iOS

Android Authority marvels at iPhone 6s getting iOS 14 update

Written by

C. Scott Brown, AndroidAuthority:

At this point, saying Android has a serious problem when it comes to phones receiving reliable Android upgrades is getting old. We’ve written about it a lot — even I, specifically, have written about it a lot. You’ve told us your thoughts. We all get it. Even with all that, though, the latest announcement of iOS 14 really sends the message home.

We do talk about this a lot. By its very nature, the Android market is fragmented. Extremely so.

Meanwhile, the flagship Android device from 2015 was the Samsung Galaxy S6. The most recent official version of Android that phone received was Android 7 Nougat, which dropped in 2016. Of course, it was well into 2017 before the Galaxy S6 actually got it. Since then: nothing.

I’ve seen this same message in a number of places, staunch Android supporters grumphing about their older phones reaching the practical end of Android update rollouts. And they are not wrong.

Come join us. You are more than welcome.

iOS 14 beta: It’s complicated…finally

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[VIDEO] The Verge’s Dieter Bohn takes the iOS 14 beta through its paces. Pretty watchable, and he covers a lot of ground, with sections on widgets, jiggle mode, editing app pages, app libraries, and much more.

Good way to learn about the iOS 14 interface. Video embedded in main Loop post.

Rene Ritchie: iOS 14 — Details & Secrets (WWDC 2020)

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[VIDEO] Rene doing what he does best: Talk through a bunch of detail, this time on iOS 14. Lots and lots of detail, worth watching all the way through.

One bit that struck me, albeit more for the macOS implications than what it does for iOS. Rene raises the issue of Safari changing codes, from H.265 to AV1. Question is, will I be able to finally see 4K YouTube videos in macOS Safari? Seems likely.

Anyway, lots to process in the video embedded in the main Loop post. Good stuff.

How to add text to photos on iPhone & iPad with Markup

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Do you ever edit photos on your iPhone? Perhaps to crop them for posting on social media? Or to add circles and arrows to highlight a funny bit?

The linked article takes this one step further and shows you how to add text to your annotations.

9 questions about the rumored iPad Smart Keyboard with trackpad

Written by

First things first, this from a paywalled article from The Information that’s been making a lot of noise:

Apple is planning to release an iPad keyboard accessory later this year that will include a built-in trackpad, the latest step in its effort to position the tablet device as an alternative to laptop computers, according to a person familiar with the matter. The company will likely release the accessory alongside the next version of the iPad Pro expected later this year, the person added.

And this, from the headline linked article by Jason Snell:

I’m excited. For a long time I’ve been an advocate for iPad keyboards and pointing devices, and this potential product would offer a way for Apple to differentiate the iPad Pro from its increasingly capable lower-end iPads.

But I’ve got a lot of questions, too.

Follow the link. These are some thoughtful questions.

A few thoughts of my own:

Is there a need for a pointing device? Are we approaching an uncanny valley with a device that looks an awful lot like a MacBook with a touchscreen, but without the unifying elements like the Finder and window-management system that make a MacBook so intuitive to use?

From this article by The Verge’s Dieter Bohn:

I don’t want Apple to fall back on the crutch of just using desktop OS paradigms to solve the iPad’s user interface intuitiveness problem. The last thing we should want is for the iPad to turn into a Mac. It’s on a different path and it would be a shame to have those ideas tossed out the window just so we can have more traditional windows on the iPad.

I’m in the same camp as Dieter. I’d hate to see the lines between the MacBook and iPad get blurry. As is, I know when to reach for my iPad, my iPhone and my Mac. Different tools for different jobs.

If the report is true, it will be interesting to see what Apple has in mind.

Apple resumes human reviews of Siri audio with iPhone update

Written by

Mae Anderson, AP:

Apple is giving consumers notice when installing the update, iOS 13.2. Individuals can choose “Not Now” to decline audio storage and review. Users who enable this can turn it off later in the settings. Apple also specifies that Siri data is not associated with a user’s Apple ID.

One of the little publicized changes that came with iOS 13.2. Most likely because the HomePod change and bricking monopolized the news.

Personally, I opted in. Comes down to trust. I trust Apple with my privacy.

Six reasons why iOS 13 and Catalina are so buggy

Written by

David Shayer, TidBITS:

iOS 13 and macOS 10.15 Catalina have been unusually buggy releases for Apple. The betas started out buggy at WWDC in June, which is not unexpected, but even after Apple removed some features from the final releases in September, more problems have forced the company to publish quick updates. Why? Based on my 18 years of experience working as an Apple software engineer, I have a few ideas.

Who is David Shayer? From the bio:

David Shayer was an Apple software engineer for 18 years. He worked on the iPod, the Apple Watch, and Apple’s bug-tracking system Radar, among other projects.

My default when I hit posts like these is to take everything with a grain of salt, set skepticism on high. Read the pundit takes, read the bio (look for an axe to grind), and read the comments below the post.

