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[sultrysandy]

New iPhone privacy ad takes shots at other smartphones oversharing information

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Oh crap! have half a dozen new things to try to post this weekend.

Apple has shared a new humorous ad spot about people over sharing private information as a way to highlight the data that its privacy features can help keep safe.

The company launched its "Privacy. That's iPhone" ad campaign in 2019. It features various clips highlighting the importance of digital privacy, and ways that the iPhone can help protect it.

This latest ad, just over one minute, features various people telling others around them personal and sensitive details about their lives — such as their credit card numbers, internet search history, and their workout heart rate.

"Some things shouldn't be shared. That's why iPhone is designed to help give you control over your information and protect your privacy," Apple said in the video description.

While the overshared details are humorous, they also each highlight a particular privacy feature on iOS. The woman sharing her credit card numbers, for example, highlights Apple Pay's ability to mask real credentials with a temporary number. Several people sharing their internet search history hints at the Intelligent Tracking Prevention feature in Safari.

Apple has long had a focus on protecting user privacy and data, and is introducing new privacy features in its upcoming iOS 14 software update.

One of those features, which lets users opt out of ad tracking on a per-app basis, has everyone from Facebook to news publishers concerned about advertising revenue.

https://youtu.be/-l61NE0eqkw

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[sultrysandy]

mmWave vs. Sub-6GHz 5G iPhones: What's the Difference?

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All of the iPhones in Apple's iPhone 12 lineup will have Qualcomm modems that support 5G, but potential buyers need to know that not all 5G networks are equal. There's the super fast mmWave (millimeter wave) 5G and the slower but more widespread Sub-6GHz 5G.

There have been mixed rumors about which *iPhone 12* models will support which 5G spectrums, but it appears that the fastest 5G technology could be limited to the higher-end *iPhone 12* Pro models, or even just the 6.7-inch version. This guide highlights the differences between mmWave and Sub-6GHz 5G to help you decide between the *iPhone 12* and 12 Pro models.


mmWave vs. Sub6GHz Explained

5G is fifth-generation cellular wireless, succeeding the 4G LTE networks that we've been connecting to since 2010. There are two kinds of 5G networks: mmWave, which is the super-fast 5G that most people are talking about when they talk about 5G speed improvements, and sub-6GHz, the 5G that most people are going to experience for the time being.

Smartphones transmit voice and data over the air using electromagnetic radio frequencies, with these frequencies organized into different frequency bands. Some of these bands have more capacity than others and are able to deliver information faster, which is the case with mmWave.

mmWave refers to higher frequency radio bands ranging from 24GHz to 40GHz, and Sub-6GHz refers to mid and low-frequency bands under 6GHz. Low-frequency bands are under 1GHz, while mid-bands range from 3.4GHz to 6GHz and are not considered "mmWave."

mmWave 5G networks are ultra-fast, but they're also ultra-short range. To use mmWave technology, you need to be within about a block of a 5G tower, which isn't feasible in suburban and rural areas. mmWave spectrum is also blocked and obscured by doors, windows, trees, and walls, further limiting its available range, and because it requires so many towers for coverage, it's expensive for carriers to deploy.

Because of its limited range, accessing mmWave spectrum has only become possible over the course of the last few years due to technological advancements like Massive MIMO, adaptable beamforming, and miniaturization of complex antenna processing functions, and mmWave is still nascent technology that's in the process of being adopted.

mmWave's limitations make it best suited for dense, urban areas, or specific targeted spots like airports or concerts. In rural and suburban areas, mmWave technology is not practical because it doesn't have enough range, which is where the Sub-6GHz networks come in. Sub-6GHz 5G is faster than 4G, but it doesn't offer the blazing-fast speeds that you can get with mmWave. Since it has a longer range and can better penetrate objects, it's much more affordable for carriers to implement.

It's worth noting that mmWave 5G offers greater bandwidth, relieving network congestion. In crowded areas, LTE speeds can slow because of the number of devices connecting, while mmWave technology is able to handle a greater number of connections without significant speed drops. For that reason, you may see mmWave set up in crowded areas where network congestion is a problem, such as at sporting events, airports, concerts, and other locations where many people gather, as well as in urban areas.

With an iPhone that supports both mmWave and Sub-6GHz, you will be able to take advantage of lightning-quick 5G speeds where mmWave technology is available, while other 5G coverage will be similar to the more modern LTE networks that have been rolling out over the last few years. With an *iPhone* that only has Sub-6GHz, you'll be able to use the most widely available 5G networks, but will be blocked off from the faster mmWave that might be available in cities.

Over time, low-band and mid-band 5G speeds should get much quicker just like LTE did as it evolved, but those incredibly fast speeds that people expect from 5G are mmWave speeds and are much more limited in availability.


Speed Differences

mmWave spectrum can deliver theoretical speeds as high as 5Gb/s, which is much, much faster than the speeds achievable with LTE connectivity.

In practice, early mmWave networks have been delivering speeds that max out at around 2Gb/s, but as we found when we tested Verizon's mmWave network with a Samsung smartphone in Chicago in mid-2019, speeds vary drastically based on your position and proximity to the nearest 5G tower.

LTE networks are much slower. In fact, Tom's Guide recently looked at LTE speeds and saw top download speeds of 53Mb/s on Verizon, but most carriers were closer to 35Mb/s.

Sub-6GHz networks fall somewhere in between mmWave and LTE speeds. Sprint's Sub-6GHz network (which is now T-Mobile's), for example, has seen maximum speeds of about 200Mb/s. A good LTE connection can hit those speeds, but realistically, Sub-6GHz 5G is faster than most people will see with LTE, though not reaching those incredible speeds possible with mmWave.

OpenSignal in August 2020 analyzed real-world 5G speeds in multiple countries (using smartphones that currently support 5G), and the speed results for the United States might be surprising to those who are expecting major speed gains from 5G. Average download speeds on 5GHz networks were around 50.9Mb/s, compared to 28.9 Mb/s on LTE, and that's because most of the coverage in the U.S. is Sub-6GHz at this time.

Other countries have more advanced 5G networks and can provide some insight into the speed improvements we could realistically see within the next few years. On average, OpenSignal found 5G connectivity to be between 1.4x and 14.3x faster than 4G, but this data does not separate mmWave 5G from Sub-6GHz 5G.

One other interesting metric OpenSignal noted was time connected to 5G networks. In the United States, smartphone owners with devices that support 5G spent just 19.3 percent of the time connected to 5G networks because of their limited availability.

Apple employees that have been testing the 5G iPhones recently (and confidentially) told Bloomberg that the 5G speeds have been disappointing as the current 5G networks are not "improving connection speeds much." Most people who are expecting their iPhones to deliver super-fast mmWave speeds will likely end up similarly disappointed when they find that mmWave networks just aren't available in most places.


mmWave Availability

In the United States, all three major carriers are testing mmWave support, but it's still available in a limited capacity. It's in select major cities and not even citywide - it's limited to select neighborhoods.

With Sub-6GHz, it's already more widespread with AT&T and T-Mobile rolling out lower-spectrum 5G networks that are available to many more customers.


Which iPhones Will Support mmWave?

Early *iPhone 12* rumors confirmed that all 2020 iPhones will support 5G networks, but the question of mmWave vs. Sub-6GHz support is something that's still not entirely clear. mmWave 5G technology is expensive and it's power-intensive, both of which mean that it's unlikely to be a blanket feature included in all *iPhone* models.

Rumors now suggest that the higher-end *iPhone 12* Pro models may be the only *iPhone* models to support mmWave 5G technology, and only in certain countries, because it doesn't make sense to roll out the feature in places where mmWave spectrum just isn't in use.

One recent rumor from Fast Company says that mmWave support will be limited to the 6.7-inch *iPhone* because it's the only *iPhone* that has the space for the necessary hardware and a larger battery, so it's possible a single *iPhone* will have mmWave connectivity to start.


Potential mmWave iPhone Delays

All of Apple's iPhones are launching later than expected, something that Apple confirmed in late July, but even with the delay, rumors indicate we're going to see a staggered launch.

The more affordable *iPhone 12* models are expected to come out ahead of the *iPhone 12* Pro models, and since rumors suggest the *iPhone 12* Pro models will have mmWave support, it sounds like the "Pro" mmWave iPhones are going to come out after the standard *iPhone 12* models limited to Sub-6GHz connectivity.


Do I Need the mmWave 5G Connectivity?

In a nutshell, no, most people don't need mmWave connectivity, nor will most people even access to it on a regular basis for the next several years to come.

Full mmWave 5G connectivity is still in the process of rolling out, and it continues to be limited in scope. It's only available in major cities in the United States, and in most of those major cities, it's not available everywhere and is in select areas.

The transition from 4G to 5G started in 2019 and there's still a ways to go, so most people are going to be able to get by without mmWave speeds. To know whether mmWave technology is worth it for you personally, it's a good idea to look up your carrier and see if mmWave spectrum has even rolled out where you live.

Verizon, for example, has 5G in cities like Atlanta, San Diego, San Jose, New York, Providence, Chicago, Omaha, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and more, but connectivity is limited by specific neighborhoods and landmarks.

Looking just at one city, San Diego, reliable 5G is available in Mission Valley, and other than that, parts of Linda Vista, Kensington, and Banker's Hill, which is an extremely limited area. The same is true of most other cities where 5G is being tested. Verizon has only rolled out mmWave tech at this time, and its sub-6GHz networks are still in the works.

AT&T has rolled out "5G" to 80 million customers in 80 markets, but most of this 5G coverage is not mmWave coverage, and, in fact, is a faster version of LTE that isn't even technically real 5G. AT&T's mmWave network (which it calls 5G+) became available in March 2020 and it can be found in select areas in 35 cities in the United States. Details are available on AT&T's site, but mmWave coverage is as limited as Verizon's right now.

