verge-rss

Apple’s tvOS doesn’t get the primary focus at WWDC, but it’s still adding a few new features this fall, including one that will be familiar to people who’ve used Amazon’s streaming service.
The new InSight feature is limited to Apple TV Plus original shows and movies, where it will show details about the actors and characters onscreen as well as pull up details about the show’s soundtrack so you can add tracks to Apple Music. Amazon’s similar X-Ray feature began its life on the Kindle platform before rolling out for TV shows and movies across the Fire tablets and smart TV devices over the last decade.

Image: Apple

InSight is also viewable on your iPhone when you’re using it as an Apple TV remote.
Another new addition is smart subtitles that can automatically appear when you mute the TV or skip back. They can also appear when the characters are speaking a different language from the one currently set on the device.
Apple TV’s Enhance Dialogue feature, which arrived with iOS 17, will now use machine learning for “greater vocal clarity,” said Ron Huang, VP of sensing and connectivity at Apple, during the WWDC event today.
Support for Enhance Dialogue, which separates the dialogue from the background noise so you can better hear what is being said over the sound effects and music, can now be used with “built-in TV or HDMI-connected speakers, AirPods, and other Bluetooth-connected devices, and when playing supported content on iPhone and iPad.” Previously, it was limited to second-gen HomePods.
The company is also adding support for 21:9 projectors so you can view widescreen movies “exactly as the directors intended.” And it’s introducing new screen savers from TVs and movies, including, a new animated Snoopy screensaver that lets the playful pup spring to life through animations when your TV is idle.

Apple’s tvOS doesn’t get the primary focus at WWDC, but it’s still adding a few new features this fall, including one that will be familiar to people who’ve used Amazon’s streaming service.

The new InSight feature is limited to Apple TV Plus original shows and movies, where it will show details about the actors and characters onscreen as well as pull up details about the show’s soundtrack so you can add tracks to Apple Music. Amazon’s similar X-Ray feature began its life on the Kindle platform before rolling out for TV shows and movies across the Fire tablets and smart TV devices over the last decade.

Image: Apple

InSight is also viewable on your iPhone when you’re using it as an Apple TV remote.

Another new addition is smart subtitles that can automatically appear when you mute the TV or skip back. They can also appear when the characters are speaking a different language from the one currently set on the device.

Apple TV’s Enhance Dialogue feature, which arrived with iOS 17, will now use machine learning for “greater vocal clarity,” said Ron Huang, VP of sensing and connectivity at Apple, during the WWDC event today.

Support for Enhance Dialogue, which separates the dialogue from the background noise so you can better hear what is being said over the sound effects and music, can now be used with “built-in TV or HDMI-connected speakers, AirPods, and other Bluetooth-connected devices, and when playing supported content on iPhone and iPad.” Previously, it was limited to second-gen HomePods.

The company is also adding support for 21:9 projectors so you can view widescreen movies “exactly as the directors intended.” And it’s introducing new screen savers from TVs and movies, including, a new animated Snoopy screensaver that lets the playful pup spring to life through animations when your TV is idle.

Read More 

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge

Apple officially announced macOS 15 Sequoia at WWDC 2024 on Monday, with Apple Intelligence, iPhone mirroring, Continuity updates, automatic window tiling — finally — and a cross-platform Passwords app. The developer beta is available today, with public betas in July. The full version releases in fall 2024.
Most significantly, MacOS Sequoia will include Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI features that work across iPhone, iPad, and iOS. Among the features mentioned at WWDC: it’ll be able to manage your notifications, summarize text in emails and other apps, and automatically draft replies to emails. Siri will now be able to act for you in apps, and pull contextual information based on your personal information — all with voice commands. Apple Intelligence will be available “this summer” with the Sequoia beta, and requires an M1 or later processor.
The Mac is also getting iPhone mirroring, which lets you control your phone from your Mac. You’ll get phone notifications on the Mac as well as audio passthrough. Finally, a non-touchscreen interface for your phone! When using mirroring, your iPhone stays locked, and even in StandBy mode.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
iPhone mirroring puts your phone on your Mac.

