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Apple Watch can now unlock your August Smart Lock
Unlocking an August Smart Lock with your phone is easy enough, but if you have an Apple Watch, you don't even need to have your phone with you. Apple's smartwatch can now unlock any August-branded smart lock, so long as you're specified as its "owner." To set it up, you first need to make sure your wearable is running WatchOS 4 or higher and that it has the new native August Apple Watch app.
Apple Watch code hints at future support for third-party faces
Ever since the original Apple Watch premiered in 2015, owners have been frustrated by the absence of third-party faces. And it's hard to blame them -- while Wear OS and Pebble devices have had them for years, Apple Watch owners couldn't do much more than customize existing faces. Thankfully, there might be relief on the horizon for individualists. The 9to5Mac team has discovered code in watchOS 4.3.1's NanoTimeKit that hints at future support for third-party faces. It's just a placeholder, but it's explicit: one of the kit's log messages says "this is where the 3rd party face config bundle generation would happen."
Apple will repair your swollen Watch Series 2 battery for free
If your Apple Watch Series 2 suddenly won't turn on, don't panic -- you might qualify for a free fix. MacRumors has learned that Apple has quietly institute a service policy that will repair 42mm Series 2 models for free when they either won't power on or have a swollen battery, including those whose battery has expanded to the point where the display has popped loose. The smartwatch doesn't have to be under warranty, and it'll cover the repairs for up to three years after purchase (in other words, you likely have until 2019 or 2020).
Apple faces patent lawsuit over Watch's heart rate sensor
Apple Watch's heart rate sensor is built on stolen tech -- that's what a lawsuit filed against the company is claiming, at least. A Michigan-based health startup called Omni MedSci is accusing Cupertino of using technology on the Watch that infringes on four of its patents, all of which reference the use of a light source on a wearable device to take blood measurements. In his lawsuit, Omni founder Dr. Mohammed N. Islam said he met with Apple's medical technology specialist, hardware designer and even VP of product marketing Greg Joswiak several times from 2014 to 2016 to discuss what were then merely patent applications.
Instagram is the latest to drop its Apple Watch app
The trend of companies pulling their Apple Watch apps isn't quite done yet. Instagram has quitely removed its Apple Watch app as of the latest iOS app update, leaving you without a way to check your photo feed on your wrist. The company didn't have much choice in the matter -- Apple stopped accepting updates to non-native (that is, phone-dependent) watchOS apps as of April 1st, so Instagram either had to rework the software or drop it altogether.
AliveCor wearables may detect unsafe potassium levels in the future
AliveCor is working on a new application for the technology behind its KardiaBand for Apple Watch. Last year, the FDA approved KardiaBand as a medical device, and it can record your heart rhythm and report on any rhythmic abnormalities that could be linked to dangerous health issues. Now, The Verge reports, AliveCor is developing a way for its technology to be used to detect high levels of potassium in the blood.
What does Fitbit need to succeed?
Fitbit is the current king of wearables, but for how much longer? The company has recorded four successive quarters of losses since the tail end of 2016, and that's a problem. Fitbit will publish its latest earnings results later today, and those numbers won't just tell us how the company is faring, but also how the wearables industry is doing as a whole.
Apple's AirPower wireless charging mat could launch in March
Apple may be close to launching another one of the numerous products it teased last year. Sources talking to both MacOtakara and the Apple Post have claimed that the company's AirPower wireless charging mat should ship sometime in late March, about half a year after its September premiere. This would reportedly include the wireless charging case for AirPods, too. You might have to buy the case directly from Apple if you're upgrading an existing pair of earbuds, but multiple stores would sell a version of the AirPods with the wireless charging case included.
Apple devices at a California repair center keep calling 911
Apple devices at a refurbishment facility in Elk Grove, California have been calling 911 multiple times a day for the past few months, CBS Sacramento reports. Since last October, the Elk Grove Police station has received around 20 accidental emergency calls per day, adding up to some 1,600 calls in the last four months. The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department Communication Center has also received 47 accidental calls from the facility since the beginning of this year.
Mac and iOS bug crashes apps with a single character
Apple only recently fixed a bug called "chaiOS" that would cause iMessage on iOS devices and Macs to crash with a simple link, and now it's got another, more widespread issue on its hands. As explained by Mobile World and replicated by The Verge, a lone Indian-language character is capable of crashing a number of messaging apps on iOS. The problem also extends to the Apple Watch and even Macs, all of which struggle to process the character specific to the Telugu language spoken in India.
