We now know the last possible day Apple will release iOS 17.1: Wednesday, October 24.
That is the date by which the iPhone-maker committed to introducing an update that reduces the amount of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the iPhone 12, as required by a French regulatory agency. And that update is part of iOS 17.1.
If you haven’t looked at any of Apple’s accessibility features because you’re not blind or deaf, and don’t think they would make your life easier, you might be surprised.
Apple built a handful of accessibility features into iOS 17 that let people with various disabilities use the iPhone in new and unexpected ways. However, absolutely anyone can take advantage of these tools, which prove surprisingly helpful in certain situations.
You can already get live captions to watch videos silently, lock your phone into one app to keep people from snooping around, play soothing ocean or forest sounds and more.
In iOS 17, five accessibility features take things even further. Assistive Access simplifies your phone to its bare features to make it easier to use; Live Speech and Personal Voice let you type on the keyboard to speak using your own voice; Detection Mode and Point and Speak help you get around using your iPhone camera.
Our hands-on demo will show you what these features can do for you.
In the weeks since iOS 17 launched, just a small percentage of iPhone owners have adopted it, according to an analytics firm. This is despite the fact that the new version is freely available for every iPhone going back five years.
Users may have been made cautious by Apple’s need to rush out three patches to fix bugs since the big update.
There’s a way to prevent your iPhone from blaring out a loud alarm whenever the feds or local governments use the Wireless Emergency Alerts system. Setting your device so it ignores these alerts is actually quite easy, though it is more complicated than putting your iPhone in Silent mode.
Here’s how.
iPhones and Androids in the United States will receive an emergency alert Wednesday, but it’s not anything to worry about. It will come from a couple of U.S. government agencies testing the Wireless Emergency Alerts system.
This isn’t the first time the system has been tested — the feds are required to check that the system works every few years.
In short, just ignore it. Also ignore the crazy conspiracy theories surrounding the test.
iOS 17 reduces the battery life of an array of older models. The result: Users of the iPhone XR, iPhone 13, etc., running the latest operating system version need to charge up their handsets more often.
It is not normal for a new iOS version to universally reduce battery life. But a fix may be on the way.
You can fit two shortcuts into one small widget in iOS 17, a significant change for power users of Apple’s time-saving Shortcuts app. A lot of shortcuts I make are in pairs — and now, you can put two shortcuts of a kind in one small space on your Home Screen.
Shortcuts, if you’re not aware, let you automate the things you do most often on your iPhone, Mac, iPad or Apple Watch. For instance, you can create a shortcut that sets a Focus mode when you get to work, one that suggests easy-to-remember passwords, one for converting units — the possibilities are endless. (Read Apple’s helpful Shortcuts guide if you want to familiarize yourself with the powerful app.)
Home Screen widgets are a great way to launch the shortcuts you use every day. On the iPhone, where space is limited, fitting twice as many shortcuts without losing any icons could be a game changer for your Home Screen. Let me show you how to set it up.
Former Apple design chief Jony Ive and OpenAI are trying to raise $1 billion to build the “iPhone of artificial intelligence,” according to a new report.
The article builds on previous media items about Ive brainstorming with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on the project.
Now you can listen to more than 100 new podcasts from various apps and services in Apple Podcasts, the company said Tuesday.
“Subscribers to Apple Music, Apple News+ and participating apps like Calm and Lingokids can connect their subscriptions to access new shows and more,” Apple noted.
If you’ve ever been the victim of unsolicited dick pics, or “cyberflashing,” you can now automatically hide obscene images in iOS 17. Censoring NSFW sexts can give you an extra line of defense against unwanted, creepy texts. This feature, new in iOS 17, puts suspected nude images and videos behind a blurred gray background.
Unsolicited dick pics are a widespread problem. Among adults who reported receiving nude images, 91% of respondents say they were sent without their consent, according to Indiana University research. And one shocking study published in the Journal of Sex Research found 50% of heterosexual men admitted to sending them!
This new Sensitive Content Warning feature in iOS 17 isn’t just for protecting children. A lot of people likely will find it useful.
Apple designed the internal iPhone 15 Pro series to be much easier to work on than previous models, but iFixit did a teardown and found that replacing several broken components is a hassle.
In the end, the latest iOS handset got a fairly low repairablity score from iFixit.
