iCloud - page 2

How to set up Digital Legacy contacts to pass on iPhone data after you die

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How to set a legacy contact on iPhone or iPad
The images and files you have on iCloud don’t have to be locked away forever if you pass away.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Thanks to a new feature in iOS 15.2, you can designate legacy contacts so your loved ones can gain access to data on your iPhone or iPad after your death without your passcode.  The Digital Legacy feature means your personal images, files and other data don’t need to remain locked away after your untimely demise.

It’s easy to specify a Digital Legacy contact. And, like writing a will, it’s a smart move almost everyone should make sooner rather than later. Here’s how.

iCloud for Windows now supports ProRes videos and ProRaw photos

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iCloud for Windows now supports ProRes videos and ProRaw photos
There are multiple new features in the PC version of the iCloud app.
Photo: Apple

Apple threw a bone to iPhone owners who are also PC users on Wednesday. iCloud for Windows version 13 adds support for Apple ProRes videos and Apple ProRaw photos.

And there are other new features in the free app too, like greater control over iCloud Drive and the ability to generate strong passwords.

Not just you: iCloud Private Relay is offline [Updated]

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Not just you: Several Apple online services are having ‘issues’
iCloud Private Relay is really offline.
Photo: Cult of Mac/Mabel Amber/Pexels CC

iCloud Private Relay, a privacy feature that recently debuted, is temporarily offline. The service for iPhone, Mac and iPad is a public beta so a few hiccups are to be expected.

Apple promises the optional, for-pay add-on feature will be back online soon.

Update: Private Relay is back after being offline for 7.5 hours on Wednesday.

iPadOS 15 review: Nice improvements, but where’s the ambition?

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iPadOS 15 review
Improvements are nice, but just not enough.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple somehow created the world’s greatest and most disappointing tablet operating system. iPadOS is by far the best you’ll find for larger touchscreens, and yet, it leaves us wanting so much more.

This year’s iPadOS 15 release is an incremental upgrade over its predecessor. It improves upon the split-screen multitasking system, adds some new features like Focus mode, and finally allows us to put widgets anywhere.

But it’s still iPadOS as we know it, and it’s still holding back iPad Pro. We could be doing so much more with the hardware, especially now that the newest models pack even-speedier M1 chips. But Apple won’t let us.

Here’s our full iPadOS 15 review. It lays out what’s good about the new operating system — and explains why we think it’s time for a little more ambition.

EFF urges Apple to completely abandon delayed child safety features

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Apple urged to abandon child safety features
'Delays aren't good enough.'
Photo: Wiyre Media CC

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has called on Apple to completely abandon its child safety features after their rollout was delayed.

The group says it is “pleased” Apple’s move is on hold for now. But it calls the plans, which include scanning user images for child abuse material (CSAM), “a decrease in privacy for all iCloud Photos users.”

The EFF’s petition against Apple’s original announcement now contains more than 25,000 signatures. Another, started by groups like Fight for the Future and OpenMedia, contains more than 50,000.

Apple is already scanning your emails for child abuse material

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iCloud Passwords land on Windows
iCloud Mail accounts are banned for sharing CSAM.
Photo: Apple

Many Apple fans are upset about the company’s plan to start scanning for child abuse material (CSAM) in iCloud Photos uploads later this year. But did you know that Cupertino has already been scanning for CSAM in your emails?

Apple has confirmed that it started detecting CSAM using image matching technology in iCloud Mail back in 2019. It says that accounts with CSAM content violate its terms and conditions and will be disabled.

Apple employees reportedly join backlash over CSAM photo scanning

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Apple.logo.paris.store
Some inside Apple aren't happy with the move.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple employees have begun voicing their concerns over the company’s plan to scan user photos for child abuse material (CSAM), according to a new report. Many are said to have taken to internal Slack channels to express worries over how the feature could be exploited by governments.

“More than 800 messages” have been shared on one channel during a “days-long” discussion about the move. It comes after a number of privacy advocates this week spoke out against Apple’s announcement, calling it mass surveillance and warning that it could set a dangerous precedent.

Apple looks to ease CSAM photo scanning concerns with new FAQ

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Apple CSAM photo scanning
Clearing up the confusion.
Photo: Apple

Apple defends its plan to scan user photos for child sexual abuse imagery in a newly published FAQ that aims to quell growing concerns from privacy advocates.

The document provides “more clarity and transparency,” Apple said, after noting that “many stakeholders including privacy organizations and child safety organizations have expressed their support” for the move.

