iOS 16

How to leave the iOS 17 beta program

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How to leave the iOS 17 beta program
If you're done with iOS 17 betas, you can easily set your iPhone to ignore them.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

With iOS 17 now available to all, you no longer need to be enrolled in Apple’s beta program to get your hands on it. There are good reasons why you might not want to run prerelease software on your iPhone any more.

Here’s how to pull your iPhone out. It’s easy and only takes a minute. Maybe less

How to downgrade your iPhone from iOS 17 beta to iOS 16

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Downgrading iPhone from iOS 17 beta to iOS 16
Yep, you can always go back to iOS 16 from iOS 17 beta.
Image: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac

Installing the iOS 17 beta is a great way to try all the new features before the operating system’s public release — if you can stomach a little inevitable iPhone flakiness. Some people can, some people can’t. If you gave the iOS 17 beta a shot and now regret your decision, don’t worry: You can downgrade your iPhone to iOS 16.

Follow this guide to safely downgrade your iPhone to a stable iOS 16 release from iOS 17 beta.

iOS 16.5, iPadOS 16.5 and macOS Ventura 13.4 arrive

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iOS 16.5
Time to check for updates on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Following a beta period spanning over a month, Apple has released the stable build of iOS 16.5, iPadOS 16.5, and macOS Ventura 13.4 to the public. Your Apple Watch and Apple TV are also getting a new update.

Unlike iOS 16.4, the latest iOS release is not packing a ton of new features. There are a few improvements and enhancements, but otherwise, this is mostly a bug-fixing release.

Apple promises iOS 16.5 launches next week

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iOS 16.5
iOS 16.5 will be out soon with a number of "nice to have" tweaks.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

The wait for iOS 16.5 is almost over. On Tuesday, Apple committed to releasing it “next week.” The same is true for watchOS 9.5.

Apple almost always introduces new versions of its operating systems simultaneously. So, those eager for macOS Ventura 13.4 and tvOS 16.5 should expect these updates soon, too. Especially as the release candidates for all these OS updates came out on Tuesday.

Latest iOS update doesn’t fix iPhone battery drain

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iOS update does not deliver promised iPhone battery improvement
iPhone battery life doesn't improve under iOS 16.4.1, as had been hoped.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Testing shows that the recently released iOS 16.4.1 does not fix an iPhone battery problem introduced by its predecessor.

This wasn’t the usual small change in battery life that’s usual with updates. Many iPhone models saw significant drops with iOS 16.4. And the latest version isn’t a fix.

Apple begins beta testing iOS 16.5 and macOS 13.4 [Updated]

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iOS 16.5 and macOS 13.4 betas
Apple is already looking ahead to iOS 16.5 and macOS Ventura 13.4.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple seeded the initial betas of iOS 16.5 and macOS Ventura 13.4 to the general public on Thursday. Developers were given access on Tuesday.  Beta testing began almost immediately after the public release of the previous versions.

iPadOS 16.5 beta 1, watchOS 9.5 beta 1 and tvOS 16.5 beta 1 are also available to the public and to devs.

How to enable Voice Isolation for iPhone calls in iOS 16.4

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How to enable Voice Isolation for iPhone calls in iOS 16.4
iOS 16.4 makes it easy to block embarrassing background noise from your phone calls.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Voice Isolation feature that’s been making FaceTime and Zoom video chats better for over a year is finally available for regular iPhone voice calls. With it, the people you’re on a phone call with can’t hear noises going on around you.

Here’s how to activate one of the best new features of iOS 16.4.

How to remove duplicate photos on iPhone, iPad and Mac

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Get rid of all those copies
Find and delete copies of your photos on your iPhone.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

You could have dozens of copies of the same images in your Photos library, taking up space on your phone and in your iCloud account. Luckily, Apple offers an easy-to-use little tool that lets you find duplicate photos and delete the copies, all right from the Photos app.

Update: In iOS 16.4, released today, duplicates will now be detected between Shared iCloud Photo Libraries. If you have this set up, check for duplicates again — there’s likely to be hundreds more after updating.

These types of duplicate images can accumulate more quickly than you might expect. They arise if you make a copy of a photo to edit, if you screenshot a photo to bump it to the top of your Camera Roll, or if you and your partner both upload the same picture to your Shared iCloud Photo Library. In fact, I found hundreds of duplicates in my own carefully curated library.

It’s a surprisingly sophisticated feature that took Apple engineers a fair amount of smarts to cook up (more on that later). Here’s how to use Apple’s duplicate image remover and get rid of all those unnecessary files.

15 new features in iOS 16.4 you should try right away

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iOS 16.4 release candidate
After you upgrade your iPhone, try these new features in iOS 16.4.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple released iOS 16.4 on Monday, bringing significant changes and new features to its iPhone operating system.

Once you install iOS 16.4, the biggest point release of iOS 16 so far, check out these 15 features to try right away — including the new “high five emoji” combo.

Voice Isolation for phone calls finally coming to iPhone

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Voice Isolation for phone calls finally coming to iPhone
Voice Isolation isn't just for FaceTime anymore.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Voice Isolation feature iPhone users have become accustomed to in video chats will soon expand to regular phone calls. It will make participants in these voice calls easier to understand.

This will be one of the major new features in iOS 16.4, which is expected in late March.

iOS 16.4 and macOS 13.3 likely will launch next week

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iOS 16.4 release candidate
The iOS 16.4 release candidate means the full version should reach iPhones everywhere before the end of March.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple seeded the release candidates for iOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3 to developers on Tuesday, signaling that beta testing for these upcoming operating systems is almost over. The same is true for the release candidates for iPadOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4 and tvOS 16.4.

