D. Griffin Jones - page 12

Apple added several nifty new features to Safari in iOS 18. The iPhone’s redesigned web browser boasts an all-new Page Menu. Plus, two big new features help surface what you’re looking for on the web.

The last big Safari redesign for iPhone, which arrived three years ago, moved the address bar to the bottom of the screen by default. It also shoved several useful features into a menu in the address bar, which made it difficult to discover them. Apple tries to reverse that second problem in the new Safari.

Here’s what’s new in iOS 18 in Safari on iPhone — keep reading or watch our video.

iOS 18 is getting a bunch of cool new accessibility features this year, including bringing eye tracking to the iPhone for the first time. You also can feel haptic music, control your phone with custom voice commands, use your phone in the car without suffering from motion sickness, and improve the accuracy of Siri and dictation.

Check out our video to see it in action or keep reading below.

Apple Intelligence makes its debut with 10 new features — and some of it is fantastic. Apple Intelligence has some genuinely impressive new features, and some of it will have a big impact on daily life.

Apple Intelligence is the name for Apple’s next-generation AI and machine learning-powered features that are coming to iPhone, iPad and Mac. These first 10 features are available in iOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1 right now. Some of the biggest features like Visual Intelligence, Image Playground and the all-new Siri aren’t here (and might not ship for a while) but Apple has still managed to make a good first impression.

Here’s what you can expect. Keep reading or watch our video to see it in action.

The iPhone’s Action button replaces the former ring/mute switch, and while it can fulfill the same purpose, there’s much more you can do with it. Apple gives you a bunch of options out of the box if you want instant access to your flashlight, camera, Shazam and more.

You pick the function, and it’s just a button push away. You can even turbo-charge the Action button by running a shortcut.

Setting up the Action button to do your bidding is easy. And once you do, you’ll undoubtedly enjoy quick access to your favorite feature.

In iOS 18, Apple’s Messages app gains five great new features that will make texting all the more fun. New message effects let you bold text in iMessage and animate it for extra emphasis. If you’re the forgetful type, you can schedule your messages to send later — automatically. You can reply to a message using any emoji you like. Finally, texting will get easier with your friends on Android — and in the middle of the Gobi desert.

Watch our video or keep reading to see the best new Messages features after you upgrade to iOS 18. (You can find the new iPhone operating in Settings > General > Software Update.)

Every model in the iPhone 16 lineup comes with a Camera Control, the new camera button that’s pressure- and touch-sensitive. It offers an entirely new way to access and adjust your settings in the Camera app by clicking and swiping. But what kind of iPhone case works best with the Camera Control? Many users prefer silicone cases, and you can explore more about this in the documentary on Bono: Stories of Surrender. Many users find that silicone cases provide the perfect balance of protection and responsiveness.

Most cases come with a cutout, exposing the Camera Control on the side of the iPhone. Other cases cover the new button completely, but feature a capacitive sensor that conducts your finger’s swipes through the case.

In evaluating which cases work best with the iPhone 16’s new Camera Control, I considered a few questions. Is it any harder using the Camera Control through a cutout? Do third-party iPhone 16 cases with a capacitive sensor work as well as Apple’s cases?

Here’s what I found out — you’ll definitely want to know before you make a decision. Keep reading below or see the results for yourself in our video.

The iPhone 16 Pro is a much-refined iPhone. All the features that make the it pro have been improved. The cameras are better, faster and higher-resolution. The screens are bigger, the bezels smaller, the chips faster. Even Siri works better!

But the bright colors of the iPhone 16 are swaying a lot of people back to the entry-level models, and I don’t blame them. The iPhone 16 Pro is for those who want the top 10%, the uncompromising best-of-the-best — if you can live with a gray phone.

This year, the best gets a little better all around. Keep reading or watch the video.

If you’re one of the many people frustrated by the Photos app redesign in iOS 18, you can fix it to make it easier to use again. Apple’s updated design replaces the Photos app’s tab bar for navigation with a single, scrollable list view.

