MagSafe Monday: The UGREEN Uno 2-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charger delivers fast charging for iPhone with a whimsical display
If your desk (or nightstand) is a chaotic mess of charging cables and devices all vying to be charged, you might want to check out . Juggling multiple cords to keep everything charged gets old quickly, so when I came across the UGREEN Uno 2-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charger, I was excited to try it out thanks to its compact size. more…

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iOS 18 rolling out RCS to the iPhone for better Android messaging
Apple today is rolling out iOS 18 with support for RCS in a huge boost to the iPhone-Android messaging experience. more…

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Apple releases visionOS 2 with new gestures and Persona changes
Apple has released visionOS 2, the first major upgrade to the operating system powering the Apple Vision Pro.Apple Vision ProMonths after its introduction at WWDC in June and after multiple beta tests, the Apple Vision Pro is finally getting an update to visionOS. The 2.0 version of the operating system is now downloadable by owners of the headset.The updates cover a wide number of areas, including photographic and video content, new gestures, improvements to the Mac Virtual Display, and Persona enhancements. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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MacStadium announces Orka Desktop 3.0: free macOS virtualization on Apple Silicon with support for macOS Sequoia
MacStadium has officially released Orka Desktop 3.0, an enterprise-grade macOS virtualization tool that is free for developers, testers, and IT administrators. This tool offers easy macOS virtualization on Apple Silicon devices, supporting macOS 15 Sequoia from day one. Orka Desktop 3.0 eliminates the financial barriers typically associated with virtualization tools, providing an accessible solution for small teams and enterprises. more…

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Apple details how Apple Watch accelerometer-based sleep apnea feature works
Apple has published a new clinical validation summary document that explains how its new sleep apnea detection feature works on Apple Watch. Sleep apnea monitoring is part of Apple Watch Series 10 and comes to Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 with watchOS 11. The new watch hardware launches on Friday, and watchOS 11 is available now. more…

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Apple Watch SE 3 now expected in 2025
The wait for Apple Watch SE 3 goes on, though a new version of the low-cost wearable supposedly won't be out this year. (via Cult of Mac - Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos)

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Do You Use It? iPhone 15 Pro Action Button Struggles to Find Its Purpose
The results of our poll asking owners of the iPhone 15 Pro if they use the Action button, and if so, for what, show that most people have it toggle Silent mode, just like the Ring/Silent switch it replaces, open the Camera app, or don’t use it at all.

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Apple releases updates for iOS 17.7, iPadOS 17.7, macOS Ventura, and Sonoma
At the same time as releasing updates for its major operating system releases, Apple is also issuing updates for its previous versions, including iOS and iPadOS 17.7, macOS Ventura 13.7, and macOS Sonoma 14.7.An iPhone running iOS 17While the main focus will be on the releases of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, as well as macOS Sequoia, Apple is also maintaining its earlier operating systems. On Monday, alongside the main updates, it's issued some smaller patches for the previous-gen OSes.The update list includes iPadOS 17.7 and iOS 17.7, which have build number 21H16. There are also updates for macOS Ventura 13.7, build 22G123, and macOS Sonoma 14.7, build 23H124. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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New benchmarks show iPhone 16 Pro’s A18 Pro chip beats Apple’s M1
A new Geekbench result from an iPhone17,1 - in other words, an A18 Pro-powered iPhone 16 Pro - shows the chip beating Apple's M1… The post appeared first on MacDailyNews.

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Apple Pay now integrates with Affirm on iOS 18 following ‘Apple Pay Later’ discontinuation
Remember Apple Pay Later? The buy-now-pay-later service from Apple barely launched before the company decided to nerf it. Replacing Apple’s BNPL option is integration with more widely available options. As of today, the popular BNPL service from Affirm is available as an option for qualified iOS 18 users when checking out with Apple Pay. more…