The FAQ explains the differences between child sexual abuse imagery scanning in iCloud and the new child-protection features coming to Apple’s Messages app. It also reassures users that Apple will not entertain government requests to expand the features.

Apple plans to scan iPhones and iCloud for child abuse imagery [Updated]

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Learn the financial lingo to get the most out of earnings call chatter.
Learn the financial lingo to get the most out of earnings call chatter.
Photo: Kevin Dooley/Flickr CC

Apple plans to scan photos stored on peoples’ iPhones and in their iCloud accounts for imagery suggesting child abuse, according to news reports Thursday. The effort might aid in law-enforcement investigations, but also could invite controversial access to user data by government agencies.

Apple’s update to its web page “Expanded Protections for Children” — see under the “CSAM Detection” subheading — appears to make the scanning plan official. CSAM stands for “child sexual abuse material.”

Apple Digital Legacy will let a loved one access your data when you die

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Apple Digital Legacy
Keeping your data alive long after you.
Screenshot: Cult of Mac

Apple is finally introducing a Digital Legacy feature that will allow a friend or family member to access your data after you die.

Users will be able to assign an administrator who gets access to things like photos, contacts and other things uploaded to iCloud. However, some data, such as saved credit cards and passwords, will be off limits.

Private Relay makes paying $1 a month for iCloud a bargain

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Private Relay makes paying $1 a month for iCloud a bargain
Private Relay protects your online privacy. It’s the best part of Apple’s new iCloud+.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Private Relay is the latest way Apple devices can protect your privacy. The service, a part of iCloud+, makes it much harder for the websites you visit to track you.

Unlike many of Apple’s privacy services, it’s not free. But the new iCloud+ service costs very little and comes bundled with iCloud storage at no additional cost. And it comes with some other privacy benefits, too.

iOS 15 gives you temporary iCloud storage boost for device upgrades

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iCloud
All the storage you need, free of charge.
Photo: Apple

Apple is making iPhone and iPad upgrades easier by giving users a temporary boost in iCloud storage free of charge.

The change, which comes with iOS and iPadOS 15 this fall, will allow you to backup the entire contents of your device and transfer it all to a new one — even if you’re using the free 5GB storage plan.

Apple adds powerful new privacy features to Mail and more

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Apple Privacy Slide from WWDC 2021
Apple is taking even more shots at advertisers in the WWDC 2021 Privacy updates
Screenshot: Apple

Apple is bringing big privacy-focused changes to its Mail app and other parts of its ecosystem, the company said Monday.

“At Apple, we believe privacy is a fundamental human right,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior VP of software engineering. “We don’t think you should have to make a tradeoff between great features and privacy. We believe you deserve both.”

iCloud+ makes your online activities more secure on Apple devices

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iCloud+
Included at no extra cost with a premium iCloud subscription.
Photo: Apple

iCloud+ is a new service that promises to make your online activities more private and more secure. It’s included at no extra cost with a premium iCloud subscription, and it works across all your Apple devices.

Here’s what Private Relay, Hide My Email, and HomeKit Secure Video in iCloud+ can do for you.

iCloud Mail ‘issue’ leads to slow Apple email [Updated]

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iCloud Mail ‘issue’ leads to slow Apple email
Your Apple email is slow or not arriving at all because iCloud Mail is having problems.
Photo: Zachary DeBottis/Pexels CC

Update: Apple changed the status on iCloud Mail from “issue” to “resolved issue” on Thursday afternoon. Problems with the service persisted for about 5.5 hours before being fixed, though.

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It’s not just you having problems with an Apple email account. Apple reports that iCloud Mail has been having an ‘issue’ for several hours.

The service is not completely offline, however.

Not just you: Several Apple online services are having ‘issues’ [Updated]

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Not just you: Several Apple online services are having ‘issues’
Problems with multiple iCloud services are preventing some users from accessing them.
Photo: Cult of Mac/Mabel Amber/Pexels CC

Anyone having trouble with Apple’s Find My service, or signing into iCloud, can stop rebooting their devices trying to fix the problem. Apple itself reports that four of its online services are currently experiencing problems.

Update: Apple reports that all four previously malfunctioning services are now fixed.

How to transfer iCloud Photos to Google Photos

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How to transfer iCloud Photos to Google Photos
Copying images and videos from iCloud Photos to Google Photos is surprisingly easy.
Graphic: Cult of Mac

Apple now makes it easy to copy the pictures and videos you have stored in iCloud Photos over to Google Photos. The process is straightforward, but there are a few hoops to jump through.

Here’s what you need to know.