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iOS 13 code hints Apple may be testing an AR headset
Apple's long-rumored plans for an augmented reality headset appear to be taking shape. MacRumors claims to have seen documentation for an internal iOS 13 build that points to work on AR headset support. They reference a "STARTester" app that can switch to a head-mounted mode, a "StarBoard" shell (a possible parallel to iOS' Springboard) for stereo AR apps and code references to special modes, views and scenes. It even references a codename for one device, Garta, that might be linked to the previously rumored T288 project.
Apple is already beta testing iOS 13.1
Apple isn't waiting for the release of iOS 13 to start testing its first big update. The tech giant has posted an iOS 13.1 developer beta (plus a corresponding iPadOS 13.1 beta) -- apparently the first time an iOS point release has been in a dev beta before its base version is available. You won't trip over yourself to install this unless you're an early adopter, but the early additions suggest this is partly about restoring features that weren't quite ready for 13.0.
Apple might force Facebook to change how its apps handle voice calls
A change coming in iOS 13 could force Facebook to change Messenger and WhatsApp. As The Information reports, Apple will no longer allow these apps to run Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) in the background when it's not in use. At the moment, apps like Messenger and WhatsApp run VOIP continuously in order to connect calls faster, but doing so could also allow them to do other things, like collect user data. According to The Information, Facebook may have to redesign its messaging apps in order to comply.
Apple and Google show off their more inclusive emoji for 2019
The Unicode Consortium teased the next round of emoji additions for 2019, and now it's clear just what they'll look like when they reach your phone. Both Apple and Google are marking World Emoji Day (July 17th) by showing their adaptations of the dozens of emoji characters coming to their platforms later in the year -- you can find a few of Apple's examples above, and Google's below. In both cases, the focuses are on inclusivity and a bit of whimsy.
Apple's new iOS 13 feature corrects your gaze during video calls
A video call is a great way to connect with friends and family when you can't physically be together. But even if you're staring directly at your loved one's face, there's still something a little off about the whole process. The way your phone's screen display and camera lens sync up means you're never quite able to look your conversational partner squarely in the eye. Until now, that is. Apple is allegedly working on a new feature that subtly adjusts your gaze during video calls, so it appears as if you're looking into the camera when you're actually looking at the screen.
Apple releases public betas of iOS 13, iPadOS and macOS Catalina
Now's your chance to peek at the future of Apple software without signing up for a developer account. Apple has released the first public betas of iOS 13, iPadOS and macOS Catalina, giving you a taste of what's to come in the fall if you're willing to live with bugs and compatibility issues. The highlight for many will be iOS 13, which brings the coveted dark mode as well as big updates to core apps like Mail, Maps, Notes and Reminders. You can expect smarter photo browsing, Memoji sticker packs, an improved Siri voice and speedier app loading.
iPadOS makes Apple's tablets feel like a priority again
When I reviewed the iPad Pro last year, I was torn. Here was one of the most impressive (not to mention expensive) tablets any company had ever made, and its software seemed caught between two goals: provide the classic, friendly iOS experience people were used to, and grow in a way that made it more meaningful to pro users shelling out for premium hardware.
iOS 13 preview: Shaping up to be a huge update
After Apple announced all of its big software updates for the year at WWDC, it made clear that the first public beta versions of iOS, iPadOS and macOS would go live sometime in July. Whoops! Never mind. The company just let us know they'll be released any minute now, and the brave (or possibly reckless) among you can load them onto your Apple devices later today. Of the three beta builds coming, I'd argue iOS 13 is the most important. In case Apple's two-plus-hour keynote didn't make it clear, this is shaping up to be a meaningful update, especially compared to iOS 12, which mostly just focused on performance improvements. We've got some important interface improvements here, plus a slew of revamped first-party apps and some impressive new accessibility features, among other things. Oh, and let's not forget that iOS 13 also provides the foundation for iPadOS. It's indisputable that iOS 13 is one of the most substantial updates Apple users have received in some time. Now we're left with just one question: What's it like to live with?
Apple's Voice Control is important for accessibility, and you
"Open Photos. Scroll up. Show numbers. 13." Over the years, Apple has frequently highlighted its accessibility work in commercials, but the ad that ran for a minute and a half during game 5 of the NBA Finals was particularly powerful. In it, a man in a wheelchair — Ian Mackay, a disability advocate and outdoor enthusiast — issued the commands above to a waiting iMac. With hardly any delay, the computer did as it was told.
iOS 13 lets you know if you're deleting apps with active subscriptions
Over the past few months, Apple made changes to iOS subscriptions in an effort to make them more user-friendly and transparent. Now, MacStories EIC Federico Viticci has unearthed another subscription-related feature rolling out with iOS 13. Apparently, when you attempt to delete an app on the upcoming mobile platform, a pop up will let you know if it still has an active subscription.
