Apple today introduced the newest version of macOS, the operating system that runs on the Mac. macOS 11.0 Big Sur is now available in a beta capacity for registered developers who want to test out the new features.
The macOS Big Sur beta can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center and once the appropriate profile is installed, subsequent betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences. As with all of the new betas, Apple recommends not installing macOS Big Sur on a primary machine because it is early release software and could have major bugs.
macOS Big Sur is a major update that introduces a refined design for the macOS operating system. It's iOS like, but immediately familiar to Mac users with small tweaks to window design, color palette, app icons, and more.
Control Center is now available for the Mac, offering up quick access to controls right from the desktop, and the updated Notification Center includes interactive notifications and redesigned widgets that mirror the widgets on iOS.
Safari has major new features that include a customizable start page, built-in translation, and a Privacy Report that lets you know what trackers each webpage us using. There's a new Mac App Store category for extensions, and tools for devs to bring extensions created for other browsers to Safari.
The Messages app for Mac is now based on the Messages app on iOS with support for all of the new features like pinned conversations, @ mentions, inline replies for group messages, and more. Messages effects and Memoji Stickers are now available for the Mac, as are Memoji customization options.
Maps has also been overhauled in macOS Big Sur with Guides, Look Around, indoor maps, and more, plus support for cycling routes and electric vehicles.
macOS Big Sur is only available to registered developers at this time, but later in the summer, Apple will make a public version of the macOS Big Sur beta available to give public beta testers a chance to try the software before it sees a public launch this fall.
Following the conclusion of today's keynote event that saw the unveiling of new versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, Apple has made the first betas of iOS and iPadOS 14 available to developers for testing purposes.
Over the course of the iOS/iPadOS 14 beta testing period, Apple will be able to refine new features and work out bugs ahead of the software's release, which is expected in the fall. The early June release will also allow developers to build new iOS and iPadOS 14 features into their apps.
Registered developers can download the profile for the first iOS and iPadOS betas from the Apple Developer Center, and after that, betas will be available over the air.
As with all of the updates introduced at WWDC, iOS and iPadOS bring major new features to the iPhone and the iPad, with updates to Messages, Safari, and the Home screen, plus a new Fitness app and AR capabilities. iOS 14 includes a redesigned Home screen experience with an App Library view that allows you to see all of your apps at once and support for widgets on the Home screen for the first time.
A widget Smart Stack can be set up, which uses on-device intelligence to surface the right widget base don time, location, and activity. FaceTime and Phone calls no longer take over the entire iPhone or iPad display, an update that iOS users have wanted for years.
A new feature called App Clips is designed to allow users to scan an App Clip code, QR code, or NFC tag to get a quick clip of an app that can be used without the need to download the entire app. App Clips also work from Messages or Safari.
Messages gets pinned conversations, @mentions in group chats, inline replies for group chats, and new Memoji options.
Maps now supports cycling directions and electric vehicle routing that adds information about charging stops on a planned route. A new Guides feature offers up curated lists of interesting places to visit in different cities.
App privacy has been enhanced and all apps need to require user permission before tracking. All App Store product pages will also feature summaries of developers' privacy practices in an easy-to-understand format. Users can also choose to share approximate location information with apps, and users can also upgrade existing accounts to Sign in With Apple.
For Safari, there's a new built-in translation feature, Siri is smarter than ever and can send audio messages, the Home app has new Adaptive Lightning features, and CarKey, a new feature that will let you unlock your car with your iPhone, is coming. Switching between devices with AirPods is more seamless, and for AirPods Pro, there's an incredible new spatial audio feature with dynamic head tracking.
iPadOS 14 includes all of the features in iOS 14 plus a new "Scribble" feature that lets users handwrite in any text field on the iPad, with the handwritten text automatically converted to typed text.
Many apps in iPadOS 14 feature sidebars and toolbars with consolidated controls for a more streamlined user experience, and there's a new Depth API that lets developers create more powerful features for their apps.
Search on the iPad has been entirely redesigned and is now similar to Finder for Mac, a one-stop place to find anything. You can launch apps, access contacts, access files, and more.
Only registered developers can download the iOS and iPadOS 14 betas at this time. Apple will provide a public beta for public beta testers later in the summer after the software has gone through a couple of rounds of developer testing. Beta testing for iOS 14 will last for several months, with the update set to be released in September 2020.
The iOS and iPadOS 14 updates that were introduced this morning will include a hidden feature that Apple didn't have time to mention - emoji search.