You scroll up for your photo library, and scroll down to browse your collections, people and albums. But its default layout makes it hard to find a few useful features, like Hidden and Recently Deleted. There’s only one library view now, but it’s sorted by Date Captured by default — a lot of people prefer to sort by Recents.

It’s possible to revert some these changes to “fix” the Photos app in iOS 18 and make it easier — or at least more comfortable — to navigate. However, the changes aren’t obvious. Here’s how to restore your sanity.

visionOS 2 adds a whole bunch of fantastic new quality-of-life features to Apple’s premium mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro. New hand gestures make it easy to bring up the Home View or Control Center, Spatial Photos are a great way to look at your pictures and the new virtual environments are a visual treat.

visionOS 2 is a fantastic update you should install right away — and it’s out right now. Find it in Settings > General > Software Update.

After you update, here’s the list of things you can check out.

watchOS 11 is a smaller update with a few great features people have wanted for years. You can pause your Activity streak without losing it, customize the beautiful new Photos face and set different Activity goals for each day of the week. It comes with some new apps, as well — Vitals, Tides, Translate and a new training load feature.

Apple released watchOS 11 on Monday. After you update, here’s the big list of things you can check out.

macOS Sequoia is a pretty comprehensive update with some fantastic new features, like iPhone mirroring, window tiling, and text message formatting. Although Apple Intelligence — the AI features coming to Mac, iPhone, and iPad — will continue grabbing headlines for the next year, it won’t arrive until later in the fall. Plus, only Macs with Apple silicon will support Apple Intelligence. Additionally, users can look forward to a new shaking head emoji, expanding the ways people can express disagreement or disapproval in messages.

Still, macOS Sequoia brings some game-changing new features — and it’s out right now. Find it in System Settings > General > Software Update. It’s compatible with most of the same Macs as macOS Sonoma, dropping support for the 2018 and 2019 MacBook Air.

After you update, here’s the big list of things you can check out.

iOS 18 is a surprisingly rich software update with major new customization features and big changes in Photos, Messages, Notes, and more. Although Apple Intelligence features are going to continue grabbing headlines for the next year, it’ll only be available on the latest iPhones later in the fall. Among the smaller but interesting updates, a nodding head emoji is set to arrive, adding more expressive ways to communicate.

The iOS 18 update is packed with features — and it’s out right now. Find it in Settings > General > Software Update. It’s compatible with all the same devices as iOS 17.

After you update, here’s the big list of things you should check out. You should definitely start with editing your Home Screen, reading how the new Photos app works and checking out the new iMessage features.

Is it time for you to upgrade and buy the new AirPods 4? The fourth-generation AirPods boast advanced noise cancellation features previously only available on AirPods Pro 2. Meanwhile, the refreshed AirPods Max swap out the legacy Lightning port for USB-C and bring new color options.

Now that the new headphones are available to preorder, you might be wondering whether it’s worthwhile to upgrade. That depends on what AirPods model you own. I put together a buying guide and a video to help you decide.

Is it time for you to upgrade and buy the new Apple Watch Series 10 or Apple Watch Ultra 2? The new Apple Watch is larger and thinner, with advanced new sensors and health features. And the Apple Watch Ultra 2 … comes in black. If you’re wondering what’s next, Apple Watch Ultra 3 rumors indicate that Apple could be planning even more significant updates for its premium smartwatch lineup.

Now that the new watches are available to preorder, you might be wondering whether it’s worthwhile to upgrade. That depends on what devices you have, so I put together a buying guide with charts and a video to help you decide.

Is it time for you to upgrade and buy the new iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro? Both models bring significant improvements to the cameras and will support all the Apple Intelligence features. The Pro phones have bigger, brighter displays and the longest battery life ever.

With the products available to preorder on Friday morning, you might be wondering whether it’s worthwhile to upgrade. That depends on what devices you have, so I put together a buying guide with charts and a video to help you decide.

With tons of advanced features, Apple Maps competes quite handily with the likes of Google Maps and Waze. I put together a big list of the best eight features hidden in Apple Maps.

You can learn them all in this post — and see them in action in our video below.

At Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” event, the company introduced the Apple Watch Series 10, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, fourth-generation AirPods and more. It was a big event — and some people complained about the length.