Apple is trying to save my hearing after I spent years ruining it
My love affair with loud music started in earnest in my sophomore year of high school, when I got an iPod for my birthday and immediately started blasting Black Mages albums and anime theme songs. Fast forward fifteen years, and my morning commute neatly illustrates just how bad my hearing has gotten. I get dressed, walk to the subway, pop in my AirPods and crank up the volume to 100 percent. That's the only way I can really hear my podcasts over the cacophony of the Q train as it winds through Brooklyn and chugs along over the Manhattan Bridge.
Germans can soon use their iPhones as virtual ID cards
iOS 13's newly expanded NFC support will be useful for more than just hopping on the subway. Germany is taking advantage of the upcoming software's support for Apple-approved NFC identification documents to let residents scan their ID cards and use them both online and for check-ins at international airports. You'll need to wait for both the release of iOS 13 (likely in September) and the German government's AusweisApp2 to make everything work, but this might just save you the trouble of pulling out your wallet to prove who you are.
iOS 13 will show locations where apps have tracked you
Apple will be big on privacy in iOS 13, and that includes the data collected after you've granted permission. Beta testers at 9to5Mac and elsewhere have discovered the upcoming release (and iPadOS) will occasionally pop up detailed panels asking if you want to retain the level of location sharing you have for a given app, including a map of just where an app has been tracking you. There's also a description of just why an app needs that tracking data. If you're uncomfortable with either explanation, you can limit location gathering on the spot.
Siri will play third-party audio apps in iOS 13
In the future, you might be able to ask Siri to play your Spotify music and podcasts. According to MacRumors, iOS 13 and iPadOS will open the SiriKit framework to third-party music, podcast, audiobook and radio apps. So, when it comes to playing DJ, Siri will be able to control more than your Apple Music, Podcast and TV apps -- formerly known as iTunes, RIP.
Experts weigh in on Apple's private sign-in feature
Apple's WWDC 2019 was full of announcements, but few of them garnered as big a cheer from the crowd as when Sign in with Apple was introduced. The feature, which lets people use their Apple IDs to sign up for sites and services on the web, is being touted as a privacy-oriented alternative to Login with Facebook and Sign in with Google. "We've all seen buttons like this, asking us to use a social account login to get a more personalized experience with an app, and these logins can be used to track you," Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, said on Monday during the keynote. "We wanted to solve this, and many developers do too, and so now we have the solution."
iOS 13 first look: Dark mode, Maps and more
A dark mode. A swipe-friendly keyboard. A slew of redesigned apps. These are just a few of the things you'll find in Apple's new iOS 13 release, but here's the rub: unless you're a developer, you can't actually try any of these new features until they become available in a public beta later this summer. (And even then, most of you will probably want to wait until iOS 13's official release this September.)
iOS 13 beta mentions Apple’s Tile-like tracking device
It appears Apple left one item out of its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) yesterday: its Tile-like tracking device. Earlier this spring, we learned that Apple is supposedly working on a tracking tag, but the company didn't mention it amidst news of its updated operating systems, Mac Pro and HomeKit security improvements. However, in the iOS 13 beta, developers spotted an asset package for a device with the product type "Tag1,1." As 9to5Mac reports, that type of asset package is used for pairing devices by proximity -- like AirPods and HomePod. It's more evidence to support rumors that Apple is working on a tracking device.
Xbox and PlayStation gamepad support extends across iOS 13
During Apple's WWDC 2019 keynote the company showed off so many things even our cut-down version of the event lasts nearly half an hour. One of the reveals was that tvOS 13 will be compatible with PlayStation 4 and Bluetooth-equipped Xbox One controllers -- convenient for both Apple's own Arcade gaming plans and any others with cloud aspirations -- but in case it's unclear, it also extends to iPad and iPhone. Once iOS 13 rolls out, you'll be able to use these console controllers easily with your device, no workarounds needed. With Apple reportedly spending "hundreds of millions" to get games to be a part of its subscription package, it's good to know that controllers we already generally like and probably have laying around will be able to keep doing their job.
WWDC 2019 by the numbers
Apple held its 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose on Monday and took the opportunity to show off its latest MacOS build, a bunch of new features for the iPad, a bonkers 6K display for its equally overpowered Mac Pro, and even a new way to get into Minecraft. Let's take a look.
iOS 13 isn't coming to the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 or iPad Air
Bad news if you're still rocking an iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus and hoped to install iOS 13 -- Apple won't support the latest version of the OS on those devices. Owners of the original iPad Air, iPad Mini2 and iPad Mini 3 will miss out on the swanky new iPadOS as well.