In iOS 14, the Mac emoji search option that lets you find an appropriate emoji using a keyword will be coming to iOS.
A new search field for the emoji keyboard lets you search for the perfect emoji. Enter a commonly used word or phrase such as "heart" or "smiley face" and you will be presented with the corresponding emoji to choose from.
An emoji search option is something that iOS users have been wanting for years, as it gets harder and harder to find the appropriate emoji with each of the new emoji added to iOS every year.
Apple today debuted iOS and iPadOS 14, and though not mentioned on stage, the company is quietly introducing a new Find My Network Accessory Program.
The new accessory program will allow third-party products and accessories to work with the Find My app, letting users track items directly on their Apple devices using the Find My app.
Find My will add support for finding third-party products and accessories with the new Find My network accessory program. This will allow customers to use the Find My app to locate other important items in their lives, in addition to their Apple devices. User privacy remains central to the Find My network with end-to-end encryption built in. A draft specification is available for accessory makers and product manufacturers starting today.
Apple is making a draft specification available for accessory makers and product manufacturers that's available as of today.
It's not clear what this means for Apple's own AirTag product that's in the works, but this could be a way for Apple to level the playing field to avoid giving AirTags an unfair advantage.
Apple today confirmed its widely rumored plan to switch to custom processors for its Macs, promising "incredible" performance and features.
Building on its industry-leading A-series chips for iPhones and iPads, Apple wants Macs with its custom silicon to have the highest performance with lower power usage. Apple says the vast majority of Mac apps can be quickly updated to be "universal" with support for both Intel-based Macs and those with Apple's custom silicon.
Starting today, developers will be able to apply for a special Mac mini with an A12Z chip inside to help prepare their apps for Apple's custom silicon. This custom Mac mini will be running the macOS Big Sur beta and the latest version of Xcode.
Apple said that it expects its first Mac with custom silicon to launch by the end of 2020, and it expects to transition its entire lineup within the next two years.
Assuming nothing changes between now and the public release of macOS Big Sur in the fall, this would mark the end of an era for Apple's desktop platform. For nearly two decades, every major release of macOS (previously known as OS X) was an increment of version 10, ranging from OS X 10.0 Cheetah in 2001 to macOS 10.15 Catalina in 2019.
It's worth noting that the beta file for macOS Big Sur lists the software update as 10.16, but it is referred to as 11.0 everywhere else.
Apple's new iOS 14 operating system is compatible with many older iPhones, including the original iPhone SE, the iPhone 6s, and the iPhone 6s Plus, meaning the new update works with iPhones that are five years old and newer.
Apple's list of compatible devices confirms that iOS 14 is compatible with all of these iPhones:
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max
iPhone XS and XS Max
iPhone XR
iPhone X
iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
iPhone SE
iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
iPod touch (7th generation)
The new version of iPadOS is also compatible with a wide range of older devices:
All iPad Pros
iPad (7th generation)
iPad (6th generation)
iPad (5th generation)
iPad mini 5
iPad mini 4
iPad Air (3rd generation)
iPad Air 2
iOS and iPadOS 14 will be limited to registered developers at launch, but Apple plans to make a public beta available later this summer. iOS and iPadOS 14 will launch to the public in the fall.
Apple today during its WWDC keynote unveiled macOS Big Sur, which comes with a big update to Apple's native Safari browser.
Tabs have been redesigned to make navigating with Safari faster and more powerful by showing more tabs onscreen, displaying favicons by default to easily identify open tabs, and giving users a quick preview of a page by simply hovering over the tab.
A new Privacy Report button in the toolbar gives users insight into how sites are using their connection, and which trackers have been blocked. Users can choose when and which websites a Safari extension can work with, and tools like data breach password monitoring never reveal users' password information.
Extensions support for Safari is adopting new standard, so users can bring over extensions from other browsers. Users can also give extensions access just for a day, on a certain website, or for every website. In addition, the Mac App Store has a new extensions category that includes editorial spotlights and top charts.
Meanwhile, native-translation capabilities are now built into Safari, and the browser can detect and translate entire webpages from seven languages. There's also a customizable Start Page with background image support that extends to Reading List and iCloud Tabs.
Aside from features, Safari is getting faster. Apple says it now loads frequently visited sites an average of 50 percent faster than Chrome.
Apple today previewed the latest version of macOS, called "Big Sur," and Apple is referring to this update as the biggest update since macOS X. Big Sur introduces a new redesign, new features for Safari, updates to Messages, and more.
