"Is that the new iPhone?" "Not exactly..." Image: Samsung/LuuTinh Developer/Cult of Mac
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.
Rebooting your iPhone is as easy as asking Siri to do it. And you don't even have to say "please." Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
If your iPhone or iPad locks up, iOS 16/iPadOS 16 will let get out of the jam by rebooting the device with a simple Siri command. It’s the easiest method I’ve found to get the handset or tablet going again when there’s a problem with the touchscreen, or the device is just misbehaving.
iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 bring some welcome new features. And you can try them out now, if you can tolerate their bugs. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Tired of just reading about the new iPhone Lock Screen and want to try it? Really eager to make full use of an external screen with your iPad? There’s good news: Apple released new public betas of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 this week, and my testing shows they’re stable enough for average users to try them out.
That said, be cautious. These are prerelease versions — they still have bugs. The final versions aren’t expected for months, and there’s still plenty of room for improvement
Here are my tips for spending less time on your phone. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
I would not say I have an addiction to my iPhone. I’m a computer nerd; I have an addiction to my Mac. It’s mostly the same, except I can pretend it’s productive.
Many clearly suffer from smartphone addiction, though. If you feel the impulse to unlock your iPhone at every empty moment, or scroll through an app when you feel like you should be getting to bed, here are my tips for making your phone a bit more boring.
Apple is making it easier for iPhone users to fight the scourge of spam texts. Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The upcoming iOS 16 will help battle the growing problem of spam text messages. The latest beta includes the ability to report SMS messages as “junk” to the user’s wireless carrier.
iPhone users already can report spam messages that come through Apple’s own iMessage service.
Get access to the new features and APIs in iOS 16 with the Developer Beta today. Featuring my dog, Indy Anna Jones. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
iOS 16 was announced with some awesome, radical new features: a completely redesigned Lock Screen, a shared Photo Library for families, editing and un-sending iMessages, advanced new features in Maps and more. It’s especially hard this year to wait until September to get your hands on it.
Developers have a busy summer ahead of them, too. I spoke with some developers while at WWDC (no, I’m not done flexing that yet) and afterwards on Twitter. Developers are especially excited about creating Lock Screen widgets for their apps, using the new advanced features of SwiftUI and experimenting with the Live Text API.
But you don’t have to wait to get your hands on the beta. Registered developers can install the iOS 16 developer beta today. According to Apple, the Public Beta will be coming sometime in July. If you pay $99 for a developer account, installing the beta on your device is fast and easy. Here’s how.
The new Lock Screen is just one of the best new features in iOS 16. Image: Apple
There’s a lot to like in iOS 16, so I couldn’t resist installing the first beta to test the best new features. Here’s my hands-on experience with the new Lock Screen, improvements in the Messages and Mail apps, and more. These are just my favorites from the couple of days I’ve had to test the initial beta.
Plus, the next version of iOS adds other features that might be great — when Apple gets them working right.
It's time to discuss our last-minute WWDC22 predictions, hopes and fears. Image: Cult of Mac
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: With WWDC22 coming next week, it’s time for last-minute predictions about what Apple will hit us with. The next-gen versions of iOS, macOS, iPadOS and watchOS are a given. But what about an AR/VR headset or the realityOS it supposedly will run on? A new MacBook Air with an M2 chip?
It’s time to talk turkey about Monday’s big keynote.
Also on The CultCast:
Will we finally get an iPhone with an always-on display this year?
In an all-new Under Review, Juuk’s metal Apple Watch bands — one that looks like Iron Man built it, and one that puts a rainbow on your wrist — blow us away.
Forget talking turkey. Erfon talks chickens in a pre-WWDC fever dream!
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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Don't miss a thing from WWDC22. Photo: Cult of Mac
One of Apple’s biggest events is right around the corner. This year’s Worldwide Developers Conference keynote promises to deliver our first look at the company’s next-generation software updates for iPhone, iPad, Mac and more. And it’s all happening on June 6.
Just like past WWDC keynotes, this year’s will be streaming online, so you’ll be able to watch it in its entirety as it all unfolds. Here’s how.