T-Mobile is mostly focusing on Sub-6GHz 5G spectrum, and will limit mmWave technology to dense urban areas.

5G information for the major carriers in the United States is linked below so you can see the coverage for your particular carrier in your area.

Verizon
https://www.verizon.com/5g/phones/


AT&T
https://www.att.com/maps/wireless-coverage.html


T-Mobile
https://www.t-mobile.com/devices/5g-phones



If you don't spend a lot of time in one of the specific neighborhoods in one of the cities where your carrier offers 5G technology, you're not going to benefit from mmWave speeds and purchasing a mmWave *iPhone* should not be a major concern at this time. If you do live in a major urban area with a lot of mmWave 5G towers, you could see benefits from an *iPhone* that supports the faster technology.

Carriers are, of course, going to continue building out their mmWave networks and in a few years it could be much more widespread, which is a consideration for those who take future-proofing into account when making an *iPhone* purchase. But even years from now, mmWave is still likely to be limited in scope and available only in more urban areas and Sub-6GHz is the 5G most people will know and connect to.

Keep in mind that some carriers are charging more for 5G right now. Verizon, for example, is pricing 5G plans $10 higher than comparative 4G unlimited plans. AT&T and T-Mobile aren't charging higher prices yet, but that could change as 5G further expands.
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[sultrysandy]

Ajit Pai touted false broadband data despite clear signs it wasn’t accurate

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"This is shameful" —

“The FCC should fine itself”: Pai relied on ISP’s impossible deployment claims.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, June 24, 2020.



Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai touted inaccurate broadband-availability data in order to claim that his deregulatory agenda sped up deployment despite clear warning signs that the FCC was relying on false information.

Pai claimed in February 2019 that the number of Americans lacking access to fixed broadband at the FCC benchmark speed of 25Mbps downstream and 3Mbps upstream dropped from 26.1 million people at the end of 2016 to 19.4 million at the end of 2017, and he attributed the improvement to the FCC "removing barriers to infrastructure investment." The numbers were included in a draft version of the FCC's congressionally mandated annual broadband assessment, and Pai asked fellow commissioners to approve the report that concluded the broadband industry was doing enough to expand access.

But consumer-advocacy group Free Press subsequently pointed out that the numbers were skewed by an ISP called BarrierFree suddenly "claim[ing] deployment of fiber-to-the-home and fixed wireless services (each at downstream/upstream speeds of 940mbps/880mbps) to census blocks containing nearly 62 million persons." This is an implausible assertion and would have meant BarrierFree went from serving zero people to nearly 20 percent of the US population in just six months. BarrierFree admitted the error when contacted by Ars at the time, saying that "a portion of the submission was parsed incorrectly in the upload process."

Pai corrected the data to acknowledge that 21.3 million Americans still lacked broadband but didn't change his conclusion that broadband was "being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion." (Even that 21.3-million figure was likely an undercount because the FCC counts an entire census block as served even if only one home in the census block can get service.)

This week, the FCC released more details on BarrierFree's apparent history of violating rules requiring ISPs to submit "Form 477" broadband-deployment data every six months, and it shows that numerous warning signs were spotted by FCC staff long before Pai touted the inaccurate data. The FCC on Tuesday issued a Notice of Apparent Liability that proposed a $163,912 fine for BarrierFree, kicking off a process that gives BarrierFree a chance to respond to the allegations and fight the proposed penalty.

Although the FCC is trying to fine BarrierFree for submitting inaccurate data, the commission is not penalizing the ISP for failing to submit over 10 years' worth of required Form 477 reports.

"The Pai FCC slept on BarrierFree's repeated violation of FCC rules," Free Press Research Director Derek Turner told Ars, calling the FCC's attempt to downplay its own role in spreading inaccurate data "shameful."


FCC staff flagged “inaccurate” data in 2018

BarrierFree began serving customers in Suffolk County, New York, in May 2004 but did not submit any of the required Form 477 filings for more than a decade because, it later told the FCC, it thought the filings were voluntary unless an ISP was applying for government grants, the FCC said in the Notice of Apparent Liability.

FCC staff emailed BarrierFree in November 2015, saying that the ISP's attempt to finally submit a Form 477 report was incomplete and "further action is needed." FCC staff contacted BarrierFree again in January 2016, saying that "For filings that are valid and remain un-submitted, please keep in mind that your company may be referred to the Enforcement Bureau for non-compliance."

BarrierFree finally submitted a complete Form 477 filing in March 2018, reporting widespread deployment in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states despite only serving customers in one part of New York. The filing set off alarm bells among FCC staff for several reasons, such as the ISP claiming that it had more residential broadband connections in one Long Island census tract than the number of actual household units in the tract.

Here's what happened next, according to the FCC:

On June 5, 2018, [FCC] staff notified BarrierFree of "certain items in your filing which are unusual and potentially inaccurate, and corrections may be necessary." On July 31, 2018, staff repeated that admonition.

On July 11, 2018, Commission staff issued a Public Notice reminding Form 477 filers that the next filing would be due no later than September 4, 2018. On August 29, 2018, staff emailed BarrierFree that there was a "FILING DUE DATE APPROACHING." On September 18, 2018, staff again informed BarrierFree that "FILING DUE DATE MISSED... POTENTIAL ENFORCEMENT ACTION: Please note that the Commission tracks filers who consistently file Form 477 after the deadline. Failure to file FCC Form 477 in a timely manner may result in fines and penalties." And on October 15, 2018, staff reiterated that admonition.

BarrierFree did not make the required September 2018 filing, the FCC said. FCC staff sent another warning to BarrierFree on February 19, 2019 about the upcoming March 2019 deadline. Yet on the very same day, the FCC chairman's office issued a press release touting the draft report that included deployment data inflated by BarrierFree's incorrect March 2018 filing. "This report shows that our approach is working," Pai said in the press release.


Unclear why Pai touted false data

On March 5, 2019, after digging through public Form 477 reports, Turner notified the FCC about Free Press' findings, which ultimately led to Pai admitting the mistake and the FCC launching an investigation into BarrierFree.

It's not clear why Pai circulated a draft broadband deployment report in February 2019 that included BarrierFree's inaccurate data, given that FCC staff repeatedly warned BarrierFree that its filing was potentially inaccurate starting in June 2018. We asked Pai's office for comment and will update this article if we get a response.

In the Notice of Apparent Liability, the FCC said that "BarrierFree's incorrect deployment data had real and detrimental effect on preliminary Commission analysis in a draft broadband data report," but that "ultimately, the draft was revised to remove BarrierFree's incorrect data."

Though BarrierFree missed filing deadlines in September 2018 and March 2019, the ISP filed a revision to its March 2018 filing in March 2019 and submitted new filings in September 2019 and March 2020. All of these filings included inaccurate claims that BarrierFree served more households than actually existed in the Long Island census tract, the FCC said.

BarrierFree's filings listed the wrong census tract, the FCC said. "To make matters worse, BarrierFree's FCC Form 477 subscriber data make no geographic sense. Although BarrierFree claims its subscribers are on Fire Island, each of its four filings claim its subscribers are in Census Tract A, which is located not on Fire Island, but on the north shore of Long Island, New York abutting the Long Island Sound," the FCC said.

BarrierFree's filings would still have been wrong even if it had listed the correct census tract, the FCC said:

Although Census Tract B has somewhat more housing units than Census Tract A, BarrierFree's reported subscription numbers still significantly exceed the number of housing units in Census Tract B, by approximately 15 percent in its March 2018 filing and revised filing, and by more than 8 times in its September 2019 and March 2020 filings.

BarrierFree's explanation for claiming to offer service in states outside New York was "unpersuasive," the FCC said:

BarrierFree claims its March 2018 deployment data are accurate because it has access to lines in the seven states and Washington, DC due to a business relationship with Verizon. However, the [FCC staff] investigation has uncovered no evidence that BarrierFree owns or leases any lines for the delivery of terrestrial wireless broadband service other than for the purpose of serving a portion of the Fire Island section of Suffolk County, NY.

The FCC concluded that "BarrierFree had no reasonable basis" to believe it could report offering broadband service "in any census block outside the limited portions of Fire Island where it currently has customers." Even now, BarrierFree has still not provided requested financial documents and other documents, the FCC said.

We contacted BarrierFree about the FCC-proposed fine and allegations today and will update this article if we get a response.


“Maximum” fine

The proposed $163,912 fine is "the statutory maximum" and covers BarrierFree's inaccurate filings from 2018 to 2020 as well as its nonresponses and inaccurate responses to FCC inquiries, the FCC said. But FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat on the Republican-majority commission, argued that the FCC could have issued a much bigger penalty.

"As the record demonstrates, BarrierFree failed to file with the FCC on 27 separate occasions," Rosenworcel said in a partial dissent. "But on 26 of those occasions today's action gives the company a pass. This hardly feels like the vigorous enforcement our data-gathering efforts need. Instead of cleaning up this mess, giving the company a pass on so many filings only sweeps their transgressions under the rug."

Rosenworcel said her requests to impose penalties for the other 26 filing failures were denied on the premise that "the statute of limitations has expired for these violations. But in other FCC contexts—for example, failure to file hearing aid compatibility reports or reports under the Lifeline program—this agency has treated the failure to file a required form as an ongoing violation until it is cured. Why wouldn't we do so here? Nothing in the law prevents us from adjusting our approach now to align it with how the agency addresses other filing failures."


“The FCC should fine itself”

As Turner told Ars, the FCC "didn't even notice that the company didn't file until BarrierFree made itself known by starting but not completing a filing [in 2015]. Yet the FCC let it go." By July 2018, the FCC knew BarrierFree "had likely filed bad data for its year-end 2017 filing, and asked the company to fix it, but let it go," Turner said. Moreover, the FCC issued a draft "report that used that bad data" and "Pai made boasts about it."

