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Apple today stopped signing iOS 18.0.1, preventing iPhone users who have upgraded to iOS 18.1 from downgrading to iOS 18. Apple released iOS 18.1 a week ago on October 28.

It is not unusual for Apple to stop signing older versions of iOS shortly after a new version of iOS is released. When Apple stops signing an update, it can no longer be installed on an ‌iPhone‌ due to a server-side software verification check that happens before new software is installed, so those who have upgraded to the latest version of ‌iOS 18‌ cannot downgrade to iOS 18.0.1.

Apple prevents downgrading to older versions of iOS to encourage ‌iPhone‌ users to keep their operating systems up to date with the latest security fixes.

The iOS 18.1 update added the first Apple Intelligence features, including Writing Tools, a new look for Siri, summaries and smart replies, and more. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said that ‌iPhone‌ users are upgrading to iOS 18.1 twice as fast as iOS 17.1 during the same timeframe last year.This article, “Apple Stops Signing iOS 18.0.1” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

Apple today stopped signing iOS 18.0.1, preventing iPhone users who have upgraded to iOS 18.1 from downgrading to iOS 18. Apple released iOS 18.1 a week ago on October 28.

It is not unusual for Apple to stop signing older versions of iOS shortly after a new version of iOS is released. When Apple stops signing an update, it can no longer be installed on an ‌iPhone‌ due to a server-side software verification check that happens before new software is installed, so those who have upgraded to the latest version of ‌iOS 18‌ cannot downgrade to iOS 18.0.1.

Apple prevents downgrading to older versions of iOS to encourage ‌iPhone‌ users to keep their operating systems up to date with the latest security fixes.

The iOS 18.1 update added the first Apple Intelligence features, including Writing Tools, a new look for Siri, summaries and smart replies, and more. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said that ‌iPhone‌ users are upgrading to iOS 18.1 twice as fast as iOS 17.1 during the same timeframe last year.
This article, “Apple Stops Signing iOS 18.0.1” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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In the latest macOS Sequoia 15.2 beta, there is a new option to add the weather in your current location to the menu bar of the Mac. The menu bar weather feature shows the temperature along with an icon for the weather conditions, like a cloud if it’s cloudy and a sun if it’s sunny.

Clicking into the icon shows an hourly view of the upcoming conditions and temperature, along with the weather in other locations that you have saved. You can also open the Weather app from the menu bar interface.

The Weather icon can be enabled by opening up the Mac’s Settings app, going to Control Center, and scrolling down to the “Menu Bar Only” section. Weather joins other options that include Clock, Spotlight, Siri, and Time Machine.

The ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2 beta is limited to developers at the current time, but Apple may release a public beta in the not too distant future. ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2 will be released in early December.Related Roundup: macOS SequoiaRelated Forum: macOS SequoiaThis article, “macOS Sequoia 15.2 Beta Shows Weather in Menu Bar” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

In the latest macOS Sequoia 15.2 beta, there is a new option to add the weather in your current location to the menu bar of the Mac. The menu bar weather feature shows the temperature along with an icon for the weather conditions, like a cloud if it’s cloudy and a sun if it’s sunny.

Clicking into the icon shows an hourly view of the upcoming conditions and temperature, along with the weather in other locations that you have saved. You can also open the Weather app from the menu bar interface.

The Weather icon can be enabled by opening up the Mac’s Settings app, going to Control Center, and scrolling down to the “Menu Bar Only” section. Weather joins other options that include Clock, Spotlight, Siri, and Time Machine.

The ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2 beta is limited to developers at the current time, but Apple may release a public beta in the not too distant future. ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2 will be released in early December.

This article, “macOS Sequoia 15.2 Beta Shows Weather in Menu Bar” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 updates to developers, and Apple is continuing to refine the Apple Intelligence capabilities. There are also a handful of smaller features that are worth knowing about.

Find My
Find My has a new option to Share Item Location with an “airline or trusted person” that can help you locate something that you’ve misplaced. Choosing the Share Item Location option creates a link that lets someone view the location of a lost item when they open the link.