Apple describes the new design as "spacious," that encourages easier navigation while putting more controls at the user's fingertips. Apple has refined everything from the curvature of window corners to the palette of colors and materials.
Dock icons were redesigned to be more consistent with icons across Apple's ecosystem, "while retaining their Mac personality." Overall, Apple says the new design reduces visual complexity and brings users' content front and center.
New to macOS is Control Center, which delivers quick access to controls right from the desktop. Notification Center has been updated with more interactive notifications and redesigned widgets in different sizes, matching the design of iOS 14.
For Safari, Apple is launching "the biggest update to Safari since its original launch in 2003." Tabs have been redesigned to make navigating Safari faster, with favicons displayed by default so it's easier to see where to click at a glance.
When opening Safari, users will browse a new start page. They can customize this area with a background image and sections like a Reading List and iCloud Tabs. While browsing Safari, foreign languages can be translated with built-in translation tools covering seven languages.
In terms of privacy, Safari now supports a new Privacy Report that delivers added visiblity into how Safari protects browsing activity across the web. Users will be able to choose when and which websites a Safari extension can work with.
In Messages, Apple has introduced pinned conversations and a refined search function. Screen effects are finally supported on macOS, and users will be able to create and customize their Memoji on a Mac. In conversations, there will be a new photo picker and #images support, making it possible to share GIFs on the macOS Messages app without a third-party app.
Group messaging features streamline conversations with inline replies and @mentions, making it easy to directly address someone, or a specific text, amid a large group. They can also set a photo or an emoji for their group conversation that's shared with all members of the group.
macOS Big Sur will be available this fall as a free software update. Ahead of that date, it's available to Apple Developer Program members today and a public beta will launch in July.
Apple today announced a small but long-awaited change being made in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14: incoming phone and FaceTime calls will no longer take up the entire screen, providing for a much less disruptive experience.
iOS 14 is available in beta for registered Apple developers today, with a public beta to follow next month. The software update will be released to all users with an iPhone 6s or newer in the fall.
Read our iOS 14 roundup for a look at other new features coming to the iPhone and iPad.
Apple today during its WWDC keynote unveiled watchOS 7, which comes with a new sleep tracking feature for Apple Watch.
The new sleep tracking feature helps users to make recommendations about waking up and when to go to sleep. A "Wind Down" feature minimizes distractions to create a personalized evening routine.
iPhones can be set to display a Wind Down screen before users go to bed. It turns on do not disturb, and can suggest things like meditation or quiet music listen to.
Wind Down puts Apple Watch in sleep mode, and when it's time to wake up, it can wake up with quiet alarms, or a silent haptic-only alarm. It can also wake up with a friendly greeting to start the day.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, a bedtime routine helps the body prepare for sleep. To support this, Wind Down allows Apple Watch and iPhone users to create a customized routine before bed, including setting up a specific scene in the Home app, listening to a soothing soundscape, or using a favorite meditation app. In Sleep Mode, Apple Watch turns on Do Not Disturb and automatically darkens the screen overnight.
In the morning, the wearer will see a visualization of their previous night's sleep, including periods of wake and sleep. They will also see a chart showing their weekly sleep trend.
Sleep tracking uses machine learning to sense motion, and detects micro motions from the rise and fall of the breath. There's also a new sleep section in the health app, including a view of trends over time.
Depending on personal charging behavior, if the battery is too low within an hour of bedtime, Apple Watch will remind users to charge it ahead of sleep. Sleep data is encrypted on device or in iCloud with iCloud sync, and data is always in the user’s control.
Sleep tracking, Schedule, Wind Down, and Sleep Mode will also be available on iPhone without a watch with iOS 14.
No more having to hum the "happy birthday" song to yourself twice, as the Apple Watch features a new hand washing feature in watchOS 7.
Using its motion sensors and microphone, the Apple Watch automatically detects hand washing and starts a 20‑second timer, which is how long the CDC and many other health organizations recommend washing your hands. If your Apple Watch detects that you've stopped washing your hands early, it will encourage you to continue for the full 20 seconds.
In addition, the Apple Watch can remind you to wash your hands when you get home.
watchOS 7 is available in beta for registered Apple developers today, with a public beta to follow next month. The software update will be released to all users with an Apple Watch Series 3 or newer in the fall.
Apple today previewed watchOS 7, announcing new features coming to the Apple Watch like enhanced customization tools, updated health and fitness features, handwashing detection, new workout types, and more.
