private Relay.
In other news, Stripe, a payments giant, has acquired Lemon Squeezy, a four-year-old competitor, although the terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Lemon Squeezy serves as a merchant of record and specializes in calculating transaction fees for businesses.
The tech industry has seen significant advancements in the field of artificial intelligence, with Apple joining other tech companies in committing to the White House’s guidelines for developing generative AI. This move is aimed at ensuring responsible and ethical AI development practices across the industry.
Sound Search on TikTok has introduced a feature similar to YouTube Music’s song detection tool, allowing users to identify songs by singing, humming, or playing them. Additionally, a startup called Skip has partnered with outdoor clothing brand Arc’teryx to launch “powered pants” equipped with Skip’s MO/GO technology.
Ledger, a French startup known for its secure crypto hardware wallets, has introduced a new mid-range device called the Ledger Flex, priced at $249. This hardware wallet provides users with a secure storage solution for their cryptocurrency assets.
Overall, the tech industry continues to evolve rapidly, with companies introducing innovative products and services to meet the changing needs of consumers in today’s digital landscape.