Apple also updated Safari with a bunch of new features, including highlights — which use machine learning to detect interesting things on the page, and additions to Reader mode, including summaries and tables of contents, presumably also generated with machine learning. It also has Viewer mode for on-page video content.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
Reader mode now includes summaries and tables of contents.

The Keychain is getting a major update, with a new cross-platform Passwords app that can store many new types of account credentials, including Wi-Fi passwords, passkeys, verification codes, and shared passwords. It’ll be available on iOS, iPad, Mac, visionOS, and Windows.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
All the types of passwords that Passwords now supports.

Apple is finally bringing automatic window tiling to MacOS Sequoia, potentially sherlocking a bunch of utilities we never should have needed in the first place.

Developing… check out our live blog for the latest details.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge

Apple officially announced macOS 15 Sequoia at WWDC 2024 on Monday, with Apple Intelligence, iPhone mirroring, Continuity updates, automatic window tiling — finally — and a cross-platform Passwords app. The developer beta is available today, with public betas in July. The full version releases in fall 2024.

Most significantly, MacOS Sequoia will include Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI features that work across iPhone, iPad, and iOS. Among the features mentioned at WWDC: it’ll be able to manage your notifications, summarize text in emails and other apps, and automatically draft replies to emails. Siri will now be able to act for you in apps, and pull contextual information based on your personal information — all with voice commands. Apple Intelligence will be available “this summer” with the Sequoia beta, and requires an M1 or later processor.

The Mac is also getting iPhone mirroring, which lets you control your phone from your Mac. You’ll get phone notifications on the Mac as well as audio passthrough. Finally, a non-touchscreen interface for your phone! When using mirroring, your iPhone stays locked, and even in StandBy mode.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
iPhone mirroring puts your phone on your Mac.

Apple also updated Safari with a bunch of new features, including highlights — which use machine learning to detect interesting things on the page, and additions to Reader mode, including summaries and tables of contents, presumably also generated with machine learning. It also has Viewer mode for on-page video content.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
Reader mode now includes summaries and tables of contents.

The Keychain is getting a major update, with a new cross-platform Passwords app that can store many new types of account credentials, including Wi-Fi passwords, passkeys, verification codes, and shared passwords. It’ll be available on iOS, iPad, Mac, visionOS, and Windows.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
All the types of passwords that Passwords now supports.

Apple is finally bringing automatic window tiling to MacOS Sequoia, potentially sherlocking a bunch of utilities we never should have needed in the first place.

Developing… check out our live blog for the latest details.

Read More 

Image: Apple

Apple offered a preview of iPadOS 18 during its WWDC 2024 keynote, providing a brief glimpse of the latest version of its tablet software. Like in previous years, the new update will arrive in the fall, with a developer beta available today and a public beta available next month.
The software update finally adds a built-in calculator to Apple’s tablets. This means iPad users will no longer need to download third-party apps, which are often chock-full of ads and rarely optimized for the iPad’s larger form factor, just to perform simple math calculations.

Image: Apple
The Apple Pencil can solve math problems after you write them.

The new calculator also works along with Apple Pencil, so you can solve math problems after writing them out with the stylus. Apple is also introducing Smart Script, which improves the appearance of text as you write using machine learning. It’s also capable of recreating your own handwriting style, spell-checking you, and transforming typed text into your own style.

Image: Apple
You can personalize your homescreen.

The forthcoming software update will also introduce a few new iOS 18 features, including new ways to personalize your homescreen and a customized Control Center, with third-party apps able to offer control center integration for the first time. It also includes features like dark mode for app icons and a new theme engine so you can apply colors of your choice across your app grid.
Other new features include a new screen-sharing feature in Shareplay so you can remotely control another person’s iPad, a redesigned Settings app, and a customizable floating tab that makes it easier to navigate apps.
The news comes a month after Apple updated its iPad lineup with several new tablets, including an M4-powered iPad Pro and an M2-powered iPad Air. For the first time, the high-end Pro models sport OLED displays while the iPad Air comes in two sizes: 11 and 13 inches.
Developing… check out our live blog for the latest details.

