The wait for the first major update to iOS 16 is almost over. Apple revealed Thursday in a backwards sort of way that iOS 16.1 will reach iPhones everywhere on October 24.
The update will bring iCloud Shared Photo Library, Live Activities and other new features.
Apple Fitness+ will finally become available to iPhone users starting next week. The subscription service, which offers an array of recorded workouts for a wide range of health levels, previously focused on Apple Watch, showcasing users’ performance metrics in real time.
The expansion to iOS handsets is not the only move in the works to make Apple Fitness+ more mainstream. Music by Taylor Swift is also coming to Fitness+, with workouts focused on the artist’s new album, Midnight.
This post on unique MacBook, iPad and iPhone stands is brought to you by Momax.
It can pay to place your most important devices on stands, like your MacBook, iPad and iPhone. It usually makes them easier to view and use while also creating some extra space on the desktop for other items or uses, and out of the way of spills and other workstation calamities.
If you need a stand for a laptop, tablet or smartphone, Momax features a whole lineup. And better yet, as a Cult of Mac reader, you can get 10% off any purchase, plus an extra 5% off if you buy more than one item. See below.
Anyone who still has a 2007 iPhone in the back of a drawer is surely excited to hear one just sold at auction for $39,340. But this one is still factory sealed in the box, not beat up after years of use.
The company that handled the auction called this a record price for a first-edition iPhone.
Apple has reportedly given up its plan to use RAM chips made by Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. in the iPhone 14 series. It apparently ran into too much resistance from U.S. politicians, including suggestions the chips would somehow be used to surveil Americans.
To be clear, the chips would not have been used in iPhones sold outside of China.
You may not consider the humble desk mat a necessity in your computer setup. But what if you could charge your smartphone and earbuds charging case just by placing them on your desk? You can with the new Alti Wireless Charging Desk Mat. Accessories maker Journey unveiled it Thursday.
“This charging mat is our all-in-one solution to keeping your desk clutter-free while simultaneously charging your devices. We promise that it will soon become your favorite desk companion,” the company said.
Email doesn’t often get new features. Sending an email still works basically the same as it has since the ’90s. But these days, people want modern features — like scheduling emails or undo send. In iOS 16, Apple brings a bunch of new features to the stock Mail app for the first time.
You can quickly take back an email if you forget to include an attachment, or schedule an important email way in advance. You also can get smart reminders to read email later, or alerts to send a follow-up. If you catch a typo right after sending an email, or if you want to send an invoice on a specific day and time, both features will soon be available.
Read on to see how it all works.
Lockdown Mode is a new option in iOS 16 that limits system features for maximum security. Apple designed it to protect its products from sophisticated spyware, like NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware, which has been used to target journalists, politicians, dissidents and activists around the world.
Spyware like Pegasus may seem like an unlikely threat. But for some, Lockdown Mode could be life or death. U.S. citizens need not worry at the moment, but it doesn’t take a wild imagination to picture how such spyware might be embraced by slightly more fascist administrations.
Right now, Lockdown Mode is meant for high-profile activists and journalists. And I mean real journalists — the kind who expose state secrets — not bloggers like me. Read on to find out how to enable Lockdown Mode and how it affects your device’s functionality.
★★★★☆
Is it worth buying a full-size camera these days? The reasons to do so grow smaller and smaller as smartphone cameras get better and better. It’s getting to the point where you have to spend a thousand dollars or more for a full-frame camera to take noticeably better pictures than your iPhone.
Even then, a dedicated camera still won’t automatically sync your pictures to iCloud and might not tag your pictures with location data. And then you have to buy lenses — and full-size camera lenses are expensive.
What if, instead of buying a different camera, you could add lenses and accessories for your iPhone that fill in the missing gaps? You could get the same versatility with the same convenience.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: iOS 16 makes our year-old iPhones feel fresh again. And the various “hidden” features flying under the radar make the iOS 16 experience even more impressive.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
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iOS 16 brings a lot of exciting changes, but no one seems to like the new Search button on the Home Screen.
It can clutter your aesthetic theme, it’s easy to press accidentally, and it’s not any faster than using the swipe-down gesture for search. Luckily, it’s possible to turn it off — read on to see how.
Have you ever wanted to edit and unsend messages in iOS? Like when you texted your mom “Finally got laid today” when you meant to say “paid.”