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iOS 18: All the little details and hidden features you won’t want to miss
Macworld Apple has released iOS 18, and it’s full of big new features like new Home Screen customization options, an all-new Control Center, RCS support and other Messages features, and a brand new Photos app. Apple Intelligence is coming piece-by-piece starting with iOS 18.1, but there’s still a lot of great new stuff in this first iOS 18 release. After you download and apply the update, have your evening full just trying out and learning all the new major features, but sometimes it’s the little tweaks and changes that can have the most impact on how you use your iPhone. Here are some of the smaller, lesser-known features and changes that didn’t get a lot of hype, but can make a real difference for you. Phone improvements Recent calls search lets you find previous calls using the number, name, or even words left in the transcribed voicemail. The microphone will automatically select Voice Isolation, Wide Spectrum, or Standard depending on conditions. You can still manually change it in the Control Center. Foundry Foundry Foundry Keypad search lets you start typing numbers on the keypad and it will use both the numbers and alpha-numeric letters to search your contacts. Photos There are tons of changes to Photos—Apple has made the Photos revamp a marquee feature of iOS 18. But make sure you scroll down and check out the Utilities section. This helpful area organizes your photos by categories such as Receipts, QR Codes, Documents, photos with handwriting, photos with illustrations/drawings, and so on. Foundry Foundry Foundry Remember to scroll down to the very bottom in the Photos app and select Customize & Reorder to choose which categories you want to appear and the order you want them in. The new Photos app gets a lot better when you customize it! Messages Satellite connectivity is not just for SOS and emergency roadside assistance anymore. You can send messages (SMS and iMessage) to friends or family and update your Find My location with it, too. If you’re disconnected from your mobile network for a while, an alert will guide you through the process. Text effects and formatting will change your iMessages forever (and they’re just for iMessages). Look for the “=A” symbol at the right of the word suggestion bar or highlight a word and select “Text Effects” in the overhead menu. Foundry Foundry Foundry Wondering how RCS works? If you’re sending an RCS message to an Android user you’ll see “Text Message · RCS” in the text entry field instead of “Text Message · SMS”. If you want to want to see if your carrier supports RCS, open Settings > General > About and scroll down to Carrier. Tap on that Carrier line and it will change to IMS Status. If it says Voice, SMS & RCS, you’re good to go. Need to schedule an iMessage to send in the future? Type your message, hit the “+” sign on the left of the text entry field, and then choose Send Later. Lock Screen Don’t forget to change your Lock Screen shortcuts! You’re not stuck with just the flashlight and camera anymore! Long-press on your lock screen, tap Customize, then Lock Screen, just as you would to edit your wallpaper and widgets. You can open any app, Shazam a song, scan a QR code, turn on Airplane Mode, execute a shortcut, and so much more. And it’s not on the Lock screen, but your Action button (Settings > Action button) can also execute any of these controls. Maps To use the new topographical maps just zoom in on an area outside the city near national parks or trails. Just note, they’re only available in the U.S. and Japan for now. Search for “hiking” to bring up hiking trails, and tap on one to create a custom route. You can go one way, there and back, or close a loop, and you’ll see the distance, time the hike should take, and an elevation graph. Hiking routes are only in the United States for now. Foundry Foundry Foundry Calculator At first glance the Calculator app won’t seem very different. But tap the list icon in the upper-left corner and you’ll see a history of your past calculations. Tap to jump back into it or ong-press for the option to copy the expression or the result. Tap the Calculator icon in the lower-left to switch between standard, scientific, and Math Notes. There’s a nice unit converter there, too. Foundry Foundry Foundry Calendar In the month view, pinch to zoom in and out, showing more or less of your events on each day. You’ll also see reminders will show up in the Calendar app too, if they’ve got an assigned date/time. Camera The 3-second shutter timer was too short, and the 10-second was too long. Now there’s a new 5-second timer. And if you hate how music playing in your car or on a Bluetooth speaker stopped when you took a photo or video, that won’t happen anymore. Check out the new Portrait Lighting controls and Night mode portraits, too. Files You can long-press on a file and choose Keep Downloaded to make sure a document will stay on your iPhone. (Changes to that file will be synced when you’re online.) There’s support for more external drive formats, including APFS, exFAT, and FAT32. You can also finally erase external drives—just tap and hold and choose Erase.

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Also releasing today: New iOS 17, macOS 14 updates for the upgrade-averse
Security updates without the headaches for the risk-averse (and bug-averse).