"The FCC didn't move to correct the [broadband-deployment] report, correct the underlying data, or investigate BarrierFree until after our [filing] and the media attention it garnered," Turner said.

Even in this week's Notice of Apparent Liability, the FCC barely touched on its role in spreading data that FCC staff had flagged as potentially inaccurate. "This is shameful," Turner concluded. "The FCC should fine itself and Commissioner Pai. They either were hapless and not communicating internally, or they were corrupt in moving and boasting about the results of data they knew were horribly wrong."
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[sultrysandy]

Meet Eyedrive, Apple’s system for building Maps and testing autonomous driving

Apple has been operating vehicles equipped with advanced sensors for some time, which are dedicated to collecting data to enhance Apple Maps. 9to5Mac has now learned exclusive details about how Apple uses these vehicles and manages such data.

Twitter user @YRH04E shared with us some internal Apple materials that reveal how the company operates those special cars with sensors and the protocols that the Apple Maps team must follow to capture images and other data across the streets.

Apple began collecting data using modified vans, but now field operators drive a white Subaru Impreza, which is internally known as “Ulysses.” These vehicles are part of Apple’s 3D Vision team, which is responsible for combining multiple data with computer vision and machine learning technologies to provide 3D images on Apple Maps.

The car is modified with dozens of hardware parts, including a tower at the top of the vehicle with advanced high-resolution cameras and Zeiss lenses, LiDAR scanners, and a 2013 Mac Pro that processes all captured data in real-time. Everything is controlled by the EyeDrive unit, which is a modified iPad with the EyeDrive app that provides the assignments to be done and also allows operators to manage captured data.

The vehicles are also equipped with 4 SSDs of 4TB each, which are filled up in about a week of work, and Apple relies on UPS overnight delivery to replace these SSDs as quickly as possible. The other type of car is a self-driving Lexus used for Apple’s autonomous vehicle efforts, which has the code name “Tyche.” Each modified vehicle has its own version of the EyeDrive app as you see below:

Ulysses vs Tyche (the two vehicle hardware configs) pic.twitter.com/afSHRtlJM7
https:/ / t . c o / afSHRtlJM7

— andrey (@YRH04E) August 4, 2020

Apple keeps its modified cars in a safe and undescribed location, which is rented to a front company to maintain the anonymity of the real owner of the vehicles. Ulysses units are typically operated by a driver and another person who manages the EyeDrive system, and they have precise instructions to collect the data.

The team must start the capture in the morning when the sun is at 30 degrees and drive until when it’s reaching 30 degrees at night, otherwise the sun interferes with how the LiDAR sensors work. Apple also requires that captures must be taken in perfect weather conditions in order to provide consistent images. Each car is carefully inspected before field work to ensure that all equipment is working as expected.

Once they’re on the road, the EyeDrive app on iPad tells the team where they should drive to capture data. The operator can check the images through the iPad in real-time and confirm if the capture looks good or if it has any issues. The streets where the car is driven are marked with a green outline, and the operator can mark if a specific street cannot be accessed either because it’s a private area or a road under construction.

At the end of the day, the systems are turned off and everything is safely saved. The car is once again inspected and the SSDs with captured data are immediately sent to Apple.

All that data is mainly used to enhance features like Flyover and Look Around, where users can explore 3D cities on Apple Maps. These vehicles are commonly seen in the United States, but Apple is slowly expanding them to Canada, Europe, and Japan.
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[sultrysandy]

Apple officially announces iPhone 12 virtual event for September 15

Apple has officially revealed this year’s iPhone 12 announcement event, inviting members of the press and the public to tune in remotely to watch on September 15 at 10 am PT. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil an all-new lineup of iPhone 12 models as well as a new Apple Watch Series 6 and more.


Apple September Event details

Much like WWDC 2020, Apple’s September event will be completely virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If the WWDC keynote was any indication, the iPhone 12 will likely be highly-produced and shot at Apple Park and in Steve Jobs Theater.

The image for the event simply invites everyone to “join us from Apple Park.” Unlike most iPhone event announcements, there is no clever tagline this year.

Apple’s WWDC keynote featured Tim Cook making opening comments from Steve Jobs Theater, then handing the reigns to other Apple executives for details on iOS 14, watchOS 7, and more. We expect a similar format for the iPhone 12 event, but it’s always possible that Apple has some sort of surprises in store.

Apple’s September event will be live-streamed across Apple’s website, in the Apple TV app, and likely on YouTube. We’ll have more details on this process, including details on how to tune in for yourself, when event day rolls around.

What can we expect at the event? Read on to find out.


iPhone 12

Apple is expected to unveil four new iPhone 12 models this year: a 5.4-inch iPhone 12, a 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Max, a 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro, and a 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max. The differentiating factor between these iPhone 12 models will be the camera technology.

The 5.4-inch iPhone 12 and 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Max are expected to feature dual-lens camera set-ups on the back, while the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will feature triple-lens camera arrays on the back with an all-new LiDAR Scanner as well.

Other features of the iPhone 12 lineup include OLED displays across the board as well as 5G connectivity. The iPhone 12 lineup will reportedly support mmWave 5G as well as sub-6GHz 5G. In terms of design, the devices are expected to feature flat edges similar to the iPhone 4, iPhone 5, and the latest iPad Pro.


Apple Watch Series 6

Also at Apple’s September event this year, we expect the announcement of the Apple Watch Series 6. Rumors on the Apple Watch Series 6 are a bit lighter than the iPhone 12, but there are a couple of things that have surfaced so far.

For instance, one of the tentpole features of this year’s Apple Watch update is expected to be blood oxygen level detection. Code found within iOS 14 by 9to5Mac has indicated that Apple Watch will add it this year, further expanding the Apple Watch’s health monitoring capabilities.

Apple is also developing improved electrocardiograms for the Apple Watch Series 6. Apple Watch Series 4 and 5 currently result in inconclusive ECG readings with heart rates between 100 and 120 beats per minute. A future update, either in software or hardware, will remove that limitation with an upgraded version of the ECG app.

As for the Apple Watch Series 6 design, reports indicate that there aren’t any major changes in store for the Apple Watch Series 6’s industrial design and that it will follow the same general form factor as the Series 4 and Series 5.
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[sultrysandy]

How to get back 'Other' storage on the iPhone or iPad

Apple has recently made changes to how iOS handles the mysterious "other" storage on iPhone and iPad, but it's still not obvious how you can get back some of that space for yourself. Here's how to do it.

You typically only even notice that there is a thing in iOS called "Other" storage when you're out of space. When your iPhone or iPad says you've no room to add an app or to store all your photos, it's a fair bet that a lot of the storage is taken up with this Other.

It's also a fair bet that you're pushing up against the limits of your device's storage. There is nothing you can do about that, though, not unless you're going to upgrade to a new iPhone or iPad with more space. Although it may soon be a good time to do that.

Until then, you can work to reclaim some of that space and there are broadly two ways to do it. There's certainly one way that you should try immediately.


How to reclaim "Other" storage space in iOS 13

Update to iOS or iPadOS 13.6.1 or later​

Apple says that there is a problem — they called it "an issue" — with storage in iOS 13 and iPadOS 13. While the company doesn't say what it is, or when you're going to encounter it, the solution is to upgrade to version 13.6.1 or later.

Whatever the cause of the problem, it's sufficiently serious that if you're running out of space because of it, you should back up the phone and do this update. And do that update before you add any new apps.

Apple actually says you shouldn't "install new apps, or download or stream music or videos," until you've installed iOS or iPadOS 13.6.1 or later.


What "Other" storage on the iPhone or iPad means

You know that if you take a photo, or download an app, or buy a song, then it is going to take up space on your iOS device. You also know or at least can guess that when you're using apps, they need some working space.

What can be surprising is just how much space is needed to make sure everything runs as it should. "Other" covers everything that isn't media, apps, photos, or documents and so on.

That means if you could properly see into the detail of "Other," you would spot Siri's alternative voices, Keychain data, fonts, dictionaries, user logs and more. The way that you can quickly search for apps depends on Spotlight having indexed your phone, too.

Possibly the biggest users of "Other" are your music, video and photo apps. Especially when you stream media, it's temporarily stored on your iPhone or iPad in a cache. In theory, that cache should be automatically emptied when you're done.

Much of this "Other" space isn't automatically erased because it's necessary and just cannot be reclaimed. But with things like fonts and especially multiple Siri voices, you can safely get rid of a lot of them.


How to see how much storage space "Other" is taking up on iOS

1. Open Settings on your iOS device
   
   
2. Choose General
   
   
3. Tap on iPhone Storage or iPad Storage

You'll get a graphic with color bars representing the space taken up by what types of data. Interestingly, you can take it for granted that this is accurate — and you can't assume that when you do the same thing on a Mac.

1. Connect your iOS device to a Mac
   
   
2. Open a Finder window
   
   
3. Select your iOS device from the left-hand navigation column

Doing this will bring up a window showing many details about your iOS device, including how its storage is being used. However, you have to give macOS a minute to figure it out.

For some reason, you'll find that you immediately see a graphic showing the storage used by Apps, Documents & Data, and so on, but it's wrong. Your mileage may vary, but in our testing, we would quickly get one reading of the storage space and then it would correct itself a few moments later.

It takes long enough to update that you may well not stick around to find out the truth. There's nothing telling you to wait or that the information is being updated. We only spotted it because we'd already seen the storage graphic on our iOS devices.


How to clear "Other" storage

Restart your iOS device

Use Settings to clear Safari's cache​

Restarting should get the iOS device to clear at least some of its caches. If it's failed to release this temporary storage space before, it will do so now.

That's the phone's or rather the system's own caches, but individual apps can have their own — and some will be significant. We're looking at you, Safari.