Image: Apple

Apple offered a preview of iPadOS 18 during its WWDC 2024 keynote, providing a brief glimpse of the latest version of its tablet software. Like in previous years, the new update will arrive in the fall, with a developer beta available today and a public beta available next month.

The software update finally adds a built-in calculator to Apple’s tablets. This means iPad users will no longer need to download third-party apps, which are often chock-full of ads and rarely optimized for the iPad’s larger form factor, just to perform simple math calculations.

Image: Apple
The Apple Pencil can solve math problems after you write them.

The new calculator also works along with Apple Pencil, so you can solve math problems after writing them out with the stylus. Apple is also introducing Smart Script, which improves the appearance of text as you write using machine learning. It’s also capable of recreating your own handwriting style, spell-checking you, and transforming typed text into your own style.

Image: Apple
You can personalize your homescreen.

The forthcoming software update will also introduce a few new iOS 18 features, including new ways to personalize your homescreen and a customized Control Center, with third-party apps able to offer control center integration for the first time. It also includes features like dark mode for app icons and a new theme engine so you can apply colors of your choice across your app grid.

Other new features include a new screen-sharing feature in Shareplay so you can remotely control another person’s iPad, a redesigned Settings app, and a customizable floating tab that makes it easier to navigate apps.

The news comes a month after Apple updated its iPad lineup with several new tablets, including an M4-powered iPad Pro and an M2-powered iPad Air. For the first time, the high-end Pro models sport OLED displays while the iPad Air comes in two sizes: 11 and 13 inches.

Developing… check out our live blog for the latest details.

Read More 

Image: Apple

The iPad is finally getting a Calculator app as part of iPadOS 18. The long-requested app was just announced by Apple at WWDC 2024.
On its face, the app looks a lot like the calculator you might be familiar with from iOS. But it also supports Apple Pencil, meaning that you can write down math problems and the app will solve them thanks to a feature Apple calls Math Notes.
The arrival of Calculator for iPad isn’t a total surprise, as rumors surfaced earlier this year that the app would be coming to Apple’s tablets. But it’s nice that the app is finally on the way, especially after Apple added a Weather app to iPad two years ago with iPadOS 16.
iPadOS 18 also includes a feature called Smart Script that makes your handwriting easier to read as well as some of the personalization updates included with iOS 18.

Image: Apple

The iPad is finally getting a Calculator app as part of iPadOS 18. The long-requested app was just announced by Apple at WWDC 2024.

On its face, the app looks a lot like the calculator you might be familiar with from iOS. But it also supports Apple Pencil, meaning that you can write down math problems and the app will solve them thanks to a feature Apple calls Math Notes.

The arrival of Calculator for iPad isn’t a total surprise, as rumors surfaced earlier this year that the app would be coming to Apple’s tablets. But it’s nice that the app is finally on the way, especially after Apple added a Weather app to iPad two years ago with iPadOS 16.

iPadOS 18 also includes a feature called Smart Script that makes your handwriting easier to read as well as some of the personalization updates included with iOS 18.

Read More 

As it has done in years past, Apple outlined upcoming new software features coming to the company’s current lineup of AirPods earbuds and headphones today.
You can soon use your AirPods to control Siri in new ways, including shaking your head yes or no to respond without needing to use your voice.
Voice isolation is coming to the AirPods Pro. It removes the background noise around you to improve call quality. There’s also new personalized spatial audio that now supports games. One of the first games to support the feature is Need for Speed Mobile on iOS. Apple is including a new API so developers can take advantage of personalized spatial audio.

Image: Apple

During previous WWDC keynotes, Apple announced AirPods features like Adaptive Audio and Conversation Detection — along with a steady cadence of new accessibility-focused capabilities.
Developing… check out our live blog for the latest details.

As it has done in years past, Apple outlined upcoming new software features coming to the company’s current lineup of AirPods earbuds and headphones today.

You can soon use your AirPods to control Siri in new ways, including shaking your head yes or no to respond without needing to use your voice.

Voice isolation is coming to the AirPods Pro. It removes the background noise around you to improve call quality. There’s also new personalized spatial audio that now supports games. One of the first games to support the feature is Need for Speed Mobile on iOS. Apple is including a new API so developers can take advantage of personalized spatial audio.

