iOS 12 - page 2

Apple seeds first iOS 12.1.3 beta to developers

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The official iOS 12 release date is next week, but you can download it now.
There's a new beta out for iPhone.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple has busted out one more beta update for developers to play with before the end of 2018 with the first build of iOS 12.1.3.

The new iOS 12.1.3 beta 1 update comes just days after Apple released iOS 12.1.2 to the public as a way to fix patent claims by Qualcomm in China. Along with the new iOS beta, there are also new beta updates for macOS Mojave and tvOS.

iOS 12.1.2 possibly resolves iPhone sales ban in China

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iPhone sales are finally rebounding in China
In most of the world, iOS 12.1.2 fixes some bugs. But in China, it might remove some features.
Photo: Tim Cook/Weibo

Apple has rushed out iOS 12.1.2 after a single round of beta testing. This highly unusual move could be part of the company’s response to a recent ban on iPhone sales in China.

The release notes on this new version say nothing about that though, just indicating that iOS 12.1.2 fixes some small issues.

Apple offers free audiobooks narrated by celebrities

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Apple Books free audiobooks
‘Great First Listens’ get you started with Apple Books.
Photo: Apple

Apple is offering a bunch of free audiobooks narrated by celebrities, including Kate Beckinsale and Kelsey Grammer.

The giveaway is an effort to promote Apple Books, which saw a big overhaul with iOS 12 — but audiobook fans will probably feel Apple could have done better.

First public betas of iOS 12.1.2, macOS Mojave 10.14.3 squash some bugs

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iOS 12.1.2 public beta 1 can be installed on your iPhone now.
iOS 12.1.2 public beta 1 can be installed on your iPhone now.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

There’s always another version of iOS in the pipeline. Just a few days after iOS 12.1.1 brought improvements to FaceTime and Face ID, the public can now download the first beta of the upcoming replacement.

Apple is equally diligent about macOS updates. The initial beta version of macOS Mojave 10.14.3 also just debuted to the general public.

iPad Pro bug makes music apps stutter and crackle

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IPad Pro one week review
Musicians should stick to their old iPads for now.
Photo: Andrea Nepori

If you bought the new iPad Pro for making music, then you probably already discovered that it’s almost useless for the purpose. I just hope you didn’t sell your old iPad yet. The problem, which is so widespread that it probably affects all of the new 2018 iPad Pro models, causes the CPU to spike, and sound to crackle whenever you use more than a couple of music apps together.

Fortunately, a fix is apparently on the way.

4 ways to boost your tech skills for less than $25 [Deals]

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We've rounded up 4 ways to boost your personal or professional skills, from social media marketing to graphic design and way beyond, each for under 20 bucks.
We've rounded up 4 ways to boost your personal or professional skills, from social media marketing to graphic design and way beyond, each for under 20 bucks.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s never a bad idea to make yourself more appealing to potential employers. But there are so many skills to learn, from coding, to graphic design, to Excel, and on and on, it can be hard to know where to start, and education is often expensive. So we’ve rounded up courses that cover all of the above and more, all for less than 20 bucks. Take a look, and pick the ways you want to boost your resume.

iOS 12 adoption hits 70 percent of iPhone and iPad users

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iOS 12 Support_WWDC18
Phones and tablets dating back to 2013 can be upgraded to iOS 12.
Photo: Apple

A data analysis firm recently estimated that three-quarters of iPhone and iPad users have upgraded to iOS 12. Turns out that was slightly optimistic. Apple revealed today that iOS 12 adoption is actually at 70 percent.

That is vastly better than the number of people who’ve been able to upgrade to the latest version of Android.

75 percent of users have upgraded to iOS 12

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iOS 12
iOS 12 is outpacing iOS 11 in terms of adoption.
Photo: Apple

Three-quarters of iOS users have upgraded to iOS 12, data released by analytics firm Mixpanel suggests. According to the firm’s records, around 75 percent of users have upgraded to iOS 12, around 20 percent are still on iOS 11, and the remainder are using a previous version.

It’s an impressive reminder of just how rapidly Apple users upgrade to the latest operating system.

Once you go to iOS 12.1 you’ll never go back

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Once you go iOS 12 you'll never go back.
As of today, your only options are iOS 12.1 and the beta of iOS 12.1.1.
Photo: Wendelin Jacober/Pexels

If you’ve moved to iOS 12.1, it’s no longer possible to go back to any previous version. Not that there’s much reason to.

As of today, you can’t install iOS 12.0.1 or earlier on an iPhone or iPad. This in-line with Apple’s standard practices.

Tim Cook starts his morning reading comments from Apple customers

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Tim Cook with a 2018 WWDC scholarship winner.
Apple’s CEO pays attention to what people outside the company are saying about its products.
Screencap: Apple

If you’ve ever wondered if anyone at Apple ever sees the online comments people post about iPhone, Mac, etc., you can rest easy: No less a person than CEO Tim Cook reads them every day.

And you might be surprised at how much time he spends doing so.

Grab the new iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS ‘bug fix’ betas

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The third beta of iOS 12.1.1 is available to anyone who wants it.
iOS 12.1.1 beta 3 is available to anyone who wants to download it.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The public just got their hands on the third beta of iOS 12.1.1, which developers were able to access to this morning. This doesn’t bring new features, but makes some tweaks.