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Apple ships tvOS 18 with new screen savers, improved subtitles, and more
Apple's new tvOS 18 has exited beta, and arrived for all users. Here are many of the new features contained within.2022 Apple TV 4K hardwareWhile it's typically true that tvOS doesn't get the same robust yearly updates as iOS or macOS, Apple has brought big changes to its set-top box for the second year in a row. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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macOS Sequoia review: the first macOS with more potential than new features
Apple's macOS Sequoia is chiefly a tale of two halves, with all of the better improvements coming later. But what's here now is good, sometimes even very good, but it definitely doesn't feel like the full picture.Apple's macOS Sequoia with iPhone MirroringEvery year Apple brings out a new macOS and it tends to follow a similar pattern. At first you notice some visual differences and some small improvements, but in those first hours of use you're not sure it was worth the upgrade for anything other than security reasons.Shortly after those few hours, though, there is a cumulative effect where all of the little changes and benefits become at least subconsciously apparent. It's subconscious because you only truly notice when you try to go back to last year's macOS. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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macOS Sequoia arrives with the promise of Apple Intelligence
After being unveiled at WWDC 2024 and then working its way through rounds of beta versions, macOS Sequoia has now been officially released. It is the new current version and all Macs sold from today onwards will have it preinstalled.Apple has released macOS SequoiaThat's the same as happens every year, but macOS Sequoia has a difference — and it's called Apple Intelligence. When historians look back at significant macOS releases, this is going to be one of them because of Apple Intelligence.But it isn't here yet. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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Apple releases iOS 17.7 with security fixes as an iOS 18 alternative
Today Apple released iOS 18, the flagship software update for iPhones. But at the same time, a new version of iOS 17 has been released too. iOS 17.7 offers an alternative to iOS 18 for users, bringing key security fixes to last year’s software. more…