The link can be opened on a non-Apple device, so an iPhone or Mac is not required to provide someone with your item’s location. Links expire after a week or when you’re reunited with your lost item.

There’s also an option to Show Contact Info, which lets any phone or tablet connect to an item to view a website with more information about it, including the phone number and email address of the owner.

Siri ChatGPT Limit
The ChatGPT section of ‌Apple Intelligence‌ for Siri now shows the ChatGPT limits that are in place for free users, while also offering an option to upgrade to the paid ChatGPT Plus plan. With ChatGPT integration, users have free access to ChatGPT, but only a small number of requests that use the latest ChatGPT-4o engine and a small number of DALL-E 3 images that can be created.

After that, access reverts to a more basic version of ChatGPT that’s less expensive for OpenAI to run. Unfettered access requires ChatGPT Plus, priced at $19.99 per month.

Battery Life and Device Temperature
In the iOS 18.2 beta 2 release notes, Apple says that it has improved battery life and device temperature.

Settings App Icons
In Dark Mode, the icons in the Settings app have a new, darker look that shows color on a black background rather than icons that are a solid color with white accents.

Camera Control
For iPhone 16 users, there’s now an option lock your auto exposure and auto focus settings with a light press. The AE/AF Lock toggle can be turned on by going to Settings > Camera > Camera Control.

There is also an option to adjust the double click speed of Camera Control. Options include Default, Slow, and Slower. The adjustment options join prior options to tweak the double light press speed and the light press force.

Adjusting Camera Control can be done by opening Settings and going to Accessibility > Camera Button.

iPhone Mirroring With Hotspot
iOS 18.2 allows you to use ‌iPhone‌ Mirroring while your ‌iPhone‌’s hotspot connection is being shared with your Mac. Having your Mac connected through Personal Hotspot previously did not allow you to use ‌iPhone‌ Mirroring.

Fitness Shortcut Actions
There are new Fitness app Shortcut actions that you can use when creating a Shortcut, including Open Fitness Settings, Open Award, Open Session History, and Open Trophy Case.

Web Restrictions in Utah
Utah residents under the age of 17 will be opted in to web content restrictions that block adult content in iOS 18.2. This is required by Utah law.

More Features
Know of a new feature in iOS 18.2 beta 2 that we left out? Let us know in the comments below.Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18This article, “Everything New in iOS 18.2 Beta 2” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 updates to developers, and Apple is continuing to refine the Apple Intelligence capabilities. There are also a handful of smaller features that are worth knowing about.

Find My

Find My has a new option to Share Item Location with an “airline or trusted person” that can help you locate something that you’ve misplaced. Choosing the Share Item Location option creates a link that lets someone view the location of a lost item when they open the link.

The link can be opened on a non-Apple device, so an iPhone or Mac is not required to provide someone with your item’s location. Links expire after a week or when you’re reunited with your lost item.

There’s also an option to Show Contact Info, which lets any phone or tablet connect to an item to view a website with more information about it, including the phone number and email address of the owner.

Siri ChatGPT Limit

The ChatGPT section of ‌Apple Intelligence‌ for Siri now shows the ChatGPT limits that are in place for free users, while also offering an option to upgrade to the paid ChatGPT Plus plan. With ChatGPT integration, users have free access to ChatGPT, but only a small number of requests that use the latest ChatGPT-4o engine and a small number of DALL-E 3 images that can be created.

After that, access reverts to a more basic version of ChatGPT that’s less expensive for OpenAI to run. Unfettered access requires ChatGPT Plus, priced at $19.99 per month.

Battery Life and Device Temperature

In the iOS 18.2 beta 2 release notes, Apple says that it has improved battery life and device temperature.

Settings App Icons

In Dark Mode, the icons in the Settings app have a new, darker look that shows color on a black background rather than icons that are a solid color with white accents.

Camera Control

For iPhone 16 users, there’s now an option lock your auto exposure and auto focus settings with a light press. The AE/AF Lock toggle can be turned on by going to Settings > Camera > Camera Control.