So you bought a smartwatch. Now what?
Now that smartwatches are actually useful enough for the general populace, setting them up isn't as pedestrian a task as pairing with your phone and calling it a day. On the surface, customizing your new device may not seem like a complicated task, but people often overlook some of the tools that can potentially make wearables more helpful. From recommended settings to the apps worth downloading, here's a walkthrough of what you should look out for when setting up your new wearable.
Slack is the latest app to ditch the Apple Watch
Like Twitter, Amazon, and Google Maps before it, Slack is ditching its Apple Watch app. The team chat and collaboration platform for businesses quietly announced the news via an update to its iOS app. But, that doesn't mean Slack will disappear entirely from your wrist.
Apple's latest iOS update brings Siri news briefs and HomePod support
Siri's news reading feature is no longer limited to the beta testing crowd. Apple has officially released iOS 11.2.5, and the centerpiece is the ability to ask Siri for the latest happenings. If you're in the US, UK or Australia, you can get a briefing from a slew of local sources, such as NPR and the Washington Post in the states or the BBC and Sky News in the UK. And it doesn't have to be general news, either -- you can ask for business, music or sports news as well.
Whirlpool plugs Alexa and Google Assistant into its appliances
Whirlpool's smart appliances have already had some voice assistant control, but they're about become particularly AI-savvy. The company has unveiled a 2018 lineup where many appliances support both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, letting you control most of your home using the smart speaker (or mobile app) you prefer. You can check the time left on the washing machine, start the dishwasher or change the temperature of your fridge without lifting a finger.
Future Apple Watch models could get EKG heart monitoring
We've already seen an EKG band for the Apple Watch, but now Apple is reportedly working on bringing the feature directly into its smartwatch, Bloomberg reports. With EKG monitoring, the Apple Watch would be able to track electrical signals from your heart, allowing it to detect things like irregular heartbeats. Think of it as a major upgrade over the device's current heart tracking, which is more focused on fitness. In November, Apple announced a joint project with Stanford to track irregular heartbeats with current Apple Watch models, but that's still limited by its sensors.
Apple ignored a major HomeKit security flaw for six weeks
Apple's HomeKit home automation platform is sold on the basis of security, privacy and trust -- users had to buy brand-new accessories with Apple-approved security components just to get it up and running. But back in October a developer uncovered a huge vulnerability which essentially meant a stranger, with some basic tech know-how and an Apple Watch, could waltz right on in to your home. And Apple has only just fixed it.
Apple Watch GymKit syncing arrives in exactly one US gym
GymKit syncing on the Apple Watch technically arrived with watchOS 4.1, but there's been one main obstacle to using it: actually finding a gym that supports it. Only one fitness center each in Australia and the UK have enabled it so far, while Americans have had to go without. At last, though, it's available stateside... sort of. One solitary gym in New York City, Life Time Athletic at Sky, now has 13 GymKit-capable machines (including treadmills, bikes, ellipticals and stair steppers) that will pair with your smartwatch.
Stanford begins irregular heartbeat research using Apple Watch data
Back in September, Apple announced improvements for the heart monitoring features of its Watch. Specifically, Apple wanted the Watch to be able to detect atrial fibrillation (AFib), or irregular heartbeats, in its users, which often has no symptoms and goes diagnosed. Today, Apple launched the Apple Heart Study app with Stanford Medicine. The goal is to study and improve upon the technology we currently use to detect AFib.
FDA clears first EKG band for the Apple Watch
AliveCor's KardiaBand, a device that detect dangerous heart rhythms, has become the first Apple Watch accessory cleared for medical use by the FDA, the company announced. It can capture your EKG in 30 seconds, then detect problems like atrial fibrillation, a type of heart arrhythmia.
Apple retakes the top spot in wearable device shipments
It looks like Xiaomi's reign as the wearable device champion was short-lived. Canalys' latest estimates indicate that Apple regained the lead in wearable shipments during the third quarter of the year, shipping 3.9 million smartwatches over the summer. That's only slightly ahead of Xiaomi's 3.6 million and Fitbit's 3.5 million, but that's no mean feat when the Apple Watch is typically far more expensive (Xiaomi's Mi Band 2 cost $23 when new) and only works with one manufacturer's smartphones. And it's no surprise as to why Apple pulled out in front: new hardware.