How to clear Safari's cache

1. Go to Settings on your iOS device
   
   
2. Scroll down to Safari
   
   
3. Scroll to Clear History and Website Data
   
   
4. Tap to confirm

Doing that and then restarting reclaimed 1.47 GB from an iPhone 11 Pro, for example. So it's more than worth doing, it's just a shame that all apps don't come with a direct way to clear these "Other" caches.


How to clear caches in all apps

1. Go to Settings, General, iPhone Storage
   
   
2. Wait a few moments
   
   
3. Check the data usage of each app on your device

Once you've waited a moment in the iPhone or iPad Storage section of Settings, your device will offer a couple of recommendations for saving space in general. Underneath that it will also show a list of apps.

These are the applications that are using the most space on your iPhone, ranked from most to least. Most of that space will be storage of items that you want to keep, though, or that you can move to other devices.

For instance, you may see the Camera app showing that it is using many gigabytes of storage. Clearly, you can get back some space by backing that up and then removing it.

That's not an "Other" type of storage, though, and there is no way to determine just how much of the space taken up is in that category. If you know that you have backups of all your documents, however, you can take a brute force approach to reclaiming "Other" space.

Again, be sure you've got every image, video, or anything else that you want, then delete the app. You can do that by the regular way of editing your home screen, or you can do it via the list of apps taking up storage.

Tap on any one of them and you'll get options to Offload or Delete the app. Delete it.

Offloading takes the app itself off your phone, and presumes that it can do this because when you want to use it you will of course be in an area with good Wi-Fi or cell signal. It doesn't touch your data, though, and that means you can't tell whether any "Other" space is being taken up.

Deleting the app and then reinstalling it certainly wipes these "Other" caches. Or at least it does for now. The cache will build up again over time so this isn't a permanent or even a convenient solution.


Consider removing old Messages

Unless you've changed any setting or painstakingly deleted conversations, Messages still contains all your text messages. All of them. Years of them. It is possible to remove these old ones, but unfortunately it's a bit of a nuclear option.

1. Go to Settings, Messages
   
   
2. Tap on Keep Messages For
   
   
3. Choose between Forever, 1 year, and 30 days

Sometimes the only practical one of those is Forever and that is the only one that doesn't help with your storage situation. Choosing either

1 Year
or 30 Days will not only stop keeping new messages for any longer than that, it will delete all your older ones.

Without a third-party app, you can't easily archive off your Messages before you delete any of them. So be sure you want to do it, or leave this as a last resort.


How to reclaim all possible "Other" space

You can't get back absolutely all of the space that is represented by "Other," and nor would you want to. Your device needs that working space.



However, if storage is truly at a premium, there is one more thing you can do to claw back a little space. You can reset your iPhone or iPad completely.

1. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac
   
   
2. Open a Finder window and click on your device's name in the lefthand bar
   
   
3. Click to select Back up all the data on your iPhone to this Mac
   
   
4. Click Back Up Now
   
   
5. When that's completed, go to Settings on your iOS device
   
   
6. Choose General, then Reset
   
   
7. Tap on Erase All Content and Settings and confirm

This wipes your iPhone and puts it back to how it was the day you got it out of the box. Which does mean that it will have as much storage space available as it ever can.


It's just not practical to do this whenever you're short on space. So while it's quick to clear Safari caches and that's worth doing occasionally, your best bet is to leave "Other" storage alone before resorting to a full erase and restore. Concentrate instead on how you might save space in other ways, like deleting unwanted images.
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[sultrysandy]

New Bluetooth security flaw discovered; limited risk on iOS devices

A new Bluetooth security flaw has been discovered that would potentially allow an attacker to connect to a user device without authentication.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the body responsible for Bluetooth standards, has confirmed vulnerabilities separately discovered by two teams of security researchers…

The organization issued a brief statement.

Researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and Purdue University have independently identified vulnerabilities related to Cross-Transport Key Derivation (CTKD) in implementations supporting pairing and encryption with both Bluetooth BR/EDR and LE in Bluetooth Specifications 4.0 through 5.0 […]

For this attack to be successful, an attacking device would need to be within wireless range of a vulnerable Bluetooth device supporting both BR/EDR and LE transports that supports CTKD between the transports and permits pairing on either the BR/EDR or LE transport either with no authentication (e.g. JustWorks) or no user-controlled access restrictions on the availability of pairing. If a device spoofing another device’s identity becomes paired or bonded on a transport and CTKD is used to derive a key which then overwrites a pre-existing key of greater strength or that was created using authentication, then access to authenticated services may occur. This may permit a Man In The Middle (MITM) attack between devices previously bonded using authenticated pairing when those peer devices are both vulnerable.

Apple protects against some forms of Bluetooth attack by requiring apps to ask user permission before a connection is initiated. You should only ever grant permission when you have a specific reason to allow an app to connect to a Bluetooth device, and are expecting it to ask.

Vulnerability to so-called Man-In-The-Middle (MITM) attacks is less clear. With some of these, an attacker can impersonate a previously paired device, which would then be allowed to connect without user intervention. However, iOS has protections like app sandboxing, which may also mitigate against this attack method.

There’s nothing else we can do at this stage. Bluetooth SIG says that it is in contact with vendors, and will make recommendations on steps needed to protect against these flaws.

The Bluetooth SIG is also broadly communicating details on this vulnerability and its remedies to our member companies and is encouraging them to rapidly integrate any necessary patches. As always, Bluetooth users should ensure they have installed the latest recommended updates from device and operating system manufacturers.

If any additional protection is needed on Apple devices, the Cupertino company would include these into a future security update.

Two other Bluetooth security flaws were discovered last year, one of which was sufficiently dangerous that the official Bluetooth specification was changed in response. A further one was reported earlier this year.
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[sultrysandy]

Apple ‘increasingly focused on succession planning’ as Tim Cook enters 10th year CEO

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Bloomberg: Apple ‘increasingly focused on succession planning’ as Tim Cook enters 10th year in CEO role

A new report from Bloomberg today highlights that Tim Cook and his team are “increasingly focused on succession planning” as he enters his 10th year as Apple CEO. The report explains that Apple is increasingly looking to “cultivate its next class of top managers.”

Mark Gurman at Bloomberg writes:

As Cook begins his 10th year at the helm, his management group is filled mostly with senior vice presidents who have worked at Apple for more than two decades, made tens of millions of dollars and are at or near the ages of 55 to 60 when many previous executives have stepped aside. That, along with typical corporate planning, has spurred the Cupertino, California-based company to cultivate its next class of top managers, said people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified talking about internal company discussions. Apple declined to comment.

While Cook has given no indication that he’s ready to step aside, today’s report says that current Apple chief operating officer Jeff Williams is internally viewed “as the heir apparent” for the CEO position. Williams is “seen as pragmatic as Cook” and an “operations-focused” executive, again much like Cook.

For product marketing, Greg Joswiak just recently took over from Phil Schiller as Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing. While Apple only made the transition public last month, Bloomberg reports that Schiller “had been gradually handing off some responsibility for years.”

As for the successor to Joswiak, Apple reportedly has a list of potential candidates, with the current front-runner being iPhone marketing VP Kaiann Drance.

Other potential contenders include Stan Ng and Susan Prescott. Ng, vice president of Apple Watch marketing, has been a mainstay in Apple’s marketing organization since the late 1990s, starting off on the Mac, transitioning to the iPod, and then working on the iPhone before the Watch. Prescott, 55, oversees marketing for apps and enterprise.

As for the software engineering team, Craig Federighi is “likely to remain in his role for several more years,” given that he is the youngest member of the Apple executive team at 51 years old. Sebastien Marineau-Mes, vice president of Intelligent Systems Experience, and Jon Andrews are seen as two potential successors to Federighi down the line.

Apple’s operations division is one of the most important teams, currently led by Sabih Khan. The most likely successor is Priya Balasubramaniam:

But the most likely long-term successor, according to people familiar with the group, is Priya Balasubramaniam, head of operations for the iPhone. Balasubramaniam has been in her current role since 2014 and joined Apple nearly 20 years ago. She is in charge of the production, supply chain and repair network for Apple’s most important product as well as underlying components.

The full report at Bloomberg is well worth a read and outlines more details on Apple’s succession strategy for the CFO position, hardware engineering, and much more.
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[sultrysandy]

As face recognition bans grow, care is needed by legislators

We’re seeing a growing number of face recognition bans introduced around the world as local and national legislators respond to growing public unease over the privacy implications.

We’ve seen bans on public agencies or police departments using face recognition technology, and now one US city has gone even further, extending a ban to private companies too …

TNW reports that Portland has introduced the far more extensive ban.

Portland has become the first city in the US to bar both businesses and government agencies from using facial recognition.

A growing number of cities, including Boston and San Franciso, have banned public agencies from using the tech, but Portland is the first to extend the restrictions to the private sector. Under the new rules, companies will be barred from using the tech in any public space […]

Banks had […] called for an exception, arguing the tech helps them keep their customers and staff safe. But Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty said the ban was necessary to protect the privacy of the community — especially its most vulnerable and overpoliced members.

Hardesty said on Twitter that she expects the rest of the US to follow Portland’s lead.

"I believe what we’re passing is model legislation that the rest of the country will be emulating as soon as we have completed our work here.” – @JoAnnPDX re: Portland's facial recognition ban. Vote happening now.

— Kate Kaye (@KateKayeReports) September 9, 2020

Thirteen US cities have so far enacted some kind of ban on face recognition.

Public concern about face recognition is fully understandable. If widely-deployed, as it is in China, the government would have the ability to track the movement of law-abiding individuals across a city or even the entire country. China even uses face recognition tech to assign ethnicities to people.

The tech also has demonstrated issues with mis-identifying people, which can result in them being detained and questioned – and these false positives are higher with ethnic minorities, exacerbating the existing problem with disproportionate police stops.

But if we’re to avoid the risk of inadvertently outlawing Face ID and its Android equivalents, such legislation needs to be carefully drafted to ensure that it draws a clear distinction between face recognition and face authentication.