Thankfully, with iOS 16 and Apple’s other upcoming OS upgrades, you can edit and unsend iMessages. Let me show you how this feature works.
iPhones will gain a new Clean Energy Charging option later this year as a part of an iOS 16 update, Apple said Monday.
The first-of-its-kind feature will strategically time when iPhones charge, using cleaner energy and thus reducing the devices’ carbon footprint.
Benchmark tests show that models as old as iPhone 8 run nearly as fast on the just-released iOS 16 as they did on iOS 15. Some devices even see a performance increase after the upgrade, while others see very moderate slips.
These tests refute the mistaken claims that iOS updates turn older iPhones into slugs. And some Apple handsets even get a considerable increase in battery life from iOS 16.
Today is the 10th anniversary of the Lightning connector. It was once the best option but has since outlived its usefulness. This obsolete port needs to go.
Apple knows what the replacement needs to be. It should stop dragging its feet and make the change.
Apple definitely over-delivered with Wednesday’s Far Out event. The rumor mill’s constant churn of leaks and speculation gave us a solid framework for our expectations, but Cupertino’s hardware and software wizards still whipped out a few surprises.
Here’s everything you need to know about the iPhone 14 lineup, second-gen AirPods Pro and the 2022 Apple Watch models — including that hot new Ultra version for extreme athletes (and couch potatoes with solid credit ratings).
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Last-minute leaks indicate iPhone 14 Pro might not suffer the indignity of the “pillhole.” And that’s not the end of the revelations and guesswork prior to Apple’s Far Out event next Wednesday.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.
Get the only cleaning cloth you need: CultCloth!
A creep nearly ruined a Southwest Airlines flight to Cabo San Lucas by using Apple’s AirDrop file-sharing tech to send unsolicited nudes to fellow passengers.
This is an excellent opportunity for a quick tutorial on how to turn off AirDrop so something like this never happens to you.
It might not be necessary to trade in an iPhone 13 for the iPhone 14 to get the upcoming model’s satellite communication capabilities. Apple’s 2021 handset reportedly already has this feature – it’s just not activated.
It’s possible Apple will announce at a September 7 event that both the iPhone 13 and 14 will be able to send emergency texts via satellite.
This iOS system repair post is presented by Wondershare, maker of Dr.Fone.
Apple devices like iPhones have great reputations for reliability, but nothing’s perfect. And if you find your iPhone stuck on the Apple logo while booting up — often called a “boot loop” — what to do about it can be a real head-scratcher.
Fortunately, there is software designed to help fix that and other problems. One such option is Dr.Fone from Wondershare.
Occasionally a computer setup displayed on social media makes you swoon. Usually it’s a combination of amazing gear, artful arrangement and exceptional photography, like something staged by a pro. But sometimes it’s just a sick amount of awesome Apple computers and displays.
Today’s featured setup, run by a consultant who “works for several companies,” relies on four high-spec Macs, five very-nice-but-not-exceptional Macs and three Apple Displays, including a Pro Display XDR — which goes for $5,000 or more by itself.
Does your wallet hurt yet? We just took ours to the ER.
Users who aren’t ready to to take the plunge into full home-automation system like HomeKit and related accessories have another option to make a dumb lock smarter.
SwitchBot recently launched a new version of SwitchBot Lock. The company said it’s the best way to make a door lock smart without refitting, so users can lock or unlock their door via devices like iPhone or Apple Watch.
Better yet, right now you can get 15% off on Amazon, or about $15 off the $100 price.
Developer Mode is a security feature new to iOS 16. It will prevent unsigned code from running on your device — apps that are not on the App Store nor TestFlight. Most people can enjoy the added layer of security for free. But, this also means that if you’re writing your own apps in Xcode, you will need to enable Developer Mode before running your app on your iPhone or iPad.
Another reason you might turn on Developer Mode is to install AltStore, a popular open-source App Store alternative. With AltStore, you can easily run emulators for Nintendo games, a clipboard manager, Windows virtual machines and more.
Read on to see how to turn it on.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Looks like we have a date for the next big Apple event: Mark your calendars for September 7! We’re expecting iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8 — which both sound awfully familiar — and hoping for something surprising.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.
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An app to make Androids copy the look of iPhone running iOS is widely popular. So many people wish their Android was an iPhone that Launcher iOS 16 has been downloaded over 50 million times from Google Play. And a rival app has just as many.
That sure is a lot of jealous Android users.