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iOS 18 is out now—here are the release notes
Macworld Apple’s big iOS 18 release is a big deal for iPhone users. Even though Apple Intelligence is comings in a staged rollout in iOS 18.1, 18.2, and beyond, this first release is packed with new features and interface changes. The final release is out now, and you can install it on all compatible iPhones by opening Settings, tapping General, then Software Update. Updated September 16: You can now download and install iOS 18 on all compatible devices. iOS 18: Release notes Here are Apple’s official release notes for iOS 18. We have a broad overview of the major new features in our iOS 18 Superguide. Home Screen Flexible arrangement to place app icons and widgets in any open position on the Home Screen, such as along the bottom or off to the side, to create the ideal layout for each page Dark icons give your Home Screen look a darker aesthetic, and can automatically adjust when your iPhone enters Dark Mode, or always appear dark Color tinting lets you apply any color to app icons and widgets or have iOS suggest a color that complements your wallpaper Larger icons allow you to make all the app icons and widgets on your screen appear larger, removing the name underneath Photos Photos app redesign features the biggest update ever with a simplified layout that puts everything into a single view Collections automatically organize your library by helpful topics that you can browse in a collage, grid, as a memory, or on a map Customization options let you reorder, add, and remove Collections rows, and add just the items you want to Pinned Collections to keep within easy reach Groups in People and Pets include photos of your favorite people or pets who frequently appear together Trips automatically organizes your travels into collections so you can relive each trip Recent Days lets you view your recent photos organized by day without clutter like screenshots Filter button in the grid helps you reduce clutter by filtering to specific media types, your favorites, or by hiding screenshots from the view Video speed control lets you slow down high frame rate video content with in and out points Utilities includes additional helpful collections like Documents, Receipts, QR codes, and more, and items you’ve recently edited, viewed, and shared Recovered album in Utilities surfaces images that are on your device but were not previously visible due to database corruption in a locked album Messages Messages via satellite lets you message friends and family when you are without cellular or Wi-Fi connection by connecting to a satellite in space (iPhone 14 and later) Text effects bring your conversations to life by visually amplifying any letter, word, phrase, or emoji in iMessage with dynamic, animated effects like explode, ripple, and nod Text formatting lets you add bold, underline, italics, and strikethrough to any letter, word, or phrase in iMessage Emoji and sticker Tapbacks allow you to react to a message using any emoji or sticker, giving you access to the Tapbacks you and your friends send the most with just a swipe Send Later enables you to compose a message now and schedule it to send later RCS messaging support includes delivery and read receipts, higher resolution photos and videos for messaging people without an iPhone and requires carrier support Control Center Redesigned Control Center features convenient groups of controls, the ability to arrange controls just the way you want, and support for controls from third-party apps Groups of controls can be accessed by continuously swiping from the right edge, including your most used controls, Home controls, Media Playback and Connectivity, with the option to build out entirely new groups too Controls gallery displays the full set of available controls, including controls from third-party apps, that you can add right into the group you choose Resizable controls let you drag from the lower right of a control from within Control Center Lock Screen Custom Lock Screen controls let you choose controls from the controls gallery from your favorite apps Action button can be customized with controls from the controls gallery (iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max) Font options allow you to customize the time with 12 numeral scripts in Arabic, Arabic Indic, Bangla, Devanagari, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Kannada, Malayalam, Meitei, Odia, Ol Chiki, and Telugu Safari Distraction Control helps you hide items on a webpage that you find disruptive to your browsing Highlights surface key information from the webpage you’re visiting with summaries, locations, and more Redesigned Reader offers even more ways to enjoy articles with a streamlined view of the article you’re reading, a summary, and a table of contents for longer articles Passwords Passwords app lets you see all your credentials for websites and apps in one place, making it even easier to access your passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and verification codes Verification codes for two factor authentication can be set up right in Passwords so you can easily copy them or autofill them into Safari without opening an authenticator app Secure syncing ensures your accounts saved in Passwords sync seamlessly with iCloud with end-to-end encryption so you can access them on your other devices Windows support through the iCloud Passwords app so you can access your passwords on Windows devices Maps Topographic maps display features like trails, contour lines, elevation, and points of interest Hikes are available across all U.S. national parks and can be saved to your device to access while offline Custom walking and hiking routes can be created with just a few taps for hikes in the park, regular exercise routines in your neighborhood, walking tours while on vacation, and more Places Library combines all your saved places, guides, and hiking routes into one location for easy access Gaming Game Mode minimizes background activity to sustain the highest frame rates and dramatically improves responsiveness with wireless accessories like game controllers and AirPods Wallet Tap to Cash lets you exchange Apple Cash quickly and privately, without sharing phone numbers or email addresses, just by holding your phones together New pass designs have a beautiful new look and great new features, including a new event guide with helpful information about the venue and smart recommendations from your favorite Apple apps New ways to pay with installments and rewards on supported credit and debit cards when you check out with Apple Pay online and in apps Journal State of mind can be logged right from within Journal, and emotions or mood logged in the Health app are included in Journaling Suggestions Insights view shows your writing streaks, a calendar, and other fun stats that help you track your journaling goals Search lets you easily find past entries, and the ability to sort shows your entries in your preferred order Widgets for your Home Screen and Lock Screen show your current streak or writing prompts that change throughout the day, so you can reflect on what’s going on in the moment Phone Recent calls search helps you find previous calls, voicemails and contacts using phone numbers, names, or even a word transcribed from a voicemail Keypad search helps you quickly find and call existing contacts by typing in their number or name on the alphanumeric keypad Automatic mic mode picks the right mic mode for you, toggling between Voice Isolation, Wide Spectrum, and Standard mode depending on your environment Privacy Locked apps let you protect your sensitive apps and the information inside them by requiring Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode to open them and hiding the content from search, notifications, and other places across the system Hidden apps have the same protections as locked apps, plus they are placed in a new hidden apps folder that is locked, and you won’t receive notifications or calls from the app Improved Contacts permission empower you to choose which contacts to share with an app Improved Bluetooth pairing lets developers offer a seamless pairing experience, while protecting your privacy AirPods Hands-free Siri Interactions let you respond to Siri announcements with AirPods by simply nodding your head ‘yes’ or shaking your head ‘no’ Voice Isolation on AirPods Pro provides clearer call quality for those you are speaking with, even in windy conditions or places with loud background noise Personalized Spatial Audio for gaming with AirPods puts you in the middle of the action with sound that surrounds you combined with a new API for developers that makes it easier than ever to enable Apple TV app InSight delivers real-time information for every live-action Apple TV+ movies and shows that complements what you’re watching onscreen Enhance Dialogue enables you to hear what’s being said onscreen more clearly, especially when loud effects or music is playing More dynamic Subtitles automatically appear at just the right times, like when the content language doesn’t match your device language, when you mute the audio, or when you skip back while watching a program Notes Audio recordings can be started right from inside a note, and kept with related comments, checklists, and documents Live transcriptions show as you record audio, and transcripts are fully searchable so you can always find what you need (iPhone 12 and later) Math in Notes let you enter expressions and equations in your note to have them solve instantly Collapsible sections help you simplify and hide text in long notes; just tap next to a section header to lighten up your most text-heavy notes Highlight text in your note with a choice of five colors allows you to make your text standout Accessibility Eye Tracking makes it possible for people to control iPhone with just their eyes (iPhone 12 and later and iPhone SE (3rd generation)) Music Haptics syncs the iPhone Taptic Engine with the rhythm of songs so those who are deaf or hard of hearing can enjoy the Apple Music catalog (iPhone 14 and later) Vocal Shortcuts help people with severe atypical speech record custom utterances that trigger specific actions Vehicle Motion Cues can help reduce motion sickness for passengers in moving vehicles by placing dots on the screen that move with the vehicle without interfering with content This release also includes other features and improvements: Emergency SOS Live Video enables you to share streaming video and recorded media during emergency calls with participating US emergency operators (iPhone 14 and later) Math Notes in Calculator let you evaluate expressions, assign variables and even create graphs on iPhone Calendar lets you create, view, edit and complete reminders alongside with your events Recently Deleted list in Reminders lets you view and retrieve deleted reminders Screen sharing in SharePlay lets you tap and draw on someone’s screen or ask for permission to remotely control their iPhone and take actions yourself Scenes in Freeform allow you to organize your content into sections, then save, label and order them as you like Redesigned Fitness+ makes it easy to find personalized recommendations, or search for something specific Guest access in Home app lets you provide visitors with date and time- based access to locks, garage doors, and alarm systems Electricity usage and rate plan information in Home app are displayed for eligible customers when connecting their utility account, starting with Pacific Gas and Electric Company in California Repair Assistant prompts you to configure the genuine Apple parts replaced on your device after a repair (iPhone 12 and later) How to install iOS 18 Installing iOS 18 is simple. Once the software is released on Monday, September 16, just follow these easy steps: Open the Settings app Tap General Tap Software Update On this screen you’ll see the version of iOS you have installed, and if a new version is available it will say so. It may say “Install Now” if the update was already downloaded in the background but not yet applied, or “Download and Install” if you haven’t even downloaded it yet. Just follow the instructions there to upgrade to iOS 18. You may need to re-agree to terms and conditions, and it will take several minutes to download, verify, and apply. Then your iPhone will restart, and you’ll be presented with some welcome screens that introduce new features. To get the iOS 18 release candidate you need to register for and download the beta. If you haven’t already, though, we suggest simply waiting for the final release which is right around the corner. If you install an update and want to revert to the previous version there is a very small window in which you can do that, but it can be done, read: How to downgrade iOS.