There is also an option to adjust the double click speed of Camera Control. Options include Default, Slow, and Slower. The adjustment options join prior options to tweak the double light press speed and the light press force.

Adjusting Camera Control can be done by opening Settings and going to Accessibility > Camera Button.

iPhone Mirroring With Hotspot

iOS 18.2 allows you to use ‌iPhone‌ Mirroring while your ‌iPhone‌’s hotspot connection is being shared with your Mac. Having your Mac connected through Personal Hotspot previously did not allow you to use ‌iPhone‌ Mirroring.

Fitness Shortcut Actions

There are new Fitness app Shortcut actions that you can use when creating a Shortcut, including Open Fitness Settings, Open Award, Open Session History, and Open Trophy Case.

Web Restrictions in Utah

Utah residents under the age of 17 will be opted in to web content restrictions that block adult content in iOS 18.2. This is required by Utah law.

More Features

Know of a new feature in iOS 18.2 beta 2 that we left out? Let us know in the comments below.

This article, “Everything New in iOS 18.2 Beta 2” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple in iOS 18.2 beta 2 added a new feature to the Find My app, which is designed to allow you to share a lost item’s location with a trusted person. Apple says that the feature is meant to help you locate an item through a third-party, like an airline employee.

In the ‌Find My‌ app, there’s now an option to “Share Item Location” and “Show Contact Info.” Choosing the Share Item Location option creates a link that allows someone to see the location of a lost item when they open the link on a device with ‌Find My‌. The link can be opened on a non-Apple device, so people without an iPhone or Mac can help you find something that’s lost. ‌Find My‌ links that you share expire after a week and you can see how many people visited the link. Shared links stop working when an item is returned to you or when the link sharing date expires.

Choosing Show Contact Info lets any phone or tablet connect to a lost item to open a website with more information about it, including phone number and email address.

‌Find My‌ already allowed you to share an item with a person in your Contacts list, but now it also lets you temporarily provide an item’s location to someone else who might be able to help you find it. The new feature for sharing a lost item works with AirTags and other devices that connect to Apple’s ‌Find My‌ network.This article, “Find My Gains Option to Share Lost Item Location With an ‘Airline or Trusted Person’ in iOS 18.2” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

Apple in iOS 18.2 beta 2 added a new feature to the Find My app, which is designed to allow you to share a lost item’s location with a trusted person. Apple says that the feature is meant to help you locate an item through a third-party, like an airline employee.

In the ‌Find My‌ app, there’s now an option to “Share Item Location” and “Show Contact Info.” Choosing the Share Item Location option creates a link that allows someone to see the location of a lost item when they open the link on a device with ‌Find My‌. The link can be opened on a non-Apple device, so people without an iPhone or Mac can help you find something that’s lost. ‌Find My‌ links that you share expire after a week and you can see how many people visited the link. Shared links stop working when an item is returned to you or when the link sharing date expires.

Choosing Show Contact Info lets any phone or tablet connect to a lost item to open a website with more information about it, including phone number and email address.

‌Find My‌ already allowed you to share an item with a person in your Contacts list, but now it also lets you temporarily provide an item’s location to someone else who might be able to help you find it. The new feature for sharing a lost item works with AirTags and other devices that connect to Apple’s ‌Find My‌ network.
This article, “Find My Gains Option to Share Lost Item Location With an ‘Airline or Trusted Person’ in iOS 18.2” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today seeded the first beta of visionOS 2.2 to developers, and it adds the promised “Wide” and “Ultrawide” modes to the Mac Virtual Display feature.

Mac Virtual Display allows Apple’s Vision Pro headset to be used as an external display for a Mac. The feature has been available since visionOS was first released earlier this year, but the wider options are new in the latest beta.

Apple has previously said the ultra-wide version of Mac Virtual Display is equivalent to having two physical 4K displays sitting side by side on a desk.

Mac Virtual Display is now available in three sizes: Normal, Wide, and Ultrawide.

visionOS 2.2 will likely be released to the public in December alongside iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, macOS Sequoia 15.2, watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2, and other updates.