Face recognition is pointing a camera at an unknown individual and having the system identify them.

Face authentication is a camera system confirming a person’s claimed identity.

Face recognition answers the question ‘Who is this person?’ while face authentication answers the question ‘Is this the person they claim to be?’. If you pick up my iPhone and attempt to unlock it, my phone won’t make any attempt to determine your identity, it will simply say ‘Nope, you aren’t Ben Lovejoy.’ There is no privacy risk involved.

Legislators don’t exactly have the best track record of understanding technology (watch any congressional inquiry into tech matters for examples), and it would be very easy to word laws in ways that would make Face ID illegal. Let’s hope they are taking advice from tech-savvy employees or consultants.
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[sultrysandy]

Porn surfers have a dirty secret. They’re using Internet Explorer

.
IE users, take note: Malvertising is rearing its head after lying low for awhile.

They’re back—attacks that use booby-trapped Web ads to install malware on the computers of unsuspecting visitors.

So-called malvertising works by paying advertising networks to display banner ads on legitimate websites. Malicious code sneaked into the ads then surreptitiously exploits vulnerabilities in browsers or browser plugins. The result: merely browsing to the wrong site infects vulnerable computers with malware that steals banking credentials, logs passwords, or spies on users.

Malvertising never went away, but it did become much less common in the past few years. Thanks to dramatic improvements in browser security, malvertising was replaced by more effective infection techniques, such as phishing, malicious macros in Microsoft Office documents, and tricking targets into installing malicious apps that masquerade as legitimate software.


Internet Explorer... really?

But over the past month, malvertising has made something of a comeback, security firm Malwarebytes reported this week. Company researchers said they recently found two different groups placing booby-trapped ads on xHamster, a site with more than 1 billion monthly visits, according to SimilarWeb. The ads redirect visitors to sites that serve malicious code. When viewed with Internet Explorer or Adobe Flash, the code can exploit critical vulnerabilities in unpatched versions of Internet Explorer.

“Threat actors still leveraging exploit kits to deliver malware is one thing, but end users browsing with Internet Explorer is another,” Malwarebytes researchers wrote. “Despite recommendations from Microsoft and security professionals, we can only witness that there are still a number of users (consumer and enterprise) worldwide that have yet to migrate to a modern and fully supported browser.”

Internet Explorer has always been one of the more targeted browsers. In part, that was because of its once dominant market share. Subpar security protections, when compared to Chrome and later Firefox, were another key reason. Microsoft has since released Edge and encouraged all users to adopt it. But the software maker continues to offer IE since custom plugins and software often lock organizations and individuals into using the outdated browser.

The malvertising renaissance seems to be motivated by attackers “squeezing the last bit of juice from vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer and Flash Player (due to retire for good next year),” the Malwarebytes post observed.


Enter Fallout and RIG

xHamster visitors using IE are redirected to a malicious site that hosts content from either Fallout or RIG, two of the better-known exploit kits. Exploit kits are the malware equivalent of paint-by-numbers. Sold in underground forums, they allow people with relatively modest technical skills to serve exploits that will infect visitors with malware of the buyer’s choice.

The Fallout exploit kit was redirecting targets to inteca-deco[.]com, a domain that masqueraded as a Web design agency. Behind the scenes, the site redirected targets to a different domain hosting malicious content from Fallout. It exploited IE vulnerability CVE-2019-0752 or Flash vulnerability CVE-2018-15982. Later, targets were redirected to a different domain, websolvent[.]me, which used a different redirection trick to deliver the exploits.

When successful, the exploits installed the Raccoon Stealer. The malware, according to security firm CyberArk, sells for about $75 a week. Customers use it to steal credit card data, login credentials, cryptocurrency wallets, and other sensitive data.

A second malvertising group, often referred to as malsmoke, is also using exploit kits to install malware known as Smoke Loader. They, too, are displaying malicious ads on xHamster by purchasing space from a legitimate ad network.

“Malsmoke is probably the most persistent malvertising campaign we have seen this year,” the Malwarebytes post said. “Unlike other threat actors, this group has shown that it can rapidly switch ad networks to keep their business uninterrupted.”


Protecting yourself

With a little training, it’s not hard to spot most malvertising attacks. They usually start with being redirected from the site users were viewing to a site they don’t recognize and made no attempt to visit. Readers who find themselves in this position should close the browser and disconnect the computer from the Internet as quickly as possible. They should never click on links.

The better protection is to use a modern browser such as Edge, Firefox, Chrome, or Brave. The latter is a relatively new offering that's built from the same Chromium engine as Chrome. All of these browsers have been hardened with security sandboxes and other protections designed to thwart malware attacks. Using IE in 2020 is reckless, whether viewing porn or any other kind of Web content.
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[sultrysandy]

Apple Watch saves cop stabbed during an arrest

The Apple Watch has been credited with helping the life of a police officer stabbed in Arizona, by allowing him to speak to his dispatcher when his radio failed to function properly.

In a Facebook video published on Friday, the Pinal County Sherriff's Office shares radio recordings and an interview with Sgt. Sosa of the Superior Police Department, about an incident that occurred in February. The video explains that Sosa was attempting to arrest a wanted felon, one that turned out badly for the sergeant.

After catching up with the suspect, Sosa was then confronted, and then struggled to bring the man to the ground. However, during the pursuit, Sosa's microphone unplugged from the radio, which combined with holding the suspect on the ground, made it impossible to get back in contact with dispatcher Gloria Wheeler.



PCSO dispatcher saves Superior PD sergeant's life
Pinal County Sheriff's Office · Follow

Repeated attempts by Wheeler to contact over the radio eventually led to a phone call, which Sosa was able to answer from his Apple Watch. Sosa was then able to request assistance from other officers to complete the arrest.

At this time, the suspect had managed to reach into their pocket to pull out a knife, which he used to stab Sosa in the leg. Using the open call, Sosa updated dispatch on the need for an ambulance, which was summoned to his location.

Wheeler received an award for her actions which helped save the life of Sosa that day. "The dispatcher saved my life because I was able to continue fighting, and she was able to send resources I needed out there," Sosa explained.

The Apple Watch has been connected to many different incidents where a life was saved, such as the 2017 case of a woman calling 911 from her Apple Watch following a car accident, when her iPhone was out of reach. Its other functionality, including fall detection and heart-related features, have also been credited for helping save lives.
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[astuffedshirt_perv]

This thread is so informative I don't even visit apple news sites anymore. Thanks!

 

[sultrysandy]

This thread is so informative I don't even visit apple news sites anymore. Thanks!

Glad you're getting something from the thread.

Actually somewhat surprised no one has complained since it's evolved beyond Apple Inc, it's products, and services; and into security, privacy, and other topics.



Before I forget, do not expect new iPhones tomorrow at Apple's 'Time Flies' event. They said during their Q3 2020 earnings results that iPhones will be released later than usual this year. Seems will be iPad's and Apple watch. Will begin posting announcements tomorrow afternoon.


And speaking of, privacy next post is about the thieves tracking and stealing user's activities and info are bitching yet again about iOS 14. They've been so happy and quiet for years while majority or people didn't know what's been happening to them behind the scenes.


And again. Laurel and Manu's Literotica.com is pretty good. And even more so when compared to even so-called upstanding web sites.
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[sultrysandy]

Ad group urges 'dialogue' with Apple about iOS 14 privacy features

A group representing digital media and advertising industry organizations has penned an open letter to Apple urging the tech giant engage in dialogue before instituting potentially restrictive iOS 14 privacy changes.

The letter, signed by The Partnership for Responsible Addressable Media, is a reaction to Apple's new policies that make certain user tracking tags opt-in on a per-app basis in iOS 14. That policy has sparked backlash from marketers and advertisers who claim it will negatively impact ad revenue from iOS devices.

Specifically, the changes in iOS 14 apply to Identifier for Advertiser (IDFA) tags, which allow advertisers to collect aggregate data about users without harvesting their personally identifiable information. In iOS 14, Apple is requiring that apps and advertisers obtain permission from users to "track them across apps and websites" owned by other companies through a prominent pop-up box.

While the letter praises Apple's decision to delay enforcement of the new privacy features, it requests an "urgent meeting ensure we use that additional time to launch a collaborative process to address widespread questions and concerns around those upcoming changes."

While the organization says they share Apple's support for consumer privacy, it claims that — without a dialogue — the proposed changes could have a "negative impact on both consumers and businesses."

"In particular, we hope to better understand the specific rationale for such changes, how the changes will be implemented, and what steps might be taken by marketers, publishers, app developers, and other parties to ensure that critical functionality is preserved," the letter reads.

The letter claims that Apple's privacy features could have a negative impact on ad-funded apps, news organizations, and "ad-supported innovation and competition."

As far as the dialogue, the partnership hopes to ask Apple several questions, including:

• How advertisers could cap ad frequency on Apple devices.
  
  
• Whether apps will be allowed to require IDFA activation.
  
  
• What changes Apple "might consider" to the new IDFA policy.
  
  
• Whether Apple will allow the use of IDFA for non-targeting purposes.
  
  
• Future privacy systems advertisers could use to "reach groups of users with common interests."

Whether Apple will apply the same IDFA policy to its own apps and services.


Although initially slated for a release with iOS 14, Apple has since pushed rollout of the opt-in mechanism to 2021.






Sandy note -

Please keep in mind:

Companies such as Facebook, Google, social media websites, so called free web sites, et cetera, that track you and steal your info are called advertisers since they they sell the info they steal that supposedly ends up wit advertisers.

Who's interest do they care about, them stealing your info, or your privacy?
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[sultrysandy]

Apple has sold a total of 500 million iPads in the last 10 years

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still verifying and sorting through posts from today's event, but this jumped out at me

Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Apple has sold more than 500 million iPads in the decade since it debuted its very first tablet, marking the first time it has revealed iPad sales numbers in two years.