These will usher in new emoji, a better way for devs to work with betas, and other changes.

iOS 16.4 beta 3: All the new features and changes

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New emoji will arrive in iOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3
iOS 16.4 beta packs plenty of new features and changes.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A week after the second iOS 16.4 beta dropped, Apple seeded the third build to developers. Unlike the first and second build, the third beta is light on changes.

You can find everything new in iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 beta 3 below. There’s also an archive of the new features spotted in beta 1 and 2.

Live weather, awesome astronomy and fun faces: Customize your iPhone’s Lock Screen in iOS 16

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There are a lot of ways to customize the Lock Screen in iOS 16.
There are a lot of ways to customize the Lock Screen in iOS 16.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

iOS 16 brings the most radical change to the iPhone Lock Screen yet. In the new operating system, you can customize and totally transform the look and feel of your phone. If you liked the themed custom Home Screens people were putting together using Shortcuts and Widgetsmith, you’ll love the level of creativity you can express with customized Lock Screens in iOS 16.

Read on to see all the features of the new iOS 16 Lock Screen.

Nearly all iPhones run iOS 16 but only half of iPads have updated

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Apple makes a multitude of changes with iOS 16.
iPhone users have adopted iOS 16 in large numbers.
Photo: Apple

According to official data from Apple, 81% of all iPhones released in the past four years are running some version of iOS 16. That’s a vastly higher percentage than Android users have installed the latest OS update from Google.

But iPad users upgrade at a far lower rate than iPhone users. Only 53% of Apple tablets released in the last four years have iPadOS 16.

Track your medications on iPhone in the Health app

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Don’t Skip Your Meds
Your iPhone and Apple Watch can help you track your meds.
Image: MorgueFile/Wikimedia Commons/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

The Apple Health app on your iPhone will help you track your medications. It has a lot of advanced options for all kinds of medicine — you can set up schedules, log your activity and even get advice on drug interactions. If you can connect with your health care provider through the Health app, setting it up is incredibly simple. Otherwise, you can just scan the label on the bottle using the camera to import it.

Let me show you how to get started.

iOS 16.3.1 breaks Google Photos for iPhone but a fix is out [Updated]

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iOS 16.3.1 update on iPhone with Google Photos logo on top
Google Photos app is crashing in iOS 16.3.1.
Photo: Ed Hardy and Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac

Apple’s recently released iOS 16.3.1 and iPadOS 16.3.1 update broke Google Photos. Users complain about being unable to open the app after updating their device to the latest software build.

Update: A new Google Photos update rolling out through the App Store fixes the crashing issue on iOS 16.3.1. If you have already updated your iPhone to the latest iOS release, grab the Google Photos update from the App Store to resolve the issue.

Apple Pay Later could launch next month with iOS 16.4 [Updated]

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Apple Pay Later
Apple Pay Later could finally be ready to launch.
Graphics: Apple/Rajesh

Apple Pay Later reportedly has entered beta testing among Apple’s retail store employees, signaling that the “buy now, pay later” service is nearing public release.

The move comes months after Apple announced the financing option at its Worldwide Developers Conference last June.

View saved Wi-Fi network passwords on iPhone and Mac [Pro Tip]

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MacBook render with
It is easier than you think to view saved Wi-Fi passwords on your iPhone or Mac.
Graphics: Rajesh

Your iPhone automatically syncs the details of any Wi-Fi network you join with other devices linked to your Apple ID. Thanks to this handy feature, your Mac or other Apple devices will seamlessly join that network without you doing anything. And iOS also makes it easy to share Wi-Fi passwords with other people who are using iPhones or iPads. You can even turn your home’s Wi-Fi password into a QR code for easy sharing.

However, there will be situations when you need to retrieve a Wi-Fi password for sharing with friends who don’t use an iPhone. When that’s the case, follow the steps below to discover the password of a saved Wi-Fi network on your iPhone or Mac.

The specs check out on new MacBook Pro and Mac mini [The CultCast]

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We're talking the many pros and a couple of cons about the brand-new MacBook Pro Mac mini and HomePod models Apple just released.
We're talking the many pros and a couple of cons about the brand-new MacBook Pro Mac mini and HomePod models Apple just released.
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The first reviews and early benchmarks reveal impressive performance boosts from the new MacBook Pro and Mac mini. We’re talking the pros and cons of upgrading — including one very important “buyer beware” scenario.

Also on The CultCast:

  • What’s new in iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3 and macOS Ventura 13.2? We walk through the updates.
  • A great giveaway from Goldenerre, maker of fine Apple Watch bands.
  • Our beloved old-school HomePods just got some upgrades — including one Erfon’s been dreaming of for years.

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.

iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3 and macOS Ventura 13.2 arrive

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iOS 16.3 and macOS 13.2 launches are only a week away
iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, watchOS 9.3 and macOS Ventura 13.2 are here.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

After a relatively short beta period, Apple on Monday released iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3 and macOS Ventura 13.2 to the public. Compatible Apple Watch and Apple TV models also received watchOS 9.3 and tvOS 16.3 updates.

Usually, point releases of iOS and macOS bring several new features and changes. But that’s not the case with iOS 16.3 and macOS Ventura 13.2. Relatively light on new features, the updates focus more on bug fixes and security patches. Below is a look at all the new features in iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, macOS Ventura 13.2 and watchOS 9.3.

iOS 16.3 and macOS Ventura 13.2 launches are only a week away

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iOS 16.3 and macOS 13.2 launches are only a week away
The iOS 16.3 Release Candidate reveals which new features Apple considers the most important.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The next iPhone software update is closer than anyone might have realized. Apple seeded the release candidate for iOS 16.3 to developers on Wednesday.

The same is also true for the release candidates for macOS 13.2, iPadOS 16.3, watchOS 9.3 and tvOS 16.3.