Image: Apple

During previous WWDC keynotes, Apple announced AirPods features like Adaptive Audio and Conversation Detection — along with a steady cadence of new accessibility-focused capabilities.

Developing… check out our live blog for the latest details.

Read More 

Image: Apple

Apple’s iOS 18 introduced satellite capabilities to the iMessage app during WWDC.
With the new capability, those off-grid should be able to connect with loved ones even when they lack a traditional internet connection. The feature will be available on the iPhone 14 and newer phones updated to iOS 18.

Image: Apple
You can soon schedule messages.

It’s one of many new iMessage features Apple introduced during its annual developer event. Soon, users will also be able to schedule messages and tapback with any emoji. You can also create new message effects, and Apple now offers new formatting for bolding, underlining, strikethrough, and italicizing.
Messages is even finally getting RCS support, too.

Other new iOS 18 updates include a more customizable homescreen and new privacy features that require authentication to use individual apps.
Developing… check out our live blog for the latest details.

Image: Apple

Apple’s iOS 18 introduced satellite capabilities to the iMessage app during WWDC.

With the new capability, those off-grid should be able to connect with loved ones even when they lack a traditional internet connection. The feature will be available on the iPhone 14 and newer phones updated to iOS 18.

Image: Apple
You can soon schedule messages.

It’s one of many new iMessage features Apple introduced during its annual developer event. Soon, users will also be able to schedule messages and tapback with any emoji. You can also create new message effects, and Apple now offers new formatting for bolding, underlining, strikethrough, and italicizing.

Messages is even finally getting RCS support, too.

Other new iOS 18 updates include a more customizable homescreen and new privacy features that require authentication to use individual apps.

Developing… check out our live blog for the latest details.

Read More 

Rest days!!!

Apple just announced watchOS 11, the latest version of its smartwatch platform, at WWDC 2024. Developers will be able to start tinkering around with it starting today, while a public beta will arrive sometime next month. As in past years, a final public release is expected for sometime this fall alongside the new Apple Watches.
As always, each version of watchOS comes with new health features. This year, we’re getting a training mode that takes personal data and metrics to see how the intensity and duration of workouts impacts your body over time. This mode also gives you insights into whether you should push harder or maybe take a step back. And yes, that includes rest days.
There will also be a new Vitals app that gives you a glance at “important health metrics”, and new cycle tracking features for pregnancy, which can show you gestational age.
With watchOS 11, Live Activities will also be coming to the Apple Watch. There will also be new safety features, so if you take late-night runs, your friends will be able to keep tabs on you. This is similar to the safety features introduced on the Pixel Watch 2 last year.
Last year, Apple introduced the smart stack as part of a major redesign that put widgets front and center. watchOS 11 will add on this, surfacing translation or weather widget when it thinks you need it.
Surprisingly, there weren’t many new watchfaces this year. Instead, Apple emphasized a new redesigned Photos watchface.
This year will be the 10th anniversary for the Apple Watch, and there have been murmurs that Apple may go all out on a special “X” version like it did for the iPhone. That said, software updates aren’t always indicative of what hardware changes may be in store. For instance, Apple billed last year’s watchOS 10 as a “milestone” update after it revamped the UI to focus more on widgets, but it held little bearing on the Series 9’s actual hardware.
Developing… check out our live blog for the latest details.

Rest days!!!

Apple just announced watchOS 11, the latest version of its smartwatch platform, at WWDC 2024. Developers will be able to start tinkering around with it starting today, while a public beta will arrive sometime next month. As in past years, a final public release is expected for sometime this fall alongside the new Apple Watches.

As always, each version of watchOS comes with new health features. This year, we’re getting a training mode that takes personal data and metrics to see how the intensity and duration of workouts impacts your body over time. This mode also gives you insights into whether you should push harder or maybe take a step back. And yes, that includes rest days.

There will also be a new Vitals app that gives you a glance at “important health metrics”, and new cycle tracking features for pregnancy, which can show you gestational age.