The first feature Apple talked about today was an update to Faces on Apple Watch. watchOS 7 lets users customize and personalize faces, and then share them via Messages or Mail. New faces can also be discovered through the App Store and links from websites and social media.
New faces include the Chonograph Pro with a tachymeter to calculate the speed based on time traveled over a fixed distance, the Photos face with color filters, and the bold X-Large face with a new option to add a rich complication.
Amid all these updates, developers can now offer more than one complication per app on a single watch face. Apple gave the example that the "Dawn Patrol" app can create a face that shows tide, wind speed, and water temperature for surfers.
Another area focused on by Apple today was sleep tracking. Apple is focusing on this by allowing Apple Watch to detect micro-movements during sleep with the watch's accelerometer. This captures when the wearer is sleeping and how much sleep they get each night. In Sleep Mode, Apple Watch turns on Do Not Disturb and darkens the screen.
When it's time to wake up, Apple Watch offers a silent haptic alarm or gentle sounds. Apple will also warn users if the battery is too low within an hour of bedtime. This way, they can be sure to charge the Apple Watch before they go to sleep.
All of this data will be fed into the Health iOS app, showing your average time in bed, time asleep, schedule, sleep goals, and more stats over time. To support better sleep, Wind Down mode allows users to create customized routines before bed by connecting to the Home app to dim lights.
The next new feature is automatic handwashing detection, which encourages users to keep washing their hands for 20 seconds to prevent the spread of illness. Apple Watch uses motion sensors, microphone, and machine learning to automatically detect handwashing motions and sounds, starting a 20-second countdown with a custom animation.
For Workouts, users will now have access to four new workout types: Core Training, Dance, Functional Strength Training, and Cooldown. Apple has also redesigned the Activity app on iOS, which it's now calling Fitness, with a streamlined view of daily Activity, Workouts, Awards, Activity Trends, and more.
In terms of updates to the Noise app, watchOS 7 will now be able to warn users that loud music can have through their headphones. When they reach 100 percent of the safe weekly listening amount in a week, Apple will send a notification and turn down the volume.
Apple today during its WWDC keynote unveiled iPadOS 14, which features new interface functionality for stock apps, a new incoming call UI, Siri interactions, universal Search, new Apple Pencil features, and more.
"With iPadOS 14, we're excited to build on the distinct experience of iPad and deliver new capabilities that help customers boost productivity, be more creative, and have more fun," said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. "With new compact designs for system interactions and new app designs specifically tailored to iPad, even better note-taking capabilities with Apple Pencil, and more powerful AR experiences, iPadOS 14 delivers an amazing experience that keeps it in a class of its own."
New toolbars and drag and drop functionality has been implemented across a number of Apple's standard iPad apps, including Photos, Files, Notes, Calendar, and Apple Music. For example, Photos has gained a new sidebar, much like the one found in Photos for Mac, and the Music app is getting a new full-screen music player.
Like in iOS 14, incoming FaceTime and phone calls now appear as a lightweight banner so they don’t take up the entire screen, making it easy to quickly tap to answer the call or flick to dismiss. Siri now also appears at the bottom of the screen when activated, allowing users to reference information onscreen while making a request.
Search in iPadOS has also been redesigned to be universal, similar to Spotlight on macOS. It works as an app launcher, or can be used to make calls, or search within apps like Mail and Files.
Search on iPad has been rebuilt from the ground up with iPadOS 14 and is now the one place to quickly find practically anything, from locating and launching apps to accessing contacts, files, and quick information, to getting answers to common questions about people or places. With a new compact design, users can start a search from anywhere, without having to leave the app they’re in. Web searches are even more powerful and refined, delivering more relevant suggestions as users type and the ability to get to search results with just a tap.
Handwriting on the iPad is becoming just as powerful as typed text – "Scribble" will allow users to hand-write in any text field and for it to be automatically be converted to text. Scribble will initially offer support for English, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, and mixed Chinese and English, so users can write English and Chinese words together without needing to switch languages.
When taking notes, Smart Selection uses on-device machine learning to distinguish handwriting from drawings, so handwritten text can easily be selected, cut, and pasted into another document as typed text. Meanwhile, shape recognition allows users to draw shapes that are made geometrically perfect and snap right into place when adding diagrams and illustrations in Notes.