Tim Cook made that announcement during Apple's "Time Flies" event on Tuesday. It's the first real confirmation of iPad sales since Apple stopped reporting individual unit sales in November 2018.

On Tuesday, Cook revealed the hard numbers ahead of Apple's announcement of new 10.2-inch iPad and iPad Air models. He also added that 52% of customers were new to the iPad, and that the tablet lineup was ranked first among competitors in customer satisfaction.

Late Apple cofounder and CEO Steve Jobs announced the company's very first tablet in January 2010 ahead of an April launch.

The device, which weighed 1.5 pounds, was described as "way better than a laptop, way better than a phone" at the time. It pack an 1GHz Apple A4 processor, a 9.7-inch display, and up to 64GB of built-in storage. It received mostly positive reviews after its debut.

Since then, the iPad has seen its share of ups and downs. Since 2018, sales of the tablet have been on the decline, though in 2020, the rise of remote learning and work during coronavirus pandemic has given the lineup a tailwind.

On Tuesday, Apple refreshed the iPad Air by bringing a suite of "iPad Pro" features to the product, including a 10.9-inch LCD display with slimmer bezels; a USB-C connector; a Touch ID sensor built into the power button; and an all-new A14 Bionic chipset based on a 5nm production process. The lower-cost iPad also received an update with the 8th-generation, bringing an A12 Bionic CPU.

Earlier in 2020, Apple refreshed its iPad Pro lineup with new LiDAR capabilities and a Magic Keyboard with Trackpad.
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[sultrysandy]

Apple airs ASL recap of 'Time Flies' event

.
I find this to be cool that they did it.

Apple on Tuesday published an American Sign Language translation recapping its "Time Flies" hardware event, a first for the company.

While Apple has for years offered text captions for keynotes, product advertisements and other video presentations, it has not presented an ASL translation for big hardware launches.

The consideration, in this case an interpretation of the company's keynote recap, mainly serves the deaf and hard of hearing community. As noted by Daniel Yong on Twitter, Apple's recap video is also available with English audio descriptions and closed captions.

In the ASL version, posted to Apple's events webpage alongside a non-ASL recap, a woman stands in front of a white background to translate spoken words from CEO Tim Cook, COO Jeff Williams and other executives as they detail the day's announcements. Integrated video markers delineate announcements for Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Fitness+, Apple One and iPad.

Apple is a longtime supporter of deaf and hard of hearing users, and has worked hard to integrate special accessibility features for the wider community across its major operating systems.

In August, the company announced a new partnership with Gallaudet University that will see students and faculty members provided with an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and SmartFolio case. A scholarship program was also activated to assist students of color with disabilities who seek careers in computer science, information technology, or other STEM fields.
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[sultrysandy]

what Apple announced during its September event

.
What Apple announced during its September event: Apple Watch Series 6, new iPad Air, and more

In just over 60 minutes, Apple today announced two new Apple Watch models, two new iPads, and the details on its latest software and services releases. Read on for a recap of everything Apple announced at its September event today.

Apple Watch Series 6

Apple kicked things off today with the introduction of the Apple Watch Series 6. As reports had suggested, one of the leading features here is the addition of a new Blood Oxygen feature. On the Apple Watch itself, there is a new Blood Oxygen sensor, which works through a new Blood Oxygen app in watchOS 7.

Apple explains that Oxygen saturation represents the percentage of oxygen being carried by red blood cells from the lungs to the rest of the body and indicates how well this oxygenated blood is being delivered throughout the body. Through the Blood Oxygen app, you can get a reading in just 15 seconds with the Apple Watch Series 6.

In terms of performance, the Apple Watch Series 6 is powered by Apple’s newest S6 processor, which is up to 20% faster than the Series 5. Apple says that the Apple Watch Series 6 features the same 18-hour battery life as before. It also includes the U1 chip and Ultra Wideband antennas for features such as CarKeys. And while battery life is the same, Apple says that the Series 6 charges 20% faster than the Series 5 and that workout tracking is less intensive for things like indoor and outdoor runs.

The Apple Watch Series 6 features the same overall design as the Series 5, but the always-on display is up to 2.5 times brighter than the Series 5. The Apple Watch Series 6 is also available in a new blue color as well as a PRODUCT(RED) option. The ceramic model that was available with the Series 5 has also been discontinued.

The new Apple Watch Series 6 is available to order today starting at $399. The first orders will arrive as early as Friday, but some models are already delayed until October and November.



Apple Watch SE

Next up is the new Apple Watch SE. This serves as a lower-cost option for Apple Watch buyers, coming in at $279.

The Apple Watch SE features the same physical design as the Series 4, Series 5, and Series 6. It’s powered by Apple’s S5 processor, which Apple says is up to two times faster than Apple Watch Series 3.

The Apple Watch SE does not feature an always-on display, nor does it support ECG or blood oxygen features, but there is support for fall detection and Emergency SOS. Other features include an always-on altimeter, a built-in compass, the latest speaker and microphone, which are optimized for better sound quality for phone calls, Siri, and Walkie-Talkie,1 along with Bluetooth 5.0.

The Apple Watch SE is available to order today starting at $279. The first orders arrive on Friday. If you want cellular, the Apple Watch SE with cellular starts at $329. Interestingly, the Series 3 is still available in Apple’s lineup for $199. This means the Apple Watch lineup starts at $199 for the Series 3, $279 for the Apple Watch SE, and $399 for the Apple Watch Series 5.


Apple Fitness+

Apple continued its focus on the Apple Watch and fitness with the introduction of its newest subscription service, Apple Fitness+. Set to rival the likes of Peloton, Apple Fitness+ will integrate with the Apple Watch and the Fitness app on the iPhone. Fitness+ costs $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year.

Users can watch fitness classes hosted by Apple, with health workout metrics shown over the top of the video, synced from Apple Watch. The data can then be automatically saved to the Health app.

In terms of programming, Apple Fitness+ will include workouts for cycling, treadmills, HIIT, rowing, strength, yoga, dance, core, and cool downs. Each class will be set to music that you can easily locate through Apple Music on your device. Apple says new workouts will be released on a weekly basis.

Apple Fitness+ classes can be viewed on iPhone through the Fitness app or through an all-new fitness app on iPad and Apple TV. Fitness+ will debut before the end of the year. Apple will include three months free of Apple Fitness+ with new Apple Watch purchases.



Apple One bundle

Alongside the introduction of Apple Fitness+, Apple also introduced its long-awaited bundle of Services, branded as Apple One.

Apple One starts at $15 per month for Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 50 GB of iCloud storage for individuals. The Family version of the plan will run $20 per month with 200GB of storage.

For $30 per month, you can upgrade to the Premiere Apple One bundle, which includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, 2TB of iCloud storage, Apple News+, and Apple Fitness+.

Based on what Apple announced today, Apple One seems like a solid value for the money. Apple says individuals can save $6 per month, whereas families save $8 a month. Moreover, the Premier plan is $25 cheaper than buying all of Apple’s services individually.

More details on Apple One over the coming weeks, with Apple saying the bundle will be available sometime this fall.


8th generation iPad

Finally, Apple concluded today’s event with a pair of announcements for the iPad lineup. First off, Apple detailed an all-new $329 iPad powered by the A12 Bionic processor, which is an upgrade from the previous generation’s A10 processor.

Apple says the A12 chip offers more than twice the performance of the top-selling Windows laptop and performance that is more than 6x faster than the top-selling Android tablet and 6x faster than the best-selling Chromebook.

Much everything else about the new 8th generation iPad is the same, including Apple Pencil support, Smart Keyboard Support, a 10.2-inch Retina display, and Smart Connector support.

The 8th-generation iPad keeps the same price as the 7th-gen: that’s $329 for general sale and $299 for education. It’s available to order from today, with the first shipments arriving on Friday.


New iPad Air

The next announcement for the iPad today was an all-new iPad Air. As rumors had indicated, the new iPad Air is a massive update compared to its predecessor. Leading the way here is a complete redesign that heavily resembles the iPad Pro.

The new iPad Air features a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with P3 wide color, True Tone, and a laminate coating. Touch ID is located in the power button, so instead of Face ID, the biometric authentication is built directly into the power button — this marks the first time Apple has expanded Touch ID outside of the Home button.

The 10.9-inch display of the iPad Air features a resolution of 2360×1640 with full lamination. In terms of performance, the device is powered by Apple’s newest A14 Bionic processor — making the iPad Air the first Apple product t

Finally, the iPad Air features second-generation Apple Pencil support and Magic Keyboard support. The new iPad Air will be available next month starting at $599.



Software release dates

Finally, concluded today’s event with an incredibly surprising announcement for the future of its software platforms. Apple revealed that iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7, and tvOS 14 will all be released to everyone tomorrow, September 16. This was a surprising announcement, with many people having assumed Apple would give developers at least a week’s notice.
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[sultrysandy]

Should you upgrade to iOS 14?

Apple has officially released its latest software for iPhone with iOS 14 today. While there is a range of compelling new features like home screen widgets, picture in picture support, new compact call interface, redesigned Siri, and much more, is it actually best to hold off on installing it for now? Read on as we consider whether or not you should upgrade to iOS 14.

With the new home screen widgets marking the biggest change to iOS’ user interface since it was introduced over ten years ago along with a host of other long-awaited features like a compact call interface, Siri UI that doesn’t take over your whole screen, and more, it’s certainly tempting to install iOS 14 as soon as possible.


Critical or important apps?

However, there are a few things to consider before upgrading. First, if you have any apps that are critical, check in with the developer to see what they’re saying about iOS 14. If you can’t find any information on the compatibility of specific apps with iOS 14, the safest move is to hold off on installing the iOS upgrade for now.