With watchOS 11, Live Activities will also be coming to the Apple Watch. There will also be new safety features, so if you take late-night runs, your friends will be able to keep tabs on you. This is similar to the safety features introduced on the Pixel Watch 2 last year.

Last year, Apple introduced the smart stack as part of a major redesign that put widgets front and center. watchOS 11 will add on this, surfacing translation or weather widget when it thinks you need it.

Surprisingly, there weren’t many new watchfaces this year. Instead, Apple emphasized a new redesigned Photos watchface.

This year will be the 10th anniversary for the Apple Watch, and there have been murmurs that Apple may go all out on a special “X” version like it did for the iPhone. That said, software updates aren’t always indicative of what hardware changes may be in store. For instance, Apple billed last year’s watchOS 10 as a “milestone” update after it revamped the UI to focus more on widgets, but it held little bearing on the Series 9’s actual hardware.

Developing… check out our live blog for the latest details.

Read More 

Apple announced at WWDC 2024 that Canon is making a funky-looking new lens for its EOS R7 camera, tailor-made for creating spatial video content for the Vision Pro headset. This comes alongside the new visionOS 2 update, which brings more emphasis on spatial images to the Photos app.
This isn’t Canon’s first time making a single-purpose dual-lens array like this for its EOS line. It currently has a VR system with an RF 5.2mm f/2.8 L Dual Fisheye lens that’s compatible with the EOS R5 C, R5, and R6 Mark II. The new spatial lens is an RF-S 7.8mm f/4 STM lens, meaning it’s a lens exclusively for crop sensor bodies like the R7.
Developing… check out our live blog for the latest details.

Apple announced at WWDC 2024 that Canon is making a funky-looking new lens for its EOS R7 camera, tailor-made for creating spatial video content for the Vision Pro headset. This comes alongside the new visionOS 2 update, which brings more emphasis on spatial images to the Photos app.

This isn’t Canon’s first time making a single-purpose dual-lens array like this for its EOS line. It currently has a VR system with an RF 5.2mm f/2.8 L Dual Fisheye lens that’s compatible with the EOS R5 C, R5, and R6 Mark II. The new spatial lens is an RF-S 7.8mm f/4 STM lens, meaning it’s a lens exclusively for crop sensor bodies like the R7.

Developing… check out our live blog for the latest details.

Read More 

Image: Apple

Apple is bringing Game Mode to iOS devices as part of iOS 18. The new feature was announced at WWDC 2024 on Monday.
When Game Mode is on, your device will minimize background activity to maximize frame rates and will have improved responsiveness with AirPods and game controllers, according to Apple software chief Craig Federighi. Apple added a similar Game Mode to macOS last year as part of macOS Sonoma, though it requires that you have a Mac with Apple Silicon.

The addition of Game Mode to iOS is just the latest step of Apple’s push to encourage people to play high-fidelity games on their iPhones. There’s a growing library of big games to play, like Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Resident Evil Village. Capcom also announced on Monday that Resident Evil 7 is coming to iOS (and iPads and Macs) next month and that the Resident Evil 2 remake is in development for Apple’s platforms.

Image: Apple

Apple is bringing Game Mode to iOS devices as part of iOS 18. The new feature was announced at WWDC 2024 on Monday.

When Game Mode is on, your device will minimize background activity to maximize frame rates and will have improved responsiveness with AirPods and game controllers, according to Apple software chief Craig Federighi. Apple added a similar Game Mode to macOS last year as part of macOS Sonoma, though it requires that you have a Mac with Apple Silicon.

The addition of Game Mode to iOS is just the latest step of Apple’s push to encourage people to play high-fidelity games on their iPhones. There’s a growing library of big games to play, like Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Resident Evil Village. Capcom also announced on Monday that Resident Evil 7 is coming to iOS (and iPads and Macs) next month and that the Resident Evil 2 remake is in development for Apple’s platforms.

