Apple launched in mid July a trio of Rapid Security Responses to fix urgent security problems in iOS 16.5.1, macOS Ventura 13.4.1 and iPadOS 16.5.1. It was then forced to withdraw them, but they have since been debugged and re-released.
These are the latest entries in a relatively new system created to quickly fix security holes without requiring a full OS update.
Apple just gave the general public access to the latest iOS 17 beta, but before you put it on your iPhone, the Cult of Mac staff has some warnings. We’ve used the betas for weeks, and while it’s gone well for some people, it’s been a dumpster fire for others.
Public betas for macOS Sonoma and iPadOS 17 are also available, and we also have comments for anyone thinking of putting those on their Mac or iPad.
The Rapid Security Response patches released Monday for iOS 16.5.1, macOS Ventura 13.4.1 and iPadOS 16.5.1 have been pulled back by Apple. They made changes to WebKit, and reportedly were causing problems with some websites.
This isn’t ideal, as they were introduced to close a security hole that has been exploited by hackers.
A long-requested feature is finally coming to iOS 17: interactive widgets. With these, you can control apps on the device directly from the convenience of the home screen.
iOS 17 is still in beta so not everyone has access to the new feature yet. I do, so here is what it’s like to use it on an iPhone (and iPad, too.)
Apple just introduced a slew of operating system updates. That includes iOS 16.5.1, macOS 13.4.1, watchOS 9.5.2 and iPadOS 16.5.1, which fix bugs in the most recent versions.
But it also released bug-fix updates for older versions of the operating systems going back as far as 2020.
What hasn’t yet arrived on Wednesday are the much-anticipated second round of betas for iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma.
Despite dumping massive engineering resources into its brand-new visionOS platform for the Vision Pro headset, Apple is bringing loads of new features to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and even tvOS this year. Headlining features include NameDrop, StandBy, Journal, Live Stickers, pet tagging in Photos and blurring unsolicited nude pictures.
However, Apple didn’t have time during its jam-packed WWDC23 keynote this week to cover all the new features. Now that iOS 17 is out, here are some of the hidden gems people have discovered in Apple’s latest operating systems.
Private Browsing mode in Apple Safari will soon get even more secure. It’ll be locked against someone else accessing it, and incorporate new tools to prevent websites from tracking users.
The additional privacy features are coming in iOS 17, macOS Sonoma and iPadOS 17, all of which were unveiled at WWDC23 this week.
Apple is souping up the systems for entering text into iPhone with iOS 17. Autocorrect is getting enhanced with AI for fewer typos, as part of multiple improvements to what Apple calls “intelligent input.” And Dictation is getting a boost that promises more-accurate voice recognition, too.
I tested the changes in the first iOS 17 beta. Here’s how well they work … so far.
With macOS Sonoma, iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10 and tvOS 17 unveiled at WWDC23 on Monday, Apple made the initial betas available to developers. These are major updates for the various operating systems that run all Apple computers.
Beta testing will stretch through summer, with the full release of these OSs not coming until autumn.
The Keynote from WWDC23 was unusually jam-packed with huge announcements. Naturally, the first official details of new iOS, macOS, iPadOS and watchOS versions came to light, as is traditional. But Apple also used its annual developer conference to take the wraps off quite a bit of hardware.
And CEO Tim Cook used Apple’s classic “One more thing” line to unveil Vision Pro, the augmented-reality headset that was the absolute star of Monday’s Keynote.
iPadOS 17 will give iPad users the Lock Screen enhancements that debuted for iPhone last year. Another major addition for tablet users is interactive Home Screen widgets, a long-requested feature. And these are just a few of the changes coming in the iPadOS version announced at WWDC23.
“With interactive widgets on the Lock Screen, updates to PDFs and Notes, as well as enhancements to Messages and FaceTime, iPadOS gives users even more ways to get things done easier and faster than ever,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s SVP of Software Engineering, in a statement.
The first betas of iOS 16.6 and macOS Ventura 13.5 went to developers on Friday. The same is true for iPadOS 16.6 beta 1, watchOS 9.6 beta 1 and tvOS 16.6 beta 1.
The timing might seem odd because Apple is expected to unveil iOS 17, macOS 14 and the replacements for its other operating systems in a couple of weeks, but this is normal.
Just can’t wait for WWDC23? Apparently, Apple can’t either because it’s already starting announcing new features that will almost certainly be in iOS 17, iPadOS 17 and macOS 14.
These are aimed at those with disabilities, and include Live Speech and Personal Voice. These will allow those with speech disabilities to participate in conversations in a synthesized voice that sounds like the user.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: What will WWDC23 bring us? In addition to a sweeping look at the future of all Apple’s platforms, it sounds like we’ll get some major new hardware. Yes, there’s that $3,000 AR/VR headset, but there’s also something we really want: a 15-inch MacBook Air.
Also on The CultCast:
The Apple Watch interface will get a major upgrade with watchOS 10. And the same holds true for Stage Manger in iPadOS 17.
All about Apple’s new Rapid Security Response system for deploying urgent upgrades.
Shockingly, internal strife seems to be one of the things holding back Siri and Apple’s artificial intelligence efforts.
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.
iPhone, Mac and iPad users got fresh operating system updates on Friday. iOS 16.4.1, macOS 13.3.1 and iPadOS 16.4.1 fix a smattering of bugs on the devices — including some security vulnerabilities that Apple admits may have been exploited — but there are no new features.
At this time, there are no equivalent updates for Apple Watch or Apple TV.
A sketchy rumor claims Apple will drop support for iPhone X and iPhone 8 series with iOS 17. The next iPadOS release also reportedly will be incompatible with first-generation iPad Pros and iPad 5.
With iOS 16 last year, Apple stopped supporting several older devices, including the iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 series.
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.
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 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.
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.
Apple finally seeded to developers iOS 16.4 beta 1 and macOS 13.3 beta 1 on Thursday, followed by releasing public beta versions on Friday. The same goes for the initial betas of iPadOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4 and tvOS 16.4.
The wait for new betas has been much longer than usual. The last round of new prerelease versions was in mid-January.
The new betas bring in a collection of new emoji, an improvement for Apple Pencil, a better way for devs to work with betas, and more changes.
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.
Stage Manager in iPadOS 16 makes Apple’s tablets act much more like a Mac. The optional multitasking system puts applications into floating, resizable, overlapping windows.
Even better, the system can also be used on external displays, greatly increasing the available space to work in.
Apple said Tuesday the App Store is undergoing “the most comprehensive upgrade to pricing capabilities” since its launch, allowing prices to be set as low as 29 cents and as high as $10,000.
It will start offering developers 700 new price points to apply to the apps they sell, plus new tools to make international selling easier to manage.
A second round of ‘Rapid Security Response’ bug patches for the iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 betas were seeded to developers and other beta testers on Monday. At this point, Apple is testing the system for distributing these by releasing them for beta versions of the operating systems.
Once testing is over, these will allow Apple to fix security problems without releasing a full OS update.