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iPadOS 18 review: making iPad better for everyone but the pros
Depending on who you ask, iPadOS 18 is an excellent update that maintains parity with iOS 18, or it's a tragedy that doesn't address pro users' needs. The truth is complicated.iPadOS 18 reviewApple introduced the iPad Pro with M4 weeks ahead of WWDC, leaving users wondering if that signaled big changes were coming in iPadOS 18. As expected, that wasn't the case since Apple provided very little in terms of new exclusive features for the tablet OS.When I reviewed the 13-inch iPad Pro, I shared some of my quibbles with iPadOS and how it pertains to pro workflows — leaving some hope for WWDC and AI. The end result is nothing really changed from that perspective, and even AI isn't the boost for iPad some thought it could be. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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iPadOS 18 arrives with Smart Script and Calculator
Everyone will have to wait a little longer for Apple Intelligence on iPad, but for now, iPadOS 18 has launched with the long-awaited calculator app and new Smart Script handwriting feature.iPadOS 18 is here with Smart Script and CalculatorApple didn't have much to say about iPadOS 18 during WWDC because a significant portion of new features were either inherited from iOS 18 or Apple Intelligence. Even then, Apple's AI features won't be available on iPad until iPadOS 18.1 is released to the public.So, if you focus on what's exclusive on iPad in 2024, there's not much. A new Smart Script feature learns the user's handwriting for autocorrect and making notes more legible. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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watchOS 11 debuts with workout intensity monitoring & better Cycle Tracking
Apple's new watchOS 11 is available for everybody, and brings users a range of new health and fitness features.watchOS introduces new health and fitness featuresThe update introduces more customizable Activity Rings, advanced health monitoring with the Vitals app, and the new Training Load tool for athletes. Additionally, users can enjoy a revamped Photos Face, smarter widget functionality with the Smart Stack, and innovative safety features like Check In.With broader support for personalization and privacy, watchOS 11 continues to make the Apple Watch an indispensable part of daily life. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

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