iOS

Strava, the popular social networking app for athletes and a leading digital community, today released its newest feature in the latest update – Messaging. Messaging allows Strava members to connect with one another and motivate each other in ways that they couldn’t before today. Head below the fold for more details on Strava’s Messaging feature.

With Spotify Wrapped having launched this past week, I can’t help but think of three specific feature requests I’d like to see implemented into Spotify. As someone who works from home and spends a lot (76,589 minutes this year, to be exact) of time with Spotify on in the background, I am intimately familiar with the app and its foibles.

Apple has released the iOS 17.1.2 software update for iPhone. Apple has also released macOS Sonoma 14.1.2. Both updates are described as security updates in the release notes.

One of the more interesting features recently added to iPhone is something called Clean Energy Charging. Apple says that this feature aims to “reduce your carbon footprint” by charging when lower carbon-emission electricity is available. In a support document, Apple has more details on how this feature works…

iOS 17 was only just released in September with some major updates that we love, including customizable contact posters, additional Tapback replies, and voice note improvements. Not only that, but with the recent announcement that RCS messaging is coming to Apple later in 2024, it’s safe to say that iPhone users are going to be seeing some massive updates in iOS 18. That said, there are of course additional features I’d love Apple to implement in iOS 18 that would be huge wins for iPhone users. Head below the fold to read more.

As far as health trackers go, there is a lot to love about the Oura Ring and its companion app. The ring’s 200+ biometrics sync to the Oura Ring app, giving users detailed analytics and insights into their overall health and wellness, in addition to various meditations, breathing exercises, and more. However, after only having had my Oura Ring for a couple of weeks, there are some obvious changes that Oura could (and should) embrace to improve the iPhone user experience.

I am always on the lookout for tech accessories that are different, unique and serve multiple purposes. Recognizing this, JOURNEY has introduced two new products that redefine the concept of convenience and style in our tech-driven lives: the ALTI ULTRA Fast Wireless Charging Desk Mat and the TRIO ULTRA 3-in-1 Fast Wireless Charging Station. These Made for MagSafe products are not just about charging your devices; they’re about enhancing your experience.

In a surprising move, Apple has announced today that it will adopt the RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging standard. The feature will launch via a software update “later next year” and bring a wide range of iMessage-style features to messaging between iPhone and Android users.

Apple’s decision comes amid pressure from regulators and competitors like Google and Samsung. It also comes as RCS has continued to develop and become a more mature platform than it once was.

Did you know that iOS makes it very, very easy to instantly remove the background from any image? This feature was first introduced with iOS 16 last year, and I’ve found it to be one of the best and most useful capabilities. Here’s how it works.

Update: A day later, public beta versions are now available. See all the new features, including spatial video capture from iPhone 15 Pro for viewing on Vision Pro, here.

iOS 17.2 developer beta 2 is now available. The first beta release introduced Apple’s Journal app, new features to Messages, Translate as an Action button feature, and more. We expect future betas to include refinements to the Journal app. We’ll update with any changes we discover.

We wrote last year about a developer who successfully emulated iPhone OS on a Mac using QEMU. At the time, the original firmware of the 1st generation iPod touch was used to demonstrate that emulating iPhone and iPod touch software is possible. Now Martijn de Vos, also known as devos50, has shown the progress he has made with this emulator, which now runs iPhone OS 2.1.

Apple has released iOS 17.1.1 for iPhone. The software update includes fixes for wireless charging and the recently discovered snow glitch. The update follows the iOS 17.1 update from October 25 which introduced new AirDrop and Apple Music features. Apple is also working on iOS 17.2 and the new Journal app for iPhone.

Apple has released iOS 17.1 for iPhone, bringing more features to AirDrop, StandBy, and Apple Music, as well as several prominent bug fixes. The software update is available to all users now on iPhones capable of running iOS 17.

Savvy iPhone users know what to do when they see a QR code in the wild. Open the Camera app, aim, and tap the link that gets revealed. But what about QR codes in images and PDFs that are already on your iPhone?

Extensions continue to play a key part in adding third-party functionality to Safari. They’re often great ways to boost productivity, security, and privacy to a rather barebones browsing experience. But with the hundreds of Safari extensions available across different devices, it can feel overwhelming. Here’s a list of my top picks.

In his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says that Apple was caught by surprise at the sudden swell of generative AI tools this year. But they are working hard to catch up with Apple SVPs Craig Federighi, John Giannandrea, and Eddy Cue all in charge of integrating AI-powered functionality into Apple’s products and services.

That will include various new AI features in iOS 18, such as smarter reply suggestions in Messages. Cue is pushing to include features like AI-generated playlists in Apple Music, and exploring how generative AI can be utilized in Apple’s productivity apps like Pages and Keynote. Giannandrea’s team is working on a new, smarter, version of Siri that should be ready to debut next year.

The competition between iPhone and Android continues and the latest study from CIRP looks at how Apple’s share of US smartphones compares to the last four years. While some reports put the iPhone market share above 50%, CIRP’s latest data says otherwise.

You know something’s bad when you’re about to write a feature request and then realise you already did do, more than a year go. Some 18 months after I asked Apple to fix the awful iPhone jiggle mode, nothing has changed, so consider this my renewed plea.

It was travel which brought it to mind last time, while this time around it was just doing a small rejig of my Home screen to remove a couple of apps I use less frequently, replacing them with ones I now use more often …