This one passes the vast majority of those tests. This doesn’t feel like post-Apple spite, but rather a knowledgable take on problems, with thoughts on where things are going wrong.

Apple is a fast moving train, steadily producing and refining immensely complex products. Apple is dancing to the opposing forces of satisfying shareholder demands for ever-increasing growth, and user demands to stop and fix the bugs. Short of halting forward progress and retooling, there’s no easy answer here.

iOS 13 and voice control

Written by

Amboy Manalo, iOS GadgetHacks:

With iOS 13, you can now quickly reboot your iPhone using Voice Control. If you haven’t set it up, open Settings, head to “Accessibility,” and select “Voice Control,” then tap “Set Up Voice Control” and follow the prompts.

Now, simply say “Reboot Device” (no need to say “Hey Siri” or anything first). When you do, you’ll see a prompt. Just say “Tap Restart,” and your phone will reboot.

This is fascinating and fun to play with. I can definitely see the value as an assistive tech. Take a few minutes and go through the steps, try this for yourself.

My bet is, somewhere there’s an official set of Voice Control verbs out there. Wondering if that list corresponds to a similar list for, say, Shortcuts.

UPDATE: To learn more, dig into this Apple support page. Also, turn on voice control and then say: “Show me what to say” (H/T Roman Meliska).

Apple adds option to delete Siri history and opt out of sharing audio recordings in iOS 13.2

Written by

Juli Clover, MacRumors:

Today’s iOS 13.2 beta introduces a new option that allows iPhone and iPad users to delete their Siri and Dictation history and opt out of sharing audio recordings, features that Apple promised after being called out for its ‌Siri‌ quality evaluation processes.

Earlier this year, it was discovered that Apple hired contractors to listen to a small percentage of anonymized ‌Siri‌ recordings to evaluate ‌Siri‌’s responses with the purpose of improving the assistant’s accuracy and reliability.

Apple promised tools to manage this stuff, and here they are.

“Announce Messages with Siri” returns in iOS 13.2 beta

Written by

Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac:

You need to be an iPhone and AirPods user to take advantage of the feature. With the AirPods in your ears, you will be able to listen and respond to incoming text messages. Siri transcribes the message so you can hear the text without looking at your phone or watch. You can then ignore or immediately reply without having to say ‘Hey Siri’.

The sense I get is that the H1 chip is required here, so the second gen AirPods or Beats headphones with H1 chip required.

The incoming message alert is accompanied by a special alert tone that differs from the regular text tone. Siri will introduce the message with a phrase like ‘Zac says’ before reading the message. If another text comes in from the same sender, it will adjust its description to naturally continue the conversation.

Time will tell if this feature makes it all the way to the public iOS 13.2 release.

Haptic Touch vs 3D Touch: What’s the difference?

Written by

Juli Clover, MacRumors:

With the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max, Apple did away with 3D Touch across its entire iPhone lineup, replacing the former 3D Touch feature with Haptic Touch.

In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about Haptic Touch and how it differs from the 3D Touch feature that’s been available since the iPhone 6s.

If you are confused about Haptic Touch, or want to learn about the settings, read the article. Well done.

And personally, I am very happy with this change. 3D Touch and Haptic Touch had too much overlap, confusing discoverability.

iOS 13: Top features & changes

Written by

[VIDEO] Jeff Benjamin clearly and calmly offers a guided tour through the main changes that come with iOS 13. Very easy to follow, full of detail. Video embedded in main Loop post.

MacStories posts remarkable, encyclopedic iOS and iPadOS 13 review

Written by

Federico Viticci, MacStories:

It was only natural (and well-deserved) for the iPad to begin advancing in a parallel direction to iOS – informed and inspired by it, but also capable of growing on its own and tackling problems that an iPhone doesn’t have to solve.

From this standpoint, there are two sides to iOS 13: on one hand, an underlying tide that raises all platforms, featuring a distillation of themes Apple comes back to on an annual basis; on the other, a fork in the road, opening a new path for the iPad’s next decade. And against this backdrop, a single question looms large:

Can Apple balance both?

This is a remarkable read, just chock full of detail on every aspect of iOS and iPadOS 13. As you make your way through it, tap the table of contents icon in the upper right corner (looks like a 2×2 grid of squares) to get a sense of the overall structure, and to jump to a particular chapter that interests you.

This is incredible work.

iOS 13 beta is now forked

Written by

Juli Clover, MacRumors:

Apple today released a surprise iOS 13.1 beta, which is unprecedented as the company has never before released a point update for an unreleased software update.

This is a notable move by Apple. To clarify, developers now have access to both an iOS 13 beta series, as well as a first beta for iOS 13.1. Two beta threads to follow.

Hard to know the true rationale behind this forking beta, but given how close we are to the supposed September 10th Apple iPhone event, this feels like a move to push some features off to 13.1 so iOS 13 itself can reach golden master status in time for the new iPhones to ship.

Is this the emergence of a new beta strategy for Apple, a sign of what to expect with future OS releases, or just a one time thing?