Those who were jealous of the Dynamic Island and 48MP camera in the iPhone 14 Pro can relax — the just-launched iPhone 15 and 15 Plus include the best features of last year’s Pro models. This makes them significant upgrades for anyone with an older handset … even one from 2022.
And dumping the old Lightning port in favor of USB-C is icing on the cake.
Apple’s five-year effort to make a 5G modem for the iPhone has so far accomplished little besides spending billions of dollars, according to a new report. The reasons for the failure are myriad but mostly come down to executives underestimating the complexity of the project.
That’s left iPhone-maker dependent on Qualcomm for modems, a company Apple has a very rocky relationship with.
The iPhone 15 series will reportedly show the battery cycle count, helping users track the long-term “health” of the battery.
In addition, the Settings app displays when the device was manufactured and first activated.
Apple finally released iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 to the public, but you won’t get to enjoy all the new features and enhancements immediately.
Certain features will be released in a future point release of the OS. Below is a look at all such iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 features that won’t be available at launch.
Apple didn’t tinker with the USB-C port in the iPhone 15 series to disadvantage standard cables. Instead, the port handles charging and data transfers like any other USB-C port.
This throws cold water on suspicions that the new iPhones would require special MFi cables to get the maximum data or charging rates.
★★★★☆
Need a compact and potent MagSafe charging station to replace a slow 3-in-1? Coming out just after iPhone 15’s release, Ugreen’s unusual new Nexode 100W GaN Charging Station could fit the bill, charging up to four devices at once.
Rolled out Thursday, the speedy charger takes up a small space by putting a MagSafe platform for iPhone that tilts up on top and USB-C and USB-A ports in the squat body. The company sent me one to try.
Anyone who even slightly delayed ordering the new iPhone 15 Pro models when they went on sale Friday morning faces a lengthy wait for their devices to be delivered. The delays extend into November for some handsets and configurations.
In addition, problems marred the preorder process via the online Apple Store, possibly due to high demand for the new titanium Pro phones.
Apple began accepting preorders for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro series early Friday morning. The company showcased the devices earlier this week during its “Wonderlust” event.
Unlike last year, when Apple staggered the iPhone release dates, the entire iPhone 15 lineup will begin shipping a week from now on September 22.
The entire iPhone 15 lineup goes up for preorder from Apple’s online store tomorrow morning. They might be pricey — in fact, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the most expensive iPhone yet — but there’s an easy way you can earn some quick cash to help you pay for them.
Sell your old Apple devices to Cult of Mac!
Our buyback program makes it incredibly easy to turn your old iPhone, Apple Watch and other gear into real cash. And we typically pay more than any other service. What’s more, you can get a quote now and hold onto your device until your upgrade arrives. Click here to learn more.
Find out how much you could save on your next upgrade today.
No, Apple didn’t change the Lightning connector on the iPhone 15 to make more money selling you new cables and dongles. It’s a common conspiracy theory that Apple switches the connector all the time for lining their pockets, but it doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.
First of all, Apple changes the connector very rarely; this is only the second occurrence in 16 years. Secondly, Apple is actually giving up money to make the switch happen. Not that there’s much money to be made selling Lightning cables, anyway. And all that aside, it’s out of Apple’s hands — USB-C is European Union law.
Apple’s transition away from the old Lightning connector includes a USB-C version of EarPods, and these can now be purchased online for under $20.
The wired earbuds that come with iPhone are surprisingly good — audio quality is closer to AirPods than you might realize. And there are other advantages for Mac and iPad users, too.
You might not have time to watch the full Wonderlust keynote, where Apple spent two hours talking iPhone 15 and Apple Watch. You may not even have time to read the highlights from our coverage. Just for you, we’ve edited down Apple’s keynote to just 90 seconds.
The USB-C port in the two iPhone 15 Pro models offers data transfers 20 times faster than any other iOS handset, including the base iPhone 15.
However, early rumors that some of Apple’s new 2023 iPhones would support Thunderbolt did not prove correct.
Should you buy the new iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9 (or Ultra 2) or AirPods? The new iPhones brought big changes this year. The Apple Watch and AirPods… not so much.
Now that the products are available to order, you might be wondering if it’s time to upgrade. That depends on what devices you have, so I’ve put together a buying guide with charts and a video to help you decide.