Apple has yet to offer public betas of visionOS.Related Roundups: Apple Vision Pro, visionOS 2Buyer’s Guide: Vision Pro (Buy Now)Related Forum: Apple Vision ProThis article, “visionOS 2.2 Beta Adds Wide and Ultrawide Modes to Mac Virtual Display” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

Apple today seeded the first beta of visionOS 2.2 to developers, and it adds the promised “Wide” and “Ultrawide” modes to the Mac Virtual Display feature.

Mac Virtual Display allows Apple’s Vision Pro headset to be used as an external display for a Mac. The feature has been available since visionOS was first released earlier this year, but the wider options are new in the latest beta.

Apple has previously said the ultra-wide version of Mac Virtual Display is equivalent to having two physical 4K displays sitting side by side on a desk.

Mac Virtual Display is now available in three sizes: Normal, Wide, and Ultrawide.

visionOS 2.2 will likely be released to the public in December alongside iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, macOS Sequoia 15.2, watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2, and other updates.

Apple has yet to offer public betas of visionOS.

This article, “visionOS 2.2 Beta Adds Wide and Ultrawide Modes to Mac Virtual Display” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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With the second beta of iOS 18.2 that’s available for developers today, Apple has further fleshed out the ChatGPT integration that’s available with Siri. In the Settings app, there’s now a section that shows the ChatGPT daily limit, and offers an option to upgrade to the paid ChatGPT Plus plan.

The beta includes an Advanced Capabilities section with a “Daily Limit” reading that shows up as “Under Limit” without a paid ChatGPT plan. Users have access to a small number of requests that use the most advanced ChatGPT capabilities, and requests are downgraded to a basic version of ChatGPT after that.

OpenAI has long restricted access to ChatGPT’s most advanced feature set to a paid Plus plan, so accessing ChatGPT through ‌Siri‌ is subject to the same limitations.

There is an option to upgrade to ChatGPT Plus, which is priced at $19.99 per month. ChatGPT Plus provides 5x more messages on the newest version of ChatGPT, GPT-4o. It also allows for higher limits on photo and file uploads, image generation, and web browsing, as well as an option to converse with ChatGPT using advanced voice mode.

Customers who already have a ChatGPT Plus plan can sign into their account, and those that do not can sign up through the Settings app. The Settings app opens to an in-app browser where users can sign up directly with OpenAI.

Free access to ChatGPT-4o requests resets every 24 hours, and when the limited number of requests are used up, ‌Siri‌ will switch to a more cost effective version of ChatGPT. The free plan limits creation with DALL-E 3 to two images per day.Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18Tag: ChatGPTRelated Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18This article, “iOS 18.2 Beta 2 Shows Siri ChatGPT Limit, Offers ‘Plus’ Upgrade Option” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

With the second beta of iOS 18.2 that’s available for developers today, Apple has further fleshed out the ChatGPT integration that’s available with Siri. In the Settings app, there’s now a section that shows the ChatGPT daily limit, and offers an option to upgrade to the paid ChatGPT Plus plan.

The beta includes an Advanced Capabilities section with a “Daily Limit” reading that shows up as “Under Limit” without a paid ChatGPT plan. Users have access to a small number of requests that use the most advanced ChatGPT capabilities, and requests are downgraded to a basic version of ChatGPT after that.

OpenAI has long restricted access to ChatGPT’s most advanced feature set to a paid Plus plan, so accessing ChatGPT through ‌Siri‌ is subject to the same limitations.

There is an option to upgrade to ChatGPT Plus, which is priced at $19.99 per month. ChatGPT Plus provides 5x more messages on the newest version of ChatGPT, GPT-4o. It also allows for higher limits on photo and file uploads, image generation, and web browsing, as well as an option to converse with ChatGPT using advanced voice mode.

Customers who already have a ChatGPT Plus plan can sign into their account, and those that do not can sign up through the Settings app. The Settings app opens to an in-app browser where users can sign up directly with OpenAI.