Developers can also download macOS 10.12.2 beta 3, tvOS 12.1.1 beta 3, and watchOS 5.2.1 beta 2.

Fresh betas of iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS out today

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There are new iOS 12 beta versions for developers and the public, as the same is true for macOS Mojave.
This isn't even all the devices that will run the betas Apple released today.
Photo: Apple

Developers and the public just got their hands on the second betas of iOS 12.1.1 and tvOS12.1.1.  Not to be left out, macOS 10.12.2 beta is also available to everyone.

In addition, developers got their vey first gander at watchOS 5.1.2.

How to zip and unzip files on iPhone with Shortcuts

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Broken zip shortcut metaphor.
Broken ZIP Shortcut metaphor.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Shortcuts isn’t just about asking Siri to help out when a cop pulls you over, or shutting your home down for the night. Shortcuts can also be little utilities that you use on your files, adding Mac-like functions to your iPad or iPhone. Today’s example shows how to make a shortcut that unzips files, and saves them to your iCloud Drive or Dropbox. Even in iOS 12, there’s no built-in way to unzip stuff. And with this shortcut, you won’t have to buy an app to do it.

How to quit the iOS 12 beta program

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Now that iOS 12.1 has officially added bagel emoji, it’s time to exit the beta program.
Now that iOS 12.1 has officially added bagel emoji, it’s time to exit the beta program.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Not everyone who signs up for the iOS beta program is a developer. There are journalists testing new features, and regular folks who just want to try the latest additions (despite the bugs). But what happens when the final version ships? You’re left running the beta, while everyone else is on the regular version.

Today we’ll see how to exit the iOS beta program and switch back to regular updates.

How to make Group FaceTime calls on iPhone, iPad or Mac

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Group FaceTime is super easy to use.
Group FaceTime is super easy to use.
Photo: Apple

With the new Group FaceTime feature in iOS 12.1 and macOS Mojave 10.14.1, you can call up to 32 people and chat with them all at the same time.

Apple took some extra time getting this feature working perfectly. Now that’s it’s here, let’s see how to use Group FaceTime on iOS devices and Mac to get in on those massive group chats.

Apple starts new round of iOS, macOS, tvOS ‘bug fix’ betas

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There are new iOS 12 beta versions for developers and the public, as the same is true for macOS Mojave.
New betas of OS upgrades for all these Apple computers were just seeded to developers.
Photo: Apple

Every type of Apple computer got an operating system upgrade yesterday, but the company’s coding team apparently never rests. New betas for phones, tablets, Macs, and TVs were just seeded to third-party software developers.

There’s no new beta for Apple Watch because its OS update yesterday had to be pulled.

Use iOS 12’s smart albums to clean up your photo library

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Here's a photo that could totally be in some smart albums
Here's a photo that could totally be in some smart album.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Grab your iPhone, if you’re not holding it already. Then open the Photos app, go to the Albums tab, and scroll down. On iOS 12, you’ll see a list showing pretty much every kind of photo you have: Live Photos, Panoramas, screenshots, and a lot more. This is powerful stuff, so let’s check it out

iOS 12 defeats law enforcement’s GrayKey iPhone unlocker

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GrayKey can bypass iPhone security
GrayKey can still unlock iPhones but can no longer unencrypted their contents.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple has apparently won a victory in preserving the privacy of iPhone users. Previously, even if an iOS device was secured with a password, police could use the GrayKey unlocking tool to access the contents. But that changed with iOS 12. 

This hacking tool reportedly became nearly useless with the release of Apple’s latest operating system.

How to stop yourself wasting time on Twitter and Facebook

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twitter bird screen time metaphor
This little birds is an easy metaphor for wasting time on Twitter.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Today’s tip uses iOS 12’s Screen Time feature to stop yourself from wasting your life on Twitter and/or Facebook (or any other app or website). Maybe you obsess over a golfing forum, or you have a Fortnite habit you just can’t shake.

If so, Screen Time can protect you from yourself. Let’s see how.

Apple hustles through iOS 12.1 beta process

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The wait for iOS 12.1 public beta 5 was so short you could have napped through it.
The wait for iOS 12.1 public beta 5 was so short you could have napped through it.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The fifth beta version of iOS 12 was released exclusively to developers this morning. But it turns out everyone else didn’t have to wait very long because the public beta is already available.

In past beta cycles, Apple has made the public wait as much as a week to get a new pre-release version after developers could access it. The iOS 12.1 beta process is much more fast and loose.

Our long national nightmare of ‘bagelgate’ is finally over

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Would you eat this bland bagel?
Would you eat this bland bagel? This is the design that set off bagelgate.
Photo: Apple

There are clearly some very strong opinions about bagels. Apple added a bagel emoji to the early betas of iOS 12.1 and some people lost their minds. The proposed image was rather plain, and there was no sign of cream cheese, which was enough to set off a firestorm of protest.

Those who were offended by the emoji can rest easy tonight knowing that Apple has a new version of the bagel that looks more like something a New Yorker would eat.