Read More 

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge

Apple has just announced the next major software upgrade for the iPhone: iOS 18. At the company’s WWDC keynote, software VP Craig Federighi demonstrated a slew of new improvements coming to Apple’s own apps. First up was a more customizable homescreen that finally lets you freely place app icons wherever you want. In dark mode, app icons will take on a darker tone to go easier on your eyes. And a new theme engine will let you universally apply a chosen color across your app grid for deeper personalization.
Control Center is also getting more advanced; you’ll be able to swipe between multiple pages of controls and toggles for your most important features, with media and smart home controls getting prominent placement. Third-party apps will be able to offer control center integration for the first time. And iOS 18 also (finally) lets you replace the default camera and flashlight icons on the lock screen with whatever Control Center toggles you prefer.

Image: Apple
As rumored, the color of icons can now be customized.

iOS 18 also increases privacy by allowing you to require authentication for any app you choose — or hide them altogether until your phone knows it’s really you. And you can now specifically control which contacts third-party apps can access.
The Messages app is getting more expressive: you’ll be able to use any emoji in a Tapback response — and there will be new formatting for bolding, underlining, strikethrough, and italicizing. Apple is also expanding the iPhone’s satellite communications to allow for messaging via satellite. But what I’m most excited about is the option to schedule messages, which Google Messages already offers. And yep, Apple has confirmed that RCS is coming to Messages with iOS 18.

Image: Allison Johnson / The Verge
iOS 18 lets you react with any emoji you’d like.

Improvements to Apple’s built-in Mail app include better categorization, with Gmail-like automatic sorting for transactions, updates, and promotions. For those times when you’re more focused on gaming than productivity, a new Game Mode in iOS 18 Game Mode minimizes background activity for the best performance and lowest latency with connected gamepads or AirPods.
Apple is promising the biggest-ever revamp of the Photos app with iOS 18 as the company competes against Google Photos on Android. More importantly, the app is now optimized to handle the ever-growing libraries that so many of us have accumulated through the years. It includes face sorting and the ability to pin collections to the top for quicker access. Photos will also do a better job automatically grouping people and pets into collections that you can access via the app’s new carousel view.
Developing… check out our live blog for the latest details.

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge

Apple has just announced the next major software upgrade for the iPhone: iOS 18. At the company’s WWDC keynote, software VP Craig Federighi demonstrated a slew of new improvements coming to Apple’s own apps. First up was a more customizable homescreen that finally lets you freely place app icons wherever you want. In dark mode, app icons will take on a darker tone to go easier on your eyes. And a new theme engine will let you universally apply a chosen color across your app grid for deeper personalization.

Control Center is also getting more advanced; you’ll be able to swipe between multiple pages of controls and toggles for your most important features, with media and smart home controls getting prominent placement. Third-party apps will be able to offer control center integration for the first time. And iOS 18 also (finally) lets you replace the default camera and flashlight icons on the lock screen with whatever Control Center toggles you prefer.

Image: Apple
As rumored, the color of icons can now be customized.

iOS 18 also increases privacy by allowing you to require authentication for any app you choose — or hide them altogether until your phone knows it’s really you. And you can now specifically control which contacts third-party apps can access.

The Messages app is getting more expressive: you’ll be able to use any emoji in a Tapback response — and there will be new formatting for bolding, underlining, strikethrough, and italicizing. Apple is also expanding the iPhone’s satellite communications to allow for messaging via satellite. But what I’m most excited about is the option to schedule messages, which Google Messages already offers. And yep, Apple has confirmed that RCS is coming to Messages with iOS 18.

Image: Allison Johnson / The Verge
iOS 18 lets you react with any emoji you’d like.

Improvements to Apple’s built-in Mail app include better categorization, with Gmail-like automatic sorting for transactions, updates, and promotions. For those times when you’re more focused on gaming than productivity, a new Game Mode in iOS 18 Game Mode minimizes background activity for the best performance and lowest latency with connected gamepads or AirPods.

Apple is promising the biggest-ever revamp of the Photos app with iOS 18 as the company competes against Google Photos on Android. More importantly, the app is now optimized to handle the ever-growing libraries that so many of us have accumulated through the years. It includes face sorting and the ability to pin collections to the top for quicker access. Photos will also do a better job automatically grouping people and pets into collections that you can access via the app’s new carousel view.

Developing… check out our live blog for the latest details.

Read More