Free access to ChatGPT-4o requests resets every 24 hours, and when the limited number of requests are used up, ‌Siri‌ will switch to a more cost effective version of ChatGPT. The free plan limits creation with DALL-E 3 to two images per day.

This article, “iOS 18.2 Beta 2 Shows Siri ChatGPT Limit, Offers ‘Plus’ Upgrade Option” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Amazon today introduced a price drop on the upgraded M2 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM, specifically for the 13-inch model with 256GB of storage. You can get this computer for $799.00 in two colors, down from $999.00.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

This price is available in Silver and Starlight, but shoppers should note that the Silver delivery estimate has already slipped into December. The Starlight option can be delivered as soon as this Saturday, November 9.

$200 OFF13-inch M2 MacBook Air (16GB/256GB) for $799.00

Apple updated the MacBook Air lineup last week to start with 16GB of RAM, up from 8GB, and otherwise there have been no changes to the computer.

You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we’re keeping track of all of the season’s best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you’ll find for Black Friday 2024.

Deals Newsletter
Interested in hearing more about top deals as we head into the holidays? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we’ll keep you updated so you don’t miss the biggest deals of the season!

Related Roundup: Apple DealsThis article, “Apple’s 13-Inch M2 MacBook Air With 16GB RAM Gets $200 Discount at Amazon” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

Amazon today introduced a price drop on the upgraded M2 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM, specifically for the 13-inch model with 256GB of storage. You can get this computer for $799.00 in two colors, down from $999.00.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

This price is available in Silver and Starlight, but shoppers should note that the Silver delivery estimate has already slipped into December. The Starlight option can be delivered as soon as this Saturday, November 9.

Apple updated the MacBook Air lineup last week to start with 16GB of RAM, up from 8GB, and otherwise there have been no changes to the computer.

You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we’re keeping track of all of the season’s best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you’ll find for Black Friday 2024.

This article, “Apple’s 13-Inch M2 MacBook Air With 16GB RAM Gets $200 Discount at Amazon” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Read More 

Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 updates to developers for testing purposes. The betas come two weeks after Apple released the first 18.2 and 15.2 betas. Alongside the second betas of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac operating system updates, Apple has also seeded the first betas of watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2, and visionOS 2.2.

With today’s updates, Apple is continuing to test the next phase of Apple Intelligence, with these features available for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS:

Image Playground
Image Playground is Apple’s image generation app, and it can create images based on prompts. You can enter a description of what you want or use the built-in suggestions and concepts that Apple provides. Apple will suggest costumes, locations, items, and more to add to an image, and these concepts are intelligent and can draw inspiration from a Messages thread or content in the Notes app.

There are options to create characters that resemble your friends and family, and you can choose a photo for ‌Image Playground‌ to use as inspiration to create a related image. Elements added to ‌Image Playground‌ creations are previewed, and there is a preview history so you can undo a change and go back to a prior version.

While ‌Image Playground‌ is a standalone app, it is also integrated into Messages. ‌Image Playground‌ does not make photorealistic images and is instead limited to animation or illustration styles.

Image Wand
Image Wand is an Image Playground-related feature that’s available in the Notes app on ‌iPad‌. You can draw a rough sketch with the Apple Pencil or circle a blank space or a key phrase in a note to have Image Wand generate an appropriate image.

Genmoji
Genmoji are custom emoji characters that you can create based on descriptions and phrases. Like ‌Image Playground‌ creations, you can base them on your friends and family, with the data pulled from the People album in Photos. You can also make characters using basic elements, and you’ll get multiple ‌Genmoji‌ suggestions to choose from. You can create ‌Genmoji‌ using the emoji keyboard.

‌Genmoji‌ are limited to iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 right now, and will be coming to ‌macOS Sequoia‌ later.

Siri ChatGPT Integration
Siri can integrate with ChatGPT for certain requests, but only with user approval. If ‌Siri‌ is unable to provide an answer to a query, ‌Siri‌ will hand the request over to ChatGPT. ChatGPT’s answer will then be provided by ‌Siri‌.