Notably, while Apple often gives a week’s notice or so to developers at its September event before the public release, this year it surprised many as it announced iOS 14 would roll out the day after the Time Flies event. That’s frustrated developers and some won’t be able to ship their apps with the launch of the new system update.

We’ve also seen issues with specific apps during the beta period, for example if Pokemon Go is an important app to you, you’ll probably want to hold off on upgrading to iOS 14. Developer Niantic shared a tweet last night that said it fixed the issues, but some are reportedly still seeing problems.


Bugs and performance issues

All in all, iOS 14 has been relatively stable and hasn’t seen many bugs or performance issues during the beta period. However, if you’re wanting to play it safe, it could be worth waiting a few days or up to a week or so before installing iOS 14. Last year with iOS 13, Apple released both iOS 13.1 and iOS 13.1.1 within just 8 days. The latter fixed a battery drain issue, Siri bug, and flaw that prevented restoring from a backup.


Wrap-up

iOS 14 is definitely a great update but if you have any concerns about important apps that you absolutely need to work or feel like you’d rather skip any potential early bugs or performance issues, waiting a week or so before installing it is your best bet to make sure all is clear.

However, if you’re eager to try out all the new features and changes and don’t really have any critical apps and don’t mind potential bugs and early problems, go for it. Just be sure to make a fresh backup of your iPhone or iPad first.

To check for iOS 14 when available head to Setting > General > Software Update.
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[sultrysandy]

iOS 14 is now available; these are the 14 best features

After three months of beta testing, Apple officially released iOS 14 to the public today. Today’s update includes a variety of new features, including widgets on the Home screen, an all-new App Library, and much more. Read on as we round up the 14 best features in iOS 14 this year.

Does your iPhone support iOS 14 features?

First and foremost, here are the details on which iPhone models are supported by iOS 14. Apple says iOS 14 can run on the iPhone 6s and later, which is the exact same as iOS 13. This means that any iPhone supported by iOS 13 is also supported by iOS 14.


Home screen widgets

iOS 14 is the first version of iOS to support adding widgets directly to your Home screen. This means that the iconic grid of icons can officially be switched up to include widgets for first-party Apple applications and third-party developers.

You can also add a Smart Stack of multiple widgets to your Home screen, and iOS 14 will use on-device intelligence to surface the right widget based on time, location, and activity. Built-in iOS 14 widgets include:

• Batteries
  
  
• Calendar
  
  
• Clock
  
  
• Files
  
  
• Fitness
  
  
• Maps
  
  
• Music
  
  
• News
  
  
• Notes
  
  
• Photos
  
  
• Podcasts
  
  
• Reminders
  
  
• Screen Time
  
  
• Shortcuts
  
  
• Siri Suggestions
  
  
• Stocks
  
  
• TV
  
  
• Tips
  
  
• Weather

Learn more about how to use iOS 14 widgets in our detailed guide here. A variety of third-party applications are also adding Home screen widgets. We’ll have more details on those updates throughout the rest of the month.


App Library

In conjunction with the new Home screen widgets, iOS 14 also includes an all-new App Library. Apple describes the App Library as a new Home page screen that “organizes all of a user’s apps into one simple, easy-to-navigate view, and intelligently surfaces apps that are helpful in the moment.”

Essentially, this means that you no longer have to keep all of your applications on your iPhone’s Home screen. Instead, you can delete apps from your Home screen but keep them in the App Library for when you might need to access them. You can also hide Home screen pages in iOS 14 as well.


Picture-in-Picture

One of the best iPadOS features is finally making its way to the iPhone this year thanks to iOS 14: Picture-in-Picture video support. This means you can watch video from a variety of applications on your iPhone while you navigate throughout iOS 14.

Picture-in-Picture support also extends to FaceTime calls, so you can stay in a FaceTime call while using other applications. The video simply floats to the corner of your iPhone.


YouTube 4K support

Thanks to iOS 14 enhancements, the YouTube app now supports 4K playback for the first time. To access this feature, open the YouTube app on your iPhone, start playing a video, choose the “More” icon in the upper-right corner, tap “Quality,” and choose 2160p.


Compact Siri and Phone interfaces

With iOS 14, incoming phone calls will no longer take over your iPhone’s entire display. Instead, a small incoming call bar will appear at the top of iOS, allowing you to easily accept or reject the call without missing out on anything else. It’s a small change, but one that has been on many iOS wishlists for years.

Siri has also gotten a complete redesign in iOS 14. This means that activating Siri no longer overtakes your iPhone’s entire display. Instead, a small Siri interface will appear along the bottom of your iPhone’s display. Unfortunately, you can’t interact with the rest of iOS 14 while the Siri interface is on-screen.


Change default browser and email apps

Even though Apple isn’t heavily promoting this year, iOS 14 also brings support for changing the default email and browser applications. This means you can set a third-party app such as Google Chrome as your default web browser, and all links will open in Chrome by default.

You can also set third-party email apps such as Gmail as your default email client, and all mail:to links will automatically open in that app instead of Apple’s Mail app. Note that these features require adoption by third-party apps, so not all email and browser apps will be supported from day one.


App Clips

One of the biggest features in iOS 14 is something Apple calls App Clips. Essentially, Apple bills this as a way to download parts of an application at the moment they need it, without downloading the full application.

For example, a parking application such as ParkWhiz could offer an App Clip that allows you to quickly find and pay for parking without downloading the full ParkWhiz app from the App Store. Apple says that App Clips can be discovered and accessed by scanning a new Apple-designed App Clip code, or through NFC tags and QR codes, or shared in Messages or from Safari.

Again, third-party apps will have to adopt App Clips, so it might take some time until you see a prevalence of use cases for App Clips in the wild.


Accessibility features

Apple touts that iOS 14 also includes a variety of Accessibility improvements, including the popular Back Tap feature that allows users to trigger gestures, Shortcuts, and Accessibility controls by tapping the back of their iPhone.

Back Tap, which offers a quick new way to trigger gestures, tasks, and accessibility shortcuts, sign language detection in Group FaceTime, and Sound Recognition, which uses on-device intelligence to notify users when the sound of a fire alarm or doorbell is detected. VoiceOver, the industry’s leading screen reader for the blind community, now automatically recognizes what is displayed visually onscreen so more apps and web experiences are accessible to more people.

Emoji search

Another simple but long-awaited feature has made its way to iOS 14 this year: support for searching the incredibly vast collection of emoji. To search for the exact emoji you’re looking for, simply open the emoji picker from the iOS keyboard and you’ll see a brand new search field.


Maps app updates

iOS 14 also brings new features to the Maps application. Apple says that Maps now makes it easier than ever to “navigate and explore with new cycling directions, electric vehicle routing, and curated Guides.”

Apple explains:

Cycling directions take into account elevation, how busy a street is, and whether there are stairs along the route. Electric vehicle routing adds charging stops along a planned route based on current vehicle charge and charger types. Guides provide a curated list of interesting places to visit in a city, created by a selection of trusted resources.

New Messages app features

The Messages app is getting a notable overhaul with iOS 14. One of the biggest changes in Messages is the ability to pin threads and conversations to the top of the messages list. This includes one-on-one conversations as well as groups for quick access.

Other enhancements to the Messages app in iOS 14: @ mentions in group chats, setting a group photo, new Memoji options, and threading replies.


Privacy

Privacy is a tentpole of iOS 14 like it is for every modern iOS update. Here are the highlights of iOS 14’s new privacy features:

• Users can choose to share their approximate location with app developers rather than their precise location when granting an app location access
  
  
• Developers can now offer users the option to upgrade their existing accounts to Sign in with Apple
  
  
• New status bar indicator when app uses the microphone and camera
  
  
• Later this year, App Store product pages will feature summaries of developers’ self-reported privacy practices, displayed in a simple, easy-to-read format
  )Sandy note - been meaning to post aobut this, hopefully planning on doing ir before next Wednesday (have lots going on right now))
  
  
• Starting early next year, all apps will be required to obtain user permission before tracking
  (Sandy note - see 09-03-2020 Apple reportedly delaying iOS 14 advertising privacy feature bashed by Facebook #524)

New AirPods features

iOS 14 also enables two new features for AirPods users: spatial audio and automatic device switching.

The spatial audio feature is exclusive to AirPods Pro, and the toggle is accessible via Control Center when your AirPods Pro are connected. Apple says that spatial audio is an immersive experience using directional audio filters to “play sounds virtually anywhere in space, creating an immersive sound experience.” This will put surround channels exactly in the right spot, even as you turn your head or move your device.

Meanwhile, automatic device switching will allow your AirPods or AirPods to switch between your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and Apple Watch paired to the same iCloud account.


Translate app

Finally, iOS 14 brings an all-new built-in application called Translate. Apple says that Translate is designed for conversations across 11 different languages with features including conversation mode and offline mode:

Translate is designed to be the best and easiest app for translating conversations, offering quick and natural translation of voice and text among 11 different languages. On-device mode allows users to experience the features of the app offline for private voice and text translation

iOS 14 wrap up

iOS 14 is a major update to the iPhone, and the features outlined here are only the beginning. Be sure to check out 9to5Mac’s full video hands-on with iOS 14 features below as well. To update your iPhone to iOS 14, simply open the Settings app, choose General, then choose Software Update.
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Here's the official list of devices that will work with iOS 14 and iPadOS 14. If you're buying a new phone this fall, it'll come with the new iOS installed.
Devices that will support iOS 14,

iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max

iPhone XS and XS Max

iPhone XR

iPhone X

iPhone 8

iPhone 8 Plus

iPhone 7

iPhone 7 Plus

iPhone 6S

iPhone 6S Plus

iPhone SE (2020)

iPhone SE (2016)

iPod Touch (7th gen)


iPadOS 14

12.9-inch iPad Pro

11-inch iPad Pro

10.5-inch iPad Pro

9.7-inch iPad Pro

iPad (6th gen)

iPad (5th gen)

iPad Mini (5th gen)

iPad Mini 4

iPad Air (3rd gen)

iPad Air 2

source:
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/ios-14-compatibility-install-today-but-only-if-your-apple-iphone-model-is-on-the-list/

 

[sultrysandy]

You can now change your default iOS browser to Firefox or DuckDuckGo

If you’ve updated to iOS 14, you can now change your default iOS browser to either Firefox or DuckDuckGo if you wish. Both browsers have been approved by Apple to take advantage of the new option to change your default web browser from Safari. (Google’s Chrome had already been approved.)