UPDATE: I received a surprising number of comments from people pointing out that this is not really a fork, in the software development sense of the word. I yield to my betters, but I’m still kinda happy with the double entendre.

iOS App Store links now show a lot more detail when opened on your Mac

Written by

Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac:

Apple has recently updated its App Store Preview pages for stories to allow users to view the full content of stories from inside their desktop web browser. App Store stories have always been shareable as links, but the web version was just a title and a navigation link to ‘open this story in the App Store’.

Huzzah! Great to see this. I often encounter a link to an app on Mac Safari. A pain (and broken marketing for the app creator) to force me to re-find the link on my iOS device to learn more.

As an example, try opening this iOS link to PCalc on your Mac. Instead of just text telling you to open the link on an iOS device, you’ll see all the images, reviews, etc. Great!

Have an old iPad or iPhone? There’s a special iOS update coming

Written by

Apple:

Starting November 3, 2019, some iPhone and iPad models introduced in 2012 and earlier will require an iOS update to maintain accurate GPS location and keep the correct date and time. This is due to the GPS time rollover issue that began affecting GPS-enabled products from other manufacturers on April 6, 2019. Affected Apple devices are not impacted until November 3, 2019.

By my math, that’d be iPhone 5 or earlier, iPad (4th gen), iPad mini or earlier.

Apple Watch Walkie-Talkie app is back

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If you didn’t even realize the Apple Watch Walkie-Talkie app was gone, this post is not for you.

If you missed the functionality, you’ll need to update your iPhone to the 12.4 update and your Apple Watch to the watchOS update, both of which dropped this morning.

iOS 13 iPhone connected to iPod? WILL IT WORK?

Written by

[VIDEO] Another in the series. Per usual, video embedded in main Loop post. Very interesting.

No external power used, so the iPhone is charging the iPod. And this only works if the iPod is formatted as Fat32, not HFS+.

Lots of fascinating little details. Nice.

Amazing Easter egg in iOS speed test app

Written by

I don’t want to spoil this. If you’ve got an iOS device (have not yet been able to make this work on my Mac):

  • Download the linked Speed Test app from the App Store
  • Launch the app
  • You should see a big Go button

Now, before you go any further, let me put out this caveat: If you hate jump scares, even gentle ones, go no further. With that in mind:

  • Press and hold the Go button. Don’t let go

You should feel the occasional tap, occurring more and more frequently. Then a bit of a light show. Keep pressing.

Amazing to see the amount of work that must have gone into this incredibly hidden feature. Well done.

Five of the best under-the-radar features in iOS 13

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[VIDEO] Even if you know of these features, there’s no substitute for seeing them in action, especially useful if you’ve not yet made the leap into the iOS 13 beta. Jeff Benjamin does a great job showing each of these off. The video is embedded in the main Loop post.

Apple tests Face ID and Touch ID sign-in for iCloud․com on iOS 13 and macOS Catalina betas

Written by

Chance Miller, 9to5Mac:

For iOS 13, iPadOS 13, and macOS Catalina beta testers, Apple is trying out a new sign-in process for iCloud on the web. When you head to beta.icloud.com on a device running the betas, you can now sign-in to your account using Face ID or Touch ID.

If you log in to beta.icloud.com via a non-beta iOS or macOS, you’ll get the normal login experience, with a 6 digit code appearing that you type in to validate your visit.

If you log in using a beta iOS 13 or MacOS Catalina device, your Face ID or Touch ID verifies you, gives you access, without the code at all. Way better.

iOS 13 will fix the FaceTime eye contact problem

Written by

This is a lot of fun. iOS 13 is using ARKit to make your eyes look at the person to whom you are connected via FaceTime, rather than at the actual slight angle as you look at the screen rather than the camera.

To see this at work, check out this bit of video from Dave Schukin. In the video, keep your eyes on the eyeglasses arm, rather than on the eyes, watching for that arm to warp as ARKit does its thing.

If you have the iOS 13 beta, you can enable this bit of trickery in Settings > FaceTime, but only if you have one of the most recent model iPhones.

How to pair PS4 and Xbox controllers to iPhone & iPad in iOS 13

Written by

[VIDEO] This video (embedded in main Loop post) does an excellent job walking through the process of pairing the PS4 DualShock and Xbox One controllers to your favorite iOS device running iOS 13.

Note that the Xbox One’s original controller does not have the Bluetooth tech needed to pair with iOS. You’ll need one that shipped with an Xbox One S or Xbox One X.

Also, the real beauty of these controllers paired with iOS is support for iOS games compatible with Bluetooth controllers.

Amazing to me how low the latency has gotten. Gameplay seems perfect.

iOS 13, an iPhone, and an Iomega Zip drive. Will it work?

Written by

[VIDEO] Loop reader Niles Mitchell continues his quest to connect external devices to his iOS 13 iPhone. The video is embedded in the main Loop post. Last time, he successfully connect a Kindle. Can he use the same approach to access files on an Iomega Zip drive?

Fun series!