ChatGPT can be used to create content from scratch, including text and images. No account is required to use ChatGPT integration, and Apple and OpenAI do not store requests.

Visual Intelligence
iPhone 16 users have access to Visual Intelligence, a feature that provides information about what’s around you. If you open the camera and point it at a restaurant, for example, you’ll see opening hours and reviews.

Some other Visual Intelligence capabilities include reading text out loud, detecting phone numbers and addresses to add them to Contacts, copying text, and summarizing text. There is an option to search Google for where to buy a specific item that you see, and you can also point the camera at something and then get more information about it from ChatGPT.

Apple plans to expand this feature to include more functionality over time.

Writing Tools
Apple is enhancing the Writing Tools feature to add an option to make more open-ended changes. In iOS 18.1 and its sister updates, Writing Tools can only be used to change the tone to friendly, professional, and a more simplified version. In iOS 18.2, you can describe the tone or content change that you want to make, such as adding more action words, or turning an email into a poem.

More Languages
‌Apple Intelligence‌ supports localized English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, and the UK in addition to U.S. English.

Wait List
If you’ve already been testing ‌Apple Intelligence‌ and are opted in, you will have access to Writing Tools, ChatGPT integration, and Visual Intelligence automatically.

There is a secondary waiting list for early access to use ‌Genmoji‌, ‌Image Playground‌, and Image Wand. You can sign up to get access in ‌Image Playground‌ or in the areas where you access ‌Genmoji‌ or Image Wand.

When you request access, you are added to a wait list for all three capabilities and you’ll get a notification when the features are available for you to use. Apple is rolling out access to the new image generation features over the coming weeks.

Availability and Compatibility
The second betas are available on all devices, but the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features require a device capable of ‌Apple Intelligence‌. As of right now, the betas are limited to developers, but there will likely be a public beta coming in the not too distant future. Apple is still working on refining the new ‌Apple Intelligence‌ tools, and the company warns that ‌Genmoji‌, Image Wand, and ‌Image Playground‌ can sometimes give you results you weren’t expecting. Apple is collecting feedback on these experiences and will refine them over time.

The feedback received will help Apple determine when the image generation features will be more widely available for beta testing and when they’ll see an eventual public launch.

‌Apple Intelligence‌ in iOS 18.2 requires an iPhone 15 Pro or ‌iPhone 16‌ model. iPadOS 18.2 requires an ‌iPad‌ with an M-series chip or an A17 Pro chip, while ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2 requires a Mac with an M-series chip.

Release Date
Apple is expected to release the iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2, watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2, and visionOS 2.2 updates in early December. Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS SequoiaRelated Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS SequoiaThis article, “Apple Releases Second Betas of iOS 18.2 and More With Genmoji, Image Playground and ChatGPT Integration” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 updates to developers for testing purposes. The betas come two weeks after Apple released the first 18.2 and 15.2 betas. Alongside the second betas of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac operating system updates, Apple has also seeded the first betas of watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2, and visionOS 2.2.

With today’s updates, Apple is continuing to test the next phase of Apple Intelligence, with these features available for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS:

Image Playground

Image Playground is Apple’s image generation app, and it can create images based on prompts. You can enter a description of what you want or use the built-in suggestions and concepts that Apple provides. Apple will suggest costumes, locations, items, and more to add to an image, and these concepts are intelligent and can draw inspiration from a Messages thread or content in the Notes app.

There are options to create characters that resemble your friends and family, and you can choose a photo for ‌Image Playground‌ to use as inspiration to create a related image. Elements added to ‌Image Playground‌ creations are previewed, and there is a preview history so you can undo a change and go back to a prior version.

While ‌Image Playground‌ is a standalone app, it is also integrated into Messages. ‌Image Playground‌ does not make photorealistic images and is instead limited to animation or illustration styles.

Image Wand

Image Wand is an Image Playground-related feature that’s available in the Notes app on ‌iPad‌. You can draw a rough sketch with the Apple Pencil or circle a blank space or a key phrase in a note to have Image Wand generate an appropriate image.