Both browsers claim that the switch will further boost your privacy protections …

The ability to change your default web browser and email app as one of the best iOS 14 features. Apple likely introduced the option as one of a number of responses to growing antitrust concerns about the company.

The company does still require browsers to be approved, a necessary protection against app spamming: without that vetting process, any app could add web-browsing capabilities and then be presented as a potential default browser.

Firefox claims that it offers better protection against tracking than Safari.

Apple’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention offers solid privacy protection for the full device that you can make even stronger in Firefox. By setting Firefox to Strict Enhanced Tracking Protection, you’ll be shielded from known tracking content embedded in videos, ads and other content through tracking codes, as well as invasive cryptomining and fingerprinting trackers.

Device fingerprinting is the ad industry’s latest workaround to anti-tracking measures introduced by Apple.

Firefox also stresses its not-for-profit status, implicitly contrasting itself with Google’s Chrome without actually naming either company or browser.

Firefox is an independent browser, backed by Mozilla, the not-for-profit organization. We believe you should be able to decide who sees your personal info, not just among your friends, but with advertisers and companies on the internet — including us. In contrast to other major tech companies, Firefox products don’t harvest, sell or monetize your personal data.

DuckDuckGo makes a similar privacy pitch.

Among other more robust privacy protections, our browser, by default, blocks most trackers from loading at all (as opposed to just partially protecting you from them once they load). This means companies like Google, Facebook, and many others you’ve never even heard of are actually stopped from tracking you across the web.

The company says DuckDuckGo also proactively redirects you to https versions of pages if you use legacy http links.

We crawl the web and maintain a list of sites that support encrypted connections, and then make sure you use those encrypted connections whenever possible via our Smarter Encryption technology. With an encrypted connection, the exact page you are browsing (and content you submit on that page, e.g., your searches) can’t be seen by Internet providers (ISPs) and Wi-Fi snoopers.

To change your default browser from Safari:

• Go to the App Store to download the browser you want to use
  
  
• Open the Settings app
  
  
• Scroll down to the browser
  
  
• Tap the browser name
  
  
• Tap Default Browser App
  
  
• Tap the browser you want to use

 

[sultrysandy]

iOS 14 default app settings automatically reset to Mail and Safari after reboot

One of the new features in iOS 14 is the ability to change the default email or browser app to a third-party alternative such as Chrome, Edge, or Outlook. A bug in the first public release of iOS 14, however, causes your default browser or mail app setting to reset to Mail or Safari when your iPhone or iPad reboots.

For example, let’s say you wanted to change your default web browser from Safari to Google Chrome. You simply head into the Settings app, look for Chrome, then choose the “Default Browser App” setting and make the change. After you’ve made that change, all links will automatically open in Chrome instead of Safari.

In the version of iOS 14 released to the public this week, there is a massive caveat to the new default browser and settings. If you reboot your iPhone or iPad, the default app setting will reset to Apple’s first-party Mail and Safari applications.

What this means is that if you set Chrome as the default browser, but then your iPhone dies or you need to reboot it, Safari will once again become the default browser app until you go back into the Settings app and make the change again. The same applies to email apps such as Microsoft Outlook and Spark as well.

This is almost certainly some sort of bug on Apple’s side, because it is affecting email and browser apps from multiple companies including Google, Microsoft, and Readdle. On Twitter, a Google Chrome engineer has acknowledged the problem, though the ball is likely in Apple’s court to roll out some sort of fix — unless this is bizarrely the intended behavior.

iOS 14 users have also noticed that if you change the default email application, but keep your default browser app set to Safari, email links in Safari will still open in Apple’s Mail app rather than the third-party browser that you had set as your default. If your default browser is set to something other than Safari, mailto: links work as intended and open in your default mail app of choice.
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[astuffedshirt_perv]

Translate app

Finally, iOS 14 brings an all-new built-in application called Translate. Apple says that Translate is designed for conversations across 11 different languages with features including conversation mode and offline mode:

Can confirm. I updated to 14 last night and the translate app is pretty cool! If only I could travel and meet other people and use it

 

[sultrysandy]

Translate app

Finally, iOS 14 brings an all-new built-in application called Translate. Apple says that Translate is designed for conversations across 11 different languages with features including conversation mode and offline mode:

Can confirm. I updated to 14 last night and the translate app is pretty cool! If only I could travel and meet other people and use it

This is attempted humor, but let me have it if I offend you



Hopefully you'll stop putting on your polyester disco leisure suite with the wide lapels and walking up to women while singing "Voulez vous couchez avec moi ce soir?"

Did not know that song was a hit in 1974. Thought it was later during the peak disco era.
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[sultrysandy]

Here’s how to use the new iPhone home screen widgets in iOS 14

.
there are many different things can post this weekend: iOS 14, iPad, Apple Watch, Bis Sur (Mac), to corporate level with three different lawsuits and stock price.

One of the biggest updates to come with iOS 14 is an all-new home screen experience. This marks arguably the biggest UI change for iOS since it was first introduced.

Gone are the days of the iPhone home screen being limited to a basic grid of square apps and app folders. iOS 14 brings a whole new look and feel to the UI with home screen widgets that can be customized in size/shape to offer some great functionality. This idea isn’t new, with Microsoft using this customizable grid-style a decade ago with its Windows Phone and Google with Android too. Nonetheless, Apple has created a clean and sharp look and feel with home screen widgets that’s iOS through and through, including a neat “Smart Stack” option.

iOS 14 is available now. Head to Settings > General > Software Update to see if it’s ready to install on your device (don’t forget to back up your device first).


How to use iPhone home screen widgets in iOS 14

1. On your iPhone running iOS 14, long-press your home screen in a blank space until your apps start wiggling (or long-press an app > Edit Home Screen)
   
   
2. Tap the + icon in the top left corner
   
   
3. Now you’ll see the available widgets (including third-party supported ones)
   
   
4. Tap one, choose a size, tap Add Widget to place it on your home screen (alternatively long-press one and drag it up slightly to add it)
   
   
5. You can reposition your widget by dragging it around
   
   
6. Tap Done in the top right corner to set your widget
   
   
7. You can create your own Smart Stack-style widgets by dragging ones of the same size (up to 10) on top of each other (Apple and third-party alike)

The new widgets are available on iPad with iPadOS 14 too but they’re limited to the Today View sidebar, whereas with iPhone you can use them on your home and secondary/tertiary, etc. app screens. Keep in mind Today View widgets and widgets for home screen/app pages are different and require developer support.


Here’s how these steps look:

Smart Stacks are a neat widget option that will automatically cycle through different widgets “to show the most relevant information throughout the day.” You can also manually swipe through the different options in the Smart Stack anytime you’d like.

For each widget, you can pick between several different sizes (seen above and below):

Apple’s new Weather app in iOS 14 and also widgets offer real-time precipitation and severe weather tracking that make for a great experience. And third-party apps like Carrot Weather that to another level.

Third-party developers releasing widgets will make this big update even more useful as they allow users to fine-tune their iOS screens in all new ways. And don’t forget you can maximize your widgets by stacking up to 10 of the same sized ones on top of each other.
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[sultrysandy]

4K YouTube videos still not compatible with tvOS 14, picture-in-picture removed

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4K YouTube videos still not compatible with tvOS 14, picture-in-picture removed from website

One of the main new features of tvOS 14 is the compatibility with Google’s VP9 codec, which enables 4K streaming on YouTube for Apple TV users. However, although tvOS 14 is now available to the public, users are still unable to play 4K videos on YouTube with a compatible Apple TV.

The YouTube app on tvOS 14 still limits videos to 1080p resolution, so the 4K option doesn’t show up even with the latest version of the operating system installed. Meanwhile, Apple’s website still mentions that tvOS 14 supports 4K videos on YouTube.

Watch the latest YouTube videos in their full 4K glory. Your favorite music, slo‑mo, outdoor, and vlog footage never looked better.

The official YouTube support later confirmed on Twitter that users will indeed be able to play 4K videos on Apple TV with tvOS 14, but this feature is not yet enabled. Most likely the YouTube app will be updated to be fully compatible with tvOS 14, so users will have to wait a bit longer to get the 4K option.

Sorry about the back and forth — jumping in to clarify that Apple TV 4K will support 4K playback soon. Stay tuned for an update here.

— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) September 18, 2020

In a related note, The Verge reported that YouTube has restricted the compatibility with the picture-in-picture feature on its website. Picture-in-picture lets you start playing a video and then close the app to continue watching it in a smaller window, and it now works with iPhone and iPod touch on iOS 14.

YouTube is implementing the picture-in-picture feature in its iOS app, but only for YouTube Premium subscribers. As a workaround, users have discovered that you can play YouTube videos in PiP through its official website.

As iOS 14 is now available to the public, YouTube has disabled PiP from its website, except for Premium subscribers or iPad users. You can still tap the PiP button on the YouTube website, but the system immediately closes the video.

If you tap to pull up playback controls, you should see a picture-in-picture icon in the top-left corner of your screen. Tap that, and the video briefly goes into its own window before returning to its usual spot on YouTube’s site. And if you try to go back to your home screen while watching a video in full screen, you’ll see that it briefly flickers into picture-in-picture mode before disappearing.

Unfortunately, YouTube seems to have no plans to make picture-in-picture available to all users anytime soon.
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