Data detectors now also work with handwritten text to recognize phone numbers, dates, and addresses, and offer users the ability to take actions like tapping a written number to make a call, adding an event directly to Calendar, or showing a location in Maps.
iPadOS 14 comes with ARKit 4, which delivers a brand new Depth API that allows developers to access more precise depth information captured by the new LiDAR Scanner on iPad Pro. Developers can use the Depth API to drive new features in their apps, like taking body measurements for more accurate virtual try-on, or testing how paint colors will look before painting a room.
ARKit 4 also introduces Location Anchors for iOS and iPadOS apps, which leverage the higher resolution data of the new map in Apple Maps, where available, to pin AR experiences to a specific point in the world.
Elsewhere, iPadOS 14 includes the same new widgets experience as found in iOS 14, new Messages features and Memoji options, an enhanced version of Maps with new cycling directions and curated Guides, a more advanced Home app with new automation suggestions and expanded controls in Control Center, and new accessibility features.
The developer preview of iPadOS 14 is now available to Apple Developer Program members at developer.apple.com , and a public beta will be available to iPadOS users next month at beta.apple.com. New software features will be available this fall as a software update for iPad Air 2 and later, all iPad Pro models, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 4 and later.
Apple today announced that the second-generation AirPods, AirPods Pro, Powerbeats, Powerbeats Pro, and Beats Solo Pro are gaining automatic switching between Apple devices like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. For example, if you finish a phone call on your iPhone and pick up your iPad to watch a movie, the AirPods or Beats will automatically switch over.
AirPods Pro are also getting a new "spatial audio" feature that promises to deliver a theater-like surround sound experience wherever you are. Apple says spatial audio with dynamic head tracking puts surround sound channels in exactly the right place, even as you turn your head or move your device. This feature will require an iPhone 7 or newer.
For developers, Apple is releasing a new Motion API that provides access to orientation, user acceleration, and rotational rates for the AirPods Pro, which will be beneficial for fitness apps, games, and more.
These new features are tied to the release of iOS 14, macOS Big Sur, and watchOS 7.
Apple today announced several new features being added to iMessage in iOS 14, including mentions, pinned conversations, inline replies in conversations, group photos, and new Memoji styles and stickers.
An overview of the new features:
Mentions: Type a name to direct a message to someone. When you are mentioned, your name is highlighted. You can customize an active group so you only receive notifications when you are mentioned.
Pinned conversations: Pin up to nine conversations to the top of your conversation list for easy access to them.
Inline replies: Reply directly to a specific message in a group conversation. You can view replies in the full conversation or as their own thread for a more focused view.
Group photos: Give your group conversation a visual identity by adding a photo or Memoji, or choose an emoji.
New Memoji styles and stickers: New age and face covering options, plus over 20 new hair and headwear styles.
Apple today announced a new feature for iOS 14 called "App Clips," which surfaces information from relevant apps throughout the iOS 14 interface, without needing to download an entire app. Apple described App Clips as a "small part" of an app designed to be discovered the moment it is needed.
App Clips load within seconds and let users complete specific tasks, like pay for parking using Sign In With Apple and Apple Pay. App Clips can be discovered and accessed by scanning Apple's new "App Clip codes," or by using NFC and QR codes. They can also be shared in Messages and Safari.
Following several leaks and rumors, Apple today confirmed that iOS 14 and watchOS 7 feature support for NFC-based digital car keys, allowing users to unlock and start their vehicle with a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch.
Similar to credit cards and boarding passes, digital car keys are stored in the Wallet app. To unlock your vehicle, you will simply need to bring your iPhone near the driver's side door. Once inside the vehicle, you will be able to place your iPhone on a reader or wireless charger to start your vehicle and drive, according to Apple.
For peace of mind, a power reserve feature allows the digital car keys to work for up to five hours after your iPhone battery runs out.
Apple says the feature will start rolling out to BMW customers next month, with support for the new 2021 5 Series at launch, and Apple hopes to expand the feature to other automakers over time. Apple will also make the feature available on iOS 13, and presumably watchOS 6, so that users can take advantage of it as soon as possible.
Apple also announced that it is already working on the next generation of digital car keys based on Ultra Wideband technology, which will allow users to unlock future car models without removing their iPhone from their pocket or bag. Apple expects this feature, which will utilize the U1 chip in iPhone 11 models, to become available next year.
iOS 14 and watchOS 7 are available in beta for registered Apple developers today, with public betas to follow next month. The free software updates will be released in the fall for the iPhone 6s or Apple Watch Series 3 and newer.