Genmoji

Genmoji are custom emoji characters that you can create based on descriptions and phrases. Like ‌Image Playground‌ creations, you can base them on your friends and family, with the data pulled from the People album in Photos. You can also make characters using basic elements, and you’ll get multiple ‌Genmoji‌ suggestions to choose from. You can create ‌Genmoji‌ using the emoji keyboard.

‌Genmoji‌ are limited to iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 right now, and will be coming to ‌macOS Sequoia‌ later.

Siri ChatGPT Integration

Siri can integrate with ChatGPT for certain requests, but only with user approval. If ‌Siri‌ is unable to provide an answer to a query, ‌Siri‌ will hand the request over to ChatGPT. ChatGPT’s answer will then be provided by ‌Siri‌.

ChatGPT can be used to create content from scratch, including text and images. No account is required to use ChatGPT integration, and Apple and OpenAI do not store requests.

Visual Intelligence

iPhone 16 users have access to Visual Intelligence, a feature that provides information about what’s around you. If you open the camera and point it at a restaurant, for example, you’ll see opening hours and reviews.

Some other Visual Intelligence capabilities include reading text out loud, detecting phone numbers and addresses to add them to Contacts, copying text, and summarizing text. There is an option to search Google for where to buy a specific item that you see, and you can also point the camera at something and then get more information about it from ChatGPT.

Apple plans to expand this feature to include more functionality over time.

Writing Tools

Apple is enhancing the Writing Tools feature to add an option to make more open-ended changes. In iOS 18.1 and its sister updates, Writing Tools can only be used to change the tone to friendly, professional, and a more simplified version. In iOS 18.2, you can describe the tone or content change that you want to make, such as adding more action words, or turning an email into a poem.

More Languages

‌Apple Intelligence‌ supports localized English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, and the UK in addition to U.S. English.

Wait List

If you’ve already been testing ‌Apple Intelligence‌ and are opted in, you will have access to Writing Tools, ChatGPT integration, and Visual Intelligence automatically.

There is a secondary waiting list for early access to use ‌Genmoji‌, ‌Image Playground‌, and Image Wand. You can sign up to get access in ‌Image Playground‌ or in the areas where you access ‌Genmoji‌ or Image Wand.

When you request access, you are added to a wait list for all three capabilities and you’ll get a notification when the features are available for you to use. Apple is rolling out access to the new image generation features over the coming weeks.

Availability and Compatibility

The second betas are available on all devices, but the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features require a device capable of ‌Apple Intelligence‌. As of right now, the betas are limited to developers, but there will likely be a public beta coming in the not too distant future. Apple is still working on refining the new ‌Apple Intelligence‌ tools, and the company warns that ‌Genmoji‌, Image Wand, and ‌Image Playground‌ can sometimes give you results you weren’t expecting. Apple is collecting feedback on these experiences and will refine them over time.

The feedback received will help Apple determine when the image generation features will be more widely available for beta testing and when they’ll see an eventual public launch.

‌Apple Intelligence‌ in iOS 18.2 requires an iPhone 15 Pro or ‌iPhone 16‌ model. iPadOS 18.2 requires an ‌iPad‌ with an M-series chip or an A17 Pro chip, while ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2 requires a Mac with an M-series chip.

Release Date

Apple is expected to release the iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2, watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2, and visionOS 2.2 updates in early December.

This article, “Apple Releases Second Betas of iOS 18.2 and More With Genmoji, Image Playground and ChatGPT Integration” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple has accidentally allowed an iPhone and iPad app that allows you to stream pirated movies and TV shows for free into the App Store, according to a post from Kevin Aubin on Threads. The post was earlier reported by The Verge.

While the so-called “Univer Note” app’s description says that it “can easily help you record every day’s events and plan your time,” it actually lets you stream movies that are still playing in theaters, like Smile 2 and Venom: The Last Dance. You can also watch shows from streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and even Apple TV+. Oops!

It appears that the French-language app has been available in the App Store since September, but it is unclear how long the app has offered pirated movies and TV shows instead of calendar functionality. This app clearly went undetected by Apple’s App Review team, and it should be removed from the App Store promptly after receiving news coverage.