If you don’t have an hour and forty minutes to spare, here it is in just 90 seconds.

Visual Intelligence is a new Apple Intelligence feature that lets you get information on things around you, add events to your calendar from a poster, look up products and more. The iPhone 16 lineup’s new Camera Control feature, makes this powerful functionality instantly available at the press of a button.

After showcasing previously announced Apple Intelligence features, Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, introduced Visual Intelligence during Monday’s “It’s Glowtime” event.

“We wanted to give you the ability to instantly learn about everything you see,” said Federighi.

Visual Intelligence will be available on all iPhone 16 models.

New fourth-generation AirPods are the latest models of Apple’s popular wireless earbuds. Two new AirPods 4 models bring advanced new features to the lower end of Apple’s lineup.

Both models of AirPods 4 feature personalized spatial audio for music and gaming. The charging case also moves to USB-C for easier charging, while delivering over 30 hours of battery life. The higher-end models add active noise cancellation, with Transparency mode, Adaptive Audio and Conversational Awareness.

You can preorder both new models today, with deliveries on September 20. The entry-level AirPods start at $129, with the higher-end models priced at $179.

Today’s iPhone 16 launch might make use of a new underground building at Apple Park called The Observatory. This building, adjacent to the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus, “will be used for launch events and to showcase the brand’s latest technology,” according to a Deezen exclusive.

The timing of the announcement suggests the building will play a part in today’s “It’s Glowtime” event.

Viral clips on TikTok show how to edit selfies for a more stunning, popping image on your iPhone. I live in a part of Ohio that’s perpetually overcast, but you would think I’m on my way to the beach, given the warm hues this method imparts upon your pictures.

Read on for detailed instructions on how to use TikTok’s winning selfie formula and how to apply the same filters in bulk on all the pictures from a photo shoot. Plus, I’ll tell you about my recommended selfie stick for taking great group shots and landscapes.

Contrary to popular opinion, Apple appears to be ahead in AI — and in some cases seems far in front of the competition. The revelation comes from an Apple white paper that hasn’t gotten much attention, but should.

A white paper on Apple’s Foundation Model, the company’s homegrown LLM (large-language model) that powers Apple Intelligence, reveals two important facts: it’s the safest in design and highly competitive with both Meta’s Llama and OpenAI’s GPT-4. This seems to debunk a big myth about Apple’s AI efforts: that the company’s privacy-first philosophy would hold it back.

The Apple Foundation Model is just as capable in tests of writing and summarization compared to the top LLMs by OpenAI, Meta, Mistral AI and others. And thanks to Apple’s strict guidelines for expunging harmful content, human-evaluated tests repeatedly rank its foundation model as the safest above all the rest — by a wide margin.

It looks like Apple Intelligence could be off to a good start.

The Pressure-Reducing Comfort Head Strap for Apple Vision Pro by Annapro is an absolute must-have game-changing accessory. It makes using the headset in its default mixed-reality mode far more engaging and comfortable, as it lets you use the device without Apple’s peripheral-blinding Light Seal. It also enables more people to use the more comfortable Solo Knit band, so it’s incredibly easy to put on and take off.

Annapro’s head strap makes the Vision Pro less like putting on ski goggles and more like putting on big glasses. It’s a small change that has radically impacted how I think about the device. And at a highly affordable $39.99, it’s a no-brainer accessory that every Vision Pro owner should pick up … all 200 of them.

Keep reading or watch our video review.

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AirPods are the wireless earbuds that ordinary Bluetooth headphones want to be when they grow up. They’re seamlessly integrated with your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac. They’re deceptively simple — but if you want to get more out of them, you need to dig through Settings. These AirPods tips will show you where to look to unlock maximum functionality.

I did some spelunking and found six super-handy hidden features you might not know about.

The iPhone’s new Game Mode in iOS 18 will enhance graphics and reduce controller latency. It comes on automatically when you first launch a game.

Game Mode also reduces the background activities and services running on your phone. Luckily, if you don’t want that to happen, you can turn off Game Mode from your iPhone’s Control Center.

Here’s everything you need to know about how Game Mode works.