| Cult of Mac

WWDC23 kicks off June 5 with online event

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Apple WWDC23 announcement
WWDC23 will happen June 5 through June 9, with loads of big announcements expected.
Image: Apple

The official invitation to Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference 2023 went out Wednesday, confirming we’ll get our first look at what’s on the company’s near-term agenda on June 5. Apple promises WWDC23 will bring an opportunity “to learn the latest about Apple platforms, technologies, and tools.”

In other words, expect new versions of iOS, macOS and more — including a possible first look at the company’s long-rumored AR/VR headset (along with the software that will power the device).

WWDC23 will kick off with a keynote on June 5 and run the rest of that week. Even in this post-pandemic world, the event will be mostly online. However, a fortunate few developers and students will be able to watch the video keynote from Apple Park.

Apple begins beta testing iOS 16.5 and macOS 13.4

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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 developers on Tuesday. This comes only a day 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 devs.

iOS 17 might be more exciting than expected

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iPhone 14 is the first Apple handset to ditch the physical SIM card tray altogether.
iOS 17 is coming with a lot more features than initially rumored.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple’s upcoming iOS 17 update will be bigger than initially planned. The company reportedly changed its strategy during the development process to add some “nice to have” features to the iPhone operating system.

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.

Fix the mess caused by Sign in with Apple and Hide My Email

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Silence the spam
Apple’s privacy-focused features in Mail are really handy at keeping spam at bay, but you might still need to find that secret email address or delete an account after a while.
Image: Ascánder/Wikimedia Commons/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

I always use Apple’s privacy-focused Sign in with Apple and Hide My Email services whenever I get the option.

The Sign in with Apple feature, which lets you log into third-party accounts using your Apple ID while keeping your personal info private, is so easy to use that I utilize it everywhere. But that also means my disguised logins pile up, accumulating in the digital junk drawer that is iCloud Settings.

I’ll show you where you can find, manage or delete these accounts. Perhaps you’re jumping ship from iPhone to Android, and you want to make sure you still have another way of signing into your Chipotle account.

The Hide My Email service is similar. It creates a temporary email address that forwards to your real one — handy if you’re signing up for a shady website, or if you need a public contact email. I’ll show you where you can create new ones and delete the old ones.

5 secret tips and tricks in Safari on iPhone

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5 Safari Tricks & Secrets
Get the most out of the browser in your pocket.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

I spend a lot of time in Safari, and odds are, you do too. For an app that’s absolutely instrumental to my iPhone, any new tips and tricks I learn can feel life-changing.

Here are a few of my favorite hidden features. These will help you browse the web faster, clean up your experience and restore tabs you accidentally close. I also have a handy Shortcut you can download at the end.

How to get missing Apple apps back on your iPhone and iPad

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Where did that app go?
Sometimes these things just disappear on you.
Image: Kristin Hardwick/Wikimedia Commons/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

How do you reinstall Apple apps like Music, Podcasts, Weather, Maps and Find My onto your iPhone or iPad? If you can’t find them, it’s possible you uninstalled them and your device needs to download them again. Or they might have simply disappeared from your Home Screen, and are now hiding in the App Library.

There are also a few iPhone apps that Apple hasn’t made available on iPad. This was the case with Weather until very recently, so you may need to install an update to get it.

I’ll walk you through all the possibilities, showing you how to get Apple’s stock apps back on your iPhone or iPad.

Enable iPhone ‘guest mode’ before handing it to someone else

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Keep your kids out of your phone
Lock your kids into a game (like Zookeeper) when they have your phone.
Image: MIKI Yoshihito/Wikimedia Commons/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

You can use a feature called Guided Access to lock down your iPhone to a single app before you hand it to a kid or someone else. You might want to let your offspring play a game, or pass your phone around for controlling music, or hand it off to show someone a video … but you probably don’t want them going rogue and reading your texts or calling your mom.

In Accessibility settings, you can enable Guided Access to limit your iPhone to a single app before you hand it off. It’s a kind of quick and dirty “guest mode.”

This will help you keep your phone — and your privacy — safe. You can even disable features like the volume buttons and set up time limits.

iOS 16.4’s best new features and an iPhone security hack you need ASAP [The CultCast]

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Coming Soon in iOS 16.4: CultCast title page.
Join us for a rundown of what you can expect in iOS 16.4.
Image: Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: iOS 16.4 doesn’t look earth-shattering or anything, but there are some cool new features coming.

Also on The CultCast:

  • You need to toggle this switch on your iPhone ASAP so thieves don’t ruin your life.
  • Working for Apple’s secret Exploratory Design Group sounds like a dream job.
  • We’re giving away a very fancy backpack from Harber London.
  • Erfon put his new HomePod stereo pair to the test in a head-to-head audio smackdown with the originals. The results are … disappointing.
  • Windows users get a little taste of iMessage goodness. But just a taste!

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.