Update: It appears the pirated movies and TV shows are only visible in the app in certain countries, such as Canada and France. In the U.S., the app actually appears to be a basic calendar app, which may have helped it to stay under the radar until now.

Update 2: The app has been removed from the App Store.Tag: App StoreThis article, “Apple Accidentally Lets Pirated Movies and TV Shows App Into App Store” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

Apple has accidentally allowed an iPhone and iPad app that allows you to stream pirated movies and TV shows for free into the App Store, according to a post from Kevin Aubin on Threads. The post was earlier reported by The Verge.

While the so-called “Univer Note” app‘s description says that it “can easily help you record every day’s events and plan your time,” it actually lets you stream movies that are still playing in theaters, like Smile 2 and Venom: The Last Dance. You can also watch shows from streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and even Apple TV+. Oops!

It appears that the French-language app has been available in the App Store since September, but it is unclear how long the app has offered pirated movies and TV shows instead of calendar functionality. This app clearly went undetected by Apple’s App Review team, and it should be removed from the App Store promptly after receiving news coverage.

Update: It appears the pirated movies and TV shows are only visible in the app in certain countries, such as Canada and France. In the U.S., the app actually appears to be a basic calendar app, which may have helped it to stay under the radar until now.

Update 2: The app has been removed from the App Store.

This article, “Apple Accidentally Lets Pirated Movies and TV Shows App Into App Store” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Read More 

In a recent document outlining the steps it has taken to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act, Apple revealed that it will allow iPhone and iPad users in the EU to set default navigation and translation apps starting in “spring 2025.” That timeframe suggests these options will be added in iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, which should be released in April.

Apple had already announced that iPhone and iPad users in the EU would be able to set default navigation and translation apps in “future software updates,” but it did not share a more specific timeframe for these options until now.

Once the iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 updates are released, iPhone and iPad users in the EU should be able to set default navigation and translation apps through the new “Default Apps” section in the Settings app on the devices. For example, users should be able to choose Google Maps, Waze, or other options as their default navigation app, instead of Apple Maps. Likewise, they should be able to choose Google Translate, Microsoft Translator, or other options as their default translation app, instead of Apple’s Translate app.

As of the iOS 18.2 beta, iPhone users in the EU can already set a default browser app, mail app, app marketplace, phone calls app, messaging app, password manager app, and set default options for call filtering and software keyboards.

Apple’s compliance document was released to the public today alongside the European Commission’s announcement that it will be assessing whether Apple’s changes to iPadOS effectively comply with the Digital Markets Act.Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18This article, “Apple Suggests iOS 18.4 Will Allow iPhone Users in EU to Set Default Maps and Translation Apps” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

In a recent document outlining the steps it has taken to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act, Apple revealed that it will allow iPhone and iPad users in the EU to set default navigation and translation apps starting in “spring 2025.” That timeframe suggests these options will be added in iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, which should be released in April.

Apple had already announced that iPhone and iPad users in the EU would be able to set default navigation and translation apps in “future software updates,” but it did not share a more specific timeframe for these options until now.

Once the iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 updates are released, iPhone and iPad users in the EU should be able to set default navigation and translation apps through the new “Default Apps” section in the Settings app on the devices. For example, users should be able to choose Google Maps, Waze, or other options as their default navigation app, instead of Apple Maps. Likewise, they should be able to choose Google Translate, Microsoft Translator, or other options as their default translation app, instead of Apple’s Translate app.

As of the iOS 18.2 beta, iPhone users in the EU can already set a default browser app, mail app, app marketplace, phone calls app, messaging app, password manager app, and set default options for call filtering and software keyboards.

Apple’s compliance document was released to the public today alongside the European Commission’s announcement that it will be assessing whether Apple’s changes to iPadOS effectively comply with the Digital Markets Act.

This article, “Apple Suggests iOS 18.4 Will Allow iPhone Users in EU to Set Default Maps and Translation Apps” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

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